Playing with Water
About a month ago, an old friend Aran was coming back to Singapore and asked if I wanted to meet up. The last time we met was 17 years ago after we graduated from junior college. In between, there were a few occasions where he came back to Singapore, but we somehow never met up. We were classmates for 2 years in JC, on the track and field team for 6 years, played football together for 6 years and on the school football team.
Aran went to USA to study and met his partner there. So he ended up relocating permanently in the US, only coming back to Singapore to visit his family occasionally. We kept in touch briefly through facebook but contact was otherwise sporadic. The few times he asked if I wanted to meet up, I was open but I’m not really one for making plans and the timings just didn’t work out (despite me having lots of free time…LOL)
Hah. So we were both comfortable with each other, but not eager enough to put in the effort. Neither could be bothered to overcome the logistical friction and inertia between us.
This time though, he told me he was in Singapore and asked if I wanted to meet up.
This was initially meant to be a story log but it turned into a bigger piece about playing with Water.
At this point, I had a pretty good grasp of Bazi. So I had a better picture of how our relationship and energy patterns functioned.
In terms of social interaction, the Heavenly Stems represent the visible outward expression and behavior, with the Day Master being the central axis. As an Yin-Earth (Ji) Daymaster (think fertile soil or clay), the natural tendency is to stay, steady , grounded, but with sufficient permeability to allow movement on the periphery or to be ‘moved’.
I like movement, I don’t like moving.
The Metal Stems of Xin and Geng are movement-neutral - they mostly modify one movements to be more clear, precise, decisive, authoritative. Gui is Yin-Water, like mist or dew. It can be absorbed into movement, but by itself doesn’t have much inertia or momentum. So in terms of external outward behavior, I’m someone who naturally prefers to stay still, but I don’t mind being moved or absorbed into other people’s flow.
So i’m basically not the guy who organises stuff, plan events, go on solo adventures. My natural tendency is to be where I am but I enjoy movement on the periphery - the soil and clay best expresses itself when there is movement acted upon it, but doesn’t generate movement on its own.
My inner self is entirely different. Wei, Si and Wu combine to form a 巳午未三会火局
“Yes, a complete 巳午未三会火局 is a different and more strategically potent type of Fire energy than having four branches as 巳 or 午, but in terms of raw, sheer "heat," four 午 branches would be the absolute pinnacle of Fire strength
Final Verdict:
Strongest Raw Fire (Thermodynamic): Four 午 branches.
Most Potent & Transformative Fire (Strategic/Formational): 巳午未三会火局.
Most Complex/Unstable Strong Fire: Four 巳 branches.”
Which means my inner self is brimming with transformative fire. And in the midst of that fire lies Hai, the strategic Water-reservoir. Hai provides both the dynamic tension of the Si-Hai clash (巳亥冲) and the hidden harmony of the 亥午暗合 (Hai-Wu Hidden Union). It provides the balancing Yin to the otherwise overwhelming Yang of 三会火局.
This means my inner self is almost entirely opposite to my outward expression. It is full of curiosity, movement, connection, ignition, exploration, expression, dynamism. This intense inferno is only cooled down and kept in check by the presence of Hai, and my contained exterior.
Aran on the other hand I could immediately identify from my past experience of him as Water-dominant.
The Wisdom of Water
The element of Water is that which senses, permeates, flows, adapts, reflects, introspects, cycles, circulates, understands, stores, absorbs, condenses.
This gives Water-dominant people great intuition, intelligence, wisdom, sensitivity, and makes them excellent connectors and communicators.
In one word, Water understands
It looks so simple and easy, but everything is simple and easy only when you understand.
The reason why I was particularly compatible with Aran (and Water-people in general) was due to our complementary nature.
I like movement, but I don’t like to move. Water people don’t necessarily like to move, but they find it easy to move. They like to flow and adapt - not movement for movement sake, but for the sake of understanding and efficiency. Movement necessitates change and adaptation, and Water is the element of fluidity and adaptability. Thus, Water provides and initiates the movement I lack, whilst my Earth provides the stability and and grounding which they can orient around.
And emotionally, Water provides the cooling calm to temper my fiery intensity. They keep my temper, impatience, impulse in check by absorbing the excess overheat and sympathetic charge.
My Fire-Earth provides the heat, excitement, containment that Water lacks. Water provides the calm, circulation, diffusion that I lack.
How Water Looks
Aran doesn’t really look like a stereotypical Water-person.
Usually, Water-dominant individuals tend to have rounder, softer, ‘fluffier’ features.
And feel free to google and look up strategists (investment fund managers, business entrepreneurs) and scammers…they usually have Water-dominant features.
Because Water-personalities are natural schemers. They are adaptable, observant, strategic and are extremely comfortable in skirting rules, laws, conventions.
This is especially so if they have no ‘structuring’ elements to establish some form of rules and boundaries like Metal or Wood. If you look at Pep’s face, there is very strong elements of Metal’s definition and Wood’s direction which is the ‘system’ that he structures his Water-philosophy of football around.
Chen Zhi, in contrast, has a very soft, fluffy face over a broad base suggesting strong Water flooding out from a wide Earth container. The Earth gives him the capacity, persistence, solid base to grow, expand, and ‘contain’ his Water schemes and scams afloat. But the lack of Wood and Metal indicates there are no moral, social or psychological boundaries to contain his flood of desires.
Aran has a unique structure - his face and body is sharp, slim, slender - much more like a Wood and Metal person, but there is a harmonious roundness to his facial features.
So a few ways you can identify Water people by how they look are to look out for softness, roundness, gentleness, fluffiness (not fat or fleshiness) in their facial features. They tend to have round eyes and broad foreheads, and their features are softer and less ‘cutting’ and ‘defined’.
As a counter-example, here is a face that ‘has no chill’
zero chill detected LMFAO
the classic fire-traits - explosive, intense, agitating, exciting, passionate, enthralling
Most people are a mix of elements, but very intelligent people almost always have significant Water elements. Marilyn Savant clearly has a very strong, sharp, robust, defined, Metal face. But if we look at her eyes, her broad forehead, the roundness in her cheekbones, these are significant Water-elements.
Why are Water-faces characterised by roundness, softness, gentleness, fluffiness?
My guess is that Water-personalities are naturally more parasympathetic and relaxed, and thus, their body and features carry less sympathetic tone and tension. This gives their facial features the soft, gentle look.
The more open the eyes, the more information can be absorbed and perceived, which often gives the appearance of ‘round’ eyes.
Because Water-people have higher default parasympathetic baseline, their features are more relaxed and appear ‘fuller’, thus giving the appearance of roundness.
Whereas as people grow older, they start to accumulate sympathetic-charge (tension-charge heh) and their face starts tightening and contracting with tension and tone.
So that round, fluffy, ‘squishy’ nature of their features allows them to come in contact with and absorb more information.
The fluffiness gives their bodies a permeability to feel the contours of experience.
Round shapes are also much more mobile, adaptable, maneuverable. Roundness enables easy movement and wheels reduce friction. But they are also less easy to grasp and are more prone to ‘slipping’ away.
The gentle continuity of a curve also allows pressures and fluctuations to be perceived intimately and sensitively.
Wood on the other hand tends to be straight and slender - for economy of movement, vision, directional movement
Fire tends towards raw movement and visibility. Thus, their features tend to be sharp, wispy, ‘stand out’, like an eye-catching flame. Like a sun radiating in all directions, unlike the vertical directionality of Wood.
Metal is sharp, defined, authoritative. Many models are very Metal-dominant. Metal is the element of clarity - and their features are very clearly sharply separated and defined.
And Earth is the element of grounded stability. Its features are broad, solid, robust, a stable base that is practical, grounded, reliable, steady, dependable.
Aran personality and behavior
Aran had a genial, harmonious, easy demeanor. Even when he got frustrated and annoyed, there was always a sort of reluctance to his frustration, like water struggling to shape itself into an attack. He could launch temporary barbs and quips and nagging complaints, but these were like sprays and splashes from a water pistol. His method of ‘getting back’ was not to attack, but to withdraw - withdrawing attention, approval, respect, involvement.
When confronted, I tended to stand my ground, challenge back, or escalate. When confronted, Aran tended to diffuse, deflect, withdraw. Direct vs indirect. Not that he was a pushover, just a difference in conflict-resolution.
My intense Fire and obstinate Earth meant that my default pattern was to stand my ground and fight fire with fire.
Aran’s yielding Water and mobile Wood meant that his natural pattern was to move away and around the conflict.
Water doesn’t want to be contained and committed. Water wants fluidity, to be able to adapt, and flow, optionality, to be free to explore and circulate.
And I remembered that Aran, as well as other Water-personalities in my class were often hard to ‘pin down’, locate, or predict. They would often disappear without notice, only to suddenly reappear later. They tended to move in smooth, gradual continuities, flowing gently and continuously, unlike my stop-start-staccato tempo of burst-stillness-jump-stop.
However, because Aran had strong elements of Wood and Metal, his energetic patterns often had a vigorous drive, cutting, and directionality. Which made him an excellent track athlete, gave him an extremely potent combination of speed, stamina, and efficiency of movement, as well as power and fluidity in his shots and general play.
(Rashford’s play reminds me a lot of Aran. The speed, grace, fluidity and power. But Aran's play has an even richer level of imagination)
I also remembered that he had a difficult time being punctual and sometimes appeared hesitant and indecisive.
He had a very clear artistic and unconventional streak - a hippie-type character which I found to be very close to my own unconventional wavelength. Just that my attention was more focused intensely inwards whilst his seemed more dispersed in external exploration.
When we met up, he revealed his astrology. Double Pisces sun and moon. Double. Water. Sign.
“A Double Pisces is the ultimate “zodiac sponge,” possessing a personality defined by profound emotional depth, hyper-empathy, and a naturally thin veil between their internal dream world and external reality. This combination creates a person who is exceptionally intuitive and creatively gifted, often sensing the unspoken needs of others before they are even voiced. However, this same sensitivity makes them prone to chronic indecision and a fluid sense of time, as they often feel overwhelmed by the “noise” of the physical world and prefer to retreat into a more comfortable state of imagination. Ultimately, they are soulful, compassionate healers who must work hard to establish firm boundaries and grounding routines to prevent their identity from dissolving into the emotions of those around them.”
My guess is Aran’s Earth Branch is likely to have prominent Water, whilst his Heavenly Stems might be dominated more by Yang and Wood. Because although Aran’s personality seems ‘fluffy’, dreamy, diffuse, his visible physical movement actually has significant directionality and vigor.
Adjusting to Water
So given my new knowledge of Bazi, I better understood his nature and needs. Water doesn’t like to commit early, preferring to absorb and reflect before it reaches an answer. So it may initially appear passive, hesitant, indecisive, especially to impulsive impatient hot-headed people (like previous meeeeee).
Myself, I knew I wasn’t suitable for logistics planning and organisation.
So when Aran asked me if I wanted to meet up, I simply indicated my interest, then let him sort out the logistics:
“Junnies wanna hang out
Aran
Im in sg til feb 1
You sent
oo sure
You sent
u got any program in mind
17 Jan 2026, 16:56
Aran
Anyth
Aran
Theres art week events next week?
Aran
And im playing football a couple of times
Aran
Im happy to just meet and eat too~~
You sent
play football with who uh, the hc ppl? maybe can call me along xd
18 Jan 2026, 00:30
Aran
yea on 27th!
18 Jan 2026, 12:26
You sent
i shld be quite free but i not rly the make plans type. if u got anyth in mind can let me know”
(6 days of radio silence. my inclination is to decide and commit, his is to wait and see. i learned to adapt to his flow)
24 Jan 2026, 13:24
Aran
Wanna play cage tuesday evening 9:30?
You sent
okay where ah with who
Aran
Im down to meet for dinner before also
Aran
I think a bunch of hc ppl / aky mj etc
Aran
Fabian? I think
You sent
oook
You sent
where the cage ah, kallang?
24 Jan 2026, 23:32
Aran
Yep kallang !
25 Jan 2026, 12:06
You sent
i dont mind going for dinner etc before the game, let me know when you know what your plans are
25 Jan 2026, 18:06
Aran
Kk
Aran
What do you wanna eat
Aran
My treat”
You can tell from our interaction that neither of us are ‘natural’ logistics organisers. Aran-Water wants to go with the flow and ‘see what happens’ whilst I…don’t want to move on my own. But Water is much more comfortable with moving - it will just move at its own pace. So I just stated my availability (Earth is here, present) then let him figure out when and what he wanted.
The thing about Water is that it wants to sense and feel out reality before moving. If you pressure and insist and demand that it moves prematurely, it feels uncomfortable and shrinks and withdraws. Women are very much closer to Water than men, and you can see this dynamic play out in my sharing later and your own experience.
When Water is ‘sensing’ the field, it may look like passivity or inaction but its just introspection. When the field is ripe, Water will make its move. But if you rush and disturb it, it may decide to withdraw completely.
So we met up, and as I half-expected….Aran was late.
…
But I more or less anticipated this. Water wants to move at its own time, and without a ‘containing’ or ‘structuring’ element, it has little respect for structure, definition, boundaries.
Aran has a balancing element in the form of Wood, but Wood is still relatively flexible and bendable. Wood gives Water a benevolent and principled nature, but not exactly a rigid one like Metal or a solid, dependable base like Earth.
Water and Movement
After we met up, we were planning to go for dinner. My initial thought was to find a place and then eat dinner there. But I didn’t have a hard-preference, so I asked and let Aran lead. I’m also not good with movement, so I let Aran handle it.
And what I noticed was that Aran was very at ease with moving around, evaluating direction, orienting around space. We went to our first destination and I thought we were going to eat dinner there, but Aran only bought one plate of food to share as he wanted to go elsewhere to try other stuff.
My Earth-nature would have just picked one location, finished dinner, and then move on to football to minimise the logistics of movement. But Aran’s Water nature wanted to explore, experience, absorb different things and was at ease with movement. I was at ease letting him lead and direct the flow, so I let followed. I personally enjoy variety and trying different stuff - I just don’t have the impetus to move.
If I was another element, perhaps one with its own directional vector, or a greater self-insistence, it may have introduced an additional source of friction. Perhaps I would have wanted to go or do somewhere else, whilst Aran wanted this and that. One of us would have to compromise. My Yin-Earth nature of ‘I like movement, I don’t like moving’ happens to be a good compliment to Water as I could simply go with its flow.
Now came the pattern of ordering food. Being Yin-Earth, I was naturally very comfortable staying still and sitting down. Letting others run around to buy food for me. LOL.
Luckily, Water is at ease with moving and circulating, especially with Wood (purposive movement). Water doesn’t like to be stuck stagnant. And so, I naturally assumed the position of seat-guarder and he took the role of food-orderer. I sit down and wait for him to bring me the food.
Which I think is actually Water’s preferred arrangement. Water likes to circulate and absorb - and Aran is particularly prone to movement due to Water+Wood.
(Why is this combination particularly inclined to movement? Because Water produces Wood. And Wood is the element of directional movement. This combination produces a personality that enjoys and is at ease with moving.)
Aran life in USA
How Aran ended up in the USA was that he initially went there to study, met his partner, and decided to settle there. Over the years, he travelled back and forth to visit his family. This is something Water is particularly comfortable with - moving, adjusting, traveling and settling in different realities.
I asked him about his work and finances and he explained that he had a business but had no savings. Money came as quickly as it went.
I half suspected/ anticipated this.
Both he and his partner were artistic types. Some couples are compatible because they are similar, others because they are complementary. Aran and his partner were similar. And Aran, being double Pisces, was a Water-personality with very little material attachment and concern. He also has very little Earth element (his build is very slim, and his personality is not very grounded).
What happens to Water with no ground to contain it? It pours and floods out. Water is closely related to wealth and money in chinese metaphysics. With no inherent container, grounding, practicality, Aran just didn’t have the sense to save and contain the wealth that came his way.
Water as Wealth
“In Chinese metaphysics, water is widely equated with wealth, abundance, and prosperity. This association stems from the observation that water is essential for life and agriculture, historically the primary sources of wealth. In modern practice, water is viewed not just as a symbol but as an activator that collects and circulates Qi (life force energy) to influence financial outcomes.”
In our agricultural past, Water was an essential and sacred element to ensure that crops could grow and the harvest was abundant. Our very lifeblood is made up of Water. The richest, most prosperous places are all near to major sources of Water like rivers, reservoirs, coasts, oceans. Water enables the cycle and circulation of life, activity, and wealth. Breast milk and semen are made of Water.
Water is thus the element of nourishment and wealth.
In our modern economy, wealth and money is described in terms of the flow of funds, cash flow, income streams, liquidity, currency, reserves, and ‘banks’ being the ‘container’’ and ‘riverbank’ of wealth.
Water-dominant people are particularly adept at understanding the flow of wealth, and you will notice that a lot of successful fund managers and businessmen have significant Water. The Water-element gives them the adaptability and understanding to navigate the changing economic tides and currents.
But that is not to say that Water-people are guaranteed to be wealthy. They have a exceptional understanding of money and wealth, but not necessarily the impetus, discipline, vision, practicality, vitality and energy to earn, acquire, and keep it.
I discussed with Aran that the world is going to change very rapidly. The previous metallic world that favored systems, processes, routine and repetition is going to quickly transform into something that requires adaptability, connection, communication. In the Information age, Water will become the predominant domain, and Water-people, capable of sensing, changing, adapting to swift and sudden changes will have a big advantage.
But opportunities can only be exploited if one has the resources for it. Water might see golden opportunities for investment, but without the accumulated capital, it can see but cannot participate. So I encouraged Aran to build up the discipline of saving, of ‘containing’ and ‘accumulating’ his income into a pool of savings. Not for the sake of hoarding, but to build up a reservoir of resources to utilise when the opportunity arises.
Football with Water
When we reached the football location, the first person we saw was Aran’s brother Aki. Aki is a very clear Yin-Metal personality. He has a very refined, gentlemanly, careful poise to his speech and manner. Fortunately, he also has a gentle warmth (Fire) to his Metal that prevents him from feeling sharp, piercing, cold.
(I’m paying attention to the influence of names as well. ‘Aran’ has a rounder and smoother tone compared to the sharpness of ‘Aki’.)
Aran noted that the last time he played, he fatigued very quickly and played poorly as he didn’t have any opportunity to play in USA.
I observed this similar phenomena with Water-players previously.
Water’s efficiency comes from its flow, adaptability, intelligence - and not the raw energetic vigor of Wood or Fire. Granted, Aran was Water-Wood, and his long limbs gave him a natural economy of movement. Nevertheless, football is an active and intense Yang sport, and one can quickly get consumed by its intensity if they are caught unaware.
So I advised Aran to just pace himself and feel out the game first.
Myself, I had the opportunity to play with a different group of players than I usually do. To see how play and ideas fared against a different benchmark.
And I had the confidence to tell Aran beforehand ‘i’m a beast in football now, i show you later’.
By this time, I had a lot more mastery and experience with adapting stillness into my play.
Most players play with a higher baseline of sympathetic charge. They are used to moving, acting, doing. They don’t appreciate the strength of stillness and the power of passivity. They commit momentum, energy, optionality excessively and unnecessarily.
Often, I would receive the ball and then stand still or move forward very slowly. By doing so, I preserve optionality, control, and energy. When defenders come to close me down, I let them come as close as possible, then pass it off at the last second. Now they’ve committed stamina and positioning whilst I am free and full of energy to attack the space they just vacated to close me down.
When players move, they commit momentum and energy. Once you start moving left, you can’t go right. Which is how you see Busquets ‘beat’ players without wasting much energy. He waits to see where they commit momentum, then plays the other way.
Most players wasted possession and control by over-dribbling into trouble, over-forcing passes, over-rushing the play. By standing still when I had the ball, defenders dared not close me down too aggressively. Because if they rushed forward, they would commit their momentum forward, and I could simply go against their momentum. But if they didn’t close me down, I had time and space to assess my options to pass or shoot. The mistake most players make when they have the ball is that they think they have to ‘advance’ and ‘progress’ and ‘do something’. So they commit inefficient action for defenders to resolve.
I remember one instance when I had the ball and an opposing defender was blocking my path forward. So I looked to pass the ball back, but another opposing attacker was there waiting to intercept my pass back. And just by pausing and waiting and looking at him, the attacker realised I was never going to pass back to the keeper, so he shuffled back into position. Once he did that, I then passed it back to the keeper.
Nowadays, I rarely fatigue early. I understand that I have an ‘overheating’ level that I must never cross, except briefly. In the game, I came close to crossing the ‘overheat’ level once when I exerted too much intensity in a brief period of time. So for the next few minutes, I kept my exertion to an absolute minimum, walking and standing still as much as possible.
(this principle can be applied in social dynamics, relationships, etc. if you realise you committed too much, just make sure you dial it down a lot more to compensate)
Because I was rarely fatigued, I was usually in control. Because I was usually in control, my overall play was superior. Even if I was not physically or technically better, I simply played better.
Aran had a slow start to the game, but at the session wore on, his movements became more fluid and familiar. And in the second half, he finally showcased the imaginative power of Water.
Several times, Aran would perform actions and maneuvers that were so unexpected and unconventional. Sudden shifts in direction, movements, shots, goals. He didn’t overwhelm his opponents with technical brilliance or physical power. He just sensed the flow of the game, the opportunities that unfolded, the gaps in attention, expectation, momentum, and had the fluidity and understanding to exploit it. Some of the plays he made, even I was astonished and flabbergasted by.
Water as Resource, Influence, Opportunity
Water, as formless movement and energy, represents wealth, resources, influence and opportunity.
Wealth can be converted into many forms → you can purchase many goods, services, investments, creation. And so, Water is also the element of resource. With wealth, you have access to resources.
Influence is also formless power. A thought-current, a wave of opinion, an under-current of sentiment, a surge in popularity. Water has the power to shape and influence thought, belief, activity, reality. Water is influence.
Water is opportunity. With wealth, resources, influence, information, one can see and exploit opportunities otherwise unavailable or impossible.
Watching Aran and Messi play football, you start to realise how much potential and opportunity actually exists in reality. Its just that most people don’t even understand and perceive the opportunities that exist. Only the select few with both understanding and resources can actually capitalise.
Water, being the element of understanding, is also the element of opportunity. It can perceive, understand, adapt and exploit opportunity in a way the other elements cannot. That is why most successful investors and businessmen have significant Water.
Remember how, in my last post, I posted about the ‘faces of the fortunate?’ Look at how round and Watery these motherfucking faces are GODDAMN.
But I also noted that Aran wasn’t really suited to be a defender. Water is the element of fluidity, adaptability, opportunity. But as a defender, you need to be solid, steady, reliable. Water is easily penetrated and pushed aside - not suitable for keeping things out. So after a bit of observation, I asked Aran to just stay as an attacker. And as an attacker, he could flow and adapt to the chaos of the game, sense and exploit the opportunities that only he saw exist, and penetrate and bypass the gaps in the defense.
Water wants to take its time to observe and understand. But in defence, that time is rarely afforded. Sudden changes and adjustments are often required. Early commitment is preferable to calculated hesitation. Force often can only be met with force. The luxury of freedom, opportunity and patience that is afforded in attack doesn’t exist in defence.
My element of Earth is much more suitable for defence. Earth is solid, practical, grounded. Unlike Water that wants to explore and imagine, Earth is comfortable doing the basics, playing it safe, getting the job done.
Which is why you can look back at the ‘faces of the fortunate’ and realise they are often a Water-Earth blend. Water provides the ability to see and exploit opportunities; Earth provides the practicality and grounding. Water gathers, Earth contains. Earth builds and accumulates the charge; Water exploits and releases it. A team full of Water scores and leaks goals on both sides. A team full of Earth contains the game into a boring grind.
If my personal life is anything to go by, Bing-Wu is clearly bringing a huge injection of movement and activity into the lives of everyone and the world. Trump and the USA, is as usual, full of noise and drama, much of which slips in and out of attention. Epstein and AI are the two main ‘Fires’ that I expect will keep burning in the public consciousness.
And most recently, they started a wildfire in the Middle East that will, it is very clear to me, burn American influence into ashes.
After I joined the alumni finance/ entrepreneurship group, I rapidly made new connections and acquaintances, including a face-to-face meet up with some of them. And the alumni whatsapp group is far bigger and more active than my previous social groups. Like a constant flame of activity even whilst I still mostly remain at home.
But even more recently, I connected with…with…with…
A woman?!!???
Bazi Spouse dynamics
Time to go into something even more metaphysical.
In Bazi, the pillars involved actually have significant indicators about your spousal relationship.
I gradually came upon this information as I explored my Bazi. And supposedly, I have God-tier Elite Spousal Palace.
“The Spousal Palace, located in the Day Branch of your BaZi chart, represents the environment and quality of your marriage. While the Spouse Star identifies the person, the palace reflects your partner’s traits and the overall harmony of your relationship based on how this branch interacts with the rest of your chart through combinations or clashes.”
“Your 夫妻宫 (Spousal Palace) is located in your 日柱地支亥水, creating a remarkably clear spousal blueprint.
Core Configuration:
日柱己亥 where:
亥水 = 夫妻宫 (Spouse’s residence)
亥藏壬水正财 + 甲木正官 = 财官双美的配偶配置
(cantian AI is saying 亥, my Day Branch Pillar, is also my Spouse residence. And 亥 contains 壬水 (ren-water) which represents 正财 (proper wealth) and 甲木 (jia-wood) 正官 (proper authority). So basically, my spouse palace and partner contains both proper wealth and authority for my bazi/ life)
Spouse Characteristics:
1. 壬水正财 (Proper Wealth)
Practical, resourceful partner with strong financial/organizational skills
Emotionally steady like deep water - not dramatic but profoundly supportive
家庭建设能力 (Home-building capacity) - creates stable domestic foundation
1. 甲木正官 (Proper Officer)
Ethical, principled nature with strong moral compass
Structured thinking - brings order to chaos
Socially respected - contributes to your collective reputation
1. 亥巳冲动态 (Snake-Pig Clash Dynamic)
Spouse likely has significant career/family balance experience
May come from different cultural background or contrasting family model
Creates productive tension that prevents relationship stagnation
Marriage Dynamics:
1. 天元坐禄效应
Spouse recognizes and amplifies your inherent worth
Relationship feels mutually elevating rather than draining
Natural role complementarity - each enhances the other’s strengths
1. 亥午暗合 (Hidden Pig-Horse Union)
Deep private understanding beyond public presentation
Sustained passion that evolves rather than diminishes
Spiritual/philosophical alignment on fundamental values
1. 时柱庚金伤官影响
Your analytical nature meets spouse’s practical wisdom
Creates intellectual-emotional synergy rather than conflict
Spouse helps ground your insights in actionable reality
Timing Considerations:
1. 日柱主导期 (31+ years)
Most harmonious relationships emerge after age 31
Earlier relationships may mirror 月柱巳火 tensions (family/career conflicts)
亥水能量成熟 aligns with your own self-development completion
1. 配偶出现信号
金水旺盛的流年 (Metal-Water strong years) likely trigger meetings
亥水得生 periods (when 亥 receives support) indicate relationship deepening
冲合并见 moments (both clash and harmony) often mark commitment decisions
Historical Parallel:
This resembles 李清照 (Li Qingzhao) and 赵明诚’s marriage - where literary/artistic partnership (伤官) met archaeological/organizational genius (正财+正官), creating one of history’s great intellectual unions.
Your Unique Pattern:
The 财官双美 in 夫妻宫 suggests a “complete package” partner who integrates practical, ethical, and emotional dimensions. Your challenge is trusting this natural fit rather than over-analyzing (伤官 tendency) what your chart clearly shows you’re designed to attract.”
Mmm yes bahaha it is my destiny to have a godly wife. But in this post, i’m going to focus on the aspects of Water rather than the Spousal implications.
So in Bazi;
“In BaZi astrology, the Spouse Star and the Wealth Star are closely linked, especially for men, as they are represented by the same element. For women, however, these are represented by different elements.
For a Ji Earth (己土) man, the spouse and wealth stars are represented by the Water element. In BaZi, the element that the Daymaster controls represents both his wealth and his wife/romantic partners.
The Spouse & Wealth Stars for Ji Earth
Direct Wealth (Ren Water - 壬水): This represents his primary Spouse Star, symbolizing a stable, formal wife and predictable, hard-earned income.
Indirect Wealth (Gui Water - 癸水): This represents unconventional wealth (investments, windfalls) and can also symbolize girlfriends or informal romantic connections.
So my Spousal Palace also contains my Spouse Star as hidden in 亥 is 壬水. And it also contains 甲木正官, my Direct Officer, the “Star” that represents my structure, growth, authority. Remember when I said…I have no visible Wood in my chart, thus explaining my lack of career drive, growth and productivity?
Supposedly, my Spousal Palace contains both my Proper Wealth and Officer. But it is hidden in the Day Branch which only truly activates around 33+ when the Day Pillar starts to dominate. And Spouse is supposed to be the key to be wealth and career growth.
And since the Spousal Palace indicates the traits and characteristics of one’s spouse, we can guess that she is likely Water-dominant (亥, 壬水), with Wood (甲木正官) supporting.
And as I mentioned, I have a natural affinity with Water, even moreso with Water + Wood.
Now I’ve not been in any relationship because of my Si-Hai clash. The presence of 癸水 in my Heavenly Stems indicate that there were potential opportunities that did exist, but because my Water had been under attack by my 巳午未三会火局 (overwhelming fire), even when promising opportunities appeared, I drove and evaporated them away due to my excess intensity, impatience, impulsivity.
The Play of Fire and Water
Fire and Water, Yin and Yang, Masculine and Feminine are opposites that attract.
Fire provides movement, vigor, warmth and drive; Water provides calm, nourishment, cool and rest.
When they harmonise, they can form a complimentary 亥午暗合.
When they clash, they create the 亥巳冲 tension.
My 巳午未三会火局 gave me an inner intensity that could be very attractive, especially at a distance. I had charisma, passion, warmth and boldness…if you didn’t come too close.
What happened in my relationships with women usually went like this;
From afar and a distance, I attracted attention.
For women close to me (usually classmates or school acquaintances), some would be very attracted to me. And as long as I didn’t reciprocate, they would often stay attracted.
For women I was attracted to, once I ‘sensed’ a potential relationship, suddenly my focused and directed attention would turn my Fire too intense and drive them off. My fire-desire would ‘spill’, I would lose containment, make myself too available, accessible, rush, seek to conclude and escalate. Yes or no, now or never.
Fire is extremely attractive when it is warm, radiant, alive. But when it burns too hot, it becomes needy, urgent, impulsive, impatient, demanding, consuming.
So I found myself in a situation where the women that I didn’t really ‘like’ that much would be very attracted to me. Because I didn’t ‘like’ them much, the Fire-attention paid to them would be at the ideal range. But the women that I ‘liked’ would, even if they were initially interested and engaged, eventually distance and back off as my intensity drove them away.
Before I understood these dynamics, I thought I had some sort of mini-curse. LOL.
I might talk more about erotic tension and maximising attractiveness in a future post. This one stays with Water. But the basic idea is that maximum erotic tension/ attractiveness lies in the zone where the male pays enough attention to register warmth, presence, and interest, but not so much that he feels needy, demanding, desperate.
I don’t think there is a technique to ‘fake this’, for not the long-term anyway. The man must just develop enough inner sufficiency where his desire and interest is present but contained. Like having an interest or passion in a hobby - one enjoys engaging and spending time with it, but is not dependent and desperate for it.
In any case, I didn’t really bother looking for a relationship, which given my spiritual solitude + Yin-Earth staying still, meant that there was barely any window for meeting women. I might prefer being in a good relationship, but I didn’t prefer it enough to try. Whatever happens, happens, whatever is destined to happen will happen.
I…I…I not moving…!
Out of nowhere, my Mom asked if I was interested in a match-making match and read aloud her details whilst I was on the computer barely listening. She has never done this before, and after she did, she told me it doesn’t (matchmaking) feel right. LOL.
Anyway, the details I caught were that she was; From China, studying a Phd in Singapore, from Shanghai.
That caught my attention. Shang-Hai. I made the connection to my Bazi Hai 亥. I glanced at the photo my Mom had on her phone and it caught my curiosity.
She was quite attractive and I noticed her face was very Water. Big round eyes, bigass forehead, round gentle features. My Bazi discussion suggested that the destined spouse would be of a different background due to the 亥巳冲 Hai-Si Clash. China, Phd student - there was a cultural, social, maybe age gap. Water facial features. Shang-Hai. The wires in my brain lit up.
Okay, maybe there is something, I thought to myself.
Mom asked if I was interested in meeting up but I still wasn’t that enthused or in a rush. So I suggested maybe we can talk on Whatsapp and see what happens.
I started off by asking her if she was comfortable in English.
[22:47, 08/02/2026] Junnies: hi are you comfortable with english?
[22:51, 08/02/2026] Her: sure
[22:52, 08/02/2026] Her: hi
[23:02, 08/02/2026] Junnies: what are your thoughts about matchmaking? are you interested or do you feel pressured etc
[23:28, 08/02/2026] Her: First time in Singapore，I didn’t feel pressured，you？
When I saw this response, my initial reaction was slight disappointment. I thought I had put in significant ‘energy’ into the exchange that was not reciprocated. I thought her response seemed distant and disinterested, like the bare minimal reciprocal effort.
So I half gave up on the chat and went to do something else.
But after a while a thought came to my mind that…maybe she wasn’t that comfortable with english. At least it was one possible explanation. Maybe, maybe not, whatever, i’ll put in the last bit of effort before I give up.
[00:34, 09/02/2026] Junnies: you can speak in chinese, i can prolly understand, im just much more comfortable with english. but i understand you’re from china? so you’ll be more proficient in chinese
[09:15, 09/02/2026] Her: 好的呢
(it means “okay (好的) + warm tone modifier (呢))
What I think might have happened in the past was that perhaps I would try to escalate and continue probing further/ aggressively after the cautious response…or I would just give up immediately. The impulse, impatience, for action and resolution would have injected a sense of urgency in a situation that required patience and consideration.
This time, I was more patient, having understood the value of Yin, stillness, inactivity. I didn’t seek immediate resolution, so was fine with leaving the conversation hanging, unresolved, as it was, so that when the insight (an hour later) came to me that perhaps there was a language barrier despite her stated comfort in English, the interaction was still alive and possible.
When she responded “好的呢” the next morning, I sensed a slight warming in the interaction.
[09:15, 09/02/2026] Her: 好的呢
After this response, I didn’t ‘feel’ like I had anything to add or ask further. The conversation felt like it had entered a natural lull. In the past, I might have tried to re-inject momentum and ignition, but this time…aye aye aye I just couldn’t be bothered.
Part of me also wondered if this was a scam. Now let’s digress into a discussion of scammers.
Scammers
Scammers are like the strategists of the criminal world. Ponzi schemes, frauds, financial manipulation and trickery work on very similar lines. They use the incredible understanding of Water to manipulate people, events, environments to dishonestly drain and leech.
I am referring to the scam ‘masterminds’, and not to the frontline grunts. The development and operation of a scam is basically the criminal version of a strategy. Scams don’t force you, threaten you, attack you, harass you. They manipulate you, pull you in, suck you dry, gently guiding you to voluntarily part with your assets, resources, savings, like a seductive vampire that promises pleasure and delivers bane.
Non-Water elements are unsuitable for scams
Fire tends to be too impulsive, loud, scattered, intense - they activate the sympathetic nervous system which provokes impulsiveness but also vigilance. The energetic cost required for constant stimulation of both perpetrator and victim dries out the long-term sustainability of such schemes. Fire may be able to initially seduce a person with their charisma, warmth and looks, but the constant stimulation rapidly exhausts the hedonic treadmill, and more and more, unsustainable escalation is required to keep the scam going. Fire personalities tend to be too impatient and impulsive to slowly tease and draw and drain their victims. However, scams do often use the element of fire to attract greed and ignite desire, creating a surge of dopaminergic impulse (in their victims) for action and resolution.
Earth is too stable, static, grounded. Scams require flowing and adapting to the contours of victims, adjusting to their moods, sensitivities, emotions and financial conditions. Earth usually moves too slowly, consistently, clumsily to adapt to the different textures of scams and targets. Earth-personalities are in general too grounded and practical for the thrill and volatility of scams.
Metal is sharp, rigid, binary. Metal operates in black and white, right or wrong, this or that. There is a focused sharpness to their energy - the cut of the scalpel or the harshness of the axe - that tends to prick and alert the nervous system. They prefer clear, decisive actions and outcomes - not the amorphous, non-discrete, open-ended nature of scams. The lack of softness, continuity, and relaxed flow makes Metal unsuitable to wrap and entrap their targets.
Wood is too direct, principled and straightforward. They desire visible, directional growth and momentum but scams work on rhythmic cycles, patience, and gradual ensnarement. The slyness, subterfuge, subtlety that scams require are contrary to Wood’s nature. Wood is considered the most upright and benevolent element - morally unsuitable for scams.
Water is exceptionally suitable because they are extremely sensitive and adaptable. Water circulates and considers the contours, conditions, complexities of the scheme. When they encounter obstacles, they quickly learn how to adjust, adapt, to flow around or permeate through. They are comfortable with silence, patience, gaps, waiting for trust to calibrate, develop, adapting to unexpected changes or responses, exploiting and entering vulnerabilities, persisting, circling, yielding when pushed against, entering when allowed, wearing away, eroding, steering and guiding their victim to a course of action of their apparent own volition, yet has always been a whirlpool of manipulation generated by the mastermind.
So after consideration, I was quite confident it wasn’t a scam. The girl seemed hesitant and reluctant to engage, and scams usually try to establish rapport and momentum quickly. The terse and cautious nature of the initial exchanges were more likely to cool rather than escalate towards a condition where the scam could start working its magic.
[09:15, 09/02/2026] Her: 好的呢
Mentally, I had more or less crossed this off as a possible ‘match’, at least for the time being. But it was still alive, so maybe something could come of it in the future.
As I went about my day, I remembered she said ‘first time in singapore’, so I thought since fate crossed our paths no matter how briefly, I might as well see if I could be of assistance. She might appreciate a helpful presence in a foreign country. When I thought of this, I messaged.
[18:07, 10/02/2026] Junnies: 如果有关于新加坡的事,不确定的可以问我
(If there’s something related to Singapore that you’re unsure, you can ask me)
[18:10, 10/02/2026] Her: 谢谢你哦 你中文也很好啊
(thank you, your chinese is also very good)
[18:10, 10/02/2026] Her: 你是土生土长的新加坡人吧
(you are born and raised Singaporean right?)
Previously, our exchanges had been rather distant and detached. Suddenly, it became a lot warmer. Her responses were quicker, longer, more energetic.
In the past, without Water to cool me off, I’d probably have tried to push, intensify, escalate or resolve the interaction.
When Fire pushes, Water yields.
When Earth allows, Water enters.
Women all have an inherent Water-nature to them…and Water women even more so.
And if I recall, I seemed to usually be attracted to Water-dominant women. There was often an initial attraction and chemistry when my Fire was at an adequate distance, but once I got too close, the encounters evaporated in smoke. There was never a dramatic breakaway or disconnect - it just petered out as they withdrew participation.
This time, I didn’t push. Not as a deliberate technique, but simply my new way of being and appreciation for passivity, stillness, inaction.
Just because nothing is happening, doesn’t mean nothing is happening.
No visible movement on the surface doesn’t mean no undercurrents beneath.
During silence and stillness, humans, especially women, calibrate each other's nervous system. Are you anxious? Impatient? Impulsive? Out of control? Needy? Dependent?
Women don’t deliberately stay ‘silent’ - Water is simply sensing, absorbing, imagining, calibrating, resolving the signals and input it has received.
The same process also happens in men. Men also (can) use silence, stillness, introspection, reflection, patience. But because men are more Yang, they are much more used to activity, movement, action and escalation. Over the years of spiritual solitude and my Bazi exploration, I finally gained the ability to keep Yin and Yang in balance and harmonise my 亥巳冲.
I didn’t rush to force or push for an outcome-response. I became comfortable not acting, disengaging, and allowing the right response to surface in its right time. I allowed myself to sense and figure out that perhaps her initial distance and detachment was due to discomfort rather than disinterest. Thus, by offering to switch to Chinese to accommodate her, as well as offering appropriate help (answer questions, not give money XD. XD. X. D), I made it easier for her to be comfortable.
After this, the interaction became a lot warmer, gradually more personal, and I became even more comfortable and confident in passivity and inactivity.
I am Ji-Earth, the farmland soil. I can’t move! You move to me. I…I not moving!
Unfortunately, i’m not going to post further exchanges in case she gets angry.
But some further interesting things I found out;
She clarified that she is not actually from Shanghai, but from another Chinese province. But one that is much more closely associated with 亥
(亥 is the first month of winter (roughly November). It represents Yin Water, but it is uniquely "Large Water" like a deep, still lake or the dark ocean at night.)
Shanghai is actually a coastal city that has a much more commercial, exciting vibe to it. Her province on the other hand, is much more scholarly and reflective.
But its very interesting that my initial curiosity was piqued because I heard that she was from Shang- ‘Hai’. The initial misinformation was part of destiny’s workings.
I noticed that her face also had Wood-features. 甲木正官
And her Phd status…is also the ultimate modern archetype of the ‘proper official’ (正官) in Imperial China. Back then, potential scholars would take the imperial examinations in order to gain an official administrative status.
She mentioned she had traveled and stayed at various places. Migration is a very typical Yang-Water trait. Yang naturally moves more, Water is comfortable with changes.
Once our conversation warmed, the tempo of the interaction adjusted. In the first few exchanges, I was the one ‘initiating’. But the initial stages was just me announcing my presence and helping her feel comfortable. I only ‘initiated’ conversation when it felt right and appropriate, but after that, I stopped initiating. My thought process was ‘if you’re interested and we’re compatible, I don’t have to go out of my way to force an interaction. whatever happens, happens’
I also grasped from my Bazi that this was my relationship dynamic. I stay and stabilise; others move and orient to me. You can move if you want…I…I…I not moving!
Just before CNY, our interaction dramatically became warmer. Even though the actual text messages exchanged were relatively few and sporadic, with plenty of ‘space’ and in-visible in-action (HAH, IN - visible, IN - action), when there was visible activity, things moved quickly.
After that, I assumed she went back to China for CNY and I haven’t heard from her since. If destiny dictates, if her interest remains present, then she will reach out to reconnect. Otherwise, it is what it is. But I wouldn’t be surprised if, after she reaches out, the interaction dramatically escalates again. Inactivity doesn’t mean no activity, it means the activity is with- ‘in’.
Water as internal activity
I took a few weeks off blogging. New activities came in. New events caught my interest. Chinese New Year came and went. I spent more time self-exploring with AI. The Iran-Zionist (USA-Israel) war broke out.
It just didn’t feel natural to blog. I felt like I wanted to rest, to take a break, and so I did. The time I spent away from the blog, I was learning and exploring other stuff that caught my interest. I only came back to the blog when I felt refreshed, when the pull to write the post started to naturally, and not anxiously, pull at me.
My blogging rhythms and cycles will come and go, ebb and flow. I might take longer breaks, I might write more frequently. I am getting more and more comfortable with Wu Wei, effortless effort, moving without trying to move.
The US-Israeli vs Iran war broke out suddenly and dramatically, engulfing the attention of the whole world.
The themes of Bing-Wu, dramatic visibility, dramatic transformation, are once again expressed.
My own observations/ speculations/ predictions; The Fire of the US-Israeli attack was one of impatience, impulse, aggression and the flames will turn to consume the aggressors. The Middle East will be transformed - USA influence will be burned down to a crisp, Iran will go through a great change - good, bad I don’t know.
If the USA had enough water, wisdom, caution to cool their heads instead of being rushed into war by the Israelis, they would have prevented being drawn into the current wildfire. Unfortunately, personal courage often inflames a lack of wisdom. A coward at least avoids reckless actions that could destroy him. Trump is no coward but also has no wisdom. The situation has escalated entirely out of his control, and I speculate that US influence and prestige will crumble into ashes, not just in the Middle East but all over Asia and the Western Hemisphere.
Meanwhile, the financial markets are in a state of undecided turmoil. Myself, I am grateful I kept my financial liquidity buffer in place - cash and liquidable bonds in case anything happens.
Water, the element of resourcefulness, fluidity, adaptability, will be key to navigating this year. There will be lots of changes - so don’t hold onto rigid, inflexible views, have buffers to absorb, be ready to flow and adapt.
Water as Women, Water as Personality
Not all women are Water, but women are inherently closer to Water than men. As for Water-personalities in general, these are their general characteristics;
They are easy to approach, hard to grasp, easy to slip away and withdraw, but also initiate connection and engagement when they are interested.
They are calmer, more perceptive, introspective, imaginative, sensitive, patient.
They are fluid, flexible, adaptable - often easygoing, but sometimes also less steady and reliable.
Uncontained by Earth, Wood, or Metal, Water lacks boundaries and are likely to cheat, to flout laws, regulations, norms and convention.
Ideally, Water should be balanced by either Earth, Wood or Metal. Some structure to condense, concentrate, and contain their energy is essential so that Water doesn’t flood, diffuse, or evaporate everywhere.
They are good scholars, advisors, strategists - they understand things on a higher and deeper level. But they are less steady, solid, reliable. They are less bounded by rules - for better or worse.
“The Feng Shui 9 Fire Period (Period 9) officially began on February 4, 2024, at 4:37 PM (Li Chun), and will last for 20 years until February 4, 2044. This era is characterized by the Fire element, representing rapid technological advancement, the rise of artificial intelligence, and the empowerment of middle-aged women.”
I haven’t really studied this Feng Shui 9 Fire period, but its easy to see how AI and the information age is already upon us.
Prediction: Women will gain parity or even superiority in terms of wealth as the AI and information age is more suitable to women. Men were dominant in the metal age that requires focus, drive, ruthlessness, execution, decisiveness. In the previous ages, the crude, physical yang energy was more primary and dominant. In the current and future age, the soft intelligence and subtlety of yin will be primary.
Fire and Water are both amorphous, free, uncontained elements. Information is Water, Transformation is Fire. In an age of information and transformation, mastery will require flow, not force.
In the previous ages of Earth (agriculture), Wood, and Metal (industrialisation), the world revolved around hard, solid, materiality. To move and master solid material required Yang, Force, Drive harnessed by Yin, Wisdom, Intelligence.
In the present age of Information and Transformation, the world revolves around creation, connection, influence and information - the soft, subtle, immaterial. The primary mover will therefore be Yin, Understanding, Communication directed by Yang, Focus, Vigor.
Water as Wisdom
senses, permeates, absorbs, condenses, reflects, circulates,
Reality requires time, signals, information before resolution.
Work when the sun is up, strike when the iron is hot, sail when the wind blows, wait for the dust to settle.
Of all the elements, Water innately recognises the necessary wisdom of waiting, pausing, allowing reality to reveal itself.
Patience is not passivity - impulse is reflex, not intelligence.
Water is strategy, waiting for the right time, opportunity, season, non-forcing. Don’t put your clothes out to dry when a storm is on the horizon.
Water is often subtle, hidden, invisible. Things are changing beneath the surface, in the long-term, in the foundation, the roots growing and expanding so that future visible growth is solid, steady, unshakable.
Long-term growth and stability require deep sinking roots and wide, expansive foundations. A long accumulation of resources, strength, training, practice, is required before great achievement is possible.
吃得苦中苦，方为人上人 (chī dé kǔ zhōng kǔ, fāng wéi rén shàng rén)
Literal: “Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one rise above others”.
Meaning: Success and high status are reserved for those who have survived the most intense struggles and “bitterness”.
玉不琢，不成器 (yù bù zhuó, bù chéng qì)
Literal: “Jade requires fashioning to turn into a gem”.
Meaning: Just as raw jade must be cut and ground to reveal its beauty, a person requires the “pressure” of discipline and trials to build the character necessary for greatness.
不入虎穴，焉得虎子 (bù rù hǔ xué, yān dé hǔ zǐ)
Literal: “Without entering the tiger’s den, how can you capture a tiger cub?”.
Meaning: Great rewards (wealth) require facing great risks and high-pressure situations.
梅花香自苦寒来 (méi huā xiāng zì kǔ hán lái)
Literal: “The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold.”
Meaning: Success and “fragrance” (prosperity) only emerge after enduring the “bitter cold” of adversity
Looking back, I can see now that my spiritual solitude cultivated in me an enormous existential certainty. I’ll elaborate on this in a future post, but what I realised, after my recent reconnection with the world, is that I developed a personal existential authority that triumphs all the lesser, externally derived, social-based authority, status, psychological projections that many others are still bound by.
Women actually respond very well to my existential certainty, but I noticed that certain ‘high-status’ men felt destabilised when I didn’t care for their conventional social status signals and positions. When we exchanged social information such as career, social status, life trajectories, from a conventional point of view, I seemed to be on a lower hierarchy. Some of them held prestigious positions in big corporations, were 10+ years older than me, collected more society big boy points.
I could tell that they were disturbed and destabilised, to varying degrees, by my utter lack of any deference or acknowledgement of their status symbols. I interacted with them on a equal peer basis with none of the politeness and deference they might have normally expected. And this existential certainty is what gives me the confidence and power to say and do what I want.
“Not to pull age and seniority over you but seriously …. “Self cultivation” Tolong lar…. Don’t sound so presumptuous and moral high horse lar. 也该教训一下。没大没小。like how George Yeo scolds Catherine lim episode. Somatic issue…. Please lar I’m the one with the phd on behavioral sciences.
Told you already. I’m on a combative mode on a full moon eclipse. And you still want to take me on, sure. Let’s bite.”
To be very respectful, I’m not going to share more. The person is not really a ‘bad’ person, just someone who places great significance on social symbols to position his sense of self.
My point is that those years of spiritual introspection - dissecting the metaphysics of reality, taking into serious consideration the dream-like nature of reality, discarding all the psychological defenses meant to protect the ego from existential angst - resulted in me developing an immense source of existential certainty that is now manifesting in the visible public arena.
Water is nourishment and connection - it enables the circle of life, it connects man to man, man to earth, earth to sea, sea to heaven, heaven to earth, earth to man. People, nations, civilisations are brought together through Water - flowing, stirring, mixing, transforming.
Water changes form, currency, hands - yet remains. Wisdom, resource, influence, information - formless, adaptable, hidden and invisible, potent and powerful.
Water as Parasympathy
If Fire represents the sympathetic charge of raw movement and activity, Water represents the parasympathetic mode of rest and digest.
When we relax, become still, rest and ‘do nothing’, we enter the parasympathetic phase of recharge, repair, digestion, metabolisation, recuperation and consolidation. The sympathetic mode gives us action, drive, stimulus, exploration, activity and movement. Water is the complementary opposite.
The two modes should ideally always be in balance and harmony. When one mode is excessively out of balance, you get chronic tension or collapse, panic or withdrawal. Without Fire and movement, Water becomes cold and stagnant. Without Water and stillness, Fire becomes destructive and chaotic.
Water as smoothness and continuity
Water is fluid and thus, moves smoothly and continuously. It doesn’t startle or jerk, but undulates and unfolds in smooth continuous waves of motion. Because it connects, it continues. Because it continues, it smoothens. Because it smoothens, it lubricates. Liquidity and currency enables and facilitates the harmonious activity of the world, economy, body, society.
Because it moves smoothly, it moves efficiently. No wasted motion, no excess friction - just the right amount of fluid and input into bodies, engines, systems.
Water as Cleansing
The cleaner, the problem solver, the one that solves, dissolves and resolves. Depth, wisdom, understanding; calm, stillness, relaxation; efficiency, adaptability, power.
Water cleanses, clarifies, washes away what is old, unnecessary, unbecoming so that one is purified, renewed, reborn.
Water as Taoism
Chapter 8: The Highest Good
This is the most famous passage defining the “virtue of water” (Shuǐ Dé).
Chinese: 上善若水。水善利萬物而不爭，處眾人之所惡，故幾於道。
Pinyin: Shàng shàn ruò shuǐ. Shuǐ shàn lì wàn wù ér bù zhēng, chǔ zhòng rén zhī suǒ wù, gù jī yú dào.
English: “The highest goodness is like water. Water benefits all things and does not compete. It stays in the lowly places which others despise. Therefore it is near the Tao.”
It doesn’t seek to impose or force, it simply allows what is inevitable to happen. It finds its own level and contentment. It finds peace and stillness with its arrangement.
It may be, that what you have, is all you’re going to have. Growth at all costs, the pursuit of never-ending ambition - it is often the case that in the pursuit of more, people end up with less.
But when the tides turn and the currents reverse, the one who was content with where he was often finds himself pulled effortlessly to a bigger, better, higher place.
I don’t move - I wait to be moved.
I…I…
I being moved!
Chapter 78: The Power of Softness
![[boobs ASMR] A different dimension of soft breasts that sticks to your hand and won't leave.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i_Ez!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bcac75d-c8d6-4e29-8e18-44a24b476f40_1280x720.jpeg "[boobs ASMR] A different dimension of soft breasts that sticks to your hand and won't leave.")
Lao Tzu uses water to prove that what appears weak can actually overcome what is strong.
Chinese: 天下莫柔弱於水，而攻堅強者莫之能勝，以其無以易之。
Pinyin: Tiān xià mò róu ruò yú shuǐ, ér gōng jiān qiáng zhě mò zhī néng shèng, yǐ qí wú yǐ yì zhī.
English: “Nothing in the world is softer or weaker than water. Yet for attacking the hard and strong, nothing can surpass it.”
Key Lesson: 柔能克剛 (Róu néng kè gāng) — “The soft overcomes the hard.”
Niagara Falls
Chapter 15: Stillness and Clarity
This verse uses the behavior of water to explain how we gain clarity through patience.
Chinese: 孰能濁以靜之徐清？孰能安以動之徐生？
Pinyin: Shú néng zhuó yǐ jìng zhī xú qīng? Shú néng ān yǐ dòng zhī xú shēng?
English: “Who can make muddy water clear? If you leave it alone, it will settle and become clear on its own. Who can be still and let the right action arise by itself?
The more you do, the more you do wrong. The less you do, the less you need to do.
Before the sun rises, nothing can be seen. Once the sun rises, nothing can be unseen.
Chapter 66: The King of Rivers
This explains why “water seeks its own level” and why the low position is actually the position of power.
Chinese: 江海所以能為百谷王者，以其善下之，故能為百谷王。
Pinyin: Jiāng hǎi suǒ yǐ néng wéi bǎi gǔ wáng zhě, yǐ qí shàn xià zhī, gù néng wéi bǎi gǔ wáng.
English: “The reason the rivers and seas can be the kings of a hundred valleys is that they excel at staying below them. That is why they are the kings of a hundred valleys.
Beneath the surface, behind appearance, beyond the visible are the patterns of reality and the principles of metaphysics. By penetrating the depths of Reality, Water gains knowledge of the deepest, fundamental truths.
"In the Changes, there is the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), which produces the Two Modes (Liangyi). The Two Modes produce the Four Images (Sixiang). The Four Images produce the Eight Trigrams (Bagua)."
易有太極，是生兩儀，兩儀生四象，四象生八卦
“In Western astrology, the "One to the Many" unfolds through the geometric subdivision of the Circle (the One), representing unified cosmic consciousness.
This unity first splits into Polarity (the Two)—the Masculine and Feminine or Yin and Yang—creating the pulse of action and reception.
It then differentiates into the Modalities (the Three)—Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable—which describe the lifecycle of energy (beginning, middle, and end).
Finally, it densifies into the Elements (the Four)—Fire, Earth, Air, and Water—representing the fundamental building blocks of material reality.
When these divisions interact, they manifest as the 12 Zodiac Signs (the Many), which provide a complete map of human experience, much like the 64 hexagrams, by showing how a single source of light is refracted into a spectrum of distinct archetypes”
Don’t worry if you don’t understand…I also don’t understand xD.
The main point I want to make is that there is an underlying metaphysics to everything in life. The deeper we dive, the closer we get to fundamental reality. Water is the element that has the patience, permeability and power to sink to the deepest depths. Everything emerges from the Source, everything returns to it.
The deeper and closer we get to Source, the greater our grasp of Reality. But to do that, we need the element of Water - stillness, humility, patience, permeability, reflection and introspection.
Then, the right movement, the correct position, the proper structure reveals itself. In football, it is occupying the ideal space and position. In investment, it is entering the right asset at the right time. In relationships, it is pausing to consolidate and accumulate (trust, erotic tension, arousal), and moving to escalate and resolve when the field is ready.
In life, it is digging deep until one finds the deepest, most resonant metaphysics and then aligning. Align with the Dao, surf on the currents of life.
Good luck everyone
