A Book on Celestial Learning
Page Thirteen

Section Three: On the Auspiciousness and Inauspiciousness of the Seven Luminaries

Jupiter and Venus are auspicious auspicious original: 吉 (jí); signifying a favorable or lucky influence.. Their nature is temperate and harmonious. Because their nature is temperate and harmonious, they are considered auspicious. Saturn and Mars are inauspicious inauspicious original: 凶 (xiōng); signifying an unfavorable or harmful influence.. Saturn’s nature is extremely cold, and Mars’s nature is extremely dry and hot. Because they are extreme in cold or extreme in dryness and heat, they are inauspicious.

The two luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, are auspicious. When the Sun and the Moon—either with each other or in relation to the five planets—form a trine trine original: 三合 (sān hé); an aspect of 120 degrees, traditionally considered very harmonious. or a sextile sextile original: 六合 (liù hé); an aspect of 60 degrees, considered harmonious., then it is auspicious. If they are in opposition opposition original: 相衝 (xiāng chōng); an aspect of 180 degrees, considered a point of conflict., conjunction conjunction original: 相會 (xiāng huì); appearing at the same longitudinal degree., or at the two quarters two quarters original: 二弦 (èr xián); referring to the first and last quarter moon phases, which create a 90-degree "square" aspect., or in aspect original: 相照 (xiāng zhào); literally "shining upon each other," referring to the geometric relationships between celestial bodies., then it is inauspicious.

Mercury: if it encounters auspicious stars, it is auspicious; if it encounters inauspicious stars, it is inauspicious. If Mercury is alone in a single house house original: 宮分 (gōng fèn); one of the twelve divisions of the zodiac. and does not encounter any stars, then the determination of luck is taken from the house it occupies and its ruling star ruling star original: 主星 (zhǔ xīng); the planet that governs that specific zodiacal division..