What Is Mewa 5
Mewa (Tib. rme ba, རྨེ་བ; in some sources — sme ba; literally "spot, mole") is one of the nine numbers of the magic square 3×3 on which the numerological layer of Tibetan astrology — the "black calculations" (nagci) — is built. The sum of numbers along any line of the square equals 15: this is the same square as the Chinese Lo Shu. The system as a whole is described in the Tibetan Numerology hub.
Within the system, a distinction is made between the birth mewa (keme) — determined by the year of birth and lasting for life — and the annual mewa (bame) — which changes every year and is used in annual forecasts.
Mewa 5 in this system is yellow, element earth. By color it is called the "yellow five." By Tibetan reckoning (for those born after Losar), its years are 1992, 2001, 2010, 2019. Mewa 5 is associated in the magic square with the animal group: Tiger, Snake, Monkey, Pig (the same group as mewas 2 and 8).
Briefly: according to the "White Emerald" text as retold by the Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia, bearers of mewa 5 were a monk, then a prince or king, then a spirit in past lives; they are said to have strong spiritual faith and a "stable mind." Details follow.
Mewa 5 Interpretation According to the "White Emerald" Text
All interpretations below are a retelling of the traditional "White Emerald" text as presented by the Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia (the site's legal status is unclear, so the text is retold, not quoted). This is "according to tradition," not canon: other authors give different emphases (see "Controversial Points").
Past Lives
According to the text, the sequence of past lives of the bearer of mewa 5 is: monk, then prince or king, then spirit (Tib. bdud). Hence in the tradition the combination of "monastic" and "royal" background in the description of character.
Character
According to the text, a person of mewa 5 is distinguished by strong spiritual faith and a stable mind (in another reading — unstable, see "Controversial Points"), possesses great knowledge and powerful speech. They are ambitious and "hard to please"; at the same time, according to the text, they help orphans.
Health
According to the text, mewa 5 is associated with fevers, as well as disorders of the lymphatic system, serum, and bile.
Children and Family
According to the text, children come with difficulty; a maximum of 5 children.
Wealth
No specific information on wealth is provided in the available retelling of the "White Emerald" — a gap in the source.
Lifespan and Obstacles
According to the text, the lifespan is about 50 years, with 2 obstacles on the path. What exactly constitutes an "obstacle" is not elaborated in the retelling.
Next Rebirth
According to the text, the next life of the bearer of mewa 5 is as a monkey or a chicken.
Pacification and Recommendations
For "pacification" (improving karmic circumstances), the text recommends a statue of Buddha, a stupa, and the seal of Dorje Tsering (transliteration of the retelling). A special warning: bearers of mewa 5 are provoked by spirits Sadak and King (transliterations from the text), and danger from a knife is mentioned. The recommendation is offerings to protectors and confession.
How to Calculate Your Mewa
The mewa count runs in descending order: 1 → 9 → 8 → … → 1. The starting point is the 17th Tibetan 60-year cycle, which began in 1987. For the Gregorian year: r = (year − 1987) mod 9; when r = 0 the mewa equals 1, otherwise — 9 − r + 1. For mewa 5 the remainder r = 5 — these are the years 1992, 2001, 2010, 2019.
Important: the Tibetan New Year (Losar) falls in February–March, not on January 1. Those born before Losar belong to the previous Tibetan year — and to the previous mewa. The exact calculation and table of all nine mewas are in the Tibetan Numerology hub; a mewa calculator by birth year is being prepared.
Controversial Points
- Not canon. Detailed interpretations (lifespan about 50 years, "rebirth as monkey," etc.) are taken from a single traditional text — "White Emerald" — as retold by the Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia, a site with unclear legal status that itself copies materials. Other authors (e.g., F. Cornu, Namkhai Norbu) give different emphases, so everything above is "according to one of the texts."
- "Stable mind" vs "unstable." Both readings appear in retellings of the "White Emerald": in one the mind of mewa 5 is described as stable, in the other as unstable (both variants are recorded in the hub). Here the "stable" reading is used — from the text in the TBE retelling.
- Color. Mewa 5 is yellow (earth): Berzin and TBE agree; no color discrepancy for the five has been found in verified sources.
- Year correspondence. There is no direct authoritative table of "Gregorian year → mewa": the formula is derived from Berzin's scheme and verified against the TBE animal mewa table (10/10 matches). Online tables differ by one due to Losar and the choice of starting point (1987 vs Chinese 1984).
- Terminology. Dictionaries contain the spellings rme ba (རྨེ་བ) and sme ba; in Russian practice — "мева," "мев," "мево." Transliterations bdud, Sadak, King, "Dorje Tsering" are from the English-language TBE retelling and require verification with Tibetan sources.
Gaps for Fact-Checkers
- There is no data on wealth for mewa 5: the TBE retelling does not include this section (noted in the text).
- "Hard to please" — it is not elaborated whom and in what.
- The names of spirits Sadak and King and the seal name "Dorje Tsering" are renderings from the English-language retelling and require verification.
- The full text of "White Emerald" is not freely available; a second line of verification with printed editions is desirable (Cornu "Tibetan Astrology," 1997; Namkhai Norbu "Key for Consulting the Tibetan Calendar," 2003).
See Also
- Tibetan Numerology — hub: mewa system, correspondence table, calculation
- Chinese Numerology — Lo Shu and the common root of the systems
- Number 5 — the five in Western numerology schools
- Mewa Calculator — calculation by birth year