Packaging vs Substance

Packaging vs. Substance: What Does Your BaZi Chart Reveal About You?

Using Chinese Metaphysics, we can analyze anyone’s "packaging" versus "substance"—the external traits they show the world versus their true inner character. Curious about yours? Explore our premium report or book a private consultation to uncover the details.

In BaZi, we analyze your personality and character using the Ten Gods, derived from your day and (optionally) hour of birth. The Ten Gods appear in two key parts of your BaZi chart:

1. Heavenly Stems (top): Represent your packaging, or External Character.
2. Earthly Branches (bottom): Represent your substance, or Internal Character.

To understand more about the Ten Gods, we suggest you read our previous blog post on the Ten Gods and their Dominant Characteristics.

External Character: Packaging (Heavenly Stems)

Your Heavenly Stems reveal how you present yourself to the world—your outward persona. This is what people notice first about you, making it short-term and surface-level. We call this your External Character.

• Think of this as your “packaging”: It’s crucial for grabbing attention and creating a first impression.
• Example: If Rob Wealth appears only in your Heavenly Stems, you may initially seem extroverted and competitive. However, these traits might fade upon deeper and more frequent interactions with you if they don’t also appear in your Earthly Branches.
• Represented by stems such as Yang Wood, Yin Metal and so forth

Internal Character: Substance (Earthly Branches)

Your Earthly Branches, on the other hand, represent your substance—the real you. We call this your Internal Character, which reflects deeper, long-lasting traits.

• Internal Character takes time to uncover, as it’s not immediately visible.
• There are more Ten Gods in the Earthly Branches (4-12) than in the Heavenly Stems (3), emphasizing that substance is richer and more complex than packaging.
• Represented by stems carried by animals. For example, the animal Rabbit carries the energy of Yin Wood

Which Is More Important: Packaging or Substance?

In today’s world, both are essential for success:

• Packaging (External Character) grabs attention and opens doors.
• Substance (Internal Character) keeps those doors open and builds lasting trust.

Together, these traits create a complete picture of who you are. In BaZi, analyzing the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches together reveals your dominant characteristics and potential areas of growth.

How the Ten Gods Appear in Your Chart

The Ten Gods manifest in different ways in your chart, influencing your packaging and substance. Here's how:

Heavenly Stems:

• Traits found here are surface-level and visible to others. They represent your External Character and what others perceive at first glance.
• For example, the chart below belongs to a Yin Fire daymaster. The external character of this person can be described as Seven Killings (7K) and Hurting Officer (HO).

  

Earthly Branches:

The traits represented by the stems or Qi carried by the Earthly Branches are deeper, more long-term, and they ultimately represent your Internal Character. Logically we will also expect to see more variations of stems in the Earthly Branches than it is for the Heavenly Stems. This is logical as our real character tend to be deeper with more layers compared to our first impressions. The stems carried by the Earthly Branches can appear in three forms:

1. Main Qi:
   • The dominant trait in an Earthly Branch, representing your strongest and most noticeable characteristic. 
   • Especially powerful when also reflected in the Heavenly Stems.
2. Hidden Qi (Sub Qi):
   • Traits beneath the Main Qi, less dominant and harder to notice
   • These traits often remain hidden unless uncovered through long-term relationships or introspection.
3. Growth Qi:
   • Found in certain Earthly Branches (Tiger, Snake, Monkey, Pig), these traits emerge and strengthen over time, often becoming significant in later life.

The Connection Between Packaging and Substance

When a Ten God appears in both the Heavenly Stems and the Earthly Branches, its traits are prominent and undeniable, shaping your actions, mindset, and perceptions.

• If it only appears in the Heavenly Stems, its traits are likely superficial or temporary.
• If it only appears in the Earthly Branches, the traits are real but hidden—they exist, but others might not immediately recognize them. 

Why Every Moment Offers Growth

It’s important to note that your Heavenly Stems can vary over time:

• They can be influenced by luck pillars (monthly, annual, or ten-year cycles).
• Even daily, hourly, and minute changes bring opportunities to highlight different aspects of your character.

This means that parts of your Internal Character may surface at different points in your life, giving you new chances to showcase your substance.

In Conclusion

Understanding your Ten Gods helps uncover your true self—packaging and substance combined. Whether your dominant characteristics are positive or negative isn’t the focus. Instead, the goal is to identify and understand these traits so you can navigate life with greater self-awareness.

Packaging captures attention, but substance sustains it. In BaZi, you can use both to unlock your full potential.