In Classical Feng Shui, we use many different tools and techniques to assess and measure the energy of the environment. Each one of these techniques is like a portal to the world of invisible energy. Some techniques are more complex than others. Understanding the Lo Shu and how time changes the numeric pattern helps us understand how time affects energies in our environment.
If you draw a line through the square – horizontal, vertical or diagonal – the numbers will always add up to 15. The number 15 is considered a powerful number because it corresponds to the number of days in each of the 24 cycles of Chinese solar year. It is also the the number of days in the cycle of the new moon to the full moon.
The Lo Shu (or Feng Shui Magic Square) is the foundation for many feng shui tools and calculations. The numbers create a pattern in space and give form to the movement of energy over time.
The base pattern of the Lo Shu has the number 5 (tai chi) in the center. The number 5 is a very powerful in Feng Shui, it represents yin-yang, earth energy, wealth and property.
As time passes, the numbers of the Lo Shu move forward or backwards along this pattern, and different energies (represented by numbers) become more or less influential within the environment.
If you study the Lo Shu, you’ll notice that the numbers correspond to the 8 mansions of the Bagua. Each number has an energetic quality that correspond to the cardinal and inter-cardinal directions, and the 5 phases of qi - water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. Number 1 represents water energy and number 9 represents fire energy.
The Lo Shu numbers are referred to as stars in the Flying Stars School of Feng Shui (Xuan Kong). The movement of these stars can be charted yearly to reveal the timely and untimely energies acting within different areas of building. By understanding the pattern of movement and the complex relationship between the period, facing, sitting, and yearly stars, we can bring more balance and harmony to the environment.
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