1 Definition
Three Cycles and Nine Periods (三元九運) is the system that divides TIME in feng shui. It splits a great cycle of 180 years into 3 Cycles (元), each Cycle holding 3 Periods (運), and each Period lasting 20 years.
- Three Cycles (三元) = 3 Cycles: Upper, Middle and Lower.
- Nine Periods (九運) = 9 Periods, from Period 1 to Period 9.
- 3 Cycles × 3 Periods × 20 years = 180 years, one great cycle.
2 The Structure in Detail
| Cycle | Period | Years | Star | Ruling trigram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPPER | Period 1 | 1864 – 1883 | 1 White 一白 | Khảm 坎 ☵ (Water) |
| CYCLE | Period 2 | 1884 – 1903 | 2 Black 二黑 | Khôn 坤 ☷ (Earth) |
| (上元) | Period 3 | 1904 – 1923 | 3 Jade 三碧 | Chấn 震 ☳ (Thunder) |
| MIDDLE | Period 4 | 1924 – 1943 | 4 Green 四綠 | Tốn 巽 ☴ (Wind) |
| CYCLE | Period 5 | 1944 – 1963 | 5 Yellow 五黃 | (Trung Cung 中宮) |
| (中元) | Period 6 | 1964 – 1983 | 6 White 六白 | Càn 乾 ☰ (Heaven) |
| LOWER | Period 7 | 1984 – 2003 | 7 Red 七赤 | Đoài 兌 ☱ (Lake) |
| CYCLE | Period 8 | 2004 – 2023 | 8 White 八白 | Cấn 艮 ☶ (Mountain) |
| (下元) | ★Period 9 | 2024 – 2043 | 9 Purple 九紫 | Ly 離 ☲ (Fire) ★ |
RIGHT NOW: WE ARE IN PERIOD 9, 2024 TO 2043
3 What Each Period Means
1. Period 1: Nhất Bạch 一白 一白 (Khảm 坎, Water)
- Ruling star: Tham Lang (貪狼).
- Energy: Intellect, study, new beginnings.
- Prosperous direction: NORTH.
2. Period 2: Nhị Hắc 二黑 二黑 (Khôn 坤, Earth)
- Ruling star: Cự Môn (巨門).
- Energy: The mother, women, property, illness.
- Prosperous direction: SOUTHWEST.
3. Period 3: Tam Bích 三碧 三碧 (Chấn 震, Wood)
- Ruling star: Lộc Tồn (祿存).
- Energy: Strife, litigation and gossip, but renewal as well.
- Prosperous direction: EAST.
4. Period 4: Tứ Lục 四綠 四綠 (Tốn 巽, Wood)
- Ruling star: Văn Khúc (文曲).
- Energy: Letters, study, romance, the arts.
- Prosperous direction: SOUTHEAST.
5. Period 5: Ngũ Hoàng 五黃 五黃 (Trung Cung 中宮, Earth)
- Ruling star: Liêm Trinh (廉貞).
- Energy: Extremely strong, great upheaval, war.
- Prosperous direction: THE CENTRE, with no fixed direction.
6. Period 6: Lục Bạch 六白 六白 (Càn 乾, Metal)
- Ruling star: Vũ Khúc (武曲).
- Energy: Power, the military, engineering, men.
- Prosperous direction: NORTHWEST.
7. Period 7: Thất Xích 七赤 七赤 (Đoài 兌, Metal)
- Ruling star: Phá Quân (破軍).
- Energy: Pleasure, entertainment, finance, quarrels.
- Prosperous direction: WEST.
8. Period 8: Bát Bạch 八白 八白 (Cấn 艮, Earth)
- Ruling star: Tả Phụ (左輔).
- Energy: Property, mountains, accumulation, young men.
- Prosperous direction: NORTHEAST.
9. Period 9: Cửu Tử 九紫 九紫 (Ly 離, Fire)
- Ruling star: Hữu Bật (右弼).
- Energy: FIRE, light, technology, media, women.
- Prosperous direction: SOUTH.
- (see section 4 for detail)
4 Period 9, 2024 to 2043, in Detail ★★★
1. What marks Period 9
- Ruling trigram: LY 離 ☲, Fire, the middle daughter.
- Ruling star: CỬU TỬ 九紫, the Ninth Purple, also called Hữu Bật 右弼.
- Five Phases: FIRE.
- Direction: SOUTH.
- Character: Bright, beautiful, technological, civilised, fast.
2. Trades that prosper in Period 9
📋 Trades that prosper
Technology, AI, solar power, media, aesthetics, education, the arts and culture. Every trade connected with Fire and light will grow strongly in Period 9.
3. Who gains in Period 9
- Women in middle age: Ly 離 is the middle daughter, so women's standing rises.
- People in creative work: technology and media.
- People whose house faces SOUTH: or whose Ly 離 energy is strong.
- People of the Fire or Wood destiny: Wood generates Fire.
4. Feng shui in Period 9
- SOUTH is the most prosperous: a main door or a living room facing South is good.
- Star 9 Purple is the ruling star: wherever star 9 lands is prosperous.
- Star 1 White is Generating Qi, the coming Period: also good.
- Star 8 White has just passed its Period, Retreating Qi: fading.
- Star 5 Yellow is inauspicious, in every Period: avoid.
5. Auspicious and Inauspicious Directions in Period 9
| DIRECTION | CHARACTER |
|---|---|
| SOUTH (Ly 離) | ★ HIGHLY AUSPICIOUS: ruling the Period, star 9 |
| NORTH (Khảm 坎) | Auspicious: Generating Qi of the coming Period, star 1 |
| SOUTHWEST (Khôn 坤) | Neutral: star 2, illness, but usable |
| EAST (Chấn 震) | Inauspicious: star 3, gossip and disputes |
| SOUTHEAST (Tốn 巽) | Neutral: star 4, literary talent and romance |
| THE CENTRE | ★ INAUSPICIOUS: star 5 Yellow, inauspicious in every Period |
| NORTHWEST (Càn 乾) | Neutral: star 6, a past Period but still with force |
| WEST (Đoài 兌) | Inauspicious: star 7, Retreating Qi, theft |
| NORTHEAST (Cấn 艮) | Neutral and fading: star 8, just past its Period |
5 Putting the Three Cycles and Nine Periods to Work
1. In Flying Star Feng Shui
- The Period decides: which star RULES THE PERIOD and is prosperous, and which has LOST THE PERIOD and is in decline.
- Casting the star chart: you must know which Period the house was built in.
- The ruling star: Vượng Tinh (旺星) → THE BEST.
- The Generating Qi star: the Generating Star → GOOD.
- Retreating and declining stars: FADING.
- The Dead Qi star: SPENT → INAUSPICIOUS.
2. In Xuan Kong Da Gua 玄空大卦
- Chính Thần (正神) and Linh Thần (零神): ) change with the Period.
- Period 9: Chính Thần 正神 is in the SOUTH, where a mountain is wanted; Linh Thần 零神 is in the NORTH, where water is wanted.
3. In everyday life
- Choosing the facing of a house: to suit the Period we are in.
- Reading the trends: in the economy and in society.
- Choosing a trade or an investment: to suit the Period.
6 A Historical Overview, 1864 to 2043
- Period 1, 1864 to 1883: An age of enlightenment and industrial revolution.
- Period 2, 1884 to 1903: Land, colonies, territorial expansion.
- Period 3, 1904 to 1923: The First World War, revolution, great change.
- Period 4, 1924 to 1943: Culture, the arts, the Second World War.
- Period 5, 1944 to 1963: Enormous upheaval, the Cold War, the atomic bomb.
- Period 6, 1964 to 1983: Engineering, space, the military, male authority.
- Period 7, 1984 to 2003: Entertainment, finance, pleasure, the early Internet.
- Period 8, 2004 to 2023: A property boom, young men (boy bands), mountains (tourism).
Period 9, 2024 to 2043: technology, AI, fire (energy), women, creativity.
7 In Summary
📋 The Three Cycles and Nine Periods in summary
180 years = 3 Cycles × 3 Periods × 20 years = 9 Periods. We are now in PERIOD 9, 2024 to 2043: the Ly 離 ☲ trigram, Fire, with the SOUTH prosperous. Prospering trades: technology, media, aesthetics, energy. Women in middle age gain. Star 9 Purple rules the Period. Star 5 Yellow is always inauspicious. The Period decides which stars are prosperous and which are in decline in Flying Star Feng Shui.