The Life Palace
Governs: Your nature, talents, scope and the keynote of your whole life; chief of the twelve palaces.
How to read it: Start with the main star here for your basic temperament, then see how supporting stars, malefic stars and the four transformations add or subtract. A strong or weak Life palace is less a verdict on your life than a picture of how you meet it.
Alignment: Its opposite, Travel, shows how you act out in the world; its trines, Wealth and Career, show how you handle money and work. Read Life, Wealth, Career and Travel together for the full pattern.
Keep in mind: The palace holding your Body palace marks where you put your effort later in life; read it alongside the Life palace.
Main stars in the Life palace
Follow a star's name for its reading in the Life palace.
- Zi Wei (紫微)Zi Wei in the Life palace: self-respecting and decisive, you like to see the whole picture and take charge, and you care about standing and dignity.
- Tian Ji (天機)Tian Ji in the Life palace: quick-witted and responsive, good at thinking things through and planning, fast to learn.
- Tai Yang (太陽)Tai Yang in the Life palace: open, warm and generous, valuing reputation and fairness, straightforward with a natural air of leadership.
- Wu Qu (武曲)Wu Qu in the Life palace: firm, decisive and practical, efficient and quick to act, with a feel for money.
- Tian Tong (天同)Tian Tong in the Life palace: gentle and easygoing, valuing quality of life and peace of mind.
- Lian Zhen (廉貞)Lian Zhen in the Life palace: a complex nature, principled and rule-abiding on one side, passionate, competitive and intense on the other.
- Tian Fu (天府)Tian Fu in the Life palace: steady, generous and accommodating, practical and security-minded, with a gift for management and preserving what is built.
- Tai Yin (太陰)Tai Yin in the Life palace: gentle, perceptive and reserved, valuing feeling and with artistic taste, also good at planning and saving.
- Tan Lang (貪狼)Tan Lang in the Life palace: many talents and wide interests, socially skilled and magnetic, with desire as your driving force.
- Ju Men (巨門)Ju Men in the Life palace: articulate and deep-thinking, good at analysis, research and debate, with a sceptical streak.
- Tian Xiang (天相)Tian Xiang in the Life palace: honest, dependable, fair and courteous, mindful of image and proper form, good at coordinating and supporting; an ideal right hand.
- Tian Liang (天梁)Tian Liang in the Life palace: mature beyond your years, principled, glad to look after others and resolve their problems, and often able to turn danger to safety.
- Qi Sha (七殺)Qi Sha in the Life palace: independent and decisive, bold and willing to fight, drawn to challenges and able to take on hard battles.
- Po Jun (破軍)Po Jun in the Life palace: bold in tearing down the old and starting anew, unafraid of change, frank and pioneering, and unwilling to be confined.
Other palaces
This is fixed text compiled from general convention, not a reading of any individual chart and not a prediction. For important decisions, please consult qualified professionals.