I first ran this class in 2012 for a group of students who requested a clarification and application private class on the topic, which was part of the Mastery Academy Module 4. Out of respect of the copyright of Mastery Academy on the information given out in their classes, my classes did not involve going through each and every pillar and giving out notes on each pillar.

But I did have a further rationale for this practice in addition to the respect for MA’s IP and that is that really, useful as they are, the notes have limited value in terms of enhancing a student’s BaZi interpretation skills if there is no understanding of HOW the descriptions of the pillars are derived. In other words, it is information without knowing how that information is obtained, resulting in a handicapped ability to use the information at a higher level.

It is unfortunate that many students think having notes on the individual 60 pillars is the most valuable part of any learning segment involving the 60 Jia Zi. The notes do give a short-term boost to the accuracy of your reading of the Day Master because you now have the ability to understand a person’s inherent core personality (the Day Pillar after all, is YOU) but without knowing HOW and WHY the attributes are such, it is going to be restricted to just being able to give an immediate snapshot of the person’s personality.

In order to truly make use of the 60 Jia Zi but also, grow your knowledge of BaZi independently without the additional and constant crutch of classes and professional guidance, you need to understand principles and concepts rather than just the information in itself.

A good analogy is learning a sport like tennis. You can keep on taking classes from a coach, improving and working on your strokes. BUT, the key to becoming better is practice (on your own) and also, understanding the mechanics of a particular stroke and then tuning the stroke yourself (based on your personal physique/biomechanics). In the case of BaZi, what this means is that once you have gone as far as M3, the key is not just practice, but being able to understand the principles and concepts – the big picture components, so that you can self-improve as you go along.

In my 60 Jia Zi class, I take a slightly different approach. My first goal is for students to understand HOW the 60 Jia Zi personalities are derived. This often involves a great deal of pictoral Bazi practice. Then students learn to associate the 60 Jia Zi within the context of opposites, attracting and paired groups based on the inherent qualities of the Pillar. Then, students learn how to use the Jia Zi to read other components in the chart (specifically the individual Ten Gods) which is essentially a sophisticated application of Shifting Palace. Finally, we then practice snapshot reading the Day Master and how to use the 60 Jia Zi in the entire chart to gain faster and more accurate insight into a particular component of the chart.

Part of becoming more accurate with your BaZi interpretations involves being able to read a BaZi chart in a unified and singular manner. One should be able to have a ‘snapshot’ impression of a particular aspect of the chart (ie: Day Master, spousal relationship) but also read the qualities and unique aspects of a particular component of the person’s life (ie: character of children, character of superior, character of staff) whilst being able to look at the overall pictoral quality of the BaZi chart. Learning the 60 Jia Zi in a conceptual and principle-driven manner allows you to improve your singular aspect reading skills, whilst also enhancing your understanding of the 10 year Luck Pillars and how to use Annual and Monthly Pillars with more accuracy.

Why is your class restricted to M3 and above?

This is simply because information-wise, M3’s have slightly more knowledge that M2s. However, this is probably a generalised assumption rather than something that can be supported by empirical knowledge. I have taught classes with M4’s who knew as much as M2s students – cluelessness I think is not necessarily the exclusive purview of M2 students. That being said, fresh M2 students mixed into a class with M3 and M4 students is very challenging to manage. It is not always possible to ensure a good level of understanding for all parties, especially as M2 students don’t know Fan Yin and Fu Yin (which in associating the 60 Jia Zi, FanYin/FuYIn indirectly comes into the picture). M2s that made up the majority of a class would work but 1-2 M2s in a class full of M3 and M4 people would be difficult. The knowledge gap between M3 and M4 on the other hand is usually more manageable.

What if I am M2 and I want to take this class?

I would suggest you find 5 other classmates who have also done M2 and band together to form a class. Minimum class numbers are 5 and so six is just nice.

I don’t have the notes from M4 on the 60 Jia Zi. Will I be able to get those notes?

No. You will have to procure those notes some other way. My preferred teaching method is the Socratic method – students learn by Q&A method but also, through big picture, concept and principle driven teaching and application. Furthermore, the notes are just a crutch – remember that when you are doing the actual consultation or reading, you cannot be referring to your notes all the time. Thus, principle and concept driven teaching ensures you will always be able to KNOW THE ANSWER, even if you can’t REMEMBER THE NOTES.

Will I receive any notes from this class?

You’ll get the teaching slides in soft copy but there will not be any formal NOTES per se provided. That being said, I’m a big believer in not writing notes in a class all the time. Bring a note book by all means but the goal is to focus on practicing your skill, not filling up a notebook with information. Notes are supposed to be an aide-de-memoir, not a means to an end.

You will gain more from the practicum sessions where you are expected to use the principles and big picture concepts you have learnt to engage in ACTUAL live on the spot interpretation and analysis of a BaZi chart.

Will you go through each and every one of the 60 Jia Zi in the class?

No. We’ll practice with some of the individual groups of pillars but I will not recite chapter and verse on all 60.

And I don’t do it because there is no need to do so.

Granted, some pillars do present with a greater level of complexity than others and these will be covered. BUT there is no need to exhaustively cover each pillar – it is simply laborious (unnecessarily laborious) and again represents passive learning that does not promote greater understanding or the ability to actually interpret the charts. I have seen and met many students with extremely precise notes on the 60 Jia Zi from doing M4 twice or three times. Yet, there is a lacking in the ability to actually USE the information, or even utilise it for Shifting Palace. Information without application is as good as not knowing really which is why the focus of my classes is always practical application.

How will I benefit from taking this class? I am an M2 student.

Depending on your level of practice, you can either benefit a lot or very little. If you have finished taking M2 and don’t know which way the sky points (meaning, you’re confused or not sure of what you have just learnt), you might be better off taking a Practical BaZi Magic class first. If on the other hand you have taken M2, practiced and know your basics very thoroughly AND you have read Joey Yap’s 10 GODS, then this class will benefit you in terms of enhancing your level of application skill.

To determine if you know enough and are familiar enough with the M2 basics, do the Quick BaZiqueen Test:

• Do you know all of the 10 Gods attributes and characteristics?
• Do you know the 10 Gods for the other Day Masters other than your own?
• Can you name the Stem that represents the Eating God of Jia Wood?
• Can you name the Stem that represents the indirect Resource Star of Geng Metal?
• Which 10 God represents a person’s mother?

If you have to LOOK UP ALL of these questions in your notes, then you would not benefit from taking this class. If however, you can answer 3 out of 5 without referring to your notes, then you will definitely benefit from the class.

How will I benefit from taking this class? I am an M3 student

 Much of this depends on your goals in terms of BaZi. If you plan to go on to M4, then this class is best done AFTER you’ve gone to M4 perhaps.

If however you do not intend to go to M4 (or do not in the near future intend to do so) AND you are able to do the Quick BaZiqueen Test with relative ease, this class would definitely benefit you by giving you an affordable way to continue to grow your BaZi interpretation skills, whilst enabling you to focus on practical application of your BaZi knowledge. After taking this class, you should have an enhanced accuracy in your readings and also, speed up the process of reading a chart, specifically the Day Master and key components of the chart such as the quality/characteristics of spouse, children, superior, staff, siblings/business partners.

How can I benefit from taking this class? I am an M4 student.

The most obvious question for the M4 student is why take the class when you already have the notes on the 60 Jia Zi. Firstly, the notes alone are merely that – notes. They do not provide you with insight into how to add to that information because you may not understand fully how the information was derived (in particular, the attraction-repel aspects of the 60 Jia Zi, in terms of the Branches and the corresponding attraction/repel Pillars themselves). Secondly, the key to successfully utilising the 60 Jia Zi is practice – the practical component of this class will enable you to enhance your use of the 60 Jia Zi and increase the speed and accuracy of your analysis. Thirdly, the value of the 60 Jia Zi is when combined with the Shifting Palace method to read specific components or elements of the chart such as partners, spouse, children or parents, and when it is used to read the 10 year Luck Pillar and the Annual Luck Pillar. This is what you will get from the class. Indeed, m3 and m4 students stand to gain the most from taking this class as it will build on the foundation of knowledge you already have.

The 60: Understanding the Jia Zi will run on the 19-20 January 2013 in Kuala Lumpur if the minimum class quota (5 students) is satisfied. Failing which, a new date will be selected to run the class. Private groups please inquire at bazibuzz@gmail.com.