Qimen Wang Xiang Xiu Qiu Si: Strength States

Wang Xiang Xiu Qiu Si: the five states

Taking the element in command (the month element) as the reference, every element falls into one of five states by its relation to it: the same element is Wang (prosperous); what the season generates is Xiang (assisting); what generates the season is Xiu (resting); what controls the season is Qiu (confined); what the season controls is Si (dead).

Generation cycle: Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water → Wood. Control cycle: Wood → Earth → Water → Fire → Metal → Wood.

Combining omen and strength

Strength never changes the nature of an omen; it only changes how much force it has.

Gates, stars and the palace

• Auspicious stars and gates at home: even more auspicious; inauspicious stars and gates at home: even more inauspicious.
• An inauspicious gate or star generated by the palace is being fed (the worst); controlled by the palace it is being held down (actually good).
• Gates and stars are not compared with each other by element; each is compared with the palace.
• The eight deities take no part in element calculations and are not rated for strength; they are read by imagery.

So an omen is not a fixed property of a symbol but the result of the symbol and the palace it lands in: the same five symbols in different palaces can lead to opposite conclusions.