Nine Star Ki：Rules and reading
Nine Star Ki organizes birth and period themes with nine symbolic stars and five-element relationships. Natal year star, month star and period grids are separate layers. This personal timing framework is different from a building’s Flying Star chart and does not locate nine physical stars.
Foundations and calculation
The year changes at the instant of Beginning of Spring; months change at solar-term boundaries. Neither 1 January nor Lunar New Year is a substitute. Birth time and timezone matter near boundaries. South-up and north-up displays rotate the view, not the stars assigned to compass sectors.
Worked example
A birthday on Beginning of Spring is insufficient to select a year star without checking the boundary instant in the birth timezone. When comparing two grids, align their orientation and compare named compass directions rather than screen corners.
Reading and judgment
Check natal calculations first, then element relationships, then the annual and monthly grids for the analysis date. Keep birth structure separate from selected-period themes, so a monthly description does not become a lifelong identity.
Common mistakes
Star numbers do not rank good and bad fortune. Five Yellow does not establish a disaster, and a controlling element relationship does not establish relationship failure. A personal grid cannot replace building measurements and environmental assessment.