BaZi Talk™: Maryam Mirzakhani

Math “genius” Maryam Mirzkhani was famously known for being the first woman to be honored with the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics (similar to the Noble Peace Prize); and thus, became the first woman and first Iranian to win this award. The award recognized her work in “the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces.”

Unfortunately, Maryam’s life was cut short when she died of breast cancer on July 15, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. For learning purposes, let’s explore her BaZi chart.

Maryam was born on May 3, 1977. As you can see in her chart below, she is a strong Yang Metal 庚 person. Her favorable elements are Water and Wood. Fire is okay unless there is too much Earth. Her unfavorable elements are Earth and Metal. Her self element is strong because she is Metal born in the Dragon 辰 month (Earth) and this Earth Element is strong surrounded by a lot of Fire. She was also born with a half Water combine (Monkey 申 + Dragon 辰).

I cannot find her time of birth and I suspect the Hour Pillar had her best Stars. When you look at the Three Pillars alone, it seems there is nothing extraordinary about her chart (no Academic Stars, Star or Virtue, or Intelligence). But the 3rd Luck Pillar (beginning at aged 21) showed a lot of Resources influence, making her image more conservative and professional and the luck directed her life towards academics and a more knowledge-based profession (she was a research fellow of the Clay Mathematics Institute and a professor at Princeton University. In 2008, she became a professor at Stanford University.).

The Dragon 辰 in her Month Pillar represented her Star of Art and Lonely Star. Her in-born artistic quality made her uniquely innovative and progressive. There’s not a lot of information about her life but the Lonely Star in the Month Pillar means she may have experienced some loneliness affecting her relationship with her parents.

In her teenage years, Maryam already established herself as a prolific and brilliant mathematician when she received gold medals at both the 1994 and 1995 International Mathematical Olympiad. This coincided with her luck of Yang Fire Horse 丙午 (aged 11-21). This 10-year Luck cycle cultivated her status, reputation, and credibility in the field of mathematics. What’s more, this was also her 10-year Peach Blossom luck, which brought her a lot of fame and recognition.

In her 20s, she entered the luck of Extreme Power and her 10-year Nobleman luck, the Goat 未. This luck was a very heavy earth luck, her Resources Element and also her unfavorable element. During this time, she achieved a lot of success around her work, receiving a lot of support and acclamation among her peers; however, her personal life may have been a little difficult. And she may have already developed her sickness (Earth-related disease/cancer) during this time period.

For health purposes, BaZi differs from Feng Shui in that we do not strive for more or less. Too much or too little of any Element, in BaZi, is an imbalance. For optimal health we strive for balance. In Maryam’s case, her most desirable and important Element is Water. Not only did she lack this Element in her Three Pillars, she also lacked it in the Luck. The subsequent Luck Cycles are unfavorable: Earth and Metal. There is a total absence of Water. She needs Omega-3 fish oil supplements, heavy dose of anti-oxidant, and a balanced and healthy diet to support the kidneys and cells.

As you can see, she also passed in a Metal (Rooster 卯) year and heavy Earth (Goat 未) month. The day of Rabbit 卯 is also a clash against the Rooster 酉. The Rabbit 卯-Rooster 酉 clash is often associated with disease of the breasts (wood cutting the breast). Many famous women with breast cancer disease experienced this Rabbit 卯-Rooster 酉 clash including Angelina Jolie, Olivia Newton-John, Christina Applegate, etc.

Her life is celebrated and remembered through her work and legacy. And we continue to learn more about BaZi through the life–and death–of those who have left an imprint of their existence in this world. Happy Learning!

“You have to spend some energy and effort to see the beauty of math.” — Maryam Mirzakhani