"The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
It is a matter of life and death, a road either
to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry
which can on no account be neglected." - Sun Tzu
As the war in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the rising tensions in Iran and the Russian Georgian conflict hangs like a dark cloud not only over the United States but the world, ancient Chinese wisdom as depicted in Sun Tzu’s Art of War can assist in determining which presidential candidate, Obama or McCain, is better equipped to bring peace with the least destruction to human life.
Sun Tzu uses the five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal as characteristics to describe the behavior of qi, an unforeseen universal force. Qi can be described as the type of energy time brings to a space. The interaction of the 5 characteristics of qi is the basis for Chinese studies such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tai Chi, Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology. Understanding how the five elements interact with each other along with time and space is Heaven’s secret to bringing harmony to earth and man.
Looking into the astrology charts of both Obama and McCain it will be easy to identify which candidate has the balance of the 5 elements in a smooth flow to lead man out of conflict during this time in history.
As Sun Tzu writes “The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.” The commander that holds these 5 qualities “will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail.”
One way to determine if a person has all 5 elements in balance and a smooth flow is to look at their Four Pillars of Destiny, a Chinese astrology method, not to predict ones future but rather to study the qi pattern in a man's spirit determined at the time of birth. It can be considered man's karmic contract on earth, a window into the soul of a man.
Sun Tzu writes “It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.” Let’s first look at John McCain.
John McCain was on a Naval base in Cosolo, Panama, 79 W longitude on August 29, 1936 at 9:00am est http://www.astrodatabank.com/NM/McCainJohn.htm
McCain’s Four Pillar of Destiny Chart is
-fire –water +fire +fire
Snake Goat Monkey Rat
The Four Pillars of a person is based on the hour, day, month and year. The pillars are then defined as a stem and a branch. The stem is what is seen, is obvious about a person while the branches is what is at the core of a man, what guides him and gives root and substance to what is in the stems.
The stem of John McCain’s chart is
-fire –water +fire +fire
The + and – indicate the yang and yin of the element. The day stem is known as the daymaster and represents the person. John McCain is yin water, the most yin element of all. Yin elements are more flexible. Yin water travels far and wide. When water runs clear it represents wisdom but, if water becomes muddy with too much earth, the person may not know right from wrong. Water can bully. Sun Tzu describes “Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards… Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.”
This yin water man is surrounded by both yang and yin fire. Fire for a water daymaster represents his wealth and also the women in his life. The characteristics of fire is beauty, radiance, fire can inspire as well as intimidate. It will take a strong person to handle so much wealth effectively. Fire, wealth and women, is well-rooted in McCain’s chart as fire is found vibrant in the Snake and in the Goat. It will be no surprise if McCain chooses a woman as his running mate. Is McCain strong enough to handle so much fire?
It is to the branches of the Four Pillars chart that will tell us the substance and core of a man, not just what is seen on the surface.
The branches in John McCain’s chart are:
Snake Goat Monkey Rat
Four Pillars of Destiny incorporates the 5 elements into the 12 stages of life which is more popularly known as the 12 animals. Let’s now look to the month branch, a strong indication of man’s focus in life. Here the Monkey is found with strong yang metal and water. Metal represents McCain’s support, his knowledge and his parents. The Monkey creates an alliance with the Rat which is located in the year pillar and known as grandparents palace. The Rat in McCain’s chart represents the General star, excellent for military career and tells us that McCain’s ancestor had military experience. Yang metal tells us that McCain gets the right information, is well-informed. His parents raised him honorably and he was well loved by them. This support and being well-rooted makes McCain a strong individual, possibly too strong.
Water, metal and fire have been found so far in McCain’s chart. Earth can be found in the Goat and the Snake. Earth represents McCain’s power. Power is a two-edged sword and should be a serious consideration when looking at a person’s soul as power is what gives a person ambition, courage, fame, leadership but can also bring suppression as in sickness, physical abuse, lawsuits and even prison. What is missing in McCain’s chart is wood, creativity. With such strong knowledge and sense of who he is, lacking creativity can make McCain stubborn, rude, frustrated and reckless.
In Four Pillars time is always affecting the chart. As Sun Tzu writes” The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth) are not always equally predominant; the four seasons make way for each other in turn.”
Each year and also every 10 years, time profoundly affects the shifts of one’s life. When McCain turned 23, he entered his first luck period where wood was born. It is when time brings wood or when time takes wood out of the tomb found in the marriage palace, can McCain have a meaningful life.
When a person is born at the top of the hour, special attention is at the hour branch. This period in McCain’s life was the most tortuous, it is clear a serious time bomb had gone off.
The image of 1967, yin fire Goat, coming to clash yin water are clearly seen in the video of the Forestal fire, one can easily see fire attacking water. McCain’s metal protection, his plane, becomes brittle with the gloomy, hot, dry earth that Goat year brings. The image continues, when McCain’s plane is shot down by fire surrounding him by his enemies, the yang water of the Pig luck period, enemy of yin water. Click here to view picture. When water is too strong it can bully and we witness McCain being beaten. Another fire and water clash appears in the branches. Master Joseph Yu teaches “A clash in the stem is a battle, but the clash in the branches is war as serious as an infernal fire.”
McCain’s chart is full of fire and when more fire comes without strong wood to bridge, he is hurt. The luck period during this time, wood is only at birth, like a new born baby, it is not strong or helpful. It was clear McCain was left for dead when he was put with his friends in the Hanoi Hilton. His body broken, his eyes red with fever rolling back into his head, McCain is surrounded by his friends who helped him shoulder the power that brought confrontation and the evils of war with the yin earth stem scorched by the yin fire Goat qi of 1967. As he lay there, being brought back to life by his friends, could this be when he first whispered the endearing words, ‘my friends’ that carried him through the hell of war?
With power on the stem during this time, McCain remained courageous, honorable, noble, a leader with a will to live.
In 1973, McCain had moved out of this horrendous time into a 10 year luck period of yang metal Rat. The year 1973 was yin water Ox, the Ox clashes the goat releasing wood which proves to be good for McCain. For a short time, wood was released from the tomb only by the year. Although support and friends had come to free him, with wood not lasting, life remained frustrating until 1979 when wood would be released from the tomb in the marriage palace by the Ox in a 10 year luck period.
It was in 1979 when John McCain and Cindy Hensley met and wood qi would remain in McCain’s life till he turns 92. Once wood is present and vibrant can John McCain go forward with his destiny to become a benevolent leader. It should be no surprise when Cindy mentioned on ‘The View’ that John has evolved into a horticulturist.
Come 2009, McCain enters his next ten year luck period, yang wood riding the Dragon. The image….
“…Like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach
deep into water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or
worried by the long months of drought. Their leaves stay green
and they go right on producing fruit.” Jerimiah 17:7-8
During this time, the hours, years, decades of working on plans so life can be treasured will be put into action.
Wood holds the characteristics of peace, benevolence, benefitting mankind as trees give oxygen to the earth. His energy plans will not hurt the earth and most likely will ignite the economy with a green energy industry. The wealth of the country will be brilliant once again. If peace could have a chance, peace would have hope with McCain. Sun Tzu writes,
"In the practical art of war, the best
thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact;
to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is
better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it,
to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire
than to destroy them."
2008, the election year, yang earth Rat is honorable power coming to McCain. There are friends, not seen so easily on the surface who flow as powerful and graceful as a waterfall to help McCain shoulder this strong as a rock, earthy power that can be trusted and can command.
One only needs to take a glance at Barack Obama’s chart to see the constant conflict in his life which will be passed on to the country if he is elected president.
Born August 4, 1961 7:42pm dst Honolulu, Hawaii http://images.dailykos.com/images/user/3/BO_Birth_Certificate.jpg
-water –earth –wood -metal
Rooster Snake Goat Ox
Barack Obama is a yin earth daymaster, born in the Goat month, gives him good direction in life, confident in who he is. He may be so sure of himself that he may think he does nothing wrong.
His stems are
-water –earth –wood –metal
There is no smooth flow and a clash between yin wood and yin metal can be serious as metal is his output and wood his power. Joseph Yu, Feng Shui master of the Feng Shui Research Center considers this as a bad feature in a chart, when metal and wood clash someone gets hurt. In the month and year stems there is a serious conflict of output, his speech, his actions and not a nice power. His unbecoming power is a wood element and sits on the tomb of wood. When wood comes in his luck periods, his power is out of the tomb and becomes strong. How else can an outsider rise so quickly in Chicago politics if time was not with him? When he wants something, he will do all he can to get it and may use unconventional means to do so. He can challenge the powerful to help the needy. His problem is his output is too strong, strengthened by the full alliance of the Snake, Rooster and Ox in the branches. His speech is graceful yet cutting at the same time. Water is needed to bridge the clash between wood and metal and is found on the hour stem. Water is wealth for Barack Obama and also his wife. Since water is found on the hour stem it also indicates his children, what he creates in his life. It is important for Obama to create wealth, guard wealth and his wife.
His current Luck Period is yin metal Rabbit, making his unbecoming power vibrant, he can obtain power in unconventional ways. Time also gives Barack opportunity to obtain power. The Rabbit clashes the Rooster in the hour branch, the children’s palace. With the Rooster in alliance with the Snake and the Ox, his gracious output is even stronger, having the potential to aggravate unbecoming power. It is never good to upset Unbecoming power. This can be serious if water is not there.
This year, yang earth Rat year, brings a competitor to Obama who holds up his wealth. The Rat brings him wealth but that too will be held up with the Ox. The flow is not as smooth for Obama as it is for McCain. Time is with McCain to become the next president and good things for the country will come.
Mary Bax, certified with the Feng Shui Research Center, Master Joseph Yu