BaZi & Spirituality

Due to the nature of the subject, BaZi practitioners are sometimes viewed as having extra “powers”, with some being viewed as spiritual, and perhaps, more enlightenment than your average Joe or Jane. After all, BaZi practitioners are able to decipher the personal characteristics, the best direction in life based on inherent skills, strengths and weaknesses while taking into account the personal fulfillment of the person whose chart is being read as well-- all this with just the date and time of birth. In addition, with accurate information on the client and his/her present circumstances, choices and upcoming decisions, a competent BaZi practitioner is also able to accurately foretell the sequence of things to come in the future!

It’s no wonder then that the BaZi practitioner is commonly seen as having extra-sensory powers or divine guidance from the spiritual realm. As BaZi deals with a person’s life and “luck” of the individual in question, it’s no wonder that the field is often misunderstood as something mysterious and related to the divine. As a result, some people who might be curious in getting a reading or in picking up the study of BaZi (or other Chinese Metaphysics subject, really) might be wary of the seemingly religious or spiritual overtones of the subject.

However, are BaZi practitioners *really* a spiritual lot?

Truth be told, BaZi is a technical study just like any other academic subject. The difference is of course the subject nature itself – in this case, the study is on the individual’s destiny, personal characteristics, surrounding circumstances and thus, possible life path. BaZi really is an extremely practical study. It deals with the earthly existence and circumstances of the individual with no sole reference to religious or spiritual aspects whatsoever. Practitioners would know that seemingly unrelated aspects of life such as education, gut instincts and well-being can be grouped under the “Resource” category—the same category that medicine, religion, metaphysics and spirituality belong to! From a BaZi perspective, these are all different aspects of life which serve the same purpose for a particular Day Master.

A BaZi analysis CAN of course reveal the depth of spirituality of the person in question, but this is just like any revelation of one’s other life aspects such as nature of romantic relationships, method of wealth accumulation, inherent skills etc. We wouldn’t label BaZi a tool for solely any of these aspects (eg. career guide, relationship guide, health report), would we? Why then should BaZi be considered a religious tool or study?

Of course, studying something as vast and powerful as BaZi will usually raise awareness of the awe of the universe. After all, BaZi deals with one’s life and destiny, and through studying and understanding the subject, often one can’t help but ponder over WHO or WHAT is the ultimate force that metes out each and every BaZi chart and as such, each individual’s destiny on earth. Metaphysical studies *can* sometimes lead to an awakening of one’s spirituality in cases where religion or spirituality had never been at the forefront of one’s psyche before (and for people who are already religious or spiritual, perhaps BaZi studies would further reinforce their faith or personal belief).

However, the fact remains that on its own and at its purest (some practitioners DO tend to mix everything together—a whole other story altogether), BaZi is an extremely practical science based on the logical understanding of the influence of planetary positions and configurations of the universe. The insights, guidance and information revealed by the applications of BaZi are very “real”, practical, often priceless and completely devoid of any specific religious or direct spiritual association.