4. HEAVEN, EARTH, AND MANKIND PLATES
In Three Harmony feng shui we must differentiate between the three plates of the compass – the Heaven Plate, the Earth Plate, and the Mankind Plate.
The HEAVEN PLATE moves faster than the earth plate and is usually 7.5 degrees ahead of it (to the left). Here the measurement of north is described as true north based on the sundial. The heaven plate is generally used to check the auspiciousness of water flows. Here we are referring to both the inflow and outflow of water. (The heaven plate is also referred to as the water plate.) However, these refer to the water flows for Yin houses i.e. the burial plots of ancestors in grave sites. It is believed in Yin feng shui that water is very powerful in determining the fortunes of descendants. The potency of this form of feng shui is almost legendary and even today there are still feng shui masters who undertake Yin feng shui consultation. This branch of feng shui, however, is not suitable for mass dissemination. However, it is useful to know that the Luo Pan contains many secrets of Yin feng shui and the heaven plate is an indispensable tool for practicing this field of feng shui.
The heaven plate is also used to provide alternatives for the emptiness and death lines – for instance, if the direction of the main door falls on an emptiness line, some masters use the “heaven plate solution” by adding 7.5 degrees to the door direction to see if under the new plate the direction turns auspicious.
THE MANKIND PLATE is slower than the earth plate and is thus 7.5 degrees behind it (towards the right). The difference in measurement is due to the different method of establishing north. In the mankind plate, north is measured according to the position of the Polaris star, thus each of the 24 mountains is translated into elements according to the stars and the constellation. This plate is usually used to investigate the rocks, hills, mountains, tall buildings, and rivers that surround a house, and whose location and orientation affect the house. The element of the house, as well as the element of surrounding structures, are contained in the 24 mountains chart based on the mankind plate. This determines if surrounding mountains and elevations will bring “gold” for the home, or whether they will bring afflictions. The formula for determining the impact of surrounding buildings based on what is described as the middle ring of the 24 mountains is explained in detail in Part Two of this book. Based on the formula it is possible to analyze whether surrounding buildings and structures are good for the abode or not.
THE EARTH PLATE In this plate, north refers to magnetic north. Most Luo Pans that deal with the feng shui of Yang houses are based on the earth plate and unless indicated otherwise the rings of the Luo Pan and the compass directions that are referred to pertain to the earth plate.
The earth plate is also known as the middle plate. The directions and elements of the 24 mountains that are used to apply Eight Mansions and Flying Star feng shui are based on the earth plate. All formulas using the earth plate use magnetic north to derive their compass measurements. So using an ordinary western-style compass is acceptable. For this same reason those living in the southern hemisphere can be assured that everything in this book applies in exactly the same way in both hemispheres.
5. THE I CHING – TRIGRAMS AND HEXAGRAMS
Chinese Compass formula feng shui is based on three basic pillars – the compass, the I Ching, and the calendar. Thus the Luo Pan will also contain rings that show both the trigrams and the hexagrams. It is therefore necessary to have some knowledge of the I Ching if one is to understand these three pillars and their roles. The compass is the tool, the I Ching provides the theory behind the practice, and the calendar provides the basis for time calculation. So it is the I Ching that pulls all three together. The I Ching also provides valuable connections to the Yin and Yang Pa Kua, which leads to an understanding of how the forces of Yin and Yang and the cyclical relationships of the five elements can affect the fortunes of dwelling places.
But first the I Ching …
The seasoned wisdom of thousands of years has gone into the making of the I Ching. It is the most important of China’s ancient books and Chinese philosophy – both Confucianism and Taoism – has its roots in this timeless classic. Known also as the Book of Changes, the I Ching goes back to mythical antiquity. It offers a view on the trinity of heaven, earth, and man, and this trinity underscores a great deal of feng shui theory.
Four legendary personalities are credited with the authorship and evolution of the I Ching: Fu Hsi, King Wen, the Duke of Chou (King Wen’s son), and Confucius – the most famous of China’s great thinkers.
FU HSI, a mythical figure associated with much of China’s ancient wisdom, is said to have observed the heavens and the universe, the changing of the seasons, and the change from night into day, and from his observations invented linear representations which became the three-lined trigrams. The trigrams are the roots of the hexagrams which came later.
KING WEN, the forefather of the Chou dynasty (1105–249 BC), was the man credited with the invention of the 64 hexagrams. He did this by doubling the trigrams from three lines into six lines. King Wen spent a great part of his life in prison before ascending the throne, and during that time he appended judgments to the hexagrams which became the ground work for what was later to evolve into the great wisdom of the I Ching.
THE DUKE OF CHOU, King Wen’s dynamic son, authored the texts which were later to become the individual six changing lines of the hexagrams. He assigned meanings to them as and when they changed from Yin to Yang, thereby manifesting as broken or unbroken lines and vice versa. The Duke of Chou’s contributions were entitled the Changes of Chou, and these subsequently came to be used as oracles. These changes, which are contained in a number of ancient texts, altered the complexion of the I Ching quite substantially and expanded it into a book on divination. This was the status of the book when Confucius come upon it.
CONFUCIUS devoted his life to studying the texts, the judgments, and the images of the I Ching. A great sage, he and his disciples also expanded its scope with a series of masterful commentaries. A great deal of literature about the book flourished during this period, and large portions of this were incorporated into the modern day I Ching.
The I Ching and modern science
There have been major discoveries made concerning the similarities between the lines of the hexagrams and the binary code of numerations. The latter is the foundation of computer technology, so the similarities offer tantalizing potential for speculating on the relationship between the lines and modern technological breakthroughs.
The broken and unbroken lines correspond to the dots and dashes of the binary code exactly. This alone is an amazing discovery and it surely cannot be a coincidence. Scientists have also discovered that the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching correspond exactly to the 64 DNA genetic codes that are the basis of all life on the planet. It is thus possible that in the I Ching lie the hidden meanings to life’s existence.
What has been accepted for hundreds of years, however, is that the I Ching contains many clues to the way energy moves, flows, and accumulates. Hidden within the lines of the hexagrams and their arrangement around a compass of orientations are secrets that explain these flows of energy.
Understanding Yin and Yang
The Chinese have long believed that the creative process goes from one extreme to another, manifesting in endless cycles. So the two extremes of fundamental reality can be expressed as motion (Yang) and quiet (Yin). When one reaches its limit, it becomes the other. So from quiet there is motion, and