Although I’m technically not friends with most of my readers, I think it’s fair to say that everyone knows me better than some of your friends or acquaintances by now. I’m an open book and don’t hold my thoughts back.
If there’s anything I despise, it’s vile people, narcissists, who pretend like they are some holy person or saviour, trying to ‘save’ others when it’s actually to stroke their ego or further their agenda.
Now, a bit of self-promotion for the sake of livelihood is okay, we all do that, and that’s just how the world works, but everyone should know by now that if anything is taken to the extreme, it starts to get destructive.
The themes on my blog are always trying to get people to question what’s “good” and what’s “evil” and the form it takes. One thing that most people fail at is not realising that both good and evil can take on many forms, meaning they can be packaged differently. Someone may not be eloquent and a bit crass, but this person may have the kindest heart; someone may be charismatic, with an impeccable, uplifting locution, but this person may end up being the most vile, narcissistic person you’ll ever meet.
This case study is also an excellent time to remind everyone that you shouldn’t lose yourself to spirituality and religion. I don’t think the point of spirituality and religion is to make you lose yourself, and blindly succumb to someone else’s will. We now live in an era where spirituality, religion, and even astrology have become a tad twisted. Our innate desire to feel loved and that we belong somewhere is being taken advantage of. Providence and positive vibes will always feel great, but they shouldn’t blind you. I could talk endlessly about what “being spiritual” means, but that’s for another occasion.
It’s arguable that narcissists, vile people with malice, are motivated by the same things that make up the human psyche. It’s just that they take it to the extreme. For example, we all want to be validated, and valued for what we do, but this taken to the extreme, becomes narcissism.
I explored a bit of that in my recent blog post here:
It’s a long post, so I wouldn’t advise you to head there now, but for convenience, here’s how Western astrology breaks down the human psyche:
From the perspective of modern astrology, the twelve signs represent the twelve universal psychological needs:
Aries—the need to be independent and develop self-awareness
Astrology and the Authentic Self – Demetra George
Taurus—the need to be resourceful and get productive results
Gemini—the need to communicate and make mental contact with others
Cancer—the need to give and receive emotional warmth and security
Leo—the need for creative expression and appreciation by others
Virgo—the need to analyze, discriminate, and function efficiently
Libra—the need to relate to others and create harmony and balance
Scorpio—the need for deep involvements and intense transformations
Sagittarius—the need to explore and expand mental and actual horizons
Capricorn—the need for structure, organization, and discipline
Aquarius—the need to innovate, be original, and create social change
Pisces—the need to commit to a dream or ideal
The psychological functions of the planets are:
Sun—basic identity, will, and conscious purpose
Astrology and the Authentic Self – Demetra George
Moon—emotions, feelings, habitual responses
Mercury—capacity to think, speak, learn, and reason
Venus—capacity to attract what is loved and valued
Mars—capacity to act and be assertive based on desire
Jupiter—search for meaning, truth, and ethical values |
Saturn—capacity to create order, form, and discipline
Uranus—unique individuality and urge for liberation
Neptune—capacity to transcend the finite self through union with a larger whole
Pluto—capacity to transform and renew
Today’s case study will be on JMS Cult Leader, Jung Myung Seok (“JMS”). As always, I will approach it using BaZi and Zi Wei Dou Shu. But this time, I will also throw in his Western chart since I’ve been self-studying it and using it to observe parallels across the different schools of astrology.
Before I move on, let me be clear that this post is not and has no intent to be a critique of any established religion. It’s merely my thoughts on someone who started an organization and used religion for its packaging.
Jung Myung Seok’s Hypothesised Birth Time & Charts
For those who don’t know who JMS is, you can find a documentary of him on Netflix:
He’s from South Korea, and declared himself the Messiah, although he’s now mostly known as a religious cult leader and convicted rapist. At first blush, he does look like a charming, charismatic pastor meant go great things: a bright smile, well-defined features, and an alluring stage presence.
The packaging is excellent. But the good thing about astrology is that it looks past the packaging.
The first thing I always need to do for a case study is to reverse engineer someone’s birth time. It’s always possible – just that it takes a lot of work and backtesting. I took a look at the possible charts using Chinese astrology, and this is what I feel are his charts:
It was a bit hard to reverse engineer his birth time using BaZi because even without his birth time, his birthday already makes his chart horrid. No particular Hour Pillar stood out, although the birth time I eventually went with just so happens to be one of the worst Hour Pillars for that day, 16th March 1945.
Zi Wei Dou Shu gave much better clues because one chart stood out:
- The above chart puts him under a 贪狼 (‘tan lang’ aka Greedy Wolf) in 寅宫 (Tiger) chart.
- 贪狼 itself is a star with a strong affinity with metaphysics, astrology, and religion. As with all stars in Zi Wei Dou Shu, where it lands, changes many things and the outcome of someone’s life.
- 贪狼 doesn’t end up in 寅 or 申 Palaces/Sectors often, and although it is not its worst position, it’s also not the best. 贪狼 landing in these positions does come with a lot of caveats, and the quality of such a chart is nowhere close to a 贪狼 in its best positions.
- 贪狼 is the biggest Peach Blossom star in Zi Wei Dou Shu, so it should be no surprise that JMS falls under such a chart.
Now, not all people born under 贪狼 are like him, so there must have been some other traits in his chart that made him the way he is. Let’s go deeper:
- Now, one of the biggest taboos of 贪狼 is that it must not appear with certain malefic stars – the keyword here is “certain”. There are a few of them in Zi Wei Dou Shu, with the four main ones being 地劫，地空，擎羊， and 陀螺。 There are also 火星 and 铃星。
- The effect of the conjunction between 贪狼 and each of the malefic stars above are different; some can even be positive, which is why I emphasise “certain”.
- However, in the case of JMS, his 贪狼 star conjuncts 陀螺， the very malefic star that brings out the worst in 贪狼, making it lose its restraint. To make things worse, there is even 天姚 in his 命宫， which is also a Peach Blossom star strongly affiliated with the feminine, alcohol, pleasures of the flesh, and hedonism in general.
Now, if there’s anything Zi Wei Dou Shu practitioners know about 贪狼， it’s that by virtue that it is the biggest Peach Blossom star in Zi Wei Dou Shu, it has a lot to do with hedonism, sex, opposite gender, and even drugs. The downfall of a man born with a weak 贪狼 chart is often due to these, which is why it stood out as the chart for this piece of garbage.
His BaZi chart paints an uncannily similar picture. Let’s do a quick breakdown:
- Daymaster Strength: It is very clearly a strong Yang Wood Daymaster chart for reasons I don’t have to state explicitly. Springtime Yang Wood with two rooted (通气) Yin Wood 劫财s sticking out of the Year and Hour Stem.
- BaZi Chart Structure: Naturally, the chart is under 劫财格 (Rob Wealth). Be mindful that Rob Wealth is a malefic ‘god’ for him, so their appearance is not a good sign, and it points towards huge character flaws.
- Spouse Element: You will also notice a Yin Earth 己土 on his Month Stem, which is his Direct Wealth (正财) ‘god’ and Spouse Element. Basic BaZi theory tells you this ‘god’ represents his job and females. Direct Wealth is under severe harm from Rob Wealth, symbolised by Yin Wood 乙木 harming Yin Earth 己土。
The next thing we need to look at is to assess what this chart needs:
- Critical Element: The chart’s “Useful God” or “Critical Element” is not Earth – it’s Metal, which his chart does have, and it is the only redeeming factor about this garbage BaZi chart of his.
- Metal Being His “官” ‘God’: Metal is his 官/Officer ‘god’, which we know represents authority, structure, someone’s honour, and restraint. Metal’s job is to protect Earth by controlling Wood.
- Destructive Element (忌神): His most destructive element is Water, not Wood. Water has an even more destructive effect on his chart.
Matching The Timeline Of Events With Hs Chart
Let’s try to tally some of the real-life events with his chart.
If you look at his 10-Year Phases, you will see that his chart encounters Wood and Water throughout his life. Starting from 1978, his 10-Year Phases goes 乙亥，甲戌，癸酉，壬申， and he is now in his 2018 10-Year phase of 辛未, which unfortunately is his “Void Emptiness” (空亡) position, so 辛 Metal and 未 Earth’s effects are negated.
Here’s what I feel about his 10-Year Phases:
- 乙亥 (1978 – 1988): The religious organization JMS was founded in 1978, the year he kicked off his 乙亥 10-year phase. This was where his life started to change, and he began to sow the seeds for his eventual demise. There was initial success likely because 1978 to 1981 were considered favourable Annual Phases (流年运) for him. The details of what happened during this period were unclear since it was the early years and had no media scrutiny.
- 甲戌 (1988 to 1998): This was, to the detriment of the public, a stable phase of his where he could have done the most with his life. Despite Yang Wood’s appearance, his natal chart isn’t being disturbed, and none of the flaws are triggered. 戌 Earth’s appearance is his central saving grace because it does two significant things:
- 戌’s appearance prevents Yin Wood 乙木 from being active, so one major flaw of his chart is remedied,
- 戌’s appearance also forms 申酉戌三会金局。 This is the point when Metal is most potent, and some balance was achieved in this chart because Wood was controlled. You could say this was the part of his life where he had the most restraint.
- 癸酉 (1998 to 2008): This was the period where things started to crumble. He fled Korea in 1999. Interestingly, 1998 was a 戊寅 year which indicated the intent to relocate, and 1999 was a 己卯 year which, you guessed it, was his 冲太岁 year, and a very negative one.
- 壬申 (2008 to 2018): He was in jail mostly during this 10-year phase. You might be thinking, does 壬申 represent jail time? That’s for me to know and for you to find out. I will only say the signs are written in his chart.
- 辛未 (2018 to 2028): Unfortunately, his chart’s flaws were triggered again in this phase. 未’s appearance causes Yin Wood Rob Wealth ‘god’ to be active again, which is why women were involved again. He was sentenced to jail in 2022, which was a 壬寅 year. I know what you’re asking: Does 壬寅 indicate jail? Yes, it does.
Armed with some of the strengths of his chart, JMS built a twisted empire during his 甲戌 10-Year Phase and ‘achieved’ something most people couldn’t have – not that it was a good thing. It didn’t count for much because that was arguably his only positive 10-Year Phase.
It’s important to always look at the chart in its entirety, and how things build up and unfold.
We all want that life-changing 10-Year Phase, but good times don’t last long if it is not paired with an excellent natal chart. As important as one’s Phases are, the natal chart still decides many things, and it should be clear that the chart shows us one’s character, moral compass, and the standards one holds for him/herself. If a chart is imbalanced, and when bad times hit, it hits extremely hard because one’s foundations are not there, and temptations bring out the worst in a person.
We all make mistakes, and most of us will eventually learn and not repeat the same mistakes, which is why a negative 10-Year Phase doesn’t last forever, and positive 10-Year Phases can. But clearly, people like JMS are recalcitrant, so it’s no surprise his chart shows recurring negative 10-Year Phases.
Do not ever forget that one’s 10-Year Phases also indicate one’s growth:
We all know what makes a Category 4 chart-holder the way they are. Their negative 10-Year Phases are perpetual, which clearly signals that they refuse to learn and grow because they are self-righteous and self-victimizing.
How Was He Manage To Pull All Of This Off?
Most people wonder how someone with such a crap chart can ” do so much” or amass a cult following. As much as I hate to say it, this piece of garbage made good use of some of his chart’s strengths, especially when he was at his best 10-Year Phase of 甲戌。Unfortunately, these traits were being used by someone who lacked a moral compass.
As for what these “strengths” are, let’s take a look:
- If we were to use BaZi to look at things first: His BaZi chart’s Day Pillar has 天德 and 月德, which are auxiliary ‘gods’ (神煞)。 His Day Branch is 申, and he is born during a 卯 month, which gives him 天德。 His Daymaster is 甲， so the 卯 Month gives him 月德。 These are basic BaZi formulas where most BaZi calculators will do the work for you.
- If you flip through any Chinese classic on BaZi, you will always read that having these two auxiliary ‘gods’ are a huge blessing. The annoying thing the ancient books don’t discuss is that there are often caveats, and they don’t go into how auxiliary ‘gods’ are applied in BaZi analysis.
- Most people would think that having 天德 and 月德 would automatically mean a good life with no troubles, and no legal issues. That is not true, and the life of JMS clearly shows this.
- His charm and ability to persuade and influence come from these two auxiliary ‘gods’, but one must never forget that BaZi analysis is not simply about looking at which auxiliary ‘gods’ appear. Negative auxiliary ‘gods’ like 劫煞 can be favourable too. Similarly, favourable ‘gods’ like 天德 and 月德 can be used for vile purposes too.
My point is this: JMS is an unfortunate case where a twisted, low-quality Category 4 chart is imbued with some talents and charm. People with 天德 or 月德 alone are often known to exude a lot of charisma, and JMS had both of them, which he abused. Having 天德 or 月德 does not change the fact that his chart has a broken structure (破格), is imbalanced and shows someone with a twisted moral compass. Although he has the packaging of both 天德 and 月德, the virtues of these two favourable ‘gods’ have been misused.
Zi Wei Dou Shu sets things a bit more clearly because we know for a fact that his 贪狼 + 陀螺 + 天姚 paints a picture of a sex addict and maniac, so the twisted moral compass part is clear. The part of his Zi Wei Dou Shu chart that allowed him to get a reputation and wide reach is his extremely strong 父母宫， with 天机化禄 + 禄存 in there. 父母宫 is used to assess someone’s fame and reputation, but unfortunately for JMS, it did not get paired up with a good Life Sector (命宫)。
Having A Crack At Western Astrology
Disclaimer: I’m just reading up on Western astrology for my interest. I am not confident of my analysis at this juncture, and the jotting down of my thoughts here is just my way of putting my thoughts down in writing as part of the learning journey. I hope to be proficient enough to eventually use it to cross-reference with Chinese astrology to check my own work and analyses.
Here’s his Western chart:
I reversed engineered JMS’s birth time using Chinese astrology before touching his Western chart. I hypothesized that it should be between 1 AM and 3 AM, and then generated the Western astrological chart.
It’s interesting because the first thing that stood out to me as I generated his Western chart is that he’s a Sagittarius ascendent, which means Jupiter rules his chart. Jupiter will be the centrepiece of a lot of things he does. Jupiter is related to religion, education, and teaching, to name a few possibilities, essentially what he did when he started Providence.
The interesting thing here to note is that Jupiter is in Virgo, meaning Jupiter is in detriment. Jupiter cannot express its qualities adequately in this sign. It is also in the 9th House, representing higher-learning, philosophy, religion, morals, and ethics.
I’m no Western astrologer, but it seems to me that he’s going to suck at what he’s doing, given the state Jupiter is in.
Another trait that stands out to me, at first blush, is that his Saturn isn’t well placed either. It is in Cancer, meaning it’s also in detriment, so Saturn loses its qualities, signifying structure, order, and law. Saturn is also in the 7th House, an angular house representing relationships, partners, and how one deals with the world – a bit like Zi Wei Dou Shu’s 迁移宫, I would say.
What’s interesting to me is that these two massive celestial bodies are both in weak positions and have hard aspects with each other. Jupiter and Saturn’s significance in a chart cannot be understated – the former is the Great Benefit, and the latter is the Great Malefic. You can tell their role in the chart given their titles, and even though their movement might be slow, the changes they bring, as we’ve all experienced, can be immense.
Some other planetary aspects stand out as interesting to me, but I’m not ready to comment on them yet:
- Jupiter opposition Sun: It suggests exuberance. The Sun is the Lord of the 8th House, which is the house representing sex, taboos, death, resurrection and other people’s possessions.
- Saturn squares the Sun (Lord of the 8th) and Mercury (Lord of the 9th House): I don’t know what the hell this means, other than there are a lot of right angles.
- Moon, Mercury, and Venus all being in the 4th House: The 4th House is related to home, family, women, and feminity, and is seen as the House where we seek emotional refuge. This may be why his life revolved a lot around women because his Lord of the 10th House, representing his career, is Venus. His Moon and Mercury being in there as well suggest obsession.
There are a lot of other interactions in his Western chart, but I’m not in the best position to comment further as my knowledge of Western astrology is still limited – for now. *wink wink*
Drawing The Parallels Between All Methods
One of the most fascinating things while studying astrology is to observe how the different techniques paint the same story. Unfortunately, most people can’t appreciate this, but that’s why I exist!
I ensured that I wouldn’t commit the cardinal sin of confirmation bias. Here goes:
‘Career Path’
BaZi: His 甲申 Pillar, and what 甲 and 申 both individually represent, along with the appearance of 天德 and 月德， does suggest he will lean towards education, religion, and being a leader of sorts.
Zi Wei Dou Shu: JMS being born under 贪狼 suggests an affinity with religion, metaphysics, or anything philosophical. His path to success is through fame and reputation, as indicated by extremely strong 父母宫。
Western Astrology: His ascendent is Saggitarius, which makes Jupiter his ruling planet. Jupiter is in the 9th House of higher education, and religion. Jupiter opposes his Sun, which is in Pisces. The Sun is one’s ego and will, and Pisces has always been known to be the sign with the highest affinity with religion.
Lack Of A Moral Compass
BaZi: His BaZi chart has a broken structure, and the strongest element in his chart is also a destructive element, which also happens to be an inauspicious ‘god’, Rob Wealth.
Zi Wei Dou Shu: His Zi Wei Dou Shu chart’s 命宫 sits 贪狼 in a weak position, with 陀螺 in a debilitated position, and 天姚。
Western Astrology: His Western chart has Jupiter and Saturn in weak positions. Jupiter represents ethics, wisdom, and honour. Saturn represents structure, law, and order.
Life Centred Around Women
BaZi: As a Yang Wood male, Yin Wood Rob Wealth represents females. He has two potent sources of it. He also has a Direct Wealth also symbolises women, with Rob Wealth harming it. Not a man you would want to marry because women come and go for someone like him.
Zi Wei Dou Shu: 贪狼 is the biggest 桃花 star in Zi Wei Dou Shu, so the affinity with women will be higher. On top of this, his 夫妻宫 (Spouse Sector) as a 化禄 ‘flying’ into his 命宫, signifying dedication and loyalty from partners, albeit to a man who doesn’t deserve it.
Western Astrology: Venus is his Lord of the 10th House, the House of Career. Venus is feminine, and it is in his 4th House, where he finds emotional satisfaction. Venus also happens to be his Lord of the 5th House, which is the House representing romance, love, and play.
There’s a lot more I could try to go into, but I’ll pause here for now because we can already tell there are parallels just by looking at these three areas.
It’s fascinating that the parallels stand out that much, but yet, are expressed so differently. Through my studies of not just the application, but also the history of the different techniques, I don’t think any technique is meant to be a reiteration or derivative of another. Each system is unique. Seeing how one method can reveal so many things is fascinating enough, so seeing how all techniques paint the same story makes it even better.
I know what everyone is thinking: Why are all my case studies seem to be on problematic people? Frankly, they are more interesting to talk about, and their charts are usually easier to reverse engineer. I will make it a point to start writing about case studies of good graphs. However, what all of them will have should be obvious – talent, good character, perseverance, and many other virtues that separate human beings from animals.
I know this is supposed to be a case study, but there is also a moral to this story:
If your chart says you’re born a piece of s***, chances are you will be a piece of s***. Harsh, but true. I don’t expect anyone to understand why I detest Category 4 chart-holders so much – I just do. I was born and grew up to be that way because I’ve witnessed, time and again, how much damage they can do, and how incorrigible and disgusting they can be.
The Saturn in me, I suppose.
Hawt damn… For the life of me, I really don’t like dealing with Category 4 chart-holders.
– Sean
