The Four Layers of the Strategy Board
Five elements, four layers, thirty-four characters
Sky & Season10 min read
In The Strategy Board we met the board as a whole: nine grounds, redrawn every two hours, with you on one of them and the matter on another. This guide goes one level deeper. Every ground on the board is a small stack of four layers, and every layer has its own family of painted characters.
Before the characters, one idea holds the whole board together: the five elements.
The five elements
Every ground, way, sky and companion is made of one of five natural elements. They are images, not chemistry.
The elements matter because they relate to each other in two simple ways. They feed one another in a circle — water feeds wood, wood feeds fire, fire leaves earth (ash), earth holds metal, and metal gathers water (dew on cold metal). And they hold one another in check — water puts out fire, fire melts metal, metal cuts wood, wood breaks up earth, and earth dams water.
That is all the board uses. When it says the matter’s ground feeds yours, or pushes against yours, it is simply comparing two elements. When a way fights its own ground, the element of the path is cutting the element of the land under it.
Water
Moves, hides and finds a way through. Water is depth, flow, secrets and wit.
Wood
Grows, reaches and spreads. Wood is new starts, learning and momentum.
Fire
Shines, warms and shows. Fire is visibility, passion and display.
Earth
Holds, gathers and steadies. Earth is patience, property and staying power.
Metal
Cuts, decides and refines. Metal is clarity, rules, authority and edges.
Reading a ground from the top down
Tap any ground on the board and it opens in this order. The order is the method.
- Who walks with you — the Companion. Unseen backing: luck, goodwill, or something slippery at your elbow. You cannot choose your companion, but you can know it is there.
- What the sky is doing — the Sky. Timing and conditions beyond your control, like weather over a field. Good work under a bad sky still gets wet.
- Which way is open — the Way. The part you choose: the kind of action this ground rewards. For most practical questions this is the layer that matters most.
- What the ground holds — the Ground. The plain fact underneath: the setting, the resources, the place itself. It never moves.
A good hour is one where the layers agree — a helpful companion, a kind sky, an open way, on a ground whose element sits well with the path. When they disagree, the Way usually tells you what to do, and the other three tell you how hard it will be.
Layer four · The Nine Grounds
The land itself. Each ground faces one direction and is made of one element. They never move.
We start at the bottom, because everything else stands on these.
north · water
The Deep Ford
Dark water and hidden depths. Things move fast below the surface; what you cannot see matters most here.
southwest · earth
The Open Plain
Wide, patient, nourishing ground. Progress is slow and steady, and many people pass this way.
east · wood
The Thunder Grove
Young growth struck by sudden weather. Quick, lively, easily startled; good for a fast start, not for calm talks.
southeast · wood
The Wind Pass
A pass where everything streams one way. News, trade and ideas travel quickly from here.
centre · earth
The Crossroads
The still centre where every road meets. It holds the whole board in balance.
northwest · metal
The High Seat
A cold, clear place of authority above the clouds. Decisions made here carry weight.
west · metal
The Marsh Market
Lanterns, talk and trade by the water. Good for words and deals; watch for loose promises.
northeast · earth
The Stone Bridge
Heavy, immovable stone between two mountains. A narrow but solid way across; slow to start, hard to shake.
south · fire
The Sunlit Terrace
Full noon light and nowhere to hide. Everything is visible and admired, though not always as deep as it looks.
Layer three · The Eight Ways
The path open on each ground this hour — what kind of move the moment rewards.
Three ways are generous (Open, Growing, Resting), two are mixed (Lantern, Hidden) and three ask for care (Thorn, Startled, Sealed). On the board, open ways are written in gold and hard ones in coral. The Crossroads in the centre has no way of its own.
metal · often helpful
The Open Way
The gates stand open. Begin, launch, apply, step forward.
water · often helpful
The Resting Way
A path to rest and good company. Recover, reconnect, talk things through; not the hour to push.
earth · often helpful
The Growing Way
Harvest on both sides. Growth, income and things that last.
fire · mixed
The Lantern Way
Beautiful and bright. Good for being seen, presenting and signing; check what lies beyond the glow.
wood · mixed
The Hidden Way
A path few can see. Blocked for open moves, good for quiet work, study and keeping plans private.
wood · handle with care
The Thorn Way
Thorns across the path. Passable only by force, and someone gets scratched; best left alone unless you must compete.
metal · handle with care
The Startled Way
Birds burst up in alarm. Expect surprises, nerves and sharp words; speak carefully.
earth · handle with care
The Sealed Way
The door is sealed for now. Nothing moves; let this one rest.
Layer two · The Nine Skies
The weather over each ground — timing, mood and outside conditions.
A sky does not tell you what to do; it tells you what you are doing it under. A brilliant plan under The Rising Flood carries more risk than the same plan under The Long Afternoon.
water · handle with care
The Rising Flood
Storm water rising. Big risks and big gambles; the timing is wild.
earth · handle with care
The Lingering Cloud
A heavy cloud that will not move. Something needs fixing before it can grow; also a time for learning.
wood · mixed
The Racing Storm
A fast storm crossing the sky. Quick action pays, long plans do not.
wood · often helpful
The Clear Dawn
Gentle first light. Good for learning, teaching and wise counsel.
earth · often helpful
The Still Air
Perfectly still, centred air. Balance and integrity hold.
metal · often helpful
The Clear Frost
Cold, clear morning. Think it through, plan, lead and heal.
metal · handle with care
The Cutting Wind
A sharp, noisy wind. Criticism and argument are in the air.
earth · often helpful
The Long Afternoon
Steady golden light that lasts. Patience and honest work are rewarded.
fire · mixed
The Blazing Noon
A blazing sky. Fame and attention come easily, and so do tempers.
Layer one · The Eight Companions
Who walks beside you on each ground — unseen help, or unseen trouble.
The Standard-Bearer is the strongest helper on the board; wherever its banner flies (marked with a small flag), backing and authority gather. Four companions are friendly, and three — The Trickster, The Iron Warden and The Night Thief — are worth noticing so they do not surprise you.
wood · often helpful
The Standard-Bearer
The strongest protector on the board. Where the banner flies, authority and backing gather.
fire · handle with care
The Trickster
Smoke and warped reflections. Overthinking, illusions and slippery promises.
metal · often helpful
The Veiled Adviser
A quiet helper in the shadows. Plan privately; help may come unseen.
wood · often helpful
The Go-Between
Two ribbons joined. Partnerships, agreements and introductions.
metal · handle with care
The Iron Warden
A fierce guard in a hard wind. Pressure, force and risk of harm; do not provoke.
water · handle with care
The Night Thief
Someone slipping away in the rain. Hidden motives, loss and things not as they seem; double-check.
earth · often helpful
The Earthkeeper
Hands pressed into the soil. Stability, patience and quiet accumulation; no rash moves.
metal · often helpful
The Sky Rider
Riding the high winds. Expansion, reach and bold, public moves.
Two warnings the board gives
The way fights its ground. When the path’s element cuts the land’s element — metal on wood, for example — pushing hard does damage. Even a good way loses much of its goodness here.
The ground holds the way back. When the land’s element holds the path in check, the setting resists your move: rules, timing or other people slow you down.
And remember hollow ground: a ground that is empty this hour. Whatever stands on it may not hold.
Every character above appears on the live board. Open your free chart and choose The Strategy Board, or explore Mei’s sample chart first.
For the curious: the four layers are the classical earth, human, heaven and spirit plates of Qi Men Dun Jia (奇門遁甲) — the nine palaces, eight doors, nine stars and eight deities. The Classic lens on your chart shows them by their traditional names.
See which archetype sits at the centre of your own chart
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