There is a branch of Feng Shui which details character traits for individuals. This is contained in the Eight Trigram system, which is also connected to the eight basic directions. Sometimes the Eight Trigrams (as directions) are referred to literally and sometimes they are more metaphorical.
For example, the west sector of a house is associated with the Dui trigram (youngest daughter). If there was something amiss or in ill-repair in the west, it could then actually affect the youngest daughter in the family. If the household had two or more daughters, then the youngest daughter is the one most likely to experience a correlation with the west direction.
But what if we don’t have a literal youngest daughter in the house where the West sector is a concern?
This trigram/direction could then affect a person in the house who is the Dui trigram, just based on year of birth. And this trigram, symbolic of a young girl, could be ascribed to a male! Does this mean the Dui male is effeminate? No, it does not mean that at all. But there may be some things about the Dui male which evoke some of the traits reflective of the young, charming happy girl, flirtatious and very sociable. Some Dui men are very charming and flirtatious in a traditionally male way.
Where the topic of birth order comes in is that there is a defined family structure in the Trigram system. We have Qian the Father and Kun the mother. We have three sons: Eldest son Zhen, Middle son Kan and Youngest son Gen. We also have the Eldest daughter Xun, the Middle daughter Li and the Youngest daughter Dui.
The Chinese metaphysicians from thousands of years ago figured out their own kind of Birth Order symbolism which rings true and helps us understand people better based on their signature birth data. If a person was born in a year associated with the Eldest son Zhen, that person whether male or female, and no matter the actual birth order, can exude the personality and energy of the “eldest son.” The Zhen trigram is symbolic of a prince or stately person and we know that in the Western interpretation of Birth Order, the literal eldest son can be a very driven person. Birth Order suggests that the eldest child will always relate to their younger siblings in a predictable way and not take advice from younger siblings as well as the younger siblings do with their older brother or sister. The eldest son or eldest daughter may want to set an example or standard, as if they were more of a parent figure for their younger siblings.
Traits for the other trigrams can also ring true for what we have studied in western culture with Birth Order. When we look at the yin and yang lines which make up the trigrams, we can also see the greater and lesser masculine and feminine influences for each member of the family as well.
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ® Since 1992
From the Philosophical & Metaphysical Musings Blog Series
