[Expert Column] In the New Year, Don't Seek Fortunes?Investigate Your Life

As the New Year approaches, traditions like 'Tojeong Bigyeol' (fortune-telling based on Tojeong's predictions) and 'New Year's Fortune' are once again in vogue.

Some people prepare offerings in hopes of quelling anxiety, while others do so in the hope of good luck.

However, from my perspective as someone who has reported on the world for 28 years and studied Myungri (Eastern destiny analysis) for 20 years, Myungri is not simply a form of divination.

It is a sophisticated field of humanistic statistics that deals with over 200,000 independent variables, and serves as the most elaborate 'life report,' compiled through an in-depth investigation of a person's entire life.

Although Chinese (Hanyu) may appear to have simple tense changes, its core structure is based on four predicate types: verbs, adjectives, subject-predicate constructs, and nouns.

In any discipline, mastering these basics is essential for achieving depth; skipping them inevitably exposes one's lack of substance.

The same applies to Myungri, which interprets fate through the logic of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.

If the four pillars of year, month, day, and hour form the skeleton of a sentence, the theory of the six relationships (Yukchin), which categorizes human connections, is comparable to the parts of speech.

Only by factoring in Daewoon, the changes in environment that occur every ten years, does the outline of a life truly emerge.

Just as the quality of a sentence depends on one's command of grammar, the depth of Myungri is determined by one's ability to apply more than 200,000 variables.

We revere King Sejong as a sage king, but from a Myungri perspective, his life is a textbook example of 'seolgi' (energy depletion).

He created the Korean alphabet for his people and invented the sundial 'Angbuilgu,' yet his own body suffered from eye disease and diabetes, leading to his death at the age of 53.

Although his achievements were brilliant, the spread of his systems was slow-a paradoxical and sobering record showing that even the greatest of kings could not surpass the fate and physical limits dictated by his destiny.

In contrast, King Gwanghaegun, who prioritized practical gains over legitimacy, is a representative figure who strategically utilized the 'Sang-gwan' (Hurting Officer) tendency in Myungri.

During an era dominated by 'Jeong-gwan' (Proper Authority) order, which demanded allegiance to the Ming Dynasty, he pursued a pragmatic policy of neutral diplomacy between Ming and Later Jin (Qing).

'Sang-gwan' represents the energy that breaks old molds and forges new paths.

However, he failed to temper this radical energy through communication (Inseong) with his officials, and ultimately was branded a traitor who abandoned legitimacy and was dethroned.

This vividly illustrates the risks that arise when the wisdom of 'Sang-gwan' collides with the system (Jeong-gwan).

This dynamic energy of 'Sang-gwan' reaches its peak in the modern figure of Donald Trump.

Born on the day of Gi-Mi (Earth Goat), Trump's entire fate chart is a blazing combination of fire and earth.

He values practical gains (Sang-gwan) through deals over the norms of alliances (Jeong-gwan).

On the other hand, Xi Jinping of China, born on the day of Gye-Sa (Water Snake), is outwardly flexible but inwardly meticulous, like an iceberg.

While Trump shakes up the scene with fiery outbursts, Xi Jinping, with the unique restraint of Gye-Su (Water), cools and solidifies his opponents.

The Korean Peninsula becomes a battlefield of water and fire, caught between the heat of America (Trump) and the coldness of China (Xi Jinping).

Just as King Sejong struggled to establish an independent calendar system in his dealings with the Ming Dynasty, we too must seek the practical benefits of 'neutral harmony' between the forces of these two giants.

The first Korean to read the Siku Quanshu, the great Qing Dynasty compendium so coveted by King Jeongjo of the Joseon era, was the independence activist Shin Chaeho.

Shin's study of Myungri-related historical records at Peking University Library was not mere curiosity.

It was an intellectual investigation into how the forces of human destiny operate within the flow of history.

I myself have traveled to and from China, studying Myungri for twenty years now.

I have one main focus: to heal the wounds found in human relationships, to advise those who burn themselves out like Sejong to take a pause, and to counsel those who, like Gwanghaegun, become isolated in pursuit of practical gains to embrace communication.

Every election season, politicians flock to fortune-tellers.

But for those aspiring to enter politics, I recommend looking into a mirror and gazing into the eyes of their conscience, rather than visiting a fortune-teller.

Before asking about the status of wealth (Ja), authority (Gwan), and recognition (In), one should first ask whether one is cultivating oneself.

In the New Year, what matters more than which characters appear in your fate chart is the will to decide how you will use that energy.

Life is not something to be divined; it is a lifelong field assignment that you must complete yourself, step by step.