On Changes in the Useful God (Yong Shen Bian Hua)

Why the Useful God Changes

The month branch stores more than one stem, and when the principal stem stays hidden while a secondary one is revealed, the useful god is judged differently — like a deputy governing when the prefect is away. Shen then sorts the changes into those brought about by revelation and those brought about by meeting and combination, and divides them again into changes for the better and changes for the worse. The chapter closes with an important restraint: a change does not always replace the structure, since a single further stem can hold the original structure intact.