Showing posts with label celestial animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celestial animals. Show all posts

Saturday, 25 May 2013

Feng Shui Celestial Creatures-Black Turtle

Black Turtle in the Landscape

The second of the non-mythical celestial animals we enjoy in our world today, is the Black Turtle, our ultimate protector in Landscape Feng Shui (San He Formula.)  He is the one who ‘watches our back’ and prevents anyone from appearing behind without our knowledge. 

He manifests in the landscape as a hill formation and is the link between the Green Dragon of the left and the White Tiger on the right.   This configuration is often called an ‘armchair.’  Positioning the home in the middle of this configuration provides protection on three sides just like that afforded by an armchair.  

The Turtle, or the Tortoise, is a powerful and important protector in Feng Shui.  We can turn our heads from side to side to see who or what is approaching but it is more difficult to know what is going on behind us.  Symbolically, it is the hard outer shell of the Turtle, solid and impenetrable, that provides the protection. 

While slow and steady the Turtle is persistent and will not give up, it keeps going until it has achieved its aim. 

This is the first of the four celestial animals that does not have a place as one of the 12 Chinese Astrological Animals however its importance in the practice of Feng Shui is assured.

The Yin Turtle is a symbol of longevity; of strength and fortitude.  And we must never forget that it was said to be a Tortoise who emerged from the Lo River in China with the numbers of the Lo Shu square on its back.  The 3x3 grid used in Personal and Home Eight Mansions and Flying Star Feng Shui; part of the San Yuan School; both incorporate the Lo Shu square in their practice.

In an urban environment the Black Turtle mountain is substituted by the natural solution of trees or the man-made solution of a building or a high wall.

Black Turtle in the Home

The Yin Black Turtle is the animal associated with the North.  It signifies Water and is the area of the middle son in the family.  The trigram of the North is K’AN.  This is represented by a solid Yang line in the centre which is trapped between two broken Yin lines.  As a dark inauspicious trigram it is a symbol of danger and toil.  It is Winter, a time of the year signifying rest and stillness; a time of reflection.  The North is the place of least light and sunshine and the meaning behind the trigram highlights this darkness.  It can also be interpreted as a deep dark body of Water hiding many things.

The positive side to the direction of North is its association with career; the positive side to the Water is its association with wealth – in this case brought about by success in your career.  A moving Water feature in the North activates the element of the area as long as it is flowing in towards your home and not outwards.
 
Display the image of a Turtle at the back of your home or keep a real Tortoise in this area.  You can also place the image of a Turtle in the North of your home.

To the fulfillment of your dreams
LynC

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Sunday, 19 May 2013

Feng Shui Celestial Creatures-White Tiger


White Tiger in the Landscape

The White Tiger is one of two non-mythical celestial animals of Landscape Feng Shui (San He.)  Unlike its counterpart and ‘partner’ in the landscape; the Green Dragon; we are fortunate to have them in our world. They are rare in the wild and mainly found in captivity and they are not a recognised species in their own right.  Instead they are the gold and black Tiger with a recessive genetic trait.  This results in them growing bigger than their coloured relatives.  It could be said that they have a sense of myth and mystery surrounding these magnificent animals.

To balance Yin and Yang in the environment, the White Tiger represents Yin to the Yang of the Dragon.  In an ideal situation they combine to ‘embrace,’ to lay together and protect your property.  The land to the right of your home from the front door looking out is the position of the White Tiger.

To be harmonious the Dragon mountain to the left and the Tiger mountain to the right will ideally be equidistant from your home with the White Tiger side lower than the Green Dragon side.

As a predatory animal the White Tiger will revert to its instinctively aggressive nature if allowed to dominate.  It has to be kept in check if it is going to safeguard your home and detect any threat in the surrounding area.
 
The purpose of the White Tiger side is to defend your property from malevolent Sha Chi; and it has to be controlled by a higher Dragon on the left, to bring out its protective Yin nature. 

It represents courage and creativity.  It also represents the potential for violence within our own human psyche.

When looking at your present home, or searching for a new home identify whether there is a Green Dragon/White Tiger combination.

In our modern urban world this combination can still be translated using Feng Shui principles.  We can interpret the Tiger hill as part of the natural world of plants and bushes; or a wall or building lower than that on the Dragon side.

White Tiger in the Home

The home of the Yin White Tiger is the West, the position where we can observe the magnificence of the setting sun.  It represents TUI, the youngest daughter of the family attracting delight and happiness to your home.  Tui is the lake bringing sustenance, and it is the mouth which is used as our means of communication; of conveying joy to our loved ones.  The trigram TUI consists of one broken Yin line (female) sitting above two solid lines (male) indicating the youngest daughter being supported by her family.  This trigram signifies weakness on the outside and stubbornness on the inside.

The West also represents family, it is the area of Small Metal such as gold coins and precious jewellery.  This is the place to display your family portrait.

The West signifies Autumn, a time when the bountiful fruits of the Earth are harvested; a time when the enhancing element of Earth has completed her work and is preparing to rest.

To the fulfillment of your dreams
LynC
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Visit http://www.abundance-chi.com to discover more about Feng Shui

Thursday, 14 March 2013

Feng Shui and 12 Chinese Astrological Animals


Is there a link between Feng Shui and the 12 Chinese Astrological Animals?  We are not talking about the Dragon, Tiger, Phoenix and Turtle known as the celestial animals of Feng Shui.  The celestial animals are associated with the external landscape and how it affects your living environment.
The Five Element Theory as well as the balance of Yin and Yang is fundamental to the effective practice of Feng Shui.  The productive, exhaustive and the destructive cycles of the Five Elements are a vital tool in determining the good, the bad and the ugly in your environment and your home.  Yin and Yang is what creates balance in an ideal situation.
On an individual level the Personal Eight Mansions from which you can calculate your personal Kua Number based on your year of birth also has Elements associated with it.  You have four good and four bad directions each with an Element.
The 12 Astrological Animals have elements associated with them together with either a Yin or a Yang aspect.
Each one of the 12 Chinese Astrological Animals resides in a 150 sector around the compass.  Well that only covers 1800 in total so how does it work?  Do they follow consecutively around the compass?    
The Later Heaven arrangement of the Pa Kua (the eight-sided  symbol synonymous with Feng Shui) moves in a cyclical, seasonal pattern. 
The third month of each season is the transition point between seasons.  As an example; we are now in the Spring season in the Northern Hemisphere.  The Chinese solar calendar runs from 4 February each year making February the first month of Spring.  It also represents the Yang half of the Wood Element.  The Chinese Astrological Animal associated with February is Yang Tiger and its position around the compass is NE3 (52.5-67.5.) March signifies the Yin half of Wood and its animal is the Yin Rabbit.  Its home is E2 (82.5-97.5.)  April is another Yang month, the month of the Yang Dragon (112.5-127.5) but this time it is the Yang month of Earth; it is the transition month between Spring and the first month of Summer in May. 
There are four seasons and 12 Astrological Animals.  Two Wood (Yang Tiger and Yin Rabbit), two Fire (Yin Snake and Yang Horse), two Metal (Yang Monkey and Yin Rooster) and two Water (Yin Boar and Yang Rat.)  The four Earth elements sub-dividing each season are the two Yang (Dragon and Dog) and two Yin (Sheep and Ox) giving a total of 12.
To make it easier to follow, the two Yang Earth Animals are directly opposite each other on the compass (Dragon 112.5-127.5 and Dog 292.5-307.5) and the two Yin Earth Animals are directly opposite one another on the compass (Sheep 202.5-217.5 and Ox 22.5-37.5.)
So how else do the animals impact on Feng Shui?  Although termed ‘hours’ by the Chinese their hours translate as two Western hours.  Each of these 12 'hours' is identified by one of the animals, as follows:
11.00-00.59         Rat        
01.00-02.59         Ox
03.00-04.59         Tiger
05.00-06.59         Rabbit
07.00-08.59         Dragon
09.00-10.59         Snake
11.00-12.59         Horse   
13.00.14.59         Goat
15.00-16.59         Monkey
17.00-18.59         Rooster
19.00-20.59         Dog
21.00-22.59         Pig
These hours have an influence on Chinese Astrology when calculating your birth chart. 
So while the practice of Feng Shui and the study of Chinese Astrology are independent and they stand alone; just like the Five Elements and Yin/Yang they are complementary and can be used together to enhance your life in a more complete and balanced way.
To the fulfillment of your dreams
LynC

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Visit http://www.abundance-chi.com to discover more about Feng Shui