Luck Pillars (Da Yun)

Luck Pillars (大运, Dà Yùn) are ten-year cycles that map out the elemental influences affecting your life over time. While your natal chart shows your inherent potential, Luck Pillars reveal how that potential unfolds through different life phases.

Each Luck Pillar contains a Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch—just like the four natal pillars—bringing new Ten Gods and elemental dynamics into play.

• Derived from Month Pillar: Calculation starts from your birth month
• Ten-year duration: Each pillar governs a decade of life
• Progressive influence: Pillars advance forward or backward through the stems and branches
• Interaction with natal chart: Luck Pillar elements combine with natal elements

Classical texts describe Luck Pillars as essential for understanding life timing.

Luck Pillar calculation follows specific rules:

• Start point: Month Pillar is the reference
• Direction: Yang year male or Yin year female = forward; Yang year female or Yin year male = backward
• Start age (Qi Yun): Calculated from birth date to nearest seasonal node
• Progression: Each subsequent pillar moves one stem-branch pair forward or backward

Modern software handles these calculations automatically, but understanding the principles helps interpret results.

Interpreting your Luck Pillars:

1. Identify current Luck Pillar: Which decade are you in?
2. Note its elements: What Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch does it contain?
3. Determine Ten Gods: How do these elements relate to your Day Master?
4. Check interactions: Do they clash, combine, or harmonize with natal elements?
5. Consider overall theme: What life areas are emphasized during this period?

In FateFolio's Bazi tool:

• Full Luck Pillar timeline displayed with age ranges
• Current pillar highlighted for easy reference
• Ten Gods shown for each Luck Pillar relative to your Day Master
• Key interactions with natal chart noted for each period

Common misunderstandings about Luck Pillars:

• Thinking bad Luck Pillars mean doom—they indicate areas needing attention, not fate
• Ignoring that one element in Luck Pillar can be favorable while another is not
• Forgetting that Annual Pillars also interact with Luck Pillars
• Overlooking the transition periods between Luck Pillars

All quotes are linked to accessible sources. Classical text translations may vary by edition.