The 28 constellations (二十八宿) is concept that is often applied in tandem with the 12 day stars method of date selection.
Also known as the 28 mansions or 28 lodges, the Chinese system of 28 constellations is often considered to be the equivalent of the astrological constellations of the western zodiac by those who have studied both.
It is not usually used to select a date, but as a refinement technique to see how good or how bad a day really is for an individual in terms of cosmic energies.
Each day can be represented by one constellations of stars. And 28 of them rotate among themselves with each one reigning supreme on each day.
The 28 members are listed as follows:
- 角 (jiao) horn, Wood, Spica
- 亢 (kang) neck, Metal, Kang
- 氐 (di) root, Earth, α Librae
- 房 (fang) house, Fire, π Scorpii
- 心 (xin) heart, Water, σ Scorpii
- 尾 (wei) tail, Fire, u¹ Scorpii
- 箕 (ji) basket, Water, γ Sagittarii
- 斗 (dou) dipper, Wood, φ Sagittarii
- 牛 (niu) ox, Metal, β Capricorni
- 女 (nu) women, Earth, Albali
- 虛 (xu) empty, Fire, Sadalsuud
- 危 (wei) danger, Water, Sadalmelik
- 室 (shi) camp, Fire, Markab
- 壁 (bi) wall, Water, Algenib
- 奎 (kui) legs, Wood, ζ Andromedae
- 婁 (lou) bond, Metal, Sheratan
- 胃 (wei) stomach, Earth, Bharani
- 昴 (mao) pleiades, Fire, Electra
- 畢 (bi) net, Water, Ain
- 觜 (zui) beak, Fire, ϕ2 Orionis
- 参 (shen) reference, Water, Mintaka
- 井 (jing) well, Wood, Tejat
- 鬼 (gui) ghost, Metal, θ Cancri
- 柳 (liu) willow, Earth, δ Hydrae
- 星 (xing) star, Fire, α Hydrae
- 張 (zhang) extend, Water, Zhang
- 翼 (yi) wings, Fire, Alkes
- 軫 (zhen) chariot, Water, Gienah
Also take note that number 1 to 7 is associated with the Azure dragon, 8 to 14 with the black tortoise, 15 to 21 with the white tiger, and 22 to 28 with the vermilion bird.
As mentioned earlier, the 28 constellations method is seldom practiced by date selection experts as the main logic behind choosing a day to do specific activities. It is often applied for added finesse in tandem with other date selecting methods like the 12 day stars.
For example according to 12 day stars, a particular date might seem to be a good day to move into a new house. 28 constellations can then be used to look deeper into how good a day it is exactly.
This also means that when there are a few dates to choose from, the 28 constellations will be able to pinpoint which day among the dates is the best. Conversely, it also means that you can use it to pick the best among the bad dates.
Here are what the 28 constellations generally represent.
角 (jiao) horn
Generally a good positive star. Usable for marriages, business, travel and ground-breaking.
Avoid burials on such a day.
亢 (kang) neck
Not a good star, especially for money and wealth related activities.
氐 (di) root
Only a favorable star on very specific activities depending on individual.
Get expert advice.
房 (fang) house
Unfavorable for financial matters. But favorable for travel, marriage, prayers and burials.
心 (xin) heart
Not a good day for legal activities and wealth related issues.
Usable as a day for travel.
尾 (wei) tail
This is generally a favorable star for all types of activities including business, travel, constructions, marriage, etc.
箕 (ji) basket
Good for commencing renovations, collection of money, and feng shui activities.
斗 (dou) dipper
Favorable for business activities, except for the commencement or start of business.
Also good for feng shui activities.
牛 (niu) ox
Not a good date for anything of significant importance.
女 (nu) women
Good for acedemic related activities.
虛 (xu) empty
As the word suggest, it is generally not a good star to have. Highly associated with illnesses.
Especially for milestone events.
危 (wei) danger
Generally a negative star which is only good for debt collection.
室 (shi) camp
Favorable star for business commencement, marriage, starting of renovations.
壁 (bi) wall
Good favorable star for business activities.
Avoid travel in a southward direction.
奎 (kui) legs
Only positive for travels and renovations.
婁 (lou) bond
Indicates generally good for any important activities.
胃 (wei) stomach
Good for public events, marriages, burials.
昴 (mao) pleiades
Undesirable star to have on any day for any key events.
畢 (bi) net
Good for land related activities and marriage.
觜 (zi) beak
Not a good star. Especially for the commencement of events.
参 (can) reference
Good for most things except burials and marriage.
井 (jing) well
Suitable for micro feng shui activities.
Also usable for ground-breaking or starting constructions.
鬼 (gui) ghost
Only good for burials.
柳 (liu) willow
Not a good day. Especially for feng shui activities.
星 (xing) star
Extremely auspicious for marriage and good for commercial activities.
Avoid burials.
張 (zhang) extend
Very good for wealth activities.
Generally an auspicious star.
翼 (yi) wings
Bad day for important events.
軫 (zhen) chariot
Good for most activities with the exception of northward travel.
