In the study of Four Pillars of Destiny, the concepts of Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems (地支藏干) and the Human Yuan's Ruling Authority (人元司令) often cause confusion. This article delves into the astrological meaning of "Earth Abundant, Gold Buried" (土多金埋), analyzing the rules of Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems and the Human Yuan's Ruling Authority system, aiming to reveal the secret of whether "Earth Abundant, Gold Buried" indicates a weak or strong body in the destiny.

Basic Concepts of Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems

Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems is an important concept in astrology, describing the internal connection between the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. The customization rules of Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems are based on the "Ten Stems' Waning and Flourishing Table" and the "Twelve Branches' Five Elements Formation," with different numbers of Heavenly Stems embedded in each Earthly Branch, which are in a hidden state within the branches. The appearance of Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems creates a direct interaction between stems and branches, enhancing the variability of the astrological system.

Customization Rules of Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems

The specific customization rules of Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems are as follows: the four fixed branches (Zi, Wu, Mao, You) take the Heavenly Stem at their respective branch's Lü position; the four Meng branches (Yin, Shen, Si, Hai) take the Heavenly Stems at their respective branch's Lü position and the Shengsheng position; the four storage branches (Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei) take the fundamental element of the branch's five elements, the five elements from the three meeting formations, and the five elements from the three combination formations. These rules enable the Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems to intuitively reflect the depth of the root energy of the visible Heavenly Stems in the earthly branches, thereby influencing the changes in fate.

Hidden Stems of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You

Zi, Wu, Mao, and You are located in the four fixed positions, having pure energy without mixing, taking only the Heavenly Stem at their respective Lü positions as hidden stems. For example, Zi is the Lü position of Gui, so Zi contains Gui; Wu is the Lü position of Ding and also of Ji, so Wu contains Ding and Ji; Mao is the Lü position of Yi, so Mao contains Yi; You is the Lü position of Xin, so You contains Xin. This rule reflects the singularity and purity of the Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems.

Hidden Stems of Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai

The Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai branches take the Heavenly Stems at their respective branch's Lü position and Shengsheng position as hidden stems. For example, Yin is the Lü position of Jia, and the Shengsheng position of Bing and Wu, so it takes Jia, Bing, and Wu as hidden stems. This rule enables the Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems to reflect the vitality and condition of the Heavenly Stems in different Earthly Branches.

Hidden Stems of Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei

The Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei branches take the fundamental element of the branch's five elements, the five elements from the three meeting formations, and the five elements from the three combination formations as hidden stems. This rule allows the Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems to comprehensively consider various five elements properties of the Earthly Branches, reflecting more complex astrological information.

The Concept and Application of Human Yuan's Ruling Authority

Human Yuan's Ruling Authority is a system for dividing the influence range of the five elements in the month's ruling branch based on the Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems. It divides the hidden stems in each Earthly Branch into residual energy, middle energy, and main energy, believing that the five elements in a month are not entirely controlled by the main energy of the month's branch, but the residual and middle energies also have certain periods of authority. This system holds significant importance for understanding and applying the Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems.

Through an in-depth analysis of the Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems and the Human Yuan's Ruling Authority system, we can conclude that "Earth Abundant, Gold Buried" in astrology may represent either a weak body or a strong body, depending on the specific conditions of the Earthly Branches' Hidden Stems and the distribution of the Human Yuan's Ruling Authority. Understanding these complex rules and systems holds significant guiding importance for accurately interpreting the Four Pillars of Destiny.