The Lo Shu Numbers
The numbers of the Lo Shu are arranged in such a way that adding them up in whatever direction along any three points in a straight line (whether horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) gives a total of 15. This coincides with the number of days in each of the 24 phases of the solar year. The Lo Shu sequence of numbers is crucial to unlocking the auspicious and inauspicious days of the Almanac. It is also the Lo Shu numbers of the Chinese Hsia calendar which enable those who know how, to calculate good and bad days for undertaking a variety of life rituals – getting married, celebrating birthdays, launching projects, and so forth.
Feng shui masters also came to realize that the Lo Shu numbers held the secrets to understanding time feng shui as it applied to space. Thus the Lo Shu numbers and their sequence of movement around the grids of the square became the basis of formulating the flying star natal chart. In fact the flying star natal chart is expressed in exactly the same way as the Lo Shu chart (see diagram above). How the numbers are placed as stars in a series of natal charts makes up the formula of Flying Star feng shui.
All the most crucial aspects of this formula are condensed into the flying star rings of the Luo Pan. Knowing how to use flying star enables anyone to unlock all the most potent secrets of the Luo Pan. The pattern of numbers of the Lo Shu is thus irretrievably connected with the trigrams of the Later Heaven Pa Kua. We shall be looking at the many permutations and transformations of the Lo Shu numbers throughout the course of this book.
The Ho Tu numbers
The Lo Shu was by no means the first pattern of significant numbers. Chinese myths claim that around 2943 BC Fu Hsi himself received a formation of numbers which, according to legend, was brought to him on the back of a dragon horse that emerged out of the Yellow river. These particular numbers, referred to as the Ho Tu pattern of numbers, (shown in the diagram here) was arranged such that all the odd numbers (except five) added up to 20, as did all the even numbers. More significant in the Ho Tu combination is the way the numbers have been combined: 1 with 6, 3 with 8, 2 with 7, and 4 with 9. Notice that these combinations are pairs of Yin and Yang, odd and even, male and female numbers. All odd numbers are Yang and male while all even numbers are Yin and female.
When they occur the Ho Tu combinations indicate very auspicious circumstances. Thus later on, when you see them as combinations in the flying star natal charts, learn to recognize them because they indicate good fortune. I will reveal how to find out if your house has any of these combinations of numbers when we look at Flying Star feng shui. Also, when you start to compute your Kua numbers under the Eight Mansions of east/west directions, take note that couples who have Kua numbers that reflect the Ho Tu combinations are likely to have a brilliant and happy marriage.
The combination of 1 and 6 signifies wealth as it is placed in the north, which is water. The number 1 prevails here as it is a Yang number. The number 6 is metal which produces water. When this combination is present in your flying star chart activate it with a water feature such as a water lily bowl or a fish pond.
The Ho Tu Numbers
The combination of 8 and 3 signifies wood and is placed in the east. Here the number 3 prevails as it is wood. Combined with earth, wood prevails. In the period of eight this combination is most auspicious as it means growth and expansion. If you have this combination in your natal chart activate it with a healthy, lush plant.
The combination of 7 and 2 signifies fire and it is placed in the south. Here the elements combined are earth and metal thereby creating earth. This combination is brilliant when it is near mountains so if you see it in your natal chart create a mountain with stones and crystals in the part of the home that has this combination.
The combination of 4 and 9 signifies metal or gold. It is placed in the west. Here the combination is of wood and fire, which produces the element of fire. But the element here is gold. This indicates a pairing between two people who become famous and powerful. If this combination appears in the natal chart activate with lots of activity and residents will enjoy extremely powerful success luck.
The mystical attributes of the Lo Shu grid have occupied religious and philosophical scholars through the ages and it survives today as an acknowledged mystery, still potent, and still guarding it secrets. In reality, however, the Ho Tu is more mysterious and one reason it is not more famous is probably because the Ho Tu numbers are applied more in Yin feng shui and only rarely in Yang feng shui – except in advanced interpretations of flying star natal charts.
11. SUPPLEMENTING WITH A MODERN COMPASS
The Luo Pan contains a great deal of information and a great many secrets but, as I have already said, it is not necessary to have one to practice Compass feng shui on a DIY basis. All that is needed is the information contained in the Luo Pan (which is what this book is all about) and an ordinary western-style compass. The Luo Pan is first and foremost a compass for measuring directions, so as long as we use a reliable compass that gives accurate readings of directions, that is all that is needed to utilize the information and formulas of the Luo Pan. I know for a fact that many bona fide feng shui masters supplement their Luo Pan readings with those taken from a western-style compass.
The western compass is similar to any Luo Pan in that it divides directions into 360 degrees around a point of reference. This is divided into eight main directions which are further divided into 24 sub-directions. These coincide with the 24 mountains of the Luo Pan. Each “mountain” measures an angle of 15 degrees (360 divided by 24 equals 15). The three sub-directions of any direction are referred to as 1, 2, and 3 – for instance, the south direction would be divided up into south 1, south 2, and south 3. There are Chinese names for these directions but it is easier to use S1, S2, and S3 to define the sub-directions of south. The other directions are treated in exactly the same way. What you need the compass for is to find out which of the 24 mountains, or sub-directions, is your home’s facing direction. You can get this simply by reading the exact degrees off your compass.
Once you have discovered this, it is simple enough to undertake analysis of the feng shui of your home based on that direction and using the methods and techniques in this book. Never estimate directions based on where you think the sun rises or sets. This sort of short-cut feng shui practice is very inaccurate and will not yield good results. Consider the compass as an integral part of your feng shui practice.
The 24 mountains of the compass that are of greatest relevance in terms of practicing Flying Star and Light Mansions feng shui are the 24 mountains of the earth plate (this is illustrated in the diagram shown on the next page). Note the degrees of demarcation carefully. You can ignore the Chinese words and use N1, N2, and N3 and so on as the names of the mountains. This is how I identify them. However, I also learn the anglicized names of the mountains as this gives me clues to other applications of the 24 mountain directions. I suggest you take it step by step. First learn the names of the 24 mountains according to their compass sub-directions. In the next chapter you will learn how to differentiate between each of the sub-directions of