FENG SHUI and KITCHEN LOCATION

In Feng Shui your kitchen is one of the three most important areas, together with the main door and bedroom. 

The kitchen represents the health and wellbeing of the entire family yet it is best placed in an inauspicious sector based on Eight Mansions for the Home.  This also benefits the residents if it represents one of their inauspicious sectors based on Personal Eight Mansions.  Calculate your personal Gua number.

Why an inauspicious sector, shouldn't it be an auspicious sector when it is so important?

Because of its nature and use having the kitchen in an inauspicious sector will help suppress the negative energies created by an inauspicious sector.  If you have the choice and are able, positioning it in the Jue Ming (Total Loss) location will cushion you from the effects of this negative area.

It is also important to ensure that there is not too much Yang energy outside your kitchen.  Health and wellbeing for residents is supported by the mountain (sitting) star in Flying Stars Feng Shui and it is Yin (like a still unmoving mountain is Yin) and so if you have activity outside your kitchen window or Yang elements it will neutralise the benefit of a positive location inside.  These can be, but are certainly not limited to, a busy road, a well-used playground or school, an electricity pylon or a river.

Then moving on to the stove, or cooker.  Should this also be in an inauspicious sector within the kitchen?

The stove should be in an auspicious part of the kitchen, because it is this that provides the food for the family and ultimately affects their health.  In addition, the 'fire mouth' or point at which the heat is activated (in the picture right this is signified by the knobs) they should face a good direction.  It is beneficial if this represents the Sheng Qi (Good Fortune) direction of the breadwinner of the home.  When there are two of equal status then you can make the decision which direction you want to use.  This is especially important when two people belong to opposing groups - West or East Group.

When you have calculated your Gua number you can find your group based on your Gua number, together with your good and bad directions.

We have looked at two different Feng Shui methods here, Eight Mansions (Home and Personal) and Flying Stars.  A consultant will likely use these, as well as other Feng Shui methods when conducting an audit.  The Four Pillars Chart for each resident (also known as BaZi) will highlight many aspects of your life including health and wellbeing.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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Feng Shui and the 24 Mountains

What are the 24 Mountains and how do they relate to Feng Shui?

When undertaking a Classical Feng Shui audit use of the Luo Pan compass is an important part of the process.  The 24 Mountains appear as one of many rings on a Luo Pan and it represents 24 directions employed by consultants when analysing a property and the fortunes of its residents using formulas like Flying Stars and Eight Mansions Feng Shui as well as studying the BaZi charts of the occupants.

How are the 24 Mountains calculated?

A standard compass is separated into 360⁰ with the primary directions of North, East, South and West and the four secondary directions of Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Northwest each covering 45⁰.  The 24 Mountains of the Luo Pan is no different, however the 45⁰ are then further sub-divided and it is this sub-division that sets the 24 Mountains ring apart.

Each of the 8 sectors are sub-divided into three; eg N1, N2 and N3; totalling 24 (each 15⁰.) 

What do they represent?

The sub-sectors are all either Yin or Yang; they represent one of the four elements* of water, wood, fire and metal or one of the 12 Chinese Astrology animals.  Finally, each of the four corners is denoted by four of the eight trigrams (four members of the family unit.)  Northwest (NW2) is the position of Qian (male), Northeast (NE2) houses Gen (youngest son), Southeast (SE2) is the home of Xun (eldest daughter) and Southwest (SW2) is the location of Kun (female.)

The primary directions are the location of the four celestial guardians in Feng Shui, the Green Dragon (East), the Red Phoenix (South), the White Tiger (West) and the Black Turtle (North.)  They also represent the Rat (N2), Rabbit (E2), Horse (S2) and Rooster (W2.)  As well as being one of the cardinal directions these animals are also known as the Peach Blossom Stars.  Peach Blossom represents relationships in all its many forms and each year there is a 'reigning' Peach Blossom Star.  As an example, during the year of the Horse the Peach Blossom animal is the Rabbit (E2.)

* You may have noticed there are only four elements around the 24 Mountains and that Yin and Yang Earth are 'missing.'  Yin and Yang Earth, being the transitional element between seasons, sits at the centre of the 24 Mountains.

The four elements represent Heavenly Stems; the animals represent Earthly Branches, both used in the BaZi chart.  They each have many meanings from the existing energy; years, months, days and hours; Yin and Yang to name a few.

You can begin to see that each sector has multiple meanings. Understanding and analysing this deeper knowledge makes the 24 Mountains such an important ring in the Luo Pan compass.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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Feng Shui, BaZi and the Luo Pan

As is well-known, Feng Shui translates as ‘Wind’ and ‘Water.’  The Wind means direction, and when a consultation is carried out this direction is of significant importance to determine the effects of Feng Shui on a property or location.  Water represents wealth.  Therefore the direction (Wind) and its effect on the wealth (Water) can be pinpointed exactly when accurate measurements are taken by a Feng Shui Practitioner using the Luo Pan.

In BaZi, or Four Pillars Destiny Analysis, the year Pillar comprises a Heavenly Stem (annual element) and an Earthly Branch (astrological animal.)  This astrological animal has a 15⁰ compass direction, one of the 12 sub-sectors, which is used to analyse a BaZi Destiny Chart.

The 24Mountains, each of which is 15⁰, refers to the 24 compass sub-sectors as well as the 24 ‘seasons’ of the year.  12 of the 24 sub-sectors are the compass locations for the Chinese astrological animals. 

The Chinese Luo Pan is a compass used by professional Feng Shui Practitioners when conducting consultations; (Luo means a net encompassing the ’10,000 things’* and Pan signifies a plate or base.)   The Luo Pan is said to incorporate all things in Heaven and Earth; the moveable plate is known as the Heaven dial and the base is the Earth plate.  The compass sits exactly in the centre.  There are three different types of Luo Pan based around the two authentic traditional Schools of Feng Shui, the first being San He, the second being San Yuan.

 

The third Luo Pan is known as the Zhong He Luo Pan which combines San He and San Yuan Schools into one instrument.

*’10,000 things’ was the term used by Lao Zi in the Tao Te Ching as signifying all things in Heaven and Earth.

Depending on the Feng Shui School followed each Luo Pan has up to 36 concentric rings each one of which tells a different story and which enables the Practitioner to present accurate recommendations to a client, even down to the effects of individual compass degrees.   Every direction, however small, can have a profound influence on the Feng Shui of a location.

There are such things as major and minor emptiness lines which signify misfortune and severe bad luck.  The major emptiness lines separate each of the four primary and four secondary compass sectors.  The minor emptiness lines separate each of the 24 sub-sectors.   There are also what is known as death lines, which fall in the exact centre of each of the primary and secondary sectors.  These lines indicate extreme forms of bad luck, rather like the effects of the inauspicious and malevolent 5 Yellow.

The San He School of Feng Shui places significant importance on natural environmental features like the lie of the land and natural bodies of water.  The direction, position in the landscape, flow and appearance of the features are all taken into consideration before any recommendations are made.  It is this School of Feng Shui that is used to analysis the destiny of an individual based on their BaZi Chart determined at the moment of birth.

San Yuan School Luo Pan has each of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching as one of its rings and is concerned more with the effects of time and space and with Flying Star Feng Shui.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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Feng Shui, BaZi and the Lunar and Solar Calendars

There are two calendars used in Feng Shui and the Four Pillars of Destiny* (also known as BaZi, Eight Characters or Paht Chee.)   One is the Lunar (Yin) Calendar which is based on the phases of the moon and has an additional month every three years; the other is the Solar (Yang) Calendar (also known as the Hsia Calendar) and it follows the seasonal cycles of the sun.

The Lunar Calendar is said to have completed a full cycle every 60 years.

 

*The Four Pillars of Destiny is a Chart created from the details of your birth date; time, day, month and year.  It signifies the position of the stars and planets at your moment of birth.

The first day of a Lunar Calendar month coincides with a new moon and in general the fifteenth day of a lunar month coincides with the full moon.  When undertaking new projects; such as work-related projects or home decorating, anything new and important to you, it is suggested that doing so during the waxing period of the lunar month (up to the full moon) is a more auspicious time than during the waning or weakening period.

The Solar Calendar changes on February 4** each year and this date is also known as the Lap Chun; the first day of Spring.

**This may vary by the odd day in some years so for an accurate changeover date the 10,000 year Calendar should be consulted.

As an example of a difference between the two Calendars:  the Solar Calendar date of January 1 2013 equates to a Lunar Calendar date of November 20 2012.

In Feng Shui terms the system of timekeeping combines both the Lunar and the Solar Calendars.  This combination which manages the passage of time is known as the Lunisolar Calendar.  The combined Calendar records months that track the movement of the moon, and years that follow the seasons of the sun.

The date for the annual Chinese New Year uses the Lunisolar Calendar as follows.  It is calculated by using the date of the second new moon following the Winter Equinox; the day closest to the Lap Chun and the first new moon day after the major solar season known as the ‘Greater Cold’ whose date varies between January 21 and February 3.

The Solar Calendar identifies your Chinese Astrological Animal based on your date of birth as well as your personal Kua number. 

When calculating your Personal Kua number if your date of birth is before February 4 (the beginning of a new Solar Calendar Year) your Chinese Astrological Animal will be that associated with the previous year.  For example, if you were born January 18 1968 your Astrological Animal will be the Fire Sheep rather than the Earth Monkey and your Kua number will be 6 (male) or 9 (female.)

One of the more advanced Formulas of Feng Shui is Flying Stars.  It is based on the flight of stars (numbers) around the Lo-Shu Grid. 

The Lo Shu numbers and their positions in the Lo-Shu Grid in each period; year; month; day and hour are calculated from the Solar Calendar.

The Solar Calendar is also used to determine each of 24 ‘seasons’ of the year.  These are seasonal changes signifying the optimum time for the planting and harvesting of crops.  It is still referred to as the Farmers Calendar. 

Each of the 24 seasons represent the position of the sun as it travels 15⁰ on an ecliptic longitude.  They each have names such as ‘Lesser Cold’ and ‘Grain Rain’ identifying their place in the year and signifying subtle changes in the annual cycle.

Using the points of the compass the Spring Equinox occurs on March 21 and is positioned at ‘0’; the Summer Equinox is June 21 and is positioned at ‘90⁰’; the Autumn Equinox is September 23 and its compass point is ‘180⁰’; the Winter Equinox is December 22 and its compass position is ‘270⁰.’

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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