Applications of the Sexagenary Cycle: #3

Further to the last application of “Life Trigram” (命卦), there is a direct application in “Feng-shui” (風水).

“Feng” (風) literally means wind or airflow, so Feng is also related to Qi (氣). It is in fact the mountain range. “Shui” (水) literally means water or river. In simple term, Feng-shui is Geography, or more specific Anthropogeography (or Human Geography) because the focus of Feng-shui is not just about the landscape, but rather on how it interacts with people who live there, and hence the culture, the economy, the health, etc.

Since Earth is under the influences of the five planets, Chinese metaphysicists believe that the terrain in Earth is the direct result of the Qi’s and hence the Feng-shui theory. However, there are quite some different schools of thoughts in Feng-shui. Among which, there is the “8 Mansions Feng-shui” (八宅風水, or Ba-zhai Feng-shui).

The number 8 will easily lead us to Ba-gua as there are 8 trigrams in the Acquired Ba-gua. They are related to directions, or 8 different sittings of either the house for the livings or the grave for the deaths. For example, a “Kan” house, “Kan” is in the north, so the sitting of the house is north and thus the facing of the house is south.

Application #3: Finding the Best Directions

“8 Mansions” believes that it is best to take advantage of the Qi if the house direction matches with the Life Trigrams of the people who live there, or at least they have to be related. For “Kan” house with a “Kan” Life Trigram, it’s a match. What is “to be related”?

Before we answer the question, let’s go back to the drawing board and examine how Ba-gua is constructed.

If we use solid line to represent Yang (陽) and broken line to represent Yin (陰), then two solid lines would mean “Lao-yang” (老陽) and two broken lines “Lao-yin” (老陰). “Lao” (老) literally means old, so Lao also means reached the maximum, and thus able to change. If there is a broken line atop a solid line, then it is called “Shao-yin” (少陰) as the Yin starts to develop. “Shao” (少) literally means young, so Shao also mean growing or developing. Since it is developing, Shao-yin is not going to change. Similarly, we have Shao-yang (少陽), which is obviously not going to change either.

Other than Yin and Yang as the very basic, we have now “Si-xiang” (四象), the combination of Lao, Shao, Yin, and Yang. “Xiang” (象) literally means elephant, or the like, but Si-xiang could be the four quadrants or four symbols. I prefer to call it the “Four Stages”.

Based on these Four Stages, if we put different lines either solid or broken on top, then we have the 8 trigrams, namely, “Qian” (乾☰), “Dui” (兌☱), “Gen” (艮☶), “Kun” (坤☷), and “Xun” (巽☴), “Kan” (坎☵), “Li” (離☲), “Zhen” (震☳). Obviously, the first 4 trigrams are derived from the Lao’s, and the others from the Shao’s.

“8 Mansions” refers people with Life Trigrams which are derived from the Lao’s as “Xi-si-ming” (西四命), while from the Shao’s as “Dong-xi-ming” (東四命). Literally, “Si” means four, “Ming” means life, “Dong” means East and “Xi” means West. However, the Dong and Xi here are not for directions, they are only used to differentiate the Lao’s and Shao’s as most of the Lao’s are happened on the right-hand side of the Acquired Ba-gua, which generally refers as West. Similarly, we have “Dong-si-zhai” (東四宅) and “Xi-si-zhai” (西四宅). “Zhai” (宅) means house. It can also be extended as grave.

To answer the question, Xi-si-ming is best to stay in Xi-si-zhai while Dong-xi-zhai is good for Dong-xi-ming.

Do you know which facing is good for you now? However, this is not what the Great Grand Master Yang from the Tang Dynasty said.