When the heavenly stem of your birth day is taken as “the self” (the day master), the other seven characters each form a certain relationship with you. Reading those relationships through the generating and controlling cycles of the five elements, and dividing them into ten branches, gives the Ten Gods (sipsin). They are saju’s core language for reflecting your talents, your disposition, and the role you take within society. If MBTI draws a person along four axes, the Ten Gods draw them far more finely in ten grains. These ten energies gather into five groups.
The first is the Peer group (Parallel and Rob-Wealth), the same element as yourself. It signifies you and your siblings, companions, and rivals — the energy of self-agency, independence, and a competitiveness that will not lose. Strong, it gives clear conviction and drive; in excess, it can drift into stubbornness and friction.
The second is the Output group (Eating-God and Hurting-Officer), the element you give birth to. It signifies expression, talent, and activity — the energy of speech and writing, creation and production. Strong, one is gifted and expressive. The Eating-God shows ample, steady production; the Hurting-Officer, sparkling talent and a freedom unbound by norms.
The third is the Wealth group (Indirect and Direct Wealth), the element you govern. It signifies wealth, the concrete, and results — the energy of execution, management, and handling money. Direct Wealth is steady, accumulated wealth; Indirect Wealth symbolizes a dynamic wealth that earns big, spends big, and chases opportunity.
The fourth is the Authority group (Seven-Killings and Direct-Officer), the element that governs you. It signifies discipline, responsibility, and position — the energy of honor, organization, and self-control. The Direct-Officer shows stable standing and principle; the Seven-Killings (Indirect-Officer), strong drive and the resolve to break through a crisis.
The fifth is the Resource group (Indirect and Direct Resource), the element that gives birth to you. It signifies learning, acceptance, and protection — the energy of scholarship, intuition, and the virtue of being cared for. Direct Resource shows warm nurture and orthodox learning; Indirect Resource, keen intuition and an uncommon talent.
In a person’s saju these ten energies are held each in its own amount, forming a unique grain. Which of the Ten Gods stands out and which is lacking quietly tells that person’s talents and disposition. Make the strongly given Gods your strengths, and take the lacking energy as a direction to fill. But remember: the Ten Gods are not a yardstick that cages you in one mold, but a map that helps you understand yourself more clearly. In the end, what brings that talent to flower is not the characters of a saju but you yourself, who notice it and tend today. FortuneLeaf’s saju content, too, borrows this old wisdom to stand beside you as you look upon the ten energies within you in balance.