
Saju
Your own blueprint, written in eight characters from the moment you were born
Master Cheongun, from a small hermitage at Sindoan on Gyeryongsan, Chungcheong, walks you through it“Heo-heo, curious what the eight characters are? Sit with me up here above the clouds and I'll unfold them nice and slow.”
01
So what is saju?
Take the year, month, day and hour you were born. Write each one as two characters: a heavenly stem on top, an earthly branch below. That gives you four pillars and eight characters. Saju means four pillars, palja means eight characters. In English it's often called the Four Pillars of Destiny.

02
The one character that matters most
The top character of the day you were born is called the Day Master. That one is you. Saju pictures you as something in nature: a person like a tall tree, like a candle flame, like the ocean.

03
Ohaeng: the five elements
Wood, fire, earth, metal, water. We count how many of each show up in your eight characters to see what you have too much of and what you're short on. Topping up what's missing is called gaeun, opening up your luck.

04
The Ten Gods: people, money and work
Measured against you, every other character gets a role: a friend, money, your job, or help like a mother's. Your love, money and work luck are read from here.

05
Daeun: a new season every 10 years
The chart you're born with stays the same, but the weather changes every ten years. These are your 10-year luck cycles. The same person can sail through one and get stuck in the next, depending on which one they're walking through.

06
How is it different from MBTI?
MBTI asks who you are right now. Saju starts from the moment you were born and looks at the flow and timing of your whole life. That's why it can talk about when.
Read deeper
26 easy guides to saju basics and everyday life, written by Master Cheongun
What is saju?What the Four Pillars mean and how to read them. New here? Start with this one
What are yin-yang and the five elements?The five energies under every saju
Heavenly stems and earthly branchesWhat the eight characters are made of, and your zodiac
Day MasterThe one character in your chart that is you
Ten GodsYou and people, money and work
Ten-year and yearly luckYour ten-year seasons and this year's weather

