CARDINAL COMPASS POINTS

FENG SHUI  8 MANSIONS

CARDINAL COMPASS POINTS

Clockwise around the compass the four cardinal points are North, East, South and West.

The Five Elements of Feng Shui are said to be 'all that is'.  These elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.

The cardinal points of North (N2), South (S2), West (W2) and East (E2) contain only pure elemental Qi.  Water in the North, Wood in the East, Fire in the South and Metal in the West. 

Are they all created the same?  The answer to that would be 'no'!

North contains water, South contains fire, West contains metal and East contains wood.  Notice anything significant?  These opposites also happen to represent the controlling cycle of the Five Elements, hence the water of the North controls the fire of the South and the metal of the West controls the wood of the East.  Oh that it were so simple!  Welcome Yin and Yang.

Yang water cannot control yang fire because yang fire is the sun, the source of our existence.  However, yin water, the water of mist, fog, clouds and so on can exert some control over the sun in as much as it can hide it from our view.

Yang metal, the hard and hewn metal turned into machinery and axes for example can certainly wield force and control over yang wood (wood of tall majestic trees of the forest) yet would find it hard to do anything more than bend and flatten yin wood.  This is the wood of grasses and ivy, wood that is more than capable of taking over anything it comes into contact with given time. 

The four cardinal compass points also represent what is termed Peach Blossom (Tao Hua) Stars.  Each person has a specific Peach Blossom Star depending on their birth date.  Peach Blossom refers to how attractive, likeable, popular and approachable a person appears and is not the be all and end all when it comes to looking for love.     

The Chinese Astrological Animals of the Peach Blossom Stars are the Rat (North), Rabbit (East), Horse (South) and Rooster (West).

The numbers associated with the cardinal directions are 1 in the North, 3 in the East, 9 in the South and 7 in the West, all odd numbers hence all yang.

In terms of the seasons North represents the dark days of winter, East belongs to the awakening season of spring.  South opposes the North and brings us to the light, bright days at the height of summer and West moves us gradually through the year into the cooler and changing days of autumn.

This is only a small part of the significance of the cardinal compass points.  Consider times of the day, member of the family, health, colour, shapes and much more.  These are also part of the rich tapestry of the compass points when working with Feng Shui...and we have yet to look at the remaining sectors or the element of earth.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.fengshui8mansions.com

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FENG SHUI NORTH and SOUTH

Which Way is South?

Most books and information on Feng Shui will always show the direction of South at the top, the traditional place of the North on a compass.  Does this alter directions 180⁰ when applying Feng Shui?  The quick answer is of course, 'No!'  North is North and South is South wherever in the world you live and North is always based on magnetic North. 

Feng Shui practice works according to the Five Elements, Yin and Yang and the Eight Trigrams (each one representing a member of the household as well as points around the compass.)  

In the Early Heaven Arrangement of the Ba Gua the sequence is based on a state of perfection with each opposing trigram creating balance. Qian (male, power, authority and pure Yang) is placed at the top while still representing South and is directly opposite Kun (female, yielding and pure Yin) placed at the bottom and signifying North. 

So why have South at the top?

Qian represents Heaven, space, light, the sun and above while Kun represents Earth, dark, night, stillness and below, together they are in complete harmony. 

The Ba Gua of the Later Heaven Arrangement was created to reflect the constantly changing conditions on earth formed by the movement of earth around the sun.   

In the cycle of the Later Heaven Arrangement the South represents Li Trigram which in turn represents fire; mid-summer and midday; the hottest and the most Yang times.  The Fire element rises, it moves upward and outward.  In contrast Kan Trigram is water; it is mid-winter and midnight; it is cold and darkness; the time of maximum Yin.  The Water element flows downward.

Whether it is the Ba Gua of the Early Heaven or the Later Heaven Arrangement they naturally gravitate towards showing South at the top and North at the bottom.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

We love your questions and feedback.  Help yourself and others at the same time.

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

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

www.abundance-chi.com

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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

www.abundance-chi.com

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