PureInsight | November 17, 2024
[PureInsight.org] In the world of Feng Shui, there is a saying: "First-rate masters observe the stars and constellations, second-rate masters examine the flow of water, and third-rate masters wander around with a compass on their backs."
The compass is a circular tool used by Feng Shui masters in Feng Shui activities to determine direction and auspiciousness. In the Han Dynasty, the compass was a round plate with a square bottom mainly used for divination in the art of Qimen Dun Jia and had little to do with Feng Shui. In the Tang Dynasty, Feng Shui began to spread among the people. However, some learners did not have a strong foundation and were unable to practice Taoism. Therefore, Yang Junsong designed a compass based on the experiences of predecessors in Feng Shui observations. This allowed learners to make inferences using the compass as a reference. In the following generations, such as Lai Wenjun of the Song Dynasty, who was commonly referred to as "Lai Buyi" in the folk, further enriched this area. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the compass continued to be modified and eventually took on the basic form that we see today.
Does the compass work? Yes, it does. However, we say that this method itself is a makeshift solution, and it has been complicated by later people. In fact, no matter what type of compass it is, it needs to use the magnetic field of the earth's north and south poles and rely on the needle to determine the direction. In modern physics, we know that the stars in celestial bodies are rotating, the earth's magnetic field is also turbulent, and the magnetic pole is slowly moving. In addition, there are metal mines, high-voltage lines, power plants, and other facilities everywhere today. Whether in large-scale areas or local areas, many of them have already been disrupted and are not accurate.
Most Feng Shui masters who rely on the compass are just Feng Shui enthusiasts. They have not entered the practice and do not understand the true mechanism of Feng Shui. They also do not have any supernormal capability and can only rely on the function of tools, copying the mantras handed down from predecessors or books, and inferring based on some external observations that have been passed down. As for whether it can really work and what causes it to work, they have no idea at all.
In the true natural environment, the directions indicated by the earth's energy are fixed based on the surrounding environment such as the location of hills, the orientation of mountains, and the position of the Green Dragon and White Tiger. This is what we call the work of nature and the earth. Experienced individuals can easily determine the correct direction simply by standing on the site.
If a Feng Shui master has enough expertise and energy, they can even determine which mountain to face based on the setting of the surrounding environment, such as the location of tombs, facing mountains, facing hills, and the positions of the Green Dragon and White Tiger. Different mountains correspond to different effects and results, and if the level of the earth's energy is not high enough, it may not correspond to the better mountains. This has happened many times in our experience, where with just a single word from you designating which mountain to face, the earth's energy is grateful, as its own level and energy is not enough to correspond to that particular mountain. Since the words spoken by a practitioner carry energy, even those at a high level of cultivation have a distinct form to their words. With the energy of your words, the earth's level and energy instantly improve, and it can correspond to a better mountain, hence expressing gratitude towards you.
In ancient China, this was called "yan chu fa sui," which can be roughly translated as "speak and act accordingly." To give an imperfect analogy, it is like an emperor who wants to promote someone - all it takes is one word, and that person's status and rank are elevated. This is what is referred to as having a "golden mouth and jade words." The story of King Cheng of the Zhou Dynasty awarding his loyal follower Duke of Zhou with the title "Lord of Tongye" is a typical example.
Therefore, using a compass to determine the orientation of a Feng Shui site is only a reference method and is not absolute.
In the folk tradition of Feng Shui, there are many sayings and formulas passed down by previous Feng Shui masters based on their observations of external appearances. Although these formulas have some validity, without truly entering into the practice of Feng Shui cultivation, one can only know the result but not the reason behind it. For example, the saying "Two mountains flank a dip, emperors are born in every generation." This refers to the two mountain peaks behind the emperor's seat, forming a natural screen, which is one of the symbols of the emperor's land in Feng Shui. However, how to flank the two mountains, the size of the dip, how many generations of emperors will be born, what dynasty they will establish, and how long it will last cannot be known simply by observing the external appearance.
In the folklore of Feng Shui, "朝山" refers to the worship of the main tomb. The more "朝山" there are, the more supporters the main tomb has, just like how the emperor's subjects worship him. However, on one occasion, when we arrived at a certain place, the earth spirit told us that the number of mountain peaks visible on the opposite side indicated how many generations could inherit the land. In other words, the concept of "朝" here is not the concept of worship in folklore Feng Shui, but rather the concept of how many generations are represented by one dynasty.
Therefore, many records in books or folk traditions are the summary of experiences. However, for a true Feng Shui practitioner who has entered the path of cultivation, these records may become a source of confusion and obstacles to be overcome. Only by not clinging to the records in books or folk traditions can one see better land.
The water mouth is also a specific term in Feng Shui, referring to the place where water flows in and out within a certain area. This certain area generally refers to the coverage area of the underground acupoint. In folk Feng Shui, the entrance of water is called the "Heaven Gate," and the exit is called the "Earth Door." As the water mouth represents the dragon's bloodline and is in charge of wealth, the mountain terrain at the water mouth should be winding and obstructive to block the flow of water. The terrain at the Heaven Gate should be open to ensure a continuous flow of water and a prosperous life, indicating a flourishing wealth. The terrain at the Earth Door should be closed with multiple obstacles to force the water to flow in a zigzag pattern or form the shape of "Zhi" or "Xuan," allowing the accumulation of energy and wealth. If the water mouth is not obstructed, and the water flows directly, it will cause the dissipation of energy and loss of wealth.
In folk Feng Shui, those who can observe water mouths (i.e. where water flows in and out of a certain area) without relying on a compass are considered to have stronger skills. To use an imperfect analogy, the water mouth is like the entrance of a house. A grand and impressive entrance indicates that the family living there is wealthy and influential, and thus the quality of the area covered by the water mouth is high. On the other hand, if the entrance is ordinary, then the family is also ordinary, and the quality of the area covered by the water mouth is also average. The area extending from the water mouth belongs to the coverage of the underground energy field, while the area beyond it belongs to the external field. This is a simplified concept that is easy for people to understand, but the actual situation is more complex.
The underground acupoint itself is not large, but it has a coverage area. The higher the level, the wider the coverage area. The water mouth is located on the edge of this range, with "water" referring to the river and "mouth" referring to an opening. As we know, Buddhist temples have guardian gods such as Weituo, and the South Gate of the Heavenly Palace is guarded by the Four Heavenly Kings. In ancient times, imperial palaces and high-end courtyards also had guards stationed at their gates, although the level of these gatekeepers was certainly not comparable to those mentioned before. The water mouth also has this meaning. Experienced Feng Shui masters can roughly determine the direction, distance, and level of the underground acupoint based on the terrain near the water mouth, which is inferred from their experience of external appearance. If a Feng Shui master has the ability to communicate with the underground acupoint, they can do so once they arrive at the water mouth, which is already within the coverage area of the underground acupoint, just like when you arrive at someone's doorstep, the host naturally greets you with warmth and hospitality.
The concept of observing stars and constellations is somewhat vague in the field of Feng Shui, and different people have their own interpretations. Especially in modern times, as the tradition of Feng Shui gradually fades away, opinions become even more diverse. Feng Shui, also known as "kan yu" in Chinese, originally referred to observing the heavens, communicating with heavenly spirits through supernormal capability, or gaining knowledge of celestial phenomena through f supernormal capability. In ancient times, people used constellations to represent the sky and its deities. Observing stars and constellations means observing the patterns of celestial bodies and arranging things on earth in accordance with the will of heaven.
Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, there has been a surge of interest in Feng Shui, and it has spread to the general public. The compass has been elevated to a high status by Feng Shui enthusiasts, and has even become one of the symbols of the Feng Shui profession. However, true Feng Shui masters do not rely on these tools.
In ancient times, people observed celestial phenomena at night and recorded a total of 1,464 stars. Based on the internal correspondence between these stars, they were divided into "283 star officials". They were further simplified and classified into the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions. The concept of "star officials" in ancient Chinese astronomy is similar to the concept of "constellations" in modern Western astronomy.
Due to the fact that the Earth's axis points towards the North Star during its rotation, when viewed from Earth, the stars revolve around the North Star and rise in the east and set in the west. Therefore, ancient people took the North Star (known as the Purple Star in ancient China) as the center and divided the surrounding area into three enclosures: the Taiwei Enclosure in the upper enclosure, the Tianshi Enclosure in the lower enclosure, and the Purple Wei Enclosure in the middle enclosure, with the North Star and Beidou belonging to the middle enclosure. Later on, the stars near the ecliptic were classified into four symbols: the Azure Dragon in the east, the White Tiger in the west, the Vermilion Bird in the south, and the Black Tortoise in the north. Each symbol contains seven stars, making a total of 28 constellations.
Ancient Chinese people referred to the seven major celestial bodies in the solar system, including the five planets of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, as well as the sun and moon, as the "Seven Luminaries" (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were not included since they cannot be observed by the naked eye).
The classification of the stars visible to the naked eye in ancient China was based on three categories: the Three Enclosures, the Four Symbols, and the Seven Luminaries. Observing the stars referred to the practice of observing the stars in the night sky or observing the stars based on the primary celestial coordinate of the Big Dipper.
Further classification is possible. It is also possible to divide all these stars into two groups, inner and outer, using the solar system as a boundary. It should be noted that some people define this as the inner and outer constellations. However, in this article, considering the context between the sections, I define it as the inner and outer groups. In fact, whether it is called "constellations" or "groups", although the surface terminology is different, the essence and content are the same.
The Three Enclosures and the Four Symbols outside the solar system form the outer disk. When viewed from Earth, the stars in the outer disk rotate around the North Star, completing one revolution in one day and night, which is called diurnal motion in modern astronomy. Although the stars in the outer disk rotate eastward and westward around the North Star, their relative positions remain unchanged, like the markings on a clock, which are fixed and stationary despite the clock's rotation. Therefore, the stars in the outer disk were called "xiu" or "she" or "gong" by the ancient Chinese, meaning fixed space, equivalent to the fixed palaces built in the sky. Therefore, the outer disk was considered to be immutable and still, with the North Star as the supreme ruler. In Chinese mythology, we often see the Heavenly Palace of the Jade Emperor with various palaces and halls, which has the same meaning.
The seven planets within the solar system, as observed from Earth, are constantly in motion. Their positions are constantly changing and they are always moving. Therefore, the inner disk is characterized by change and motion.
Research has found that the moon, also known as Taiyin, revolves around the Earth in a complete circle of 360 degrees in about 28 days, making 28 days one lunar cycle. The four symbols and 28 constellations outside the solar system are like the 28 markings on a watch dial, and the moon moves one marking each day and night, which means that it enters one constellation every night. Therefore, in the past, one night was also called one constellation.
In addition, the planet Saturn (鎮星) revolves around the sun for approximately 28 years, so its one orbit is about 28 years, entering one mansion each year.
Jupiter (木星) orbits around the Sun in approximately 12 years, so its one orbital period is 12 years. The ancients referred to 12 years as one "ji" (紀), corresponding to the 12 Earthly Branches (地支) and 12 zodiac animals. Therefore, the ancients also divided the ecliptic into 12 sections, and included the 28 lunar mansions in the 12 sections, known as the "twelve subdivisions of stars" (十二星次). They were named in sequence as Star Ji (星紀), Xuanxiao (玄枵), Juzi (娵訾), Xianglou (降婁), Daliang (大梁), Shishen (實沈), Chunshou (鶉首), Chunhuo (鶉火), Chunwei (鶉尾), Shouxing (壽星), Dahuo (大火), and Ximu (析木).
Therefore, Jupiter (歲星) enters one of the twelve Xingci (星次) every year, and completes one cycle in twelve years. According to the position of the sun in the twelve Xingci, one year can also be divided into twenty-four solar terms (節氣).
These divisions may appear different, but fundamentally they are the same, just different ways of dividing and marking time. It's like the face of a clock, which can be divided into twelve hours or sixty minutes. However, no matter how it is divided, the internal mechanism remains unchanged. In other words, no matter how many divisions there are on the clock face, the corresponding gears and mechanisms inside remain the same.
The above only briefly listed the revolutions of the planets. Compared to the compass used in Feng Shui, the complexity of celestial phenomena is infinitely greater. The form of the compass is only superficial; the key lies in the immense connotations behind each position and every scale on the dial, as well as the celestial mechanisms and subtle, difficult-to-discern changes they represent, and the impact they bring. This is the essence of observing and interpreting celestial phenomena.
The outer celestial bodies remain unchanged, appearing as static, but each position on the dial represents its own connotation and divine intention. The inner celestial bodies, however, are in constant motion, much like the hands of a clock, and each hand has its own corresponding meaning. For example, the five major planets of the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth elements correspond to the five elements, representing their generation, restriction, and transformation. The Moon and the Sun, in a sense, represent the development and transformation of Yin and Yang.
The inner workings of the stars and their representations are different depending on the level and perspective one takes. It's like a clock, where changing the meaning of the markings and hands can turn it into a regular timepiece, a tool for orienteering in the wild, or a schedule planner, among other things. That's why the charts used in Qimen Dunjia and Ziwei Doushu are different, as they operate from different angles and levels and select different star patterns with different meanings. However, because the underlying mechanism remains the same, if the predictions are accurate, the results will be largely the same.
Observing the stars and practicing divination has a wide range of applications. On a grand scale, it can reveal the development of society and changes that may occur over hundreds or thousands of years. On a smaller scale, it can provide insights into the destiny and life path of an individual.
The overall constellation revealed by these stars and constellations contains vast implications, and each star has its own unique connotation corresponding to different deities representing different heavenly intentions. They also correspond to different dragon veins and earth acupoints, as well as human body meridians and acupoints.
To further explain, the external changes in our human behavior and thinking can cause corresponding changes in our internal organs and bodily functions, and can also cause subtle changes in every cell of our body. Because the human body is a whole, there is a complex and subtle correspondence between different parts of the body, which can affect each other.
Similarly, if our universe is also a living organism, then it would be a massive deity, and its thoughts and changes would trigger changes in the various galaxies within the universe. At the same time, it would also bring changes to the solar system and to humanity on Earth because we are all part of it, and we are all interconnected with the universe in a complex and subtle way. This is why the ancients referred to the human body as a microcosm of the universe.
All planets, star systems, or galaxy clusters, are constantly rotating and revolving. The path they travel during their revolution is called an orbit in modern science, while in Chinese Taoism it is called a "zhou tian," which refers to the orbit of each planet.
In fact, this orbit is a meridian. Meridians are objectively present but invisible to the naked eye. The human body has countless meridians that are complex and intricate. For example, opening the Ren and Du meridians is a small circulation of the meridians. There are also countless meridians on Earth, called dragon veins, water veins, which also have a meridian cycle. Similarly, there are countless meridians in the universe, connecting all planets and star systems, intricately complex and incredibly precise, causing even the gods to marvel at it.
There is an internal connection between the planets in the universe, which is the horizontal circulation system, just like the horizontal connection between different patterns of mountains on the earth, and the horizontal connection between individuals in human society. In humans, this horizontal relationship is also referred to as "social connections" or "networking" in modern times, which is another meaning of "networking".
There is also a correspondence between the galaxies in the universe, the earth's dragon veins, and the human body. This correspondence is actually a longitudinal invisible cosmic vein. Of course, when we say invisible, it is based on the perspective of ordinary people. For practitioners, especially high-level ones who have attained enlightenment, it may be very obvious.
Acupoints are the key nodes of the meridians, which serve as the entrance and exit points for meridian energy and are responsible for the function and energy flow of a specific segment of the meridian.
The ancients believed that the three realms of heaven, earth, and humans corresponded to each other. The human body has meridians, acupoints, organs, a circulatory system of energy flow, and corresponds to the earth, which has various dragon veins, water veins, acupoints, and organs. Similarly, it corresponds to the heavens, which have celestial meridians and celestial acupoints. The celestial meridians are the different orbits, while the celestial acupoints are the important star positions that represent different divine positions. In other words, different celestial meridians and acupoints connect to different stars, divine spirits, divine positions, and represent divine will and heavenly intention. At the same time, different celestial meridians and acupoints correspond to different dragon veins, earth acupoints, and human acupoints.
The movement of celestial bodies corresponds and influences the movement on Earth, and also corresponds and influences the changes in human beings. This horizontal and vertical correspondence, tangible and intangible, is integrated into the overall coordinated operation of the universe.
The current human concept of "status" describes one's position in society. As mentioned earlier regarding "human relations," the lateral connections between individuals form a symbiotic community, which is now referred to as society. Society also has a network of channels, with "fate" being one of these channels, collectively known as human relations. Each individual can be regarded as a point, a molecule, and a cell in this complex human network.
Important figures, those who influence society, are like different acupoints on this social network. They correspond to different grades of earthly acupoints, and at the same time, they correspond to the heavens. Therefore, they also correspond to different celestial acupoints, that is, different star positions. That's why ancient people often said that this person was born under a certain star in the sky, such as the star of Wenqu, and so on, which carries this meaning.
Therefore, in Feng Shui, it is said that "great scholars observe and calculate the stars," which means that observing celestial phenomena can predict the development of society and anticipate changes in humanity hundreds or thousands of years into the future. This is a greater wisdom that far exceeds the knowledge of modern science. In fact, the ancients were much wiser than modern people. The scientific community has a saying that "the starting point is the highest point," which means that at the beginning of human civilization, the level of science and morality was the highest, but as time progressed, it declined. Although the ancients didn't have airplanes, they could directly levitate through meditation and fly wherever they wanted to go. Although the ancients didn't have cell phones, they could directly communicate with their thoughts and feelings, no matter how far apart they were, even across different time and space. Can modern science do this?
The observation of celestial phenomena is related to the geographical location of the observer. The starry sky seen from the West is completely different from that seen from China. For example, the starry sky near the South Pole can never be seen by people in China, but people in the Southern Hemisphere can see it. Therefore, those celestial phenomena are irrelevant to us and belong to a different system.
To be continued.
Chinese version: https://big5.zhengjian.org/node/126129
