The birth-year stem marks four stars with different directions of emphasis, not simple good and bad.
The Four Transformations (四化) are markers placed on four stars by the Heavenly Stem of your birth year: Hua Lu (祿), Hua Quan (權), Hua Ke (科), and Hua Ji (忌). Every natal chart has all four.
The key is that these are not labels of good and bad. They describe the direction in which a star expresses itself most strongly. Even Hua Ji is not simply harmful; it is closer to where the mind remains attached for a long time.
Hua Lu (祿) is placed on this star. What the star does is more likely to connect with tangible benefit and opportunity.
Hua Quan (權) is placed on this star. Its affairs are more likely to involve holding decisions and driving them forward.
Hua Ke (科) is placed on this star. What the star does is more likely to remain as reputation and recognition.
Hua Ji (忌) is placed on this star. Attachment to its affairs runs especially deep: when open, it investigates to the end; when blocked, it can be hard to release.
Read both which star carries the transformation and which palace holds that star. For example, Hua Lu on a star in the Wealth Palace can bring tangible benefit through money, while the same Hua Lu in the Spouse Palace can bring support through relationships.
The Four Transformations also are assigned again with each time period. Your birth year provides the natal set, while each ten-year decade and annual cycle places a new set. The same star can therefore become more or less activated with timing. The decade chapter returns to this layer.
Enter your birth time to see which stars and palaces carry the four transformations in your chart.
This content is for reference and entertainment, based on traditional Chinese metaphysics and astrology.