So if you want to practice genuinely authentic feng shui I have to advise you to get to know and understand the compass. We can start with the Luo Pan, the traditional feng shui compass.
The Luo Pan compass is similar to any Western-style compass, in that it divides directions into 360 degrees around a circle. This is further divided into 8 main directions and 24 subdirections. These sub-directions are referred to as the 24 mountains, and each mountain measures 15 degrees (360 divided by 24 = 15.) The ring that indicates these 24 mountains is very important, simply because many feng shui formulas use the 24 mountain divisions to express good- and bad-luck orientations.
The three Luo Pans
The traditional Luo Pan is a highly revered work of great craftsmanship. It is always hand made, and its many concentric rings contain the secrets and the formulas of the master who designed it. There are several different types of Luo Pan, but the three most popular and frequently used today are:
1 The Sarn Yuan Luo Pan, which is based on the Three Cycles School. This is also referred to as the Three Period Flying Star Luo Pan.
2 The Sarn Harp Luo Pan, often referred to as the Three Harmony compass. This refers to the harmony between Heaven, Earth, and Man and is reflected in the Man Plate, the Earth Plate, and the Heaven Plate featured on this Luo Pan. These different plates are believed to reflect the three parallel levels of energy flow within the environment, and each takes the north as being 7.5 degrees different from the other. Thus the Earth Plate refers to the magnetic north but the Man and Heaven plates are 7.5 degrees to the left and right of the Earth Plate. So the north referred to in these other plates is not magnetic north.
3 The Sarn He’ Luo Pan, which is called the Three Auspicious Happenings School. This looks at the landforms, mountains, structures, and water that surround any building, and analyzes their good and bad influences based on period numbers, elements, and trigrams.
From the above small description, you can see that the Luo Pan contains a great deal of information. I have repeatedly advised novice practitioners of feng shui that the Luo Pan is not required for those who want to practice feng shui on an amateur basis. It is, however, a good idea to know what this tool is, to use an ordinary compass to take directions, and then refer to a good book to decode the formulas and methods hidden within the Luo Pan.
Please note that the Luo Pan is first and foremost a compass for measuring directions, so its most important part is the magnetic needle, the directional marking in the center. Those who aspire to use a genuine Luo Pan should never compromise on the quality of this central needle. Many of the nuances of good and bad luck depend on accurate compass readings. Always buy a Luo Pan from a feng shui master, who will reveal its code of meanings to you.
7 – the western compass in feng shui
Never estimate directions based on where you think the sun rises or sets! This kind of feng shui practice is rarely accurate, and reflects a careless approach, which seldom yields good results.
Consider the compass as an integral part of feng shui. It is, therefore, worthwhile to invest in a good, reliable personal compass. My advice is that you should look for one that has the degrees clearly marked around the outside edge. Compasses that are made with an accompanying ruler are quite useful when you are taking a door direction, because it always ensures that you have placed the compass square to the door.
It is also a good idea to look for a Western-style compass that shows the sub-divisions, or 24 mountains of the main directions. This will then make it extremely easy for you to add extra mileage to your little tool. This is because the 24 subdivisions of compass directions feature in almost all of the popular feng shui formulas, which have survived intact into the 21st century. Knowing how to get your bearings and the orientations of any home correctly and accurately is the vital first step to practicing feng shui.
Types of directions
There are two major types of directions you need to take.
1 You need to know the orientation of your home. Generally, this refers to the direction that your main door faces, but sometimes the main door’s facing direction is not the same as the general orientation of the house. In such situations, use your compass and take both these directions, then refer here and here for further analysis. Also, those of you who live in apartments should take the direction of both the entrance into the apartment building and entrance door into your apartment.
2 You need to get the orientation of the inside of your home. So read the compass from the center of the house (see here)
Hold a compass flat or place on a flat surface for accurate readings.
Compass checklist
Always take directions holding the compass perfectly flat on your palm, as this will ensure a more accurate reading.
Make allowances for your compass being affected by metallic or electrical energy fields, so take directions three times.
Try to take directions at waist level for a better chi reading.
Always have a floor plan nearby so you can mark in the directions immediately. This leaves less room for error.
8 – how to take compass directions
A good, solid compass will always have a dial that shows the degrees of all the eight directions, as well as the 24 subdivisions of the directions.
Before you can practice feng shui, you must familiarize yourself thoroughly with your compass. You should learn to read the directions so that you can instantly get the orientation of any place. If you do not get this orientation correctly measured out, it is really not possible to practice authentic Chinese feng shui.
Use a compass that has the degrees of the directions clearly marked.
Compass points
A single compass point is represented by 360 degrees.
Each of the four cardinal and four secondary directions occupies an angle of 45 degrees. Thus 45 multiplied by 8 makes 360 degrees. So when we extend the space from any single point occupied by any of the eight directions, the space we will be referring to is that which is contained within a 45-degree angle. You can see this if you consider each of the directions to be like a slice taken from a round pie – therefore, this method of reading the compass and identifying space is called the Pie Chart method. The main directions are north, south, east, and west. The secondary directions are northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. Each of these directions occupies an angle of 45 degrees extended out from any single point of reference.
Each of these 8 directions can be further subdivided