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THE FENG SHUI COMPASS (LUO PAN)

In the classical approach of feng shui we

can establish two basic work streams,
firstly the study of landscape with its
many elements and forms and on the
other hand, the mathematical aspects that
do order them in time and space, where
the knowledge of the directions and the
terrestral magnetism is fundamental.
Obviously, the tool we need to find the
space direction of a building is a
compass, subject of this article.

The invention of the compass is attributed to the Chinese the same as feng shui. In some texts it is
mentioned the legend that the Chinese Emperor Huang-ti used the basic properties of the compass
to guide his troops in a battle where invisibility was caused by fog around the year (2634 BC).

The subsequent rediscovery of the compass in the West was indeed a great leap that served the epic
journeys of humanity.

Using a compass is not of much complexity, although we must take some considerations into account
to make reliable measurements. For example, if we are going to measure the front of a housing we
will need to take in most cases several readings. If we go out to the balcony of the house and note
down the grades which are indicating the compass without other measurements, it is possible that
you may end up with incorrect information, we will discuss that later.

Many people who approach to feng shui, and in particular to the popular systems using the compass

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either Ba Zhai or Xuan Kong, want quickly to build up their geomantic chart. We have made this
article to have a basic understanding of the measurement process where we will discuss the common
types of compasses, the recommended steps for measurements and the registration of data within a
table of orientations.

1 .- COMMON TYPES OF COMPASS

a) With a magnetic needle
A first type bases its function on a magnetic needle usually divided into two colors, the norm in the
West is the red pointing north and the black pointing south (magnetic poles). In addition to the
needle there is a rotating ring that revolves 360 degrees and that is set manually to obtain a
reference of the degreses. The Luo Pan or Chinese traditional compass is an example of this system.
Some Chinese compasses unlike the ones of the West, use the white color of the needle to point
north and the red for the South.

The following photographs show the steps to get a lecture through a common compass of this kind. In
most sports stores you can find similar models.

Example of use:

Step 1: The external red arrow serves as reference for indicating the direction we're going to
measure, it could be the direction that points the facade of our house.

To read the degrees of that direction it is necessary to adjust the ring that incorporates the internal
arrow so that it coincides with the magnetic north (red part of the needle). The next photograph below
shows the subsequent step.

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Step 2: We have aligned the red needle (magnetic north) with the arrow inside moving the ring
slightly to the left.

To read the degrees we take the reference that indicates the outer needle. Note that it indicates about
100 degrees, equivalent to the East.

b) Magnetic Disk
The second type of compass incorporates instead of a needle a rotating magnetic disk with the
degrees listed herein. In this system one prevents the subsequent adjustments of the needle in
reference to an outer ring, which brings some comfort. You only have to direct the compass toward a
specific position and wait til the ring in motion remains static reading later the degrees.This system
can be found in situations where manual adjustment is not practical as in aircrafts, ships, cars, etc..

This rotating magnetic disk model is more advanced than the first model above. It incorporates an
alignment system, helps to read slopes and the possibility of using a tripod to hold the compass
completely static.

It is an recommended instrument for feng shui readings in which we seek some precision. A few
degrees of difference in a geomantic chart off plan may be vital for a correct interpretation.

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c) THE Luo Pan: Traditional Compass used in feng shui.

The Luo Pan or (Lo'pan) uses the moving needle and an external plate full of information that is
adjusted manually. This compass usually has 2 strings that cut the plate into 4 sections indicating
with precision the simultanous lectureof the front, the seat and both lateral positions as the 4 animal
protectors of feng shui. There are different types of Lo'pan that differ primarily in the type of rings that
they incorporate, we can find traditional models designed for the San Yuan, San He branch, aswell
as made especially for some particular masters' preferences.

We can see that besides the central

magnetic needle there are also
several concentric rings filled with
information. On them are written
dispositions like the 8 trigrams, the 8
directions, the 24 directions or
mountains, astrological data as the 28
constellations, the celestial trunks, the
earthly branches, and many other
concepts that are applied to the art of
feng shui.

Some of the informative rings of the traditional Luo Pan are used in the "Yin" field of feng shui, which
is oriented to buriels and the locating of tombs. Today the majority of the masters focus their study in
the "Yang " field also known as the study of the dwelling of the living, like houses, shops, etc..

In addition to the analog compasses above, today we count on digital compasses that offer a fast
lecture, but if we go out to remote and inhospitable places with the classic compass, we have the
advantage of having always energy available!.

2.- WHICH COMPASS SHOULD I ACQUIRE?

In previous lines we have provided examples of several compasses in ascending order, from one
affordable with a moving needle, passing through a medium model with rotating disk finally reaching
the Luo Pan. If you want to buy a compass that will give you some guarantees for the lecture, these
are some details to consider:

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One aspect to consider is the scale or precision of the degrees, in this sense the smaller the scale
the more exact is the reading, the recommended minimum is generally of 2 in 2 degrees and the
recommended for professional readings is to have a scale of 1 degree or even of degree.

In this regard a decent Luo Pan helps to an accurate reading given the width of the plate. (see photo)

Another distinctive though not essential, is the incorporation of vertical and horizontal alignment that
supposedly serves to facilitate a free movement of the magnetic needle.

Note: In actual practice, what you should finally observe is the floating of the magnetic needle itself, it
could be the case that the levels are correct and the needle is stuck, therefore, the best advice is to
focus only on the movement of the magnetic needle itself and forget about this detail.

If you want to buy a Lo'pan it is also advisable to observe such issues as the exact alignment of the
threads that cut the plate by checking the parallelism of these in the sections (north-south or 0-180
degrees as well as east and west or 90-270 degrees), it also should be noted that the plate rotates
safely and it is vital that the inner needle is of quality. These final questions are the most important in
relation to accuracy. For Western compasses look for a brand of proven quality and clarity in
assessing the degrees.

It is worth a small investment in a quality compass, as finally its accuracy and the good use made of
it can make the difference between a correct or incorret feng shui chart.

3 .- THE BASIC THEORY OF THE CARDINAL

DIRECTIONS.
The common compass is divided into 360 degrees. What if we want to know the grades that occupy

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the 4 basic directions? We just have to divide 360 degrees in 4 parts with what we get the result that
north, south, east and west are in a section of 90 degrees. The north would be located in this scale
from 315 degrees to 45 degrees, the east from 45 to 135 degrees, the South from 135 to 225 degrees
and the west from 225 to 315 degrees. Taking a more precise scale, as with the 8 basic sections 360
divided by 8, that is to say 45 degrees to each subdirection. Consider the calculated table
underneath.

The 8 basic directions:

Direction Degres Trigram

North 337,5 a 22,5 Kan

Northeast 22,5 a 67,5 Gen

East 67,5 a 112,5 Zhen

Southeast 112,5 a 157,5 Xun

South 157,5 a 202,5 Li

Southwest 202,5 a 247,5 Kun

West 247,5 a 292,5 Dui

Northwest 292,5 a 337,5 Qian

Observe that here the North does not end at 45 degrees but in 22.5, this is the result of dividing the
absolut North (360 degrees) in 2 parts distribuiting 22.5 degrees on each side. North is at the scale of

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8 parts from 337.5 degrees to 22.5. The other directions are calculated consecutively in intervals of 45
degrees.

The 24 directions or mountains:

The 24 mountains result from dividing 360 degrees in 24 points. Thus we have 24 sections of 15
degrees each. Here the 8 basic directions are divided in turn into three ranges, so we have South 1,
South 2, South 3, North 1, North 2, North 3, or NW1, NW2, NW3, etc. The 24 mountains are used for
advanced readings using the Xuan Kong Feng Shui system. The table of the 8 directions is used in
the simplified east / west system or the Ba Zhai branch (8 houses).

The following table shows the pre-calculated ranges of the 24 mountains:

The 24 mountains of the Luo pan - The Xuan Kong Fei Xing System

Ideogram of the Pin Facing Pin Seating

Mountain Direction
Luopan Yin degrees yin degrees

1 N1 Ren 337,5 352,5 Bing 157,5 172,5

2 N2 Zi 352,5 7,5 Wu 172,5 187,5

3 N3 Gui 7,5 22,5 Ding 187,5 202,5

4 NE1 Chou 22,5 37,5 Wei 202,5 217,5

5 NE2 Gen 37,5 52,5 Kun 217,5 232,5

6 NE3 Yin 52,5 67,5 Shen 232,5 247,5

7 E1 Jia 67,5 82,5 Geng 247,5 262,5

8 E2 Mao 82,5 97,5 You 262,5 277,5

9 E3 Yi 97,5 112,5 Xin 277,5 292,5

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Ideogram of the Pin Facing Pin Seating

Mountain Direction
Luopan Yin degrees yin degrees

10 SE1 Chen 112,5 127,5 Xu 292,5 307,5

11 SE2 Xun 127,5 142,5 Qian 307,5 322,5

12 SE3 Si 142,5 157,5 Hai 322,5 337,5

13 S1 Bing 157,5 172,5 Ren 337,5 352,5

14 S2 Wu 172,5 187,5 Zi 352,5 7,5

15 S3 Ding 187,5 202,5 Gui 7,5 22,5

16 SO1 Wei 202,5 217,5 Chou 22,5 37,5

17 SO2 Kun 217,5 232,5 Gen 37,5 52,5

18 SO3 Shen 232,5 247,5 Yin 52,5 67,5

19 O1 Geng 247,5 262,5 Jia 67,5 82,5

20 O2 You 262,5 277,5 Mao 82,5 97,5

21 O3 Xin 277,5 292,5 Yi 97,5 112,5

22 NO1 Xu 292,5 307,5 Chen 112,5 127,5

23 NO2 Qian 307,5 322,5 Xun 127,5 142,5

24 NO3 Hai 322,5 337,5 Si 142,5 157,5

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This information will help you to put the degress of a lecture inside of any of the 24 directions. If
your house has the facade oriented toward 180 degrees, we would say that it's focused on S2
(172.5-187.5), "Wu" in the Luo Pan or simply "South" if we have a scale of 8 positions.

4.- FACING AND SEATING OF A CONSTRUCTION

Now we already have an idea of the most common types of compass and how to sort the information
of the reading, now need to locate a reference to serve as an analysis in feng shui. The most
common reference point for measurement is the main facing.

In feng shui we believe the facing of a building the most relevant zone through which the Qi or
energy introduces itself to a space. For example, in an apartment or flat in a city it is common to find
the facing located in the most important windows of a livingroom, in the balcony overlooking a major
street or in the area of best views, while the front door can be in a directional reference entirely.
Therefore you must avoid the common mistake of associating unequivocally the main front door with
the facing, although this condition is usually found in most classical buildings and rural areas.

In feng shui the facing or "front" is more technically expressed as the most Yang part of the house,
brightly or activated where the Qi is channeled into the housing. The Way of Qi towards the housing
is provided at the same time by the aperture and lack of obstacles. The sitting is regarded as the
opposite side of the facing. This also marks the types of housing in some feng shui systems.

5.- PROCESS OF READING

Once we have located the place of reading (the facing in the example) we have to proceed to locate
us correctly for taking the degrees of the facing.

Imagine that the front of the house that we are going to study is oriented to the sea (the space of the
largest views, big windows, movement, etc.). To make the measurement we will locate our back
parallel to the front and our face looking to the sea.

In the photographic composition that we have made we can visualize perfectly our physical position to
take the reading where we adjust our compass or Luo Pan to read the information of the facing.

Do not forget to take the necessary precautions to ensure a reliable reading, in the following
paragraph are some final instructions for the process.

6.- PRECAUTION FOR READINGS

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Something vey common
when starting to take data
with the compass is to
consider readings inside a
house for right without
realizing that they can
become completely wrong.
The main reasons are due to
magnetic disturbances in the
modern world, either
because of near metal
elements or structural
elements such as beams,
pipes, wires or even
electromagnetic pollution. It
is advisable to go outside and take several external reference points along the facade. Sometimes,
besides reading the facade, one should compare the seating or back of the construction, verifying
that both sides (front and seat) keep proper relations. For example, if we have a reading of 90
degrees east in the front, in the seating our lecture must be around 270 degrees west.

If we do not take the necessary precautions we can make an inaccurate reading and this would ruin
the mathematical formulas used in the analysis and correction of a geomantic chart. Avoid
measurements with "important" metal decorations on your body or very close to cars, lampposts or
elements that do fluctuate a compass, do not place it either on the ground as there are often
underground elements that alter the magnetism.

7.- HELP TO CALCULATE STARS LETTER

If we have to realize any long distance consultation we must ensure that the process of the reading
has been made thoroughly and correctly, since there is also a high risk of working with erroneous
values.

Once you've finished the reading, the next step is to prepare the geomantic chart. We leave at your
disposal the helping software Feng Shui Numerology 3.16 (fengshuinumerology-en.html) for free to
help you perform calculations for the construction and analysis of a Xuan Kong Fei Xing chart.

The program shows each of the 24 mountains and their relationship to each magnetic section of the
compass, the trigram of the house, the time, mountain and water stars, as well as the visitor stars of
the year, the month and the period star. We can see the different special cases by color ads that are
found in the different Xuan Kong charts.

Finally, you can save and restore the information, allowing you to also create and maintain their own

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visual styles.

(fengshuinumerology-en.html)

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