The Six Spirits

Six Spirits (Six Beasts)

The Six Spirits (Liu Shen), also known as the Six Beasts, are auxiliary judgment tools in Liu Yao (Six Line) divination. The Six Spirits are: Qing Long (Azure Dragon), Zhu Que (Vermilion Bird), Gou Chen (Hooked Chen), Teng She (Flying Serpent), Bai Hu (White Tiger), and Xuan Wu (Dark Warrior). They are assigned to the six lines based on the Heavenly Stem of the divination day, adding richer information to the hexagram.

Arrangement Rules for the Six Spirits

The arrangement of the Six Spirits proceeds from the first line to the top line in a fixed order. The starting spirit is determined by the Heavenly Stem of the day the hexagram is cast:

• Jia and Yi days: Azure Dragon starts at the first line
• Bing and Ding days: Vermilion Bird starts at the first line
• Wu days: Hooked Chen starts at the first line
• Ji days: Flying Serpent starts at the first line
• Geng and Xin days: White Tiger starts at the first line
• Ren and Gui days: Dark Warrior starts at the first line

Detailed Characteristics of the Six Spirits

Azure Dragon:

• An auspicious spirit, representing celebrations, marriage, and financial luck
• When resting on the Wealth line, it indicates incoming wealth; when resting on the Officer line, it indicates promotion
• Negative aspects: false prosperity, extravagance, and waste

Vermilion Bird:

• Represents disputes, documents, and information
• When resting on the Parents line, it indicates news or documents
• Negative aspects: arguments, lawsuits, and rumors

Hooked Chen:

• Represents land, property, and delays
• When resting on the Parents line, it indicates real estate
• Negative aspects: sluggishness, entanglement, and hardship

Flying Serpent:

• Represents fright, bizarre occurrences, and illusions
• When resting on the Ghost line, it indicates strange events
• Negative aspects: nightmares, scares, and trickery

White Tiger:

• A malefic spirit, representing illness, bloodshed, and funerals
• When resting on the Ghost line, it indicates severe illness
• Negative aspects: accidents, bleeding, and death

Dark Warrior:

• Represents secrecy, theft, and romantic entanglements
• When resting on the Wealth line, it indicates hidden wealth or illegitimate income
• Negative aspects: deception, theft, and ambiguous affairs

Practical Applications of the Six Spirits

The Six Spirits play a supporting, modifying role in hexagram interpretation and must not overshadow the main subject. They are primarily used to:

1. Determine the nature and details of an event
2. Distinguish the different meanings among similar categories of relational lines
3. Add specificity and vividness to the prediction

For example: when the Wealth line hosts the Azure Dragon, it indicates proper, joyful wealth; when the Wealth line hosts the Dark Warrior, it indicates side or hidden wealth. When the Officer and Ghost line hosts the White Tiger, it indicates a disaster involving bloodshed; when the Officer and Ghost line hosts the Vermilion Bird, it indicates lawsuits and disputes.