Many things become new in March. Workers make plans for a year and students start their new semesters. When they are going to start something new with hope, they want to know what their futures would be like. Furthermore, while making new decisions, they tend to look more deeply at who they are and what they really want. With this situation, there are various ways to help them know about themselves. Let’s look into some of them and CBNU student’s perceptions of them. Also, you can check out some services which CBNU runs for students to know who they are.
There are various kinds of predicting the future in objective ways or subjective ways. Even though the methods are superstitious, lots of people try them at least once. This shows that people want to get the answer to what they can not foresee. We will introduce four ways of looking ahead to the future and knowing yourself.
Saju: Four Pillars of a House
Saju is the most popular method of predicting one’s destiny in Korea. It compares a person to a house and regards the hour, day, month and year of the person’s birth as four pillars of the house. The four components are classified into yin-yang and five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. The principle of taking saju is simple: harmony and balance. If the yin-yang and five elements are composed well, it means good luck. However, if those are weighted, they should be modified in harmony.
There are two functions of fortune telling. One is judging one’s innate destiny and the other is changing one’s fate. Saju tells one’s character, aptitude, personal relationship, health, and so on. Some of these are fixed, but some are changed by the year or over ten years. However, this doesn’t mean that saju itself can change one’s destiny. You can use other ways to change calamity into good luck such as determining good names, finding lucky directions, and determining marital compatibility, all of which are adjusted by saju.
- Saju Danja
When a Korean couple decides to marry, they are used to undergoing saju to predict marital harmony. It is considered an important rite of passage that the couple has to do in Korean society. Therefore, when both families arrange a marriage, the bridegroom’s family sends a note on which is written the bridegroom’s saju to the bride’s family. This note is called ‘saju danja’. Then the bride’s family chooses an auspicious day to marry and they notify the bridegroom’s family of the day. Thus, saju danja means that both families agree to their children’s marriage and this becomes a marriage token.
Physiognomy: Reading You by Appearance
Last year, a movie named ‘Face-reader’ captivated nine million audiences. Thus, people’s interest in physiognomy has increased nowadays. Physiognomy is the assessment of a person's character or personality from his or her appearance. It originated in China during the Warring States Period and was brought into Korea in the Silla Dynasty. Since then, it has affected our lives widely. For example, some companies do a new recruit’s physiognomy to check whether he or she fits with their companies.
Normally, physiognomy tells one’s fortune through the face, but it is not the only way. The skeleton, hands, feet, hair, and even wrinkles could be grounds of judgment. A physiognomist also observes motions such as walking, breathing, eating, and sitting. As the physiognomist reads one’s luck through all of the human’s appearance, people can cope with their fortunes by revising their looks.
- Sayings from Physiognomy
1. Forehead: A bald person likes free things
2. Ear: A person who has little ears is sly and bold
3. Nose: No one is poor with a good-shaped nose
4. Eye: The eyes are informers of the mind
5. Mouth: A beauty has red lips and white teeth
6. Eyebrow: A strong eyebrow is lustful
Tarot: Fortunetelling trough Occult Cards
People who want to find the answer they are concerned about in their lives might read their tarot cards at least once. Mysterious shuffling and special cards must fascinate them. The tarot is a pack of cards commonly numbering 78 with pictures on them that are used to predict what will happen to people in the future. In particular, 22 cards represent all values in the world such as death, justice, love, hope, virtues and vices. Actually, the tarot was used to play card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot from the middle of the 15th century in diverse parts of Europe. From the late 18th century, tarot cards became associated with mysticism and have played a role as a map of spiritual pathways until now. In Korea, five kinds of fortunetelling are popular: love, money, study, learning, friendship.
- Reference to Take Tarot
1. Ask a question specifically with a definite topic.
2. Do not ask several questions at the same time.
3. Concentrate on your questions when shuffling the tarot.
4. Cast away any personal prejudice and stereotypes.
5. The tarot can predict from a week up to six months.
Horoscope: Knowing Yourself by Own Star Sign
All of us have a star sign based on our birthday. It is easy to find a daily or monthly horoscope in a magazine or newspaper. A horoscope is a prediction of events that will happen in the future based on a person's star sign, which is related to the zodiacal placement of the sun. The early horoscope was used for running of countries and predicting the rise and fall of them. Then, its function gradually changed to a method of divination regarding personal events. The twelve signs of the zodiac represent a person’s character based on each sign’s traits. Through taking a horoscope, people could know their pros and cons so it might help them to decide something.
- Character of Each Star Sign
1. Aries (March 21st ~ April 20th): Those born under Aries are very enthusiastic and not afraid to take risks.
2. Taurus (April 21st ~ May 20th): Those born under Taurus are very careful and this makes them regarded as stubborn one.
3. Gemini (April 21st ~ May 21st): Geminis have lots of friends because they are very communicative.
4. Cancer (April 22nd ~ May 22nd): Cancers are said to be very sensitive and have good imaginations.
5. Leo (April 23rd ~ May 22nd): Leos are ambitious and dramatic people; thus sometimes they seem to be proud.
6. Virgo (August 23rd ~ September 22nd): Virgos are known to be perfectionists and to be organized.
7. Libra (September 23rd ~ October 21st): Libras always try to be civilized and polite.
8. Scorpion (October 22nd ~ November 21st): Scorpions are the most profound and secretive people.
9. Sagittarius (November 22nd ~ December 21st): Sagittarians are honorable, so they fight for justice ardently.
10. Capricorn (December 22nd ~ January 19th): Capricorns are stable and patient, so they become late bloomers.
11. Aquarius (January 20th ~ February18th): Those born under Aquarius have many unique ideas, therefore they usually become great inventors.
12. Pisces (February 19th ~ March 20th): Those born under Pisces make great lovers because they are giving and considerate.
Responses of CBNU members
Up until now, we have suggested four ways to know ourselves and the future. Then, what do CBNU members think about these methods? And why do people use them even though they seem groundless? The answers are followed with a survey that was conducted in the first student dormitory by any CBNU members for a week. The total number of participants were 125 in this survey.
1. How much you believe in these methods?
Sometimes(34)/Usually(26)/Often (24)/Never(24)/Always(17)
: These answers show that CBNU members do not depend on these methods primarily. Actually, the suggested four methods appear to be superstitious and subjective. Therefore, they might think that the results of reading these methods do not affect them much and that they would overcome concern and worry about the future by themselves.
2. What method is matched with you?
Saju(42)/Physiognomy(30)/Horoscope(28)/Tarot(25)
: Since we live in an Oriental cultural area, saju might be the popular way for respondents. Physiognomy shows this aspect, too. Our ancestors highly regard saju and physiognomy to select queens and royal concubines by them. As a result, it is not a strange thing to change one’s name due to the results of saju or to remove a mole due to physiognomy in Korea. Therefore, they think that saju and physiognomy match them well. On the contrary, horoscope and tarot are considered to be Western culture; thus, CBNU members might not be accustomed to them.
3. Why are you taking these methods?
Just for fun(50)/To have relieved feelings about uncertainty for the future(23)/To prevent bad luck(18)/To improve relationships(16)/Planning for the future(15)/Other(3)
: People might answer ‘Just for fun’ because if the results are good, they also feel happy. On the contrary, if the results are not good, they just forget about it. So whatever the results are, they do not think about it seriously. The second answer shows that CBNU members are afraid of the future because nobody knows what will happen in the future. ‘To improve relationships’ and ‘Planning for future’ also indicate traits of university students. As they have to rush into jobs after graduation, they agonize hard about what they want to do. Also, relationships among friends and lovers are really important factors of their lives. Likewise, various answers come up from CBNU students. This means that each of them is concerned with diverse things, and these methods could be the solution even though these are not very objective.
Knowing about Yourself at CBNU
One of the things that makes university students wonder or worry is their future jobs after graduation. Before they think about their futures, they should know their personalities and interests. Fortunately, the Job Support Center at CBNU offers many tests and programs to help students understand themselves objectively and decide their best futures. Then, let’s look inside.
- Personality Tests
There are four tests to know about yourself. When you are wondering about your personality, you can take one of them. Each of them takes 30 minutes and after you finish, you will consult with a counselor who has been hired officially by CBNU about the result.
1. MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator): You can find out your congenital preference so that you can check your concerns, interests, career direction and relations with other people.
2. Enneagram: This defines your personality among the nine personality types. The test result shows the center of your energy and desire. Also, you can figure out what your personality’s strengths and weaknesses are and how to make up for the weaknesses.
3. LCSI (Lim's Character Style Inventory): This analyzes your basic personality, psychological tendency, cognitive characteristics, achievement behavior and interpersonal relations. It can help the process of your rational decision making.
4. Learning Type Test: This measures your learning behavior and characteristic of learning. It leads you to grasp your psychological difficulties and its causes which are related with learning.
- Vocational Aptitude Tests and JUST (JBNU Start Up Training) Camp
These are tests which help you choose your future job by your personality, aptitude and interest. The Career Exploration Test takes 30 minutes and the other takes an hour. You can get some advice from a counselor after taking the tests. Meanwhile, the JUST Camp is run for two days, and you can also apply by visiting the office when its schedule is posted on the homepage.
1. Career Exploration Test: This analyzes how much your personality and interests go together and finds out some jobs that your personality and interest can receive.
2. Occupation Preference Test: This measures the degree of interests in many jobs and gives information on some jobs which are suitable for you.
3. JUST (JBNU Start Up Training) Camp: The main purpose is to help freshmen and sophomores to find what they want to do in the future and an accompanying purpose is giving them an opportunity to interact with other students. Through the camp, students will find who they are and who they will be.
- Group Counseling
This is a program through which you can get help understanding yourself by meeting other students who also want to know their personalities and careers. Through the program, you can improve your abilities of self-understanding and interpersonal relations in talking with people.
There are lots of ways to know about yourself and your future. The most important thing is that these can’t capture your future. It is you yourself who make your future. So don’t have blind faith in them, and try to live an independent life to make a better future. It depends on you.