There were once two twins, so alike that only their parents could tell them apart. They were inseparable as children--when one was ill the other would feel sick, too. The two were in the same classes through elementary school, and, although the teachers did not allow them to sit together, their exam errors were uncannily similar and their scores about the same.

After graduating from high school, both tested into the Chinese Military Academy. Shortly before graduation, the elder one (by fifteen minutes) was seriously injured playing sports, and withdrew from school, turning to a career in business.

Since their "Celestial Stems and Terrestrial Branches" were the same, how did their fates end up so different?

Since the elder was born at 6:00 A.M. and the younger at 6:15, it seemed they belonged to the same "shih-chen" (from 5:00 to 7:00 A.M.) used for the fate charts. But since they were born in summer, the times should be moved up one hour, placing the younger in the 7:00 to 9:00 period. Thus their fates ultimately differed. Even for twins born in the same "shih-chen," their paths may diverge according to which subdivision--upper, middle, or lower--of the "shih-chen" they were born in.

Astrology is the result of thousands of years of accumulated experience and observation. Some people believe it is a form of statistics. But because the variables at any "time" are very large, it is necessary to also employ physiognomy (face- and palm-reading).

To go back to our twins, Feiyun-shanjen suggested that, as for their palmprints, the elder had his five fingers stretched out widely, indicating an extroverted, open, and direct personality, which did not care for restraints, but enjoyed freedom, revealing his inclination to leave the military path and embark on business.

On the other hand, the younger brother's index finger (indicating relations with parents and elders) and ring finger (symbolizing relations with one's wife) were closely set with the middle finger (symbolizing oneself), indicating that the younger brother was more dependent. Add to this that his little finger was crooked, meaning that he lacked business ability, and it seems certain that it was more suitable for this brother to stay in the military.

From the outside, fraternal twins naturally have great differences in their faces. Identical twins may have identical bodies and faces, but certain aspects may be mirror-opposite. For example, one might be left-handed, the other right, and moles or birthmarks may appear on the opposite side of the two twins. Under these circumstances, their lives will differ.

Moreover, people's faces may change due to accident. If one twin is accidentally scarred at the eyebrow, for example, he or she faces the risk of a terrible disaster around 35 years of age, and must guard against it; the twin without the scar is unlikely to run into similar difficulty.

Astrology, physiognomy . . . sometimes their results are unsettlingly accurate. But they remain mysteries. Although twins share many things in common--genetic and environmental--one can never be sure how each turn in life's wheel will alter life's destinies. As the ancients properly said, "Each person has his own fate."