Book Review by Kartar Diamond

The first publication of this slender book was in 1991.  An Amazon search shows that a newer addition came out in 2020.  As I review books from my personal library, the goal is to alert those who would like to add to their own collection and learning resources, unique offerings which can expand your knowledge in Chinese metaphysics.

Michio Kushi, who generated a big following in the macrobiotic community in the West in the 1970’s, also taught Nine Star Ki, long before feng shui became popular in the Western world.  Nine Star Ki and Feng Shui are friends, but even today many feng shui fans have not heard of Nine Star Ki. Getting acquainted with the esoteric principles foundational to Nine Star Ki will only enhance your appreciation of Feng Shui, much like the complementary Chinese astrology systems or Chinese medicine.

Just a footnote: The word “oriental” may be considered culturally inappropriate in current times to describe anything Asian, but this is the word used by the late Michio Kushi, a Japanese man in his own right.

In the opening chapters, the author explains Five Element Theory and Yin Yang Theory from the Nine Star Ki/ macrobiotic viewpoint.  From other sources, Feng Shui adherents learn about the physical objects related to the five elements almost immediately, as practical applications in the home, as well as the body areas that may be affected.  However, in this book, we also learn about different associations, such as fire related to (hydrogen), earth (carbon), metal (nitrogen), water (chlorine), and wood (oxygen).

From this same perspective, fire is categorized as “yin” as it spirals upward in the direction of heaven, while water is categorized as “yang” since it contracts and moves downward. This is the exact opposite of what is learned in Feng Shui, as it relates to the Li and Kan trigrams. This just shows the dual nature of the elements. One perspective, in its own context, is not right or wrong. As one learns in macrobiotics (a theory about the yin and yang components of food), it is the below ground vegetables that are considered yang and the above ground vegetables that are considered yin.

Kushi proceeds to explain how each person has a signature imprint of potential health vulnerabilities and personality traits based on year of birth, but also explains how the month and season in which a person was born can provide another layer of insight. For instance, two people born in a Metal year will show different energy levels and interests with one born in the autumn and the other born in spring.

Included in my own Nine Star Ki Natal readings is a section, like Kushi ascertains, that some of our development time in the womb (seasonally as well as what food our mother ate during our gestation) can also leave a lasting influence on us.

The author shares how “opposites attract” when it comes to polarities like season of birth and other aspects to our upbringing, such as an urban upbringing versus a rural upbringing. The author also reveals a little-known fact, that Chinese astronomers transitioned from ancient agricultural names into giving farm animal designations to the yearly zodiac signs, as an easier way for people to remember the signs.  For example, the year of the Snake was originally attached to a word for fruit.  The year of the Rat was originally assigned a word for seeds and roots.

Some of the relationship associations and personal compatibility, reflecting Five Element Theory, made their way over time to the Feng Shui personal trigrams and notions about initial attraction between people as well as long term compatibility. Kushi even notes that compatibility between spouses is influenced by having similar dietary habits.  Of course, this makes sense on many levels, not the least of which is that spouses will have different energy levels and cognitive functioning if one is a health nut and the other subsists on junk food.

Closing chapters cover Nine Star Ki’s methodology for travel recommendations, described similarly in other Nine Star Ki books. Kushi then discusses the unique larger cycles of time which do not match up with Feng Shui cycles.  Feng Shui has a 180-year grand cycle that repeats, nine 20-Year Periods within that 180 Years, and 9 year repeating cycles overlapping.  In Nine Star Ki, there is an 81-year Cycle which is does not coincide with the Feng Shui cycles.  For instance, Nine Ki’s Period 9 is from 1955-2036.

Within each 81-year cycle, there are 9 distinct Periods which can have a global influence. The only cycle which Nine Star Ki and Feng Shui have in common is the individual 9 year  annual cycles.  If there is an annual 5 in the center of the luo shu for Feng Shui, it is also a 5 center Luo Shu trend in Nine Star Ki also.

It’s interesting to reflect on the author’s predictions for humanity, back in the 1990’s, to see what has transpired and what never came to fruition as expected, but perhaps in other ways influenced by the time frame. He predicts correctly the projected increase in mental illness in the population as well as the degradation of our physical health, approaching extinction levels as we are now aware. Between the rapid increases in autism and the significant drops in fertility, this is a recipe for a depopulation disaster.

In a distinct form of face reading, not the same as conventional Chinese Face Reading, Kushi shows the Nine Star Ki “facial floor plan” where you can predict events and health issues, based on the directional zones of the face.

Nine Star Ki by Michio Kushi, with Edward Esko and Gayle Jack is a primer on Nine Star Ki which will be appreciated by Feng Shui adherents, even though the words “feng shui” are not mentioned once.  It showcases the common origins, within Chinese metaphysics and developed further by the Japanese.  The Nine Star Ki information here is found in other books, but there is still a satisfying “macrobiotic” take on the topic. I’m grateful to the author and his Kushi Institute for introducing westerners to Nine Star Ki and the dietary philosophy which uses Yin-Yang and Five Element Theory.

Back in the 1980’s, I shopped regularly at the premiere macrobiotic health food store in Los Angeles, Erewhon (Nowhere spelled backwards). I had no idea that ten years later I would practice Feng Shui professionally, have the owners of Erewhon hire me to evaluate their first store and then come full circle with my interest in Nine Star Ki decades later.

Author: Kartar Diamond

Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®

From the Book Review Blog Series