Decade and annual layers on the natal chart
This page covers how the decade and the annual layer stack on a natal chart that has already been cast, and where the sentence has to stop.
Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fatequery
The natal chart is written before the decade and the year
The natal chart is the layer cast from the birth data. A decade is about ten years on one palace. The annual layer stacks on top, year by year. A later layer does not replace the palaces and stars of the earlier one.
Write the natal stars of the palace first, then which palace the decade or the year pushes forward. Do not write the annual layer as an event that has already happened, and do not let it cover the natal chart.
A decade is a ten-year step
Where a decade starts, and which way it runs, follows the five-element bureau and the sex. Each step sits on one natal palace and carries an age range. On the illustration the bureau is fire-six, and Property on chen holds ages 36 to 45.
On 15 June 2026 the nominal age counted from 1990 is 37, so that decade is Property. Property’s natal stars are Zi Wei and Tian Xiang. The sentence can say that the settling cell is pushed forward for these ten years, and the base is still Zi Wei wanting to hold the frame, with Tian Xiang beside it wanting coordination. It is not a house that must be bought.
The annual layer stacks on the decade, one year at a time
The annual layer pushes another natal palace forward for that year. It does not cancel the decade that is running. On 15 June 2026 the annual layer of the illustration lands on Friends, branch wu, natal major star Qi Sha.
The sentence can say: this year the network cell is pushed forward, the base is still Qi Sha needing a target before it pushes, and the Property decade is still in force. It is not “someone will be met this year,” and it is not a day of the month. The annual layer is not a daily horoscope.
Where the sentence has to stop
A reading cites only the palaces, stars, transformations and timing layers that were printed. It does not move the Life Palace, invent an hour that was not entered, or add a star to make the sentence sound better. A medical, legal or financial decision is not on this chart.
A question about a whole life, with no palace, has no subject. A decade and an annual layer do not pick a day for surgery or a contract. When the chart feels insufficient, go back to the birth data and the five settings. Do not add a heavier verdict.
Illustration: age 37 is Property; that year is Friends
The same set, 15 June 2026. The decade is Property on chen, ages 36 to 45, stars Zi Wei and Tian Xiang. The year is Friends on wu, star Qi Sha. The natal Life Palace is still the Sun and Tai Yin on chou. The three layers are present together. They do not collapse into “this year will settle and a benefactor will appear.”
For what Zi Wei Dou Shu is, see what Zi Wei Dou Shu is. When the birth date, time and place are complete, open the chart page.
Common mistakes
- Letting the annual layer replace the natal stars.
- Writing a decade as a move or a purchase that has already happened.
- Giving a verdict on a whole life without landing on one palace.
Use it in fatequery
Zi Wei chart
Cast a Zi Wei chart and read the palaces, stars, and transformations it prints.
Cast a free Zi Wei chart →Zi Wei synastry
Set two Zi Wei charts side by side and read the relationship the tool actually compares.
Compare two Zi Wei charts →Frequently asked questions
Does a decade replace the Life Palace stars?
No. On the illustration Life is still the Sun and Tai Yin. Ages 36 to 45 only push Property forward.
If the year and the decade disagree, which one wins?
Both stay. In 2026 the year is Friends and the decade is still Property. They are not collapsed into an event that has already happened.
Can a decade pick a day for surgery or a contract?
No. A decade and a year only mark which palace is pushed forward. The decision about a day is not on this chart.
Can the decade be read without a birth hour?
No. Without the hour the Life Palace is unset, and the palace the decade sits on cannot be checked.
Sources and editorial basis
- 1. Ziwei Doushu Quanshu (received editions)
Used to cross-check palace names, star lists, and traditional wording. A received text can record a tradition; it cannot prove scientific validity or guarantee an event.
- 2. iztro Zi Wei Dou Shu engine
Supports only what the current fatequery configuration actually calculates: palace placement, major-star arrangements, and the recorded year-boundary, leap-month, and transformation settings. It does not prove that any traditional school is uniquely correct.
- 3. fatequery chart rule snapshot
Each generated report stores the engine settings that produced it. Compare those settings before treating two charts as the same calculation.