I. Foundations

Part 2: Five Elements

2.4. Prosperity and Decline of the Five Elements in Liu Yao Readings

(seasonal strength and weakness)

In Chinese metaphysics, each season has a ruling element. One element is prosperous, one is supportive, and the others are increasingly weaker. If you ignore this, you may overestimate a weak line. Or, underestimate a strong one, which easily leads to inaccurate readings.

A classic summary looks like this:

• Spring: wood is prosperous, fire is supportive, water is in rest, metal is in constraint, earth is dead
• Summer: fire is prosperous, earth is supportive, wood is in rest, water is in constraint, metal is dead
• Autumn: metal is prosperous, water is supportive, earth is in rest, fire is in constraint, wood is dead
• Winter: water is prosperous, wood is supportive, metal is in rest, earth is in constraint, fire is dead

This matches the traditional states of the Five Elements. In the states of prosperous and supportive, an element has strong life force and influence; in the states of rest and constraint, it weakens. When it is “dead”, its influence is very low. This is the basic language we use to talk about the rise and fall of qi in a chart.

The strength of the hexagram follows the strength of its element. When you say a line is strong or weak, you are really saying the element behind that line is strong in the current time. A line with prosperous qi can move things in the real world. A line that is dead often struggles to help you or to harm you, even if the relationship looks intense.

Here are some simple examples:

• Asking about career in summer. If a strong fire line represents your job (Officials and ghosts line), that line is prosperous and has a lot of power over your situation.
• Asking about money in autumn. Metal wealth lines are prosperous, so money-related opportunities and pressures are at their peak influence.

A line that is dead and being overcome is weak and easily suppressed. A ghosts line in prosperous state can bring strong pressure or decisive action. A wealth line in dead state may show money that exists in theory but is hard to access in reality.

This is how the Five Elements stop being abstract theory and become a practical language for reading change. Seasonal prosperity and decline tell you who is loud and who is quiet inside the hexagram. When you combine this with generation, overcoming, and peer harmony, Liu Yao readings become much more precise and much more lifelike.

🎁 Bonus for readers: Month-by-month prosperity from “I Ching Divination – Complete and Restored (Zengshan Buyi)”

First Month (C): C Wood is prosperous, and D Wood is secondary.
Second Month (D): D Wood is prosperous, and C Wood is secondary.
• In the first and second months, Wood is prosperous and generates Fire. Fire is supportive. Meanwhile, Metal, Water, and Earth are in a state of rest and constraint.

Third Month (E): E Earth is prosperous, and B and H Earth are secondary.
• Earth generates Metal, which is supportive. Wood is not prosperous but retains some residual energy. Water and Fire are in a state of rest and constraint.

Fourth Month (F): F Fire is prosperous, and G Fire is secondary.
Fifth Month (G): G Fire is prosperous, and F Fire is secondary.
• In the fourth and fifth months, Fire is prosperous and generates Earth. Earth is supportive. However, Metal, Wood, and Water are in a state of rest and constraint.

Sixth Month (H): H Earth is prosperous, and E and L Earth are secondary.
• Earth generates Metal, which is supportive. Fire is in decline but retains some residual energy. Wood and Water are in a state of rest and constraint.

Seventh Month (J): J Metal is prosperous, and K Metal is secondary.
Eighth Month (K): K Metal is prosperous, and J Metal is secondary.
• In the seventh and eighth months, Metal is prosperous and generates Water. Water is supportive. Meanwhile, Wood, Fire, and Earth are in a state of rest and decline.

Ninth Month (L): L Earth is prosperous, and B and H Earth are secondary.
• Earth generates Metal, which is supportive. Wood, Fire, and Water are in a state of rest and constraint.

Tenth Month (M): M Water is prosperous, and A Water is secondary.
Eleventh Month (A): A Water is prosperous, and M Water is secondary.
• In the tenth and eleventh months, Water is prosperous and generates Wood. Wood is supportive. However, Metal, Earth, and Fire are in a state of rest and constraint.

Twelfth Month (B): B Earth is prosperous, and E and L Earth are secondary.
• Earth generates Metal, which is supportive. Water is in decline but retains some residual energy. Wood and Fire are in a state of rest and constraint.

You can use this month-by-month structure when you want very precise timing. Or, when you are reading charts that cover several lunar months.