The following is a question I received in the summer of 2021. I’d like to revisit my answer to this question from my current perspective.
Is the Four Pillars of Destiny real?
I’m a 25-year-old woman. When I was a sophomore in high school, my mom took me to see a renowned shaman, who predicted that I would become a police officer. But I just scoffed at that. I thought, “Me? A civil servant?” I wasn’t even interested in studying for the exams—I didn’t even want to try. But then I met my boyfriend, who’s a civil servant, and somehow I ended up preparing for the exams myself. His mom went to have our compatibility read, and sure enough, that same shaman told me I’d become a police officer. Does the Saju-Palja really… reveal something? Is there really something to it...??? It’s just so strange that the fortune-teller said the exact same thing as seven years ago. Couldn’t she have just said I’d become a civil servant because I mentioned I was preparing for the exam? But it’s such a coincidence that I can’t just dismiss it… Should I believe in the bigger picture?
To answer this question, you must first understand that the Four Pillars of Destiny are referring to the energy you were born with.
A person’s date, month, year, and time of birth reveal their innate energy. Just as someone was born black and cannot suddenly become white, one's innate energy remains unchanged. By observing that energy, one can discern a person’s aptitudes.
The four pillars are formed by the year, the month, the day and the time of birth. Each of these pillars is assigned a specific combination of energy, based on the five elements and Yin-Yang.
For example, let’s examine the Four Pillars of Destiny for a baby born at 4:00 p.m. on July 9, 2026, in the Gregorian calendar.
The four pillars — year, month, day, and hour — are listed from right to left. The upper part of each pillar — called Im, Gap, Eul, and Byeong (壬甲乙丙) — represents energy received from the heavens, therefore is referred to as stem. The lower part — called Shin, Shin, Wi, and Oh (申申未午) — represents energy absorbed from the earth, and is referred to as branch. Looking at this child’s Four Pillars — that is, the eight characters in the four pillars — we see that the colors of the five elements are evenly distributed. Green represents the energy of Wood (木), red represents Fire (火), yellow represents Earth (土), gray represents Metal (金), and black represents Water (水).
If we further divide these Five Elements energies into Yin and Yang, 2026 is Yang Fire/Yang Fire, July is Yin Wood/Yin Earth, the 9th is Yang Wood/Yang Metal, and 4:00 PM is Yang Water/Yang Metal. A baby born on this day at this time will be influenced by these four pillars throughout its life.
Among the Four Pillars, the year (年) represents receiving the seed of life; the month (月) represents the growth of that life; the day (日) represents that life blooming; and the hour (時) represents that life bearing fruit. Therefore, the Four Pillars of Destiny refer to the destiny determined at the moment of one's birth — specifically, what kind of seed of life one will receive, how one will grow, into what kind of flower one will bloom, and what kind of fruit one will bear.
Now, let’s return to the request mentioned earlier.
Considering that she mentioned a police officer in her question, we can infer that her Four Pillars likely contain a moderate amount of Metal energy. Metal energy symbolizes justice. Possessing a moderate amount of Metal energy implies an exceptional ability to distinguish right from wrong — a trait commonly seen in police officers.
Since two shamans mentioned a police officer, it is highly likely that the Day Stem (日干) — which symbolizes the “true self” — is of the Metal element. Furthermore, since she mentioned her mother’s support, it is highly probable that the Month Branch (月支) — which symbolizes her mother’s energy that aids her growth — is an energy that nourishes the Day Stem, which means Earth element.
Therefore, a skilled shaman might conclude, that she is destined to become a police officer.
Nevertheless, it is not a certainty that she will actually become a police officer. A shaman can only identify basic tendencies based on one’s birth energy; an individual’s actual future can vary depending on various other factors, such as education and personal attitude. However, if you ask a shaman about your birth energy, you can gain insight into which profession might suit you best through your Four Pillars of Destiny.
Phoenix