How Luck Pillars Years are Calculated

The calculation of Luck Pillars, also known as "Da Yun" in the Four Pillars of Destiny (Bazi), is an essential part of a Bazi analysis. These Luck Pillars represent significant periods in a person's life, each lasting for 10 years, and provide insights into the prevailing energies or influences during those times. Understanding how these periods affect you can offer guidance on how to navigate challenges and opportunities.

Here's a simplified explanation of how Luck Pillars are calculated:

### Starting Point

- **For Men**: The calculation starts from the Stem and Branch of the Month Pillar. If you were born in a Yang year, you count forward from your birth month's Stem and Branch. If you were born in a Yin year, you count backward.

- **For Women**: The same method is applied but in reverse. If you were born in a Yang year, count backward from your birth month's Stem and Branch. If you were born in a Yin year, count forward.

### The Age of Starting the First Luck Pillar

The first Luck Pillar begins at a specific age, calculated based on the distance (in Chinese zodiac signs) from the birth month to the succeeding Lunar New Year. This can vary but typically ranges from a few months to just under 12 months. The exact starting age is determined by this distance, with each Chinese zodiac sign equating to a year. For example, if the Lunar New Year after your birth is three zodiac signs away from your birth month, your first Luck Pillar would start around the age of 3.

### Calculation of Successive Pillars

- After determining the start of the first Luck Pillar, each subsequent Pillar represents the next 10 years of life.

- The Stems and Branches for these Pillars follow the sequential order of the sexagenary cycle. If the first Luck Pillar starts with Jia Zi (甲子), the next Pillar will be Yi Chou (乙丑), and so on through the 60-year cycle.

### Example

Let's say someone is born in April 1990, with the Month Pillar being Bing Chen (丙辰, Yang Fire Dragon). Assuming the Lunar New Year after their birth is in February 1991:

- **For a Male**: If it's a Yang year (which 1990 is, as Geng Wu, Yang Metal Horse), you would count forward from Bing Chen. The distance to the next Lunar New Year determines the starting age of the first Luck Pillar.

- **For a Female**: Conversely, you would count backward, considering the Yin/Yang nature of the birth year.

The precise calculation of the starting age for the first Luck Pillar and the direction (forward or backward) in which to count requires knowing the exact Lunar New Year date following the birth and the Yin/Yang nature of the birth year. This method provides a personalized timeline of energetic influences throughout a person's life, indicating periods of potential prosperity, challenge, change, or stability based on the elements and animal signs activated in the Luck Pillars.