The 3 killings is pronounced as san sha (三煞) in mandarin.
Like the grand duke and 5 yellow, the 3 killings is an annual feng shui affliction that needs to be managed.
It can potentially cause destructive financial losses to those who crosses it’s moody path.
Yet for some reason, it does not get as much attention as the other two.
And there is reason for that.
From feng shui audits, I have regularly found that homeowners don’t suffer from bad luck related to the 3 killings even though they have been afflicted by it.
The afflictions could be in the form of renovations taking place where it resides or having a sofa situated right at the 3 killings location.
So unlike the grand duke and 5 yellow, case studies indicate that it is not as potent as the two other annual afflictions.
But I’d suggest that we practice caution instead of riding our luck.
This is because when the negative energy of the 3 killings strikes, you would wish that you didn’t fool around with it in the first place.
Maybe it is like a mine field. You can ride you luck by walking through. If you are lucky, you would reach the other side in one piece. But if you are out of luck, you would have to contend with huge losses.
Are you going to gamble on that?
The 3 killings consist of 3 types of sha chi.
- Robbery sha (劫煞 pronounced as jie sha)
- Disaster sha (灾煞 pronounced as zai sha)
- Setbacks sha (岁煞 pronounced as sui sha)
The robbery sha is associated with financial loss and being a victim of scams. The disaster sha can cause one to suffer from health problems. And the one for setbacks can cause you to keep encountering obstacles in whatever endeavors you pursue.
Identifying the 3 killings sector
So where is the 3 killings?
Unlike the grand duke and 5 yellow which can occupy the 4 cardinal directions and 4 ordinal directions, the 3 killings only takes it’s place in the 4 cardinal directions.
As a gentle reminder the 4 cardinal directions are north, south, east and west. While the 4 ordinal directions (sometimes called the intermediate directions) are northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest.
So within a 12 -year zodiac cycle, it sets up shop 3 times in each cardinal direction.
The science of the 3 killings location is very much associated with the trinity groups in the Chinese zodiac and the earthly branch connotations the zodiacs have.
As there are 12 zodiac animal signs, there are 4 trinity group of allies consisting of 3 members each.
Each group has an affiliation with a specific direction.
And the direction directly opposite this affiliated direction is where the 3 killings will be.
The below table shows where the 3 killings location is in each zodiac year.
Zodiac | 3 Killings | Angle |
Rat | South | 157.5° – 202.5° |
Ox | East | 67.5° – 112.5° |
Tiger | North | 337.5° – 22.5° |
Rabbit | West | 247.5° – 292.5° |
Dragon | South | 157.5° – 202.5° |
Snake | East | 67.5° – 112.5° |
Horse | North | 337.5° – 22.5° |
Goat | West | 247.5° – 292.5° |
Monkey | South | 157.5° – 202.5° |
Rooster | East | 67.5° – 112.5° |
Dog | North | 337.5° – 22.5° |
Pig | West | 247.5° – 292.5° |
Observing the above table, we can further simplify the identification of the 3 killings location by determining that it is at the:
- North in the years of the Tiger, Horse and Dog
- South in the years of the Rat, Dragon and Monkey
- East in the years of the Ox, Snake and Rooster
- West in the years of the Rabbit, Goat and Pig
A critical factor to note about the 3 killings is that it occupies a larger angle area compared to the grand duke.
While the latter takes up a 15° space on the compass, the 3 killings takes up the whole 45° area of the cardinal direction on the compass, plus a spill over of 22.5° on both sides, making a combined total angle of 90°.
This also implies that on any given year, 3 animal zodiac signs will be in afflicted by it as each 45° segment of the compass will consist of 3 zodiacs (among others).
Being in the compass sector of the 3 killings is akin to be sitting on it.
Thus, having it positioned behind.
The zodiac afflictions based on the location of the 3 killings is as below.
- North location affects Pig, Rat and Ox
- South location affects Snake, Horse and Goat
- East location affects Tiger, Rabbit and Dragon
- West location affects Monkey, Rooster and Dog
We can even get more specific by identifying which of the 3 sha occupies which sector when a specific zodiac helms the year.
Zodiac | Robbery | Disaster | Setback |
Rat | Snake | Horse | Goat |
Ox | Tiger | Rabbit | Dragon |
Tiger | Pig | Rat | Ox |
Rabbit | Monkey | Rooster | Dog |
Dragon | Snake | Horse | Goat |
Snake | Tiger | Rabbit | Dragon |
Horse | Pig | Rat | Ox |
Goat | Monkey | Rooster | Dog |
Monkey | Snake | Horse | Goat |
Rooster | Tiger | Rabbit | Dragon |
Dog | Pig | Rat | Ox |
Pig | Monkey | Rooster | Dog |
Aside from personal zodiac afflictions, individuals who are not born in the year of the afflicted zodiac signs can sometimes also be indirectly impacted by it.
This is because in more advanced feng shui, afflicted zodiacs can make their appearances in the bazi.
How to remedy the 3 killings
Unlike the grand duke that should never be confronted, the 3 killings sha can never be behind you.
There is actually some reasoning to this.
The grand duke is a heavenly figure and we shouldn’t confront or face them which can incur their wrath.
The 3 killings however is more like a poison arrow. Which is why you don’t want it behind you. Such an orientation is just asking to be back-stabbed.
On top of that, the sector in a house which the 3 killings reside for the year must also not be disturbed with renovations works and remodeling jobs.
While the ideal scenario is that the specific area of space is left generally undisturbed for the year, that is often impossible.
Symbolic feng shui is often the weapon of choice against the 3 killings.
The most common cure being the threesome of celestial guardians consisting of the Chi Lin, Fu Dog and Pi Yao.
These 3 divine animals are known as protective symbols that protect owners against relationship problems, mishaps, and loss of wealth.
Another method to keeping the 3 killings in check is an elemental approach.
For example, if it’s position is at the East for the year, then East with wood energy will be weakened by the presence of fire energy.
In this case the basic model and relationship of the 5 elements apply.
Finally, don’t forget to appease the grand duke and subdue the 5 yellow when managing the 3 killings.
There’s little point in getting control of the 3 killings and leaving the other afflictions unmanaged.
3 Killings in coming years
Year | 3 Killings |
2018 | North |
2019 | West |
2020 | South |
2021 | East |
2022 | North |
2023 | West |
2024 | South |
2025 | East |
2026 | North |