Feng Shui (I). Celestial Guardians and Pa Kua Map.
Feng Shui is not often referred to as Eastern geomancy, as this term is more widespread in the Western world and the world of divination. It is also true that Feng Shui is not a divinatory system, although it has to do with its beginnings and with the I Ching, but a practical philosophy that relates to the flow of energy, elements and cardinal points: that is why it continues to be called geomancy. However, Feng Shui is still a product of esoteric philosophy.
Feng Shui (风水) literally means wind and water, in the idea of flow. What must flow is Qi, the universal energy. Energy moves differently depending on the environment, pushed or forced by the shapes and objects that surround it, as well as by the energies that these shapes or directions promote. In order for energy to flow and therefore harmony, order, relationships, health, wealth, work, love, etc., there must be a series of external elements that help this. Therefore, in addition to the cardinal points and the elements (wu xing), it will also be necessary to know the nature of spaces and objects (ying or yang) and the ba gua or pakua (the eight trigrams of the I Ching), which is used as a "compass", since it contains in some way the three previous aspects condensed.
In its beginnings, Feng Shui did have some divination. Through the distribution of nature, fortune tellers were able to know the destiny of certain places. This was influenced by mountains, rivers, movements of light, stars, type of vegetation, etc., but they also had the ability to modify bad environments to avoid energy catastrophes, through knowledge of the flow of Qi.
These principles are believed to have emerged from the search for suitable burial sites during the Chin Dynasty (265-420). This is because in popular belief, creating a positive place for ancestors helps descendants. In fact, the Taoist writer Guo Pu, in The Book of Burials, describes Feng Shui itself as wind and water: Qi disperses and travels with the wind, ending its path in water.
But he also indicated that said water could be the water of the human body. Shortly after, in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) there was clear talk of a Feng Shui more dedicated to improving the places inhabited by the living.
It did not take long for Feng Shui to become a knowledge reserved for and by the court. Architects took into account the entire territory to know the best distribution of the rooms, the orientation of the palaces, and the entrances and exits of the walls, with the aim of creating an ideal and positive environment in all aspects.
While there were already some reticences in the Empire and some knowledge had reached popular culture, Feng Shui was maintained throughout this period. But with the arrival of the 20th century and the new model of republican government, Feng Shui came to be considered a tradition, or at most, a superstition, and ended up being officially banned. Although it lost all its political power in China, the truth is that in other territories such as Malaysia, Taiwan or Hong Kong, its popular use continued and ended up spreading its knowledge to the rest of the world, especially among Western countries.
The New Age also caused the emergence of various schools that, tied to a greater or lesser extent to ancient traditions, often offer systems that can be contrary to each other, which is the main reason for criticism. Feng Shui is currently classified as pseudoscience.
The cardinal points and the celestial guardians.
The cardinal points are the basis of most Feng Shui schools, and they have five symbolic animals associated with them to understand the reactions of Qi in these points.
In the center is the Yellow Snake. It is the core and center of the home. The snake is a silent animal but always attentive, always receptive. Its element is Earth, it represents stability and at the same time intuition and the ability to act in the face of unforeseen events. The snake is also related to the analysis of the environment. It symbolizes the house itself.
The other four animals were mainly related to the landscape, to the environment around the house. However, nowadays there are also associations related to interiors, since current architecture and cities isolate the landscape, when they do not directly modify it.
The North is symbolized by the Black Turtle. The turtle is slow but firm. Its shell is solid and its design is harmonious. It symbolizes protection and stability, as keys to what a home should be. Its element is water, which can flow calmly or violently; however, the turtle relies on its shell to withstand difficult times. In the north of the homes, the "shape" of the turtle is sought, a harmonious shape and security behind the back, which can be anything from a hill to simply a comfortable place in the living room. The turtle is associated with the "back" of the houses.
The East is symbolized by the green Dragon. Dragons are associated with nature and rivers, in short, with fertility. Also with wisdom and reflection, so it symbolizes quiet places for work, study, or simply rest. Unlike in the West, in the East the left is the rational side. The wood element is linked to the multiple tools and uses that can be made of it, but also to trees, which are ideally located in this area. Like trees, covered porches or terraces are also acceptable, as are fountains. A hill or other pleasant structure that provides shade or protection from the rain is also acceptable.
In the South is the Red Phoenix. Since it is a bird, it needs space, and so it is associated with the entrance to houses and the facades of buildings, which should have ample space to allow the entry of Qi. Likewise, this area of the home and areas facing south should not have elements that obstruct, such as a sculpture or bench in front of the door, or having tables or useful furniture that face a wall or "eat up" part of a door. However, it is good to have other elements around that can channel Qi and guide it. Its element is fire, so its characteristics make it good for large areas of the home and those intended for "heat", that is, for warm relationships (the dining room, tea room, meeting room, bedrooms...)
In the West, there is the White Tiger, which is an opposition to the Green Dragon. The White Tiger symbolises irrational thinking, uncontrolled emotions and thoughts, but that does not have to be bad, since dwelling too much on reflection and not acting is also negative, which is why the Dragon and the Tiger balance each other. If we talk about figures, colours or the landscape, we try to always have the Tiger a little lower than the Dragon. Its element is metal, which evokes both violence and resistance. However, the Tiger is an animal that does not waste its energy, but rather gives itself large periods of time to rest and control its hunt. The spaces in the West must therefore be spaces of action but also of rest. They can be play areas, reading areas, etc.
The elements of the cardinal points and the Ba gua.
The Ba Gua (八卦) or Eight Trigrams, is the basis of the association of the cardinal points with a specific element within Feng Shui.
Its mythological origin speaks of the ruler Fu Hsi, who, seeing the drawings of the shell of a turtle that came out of the waters of the Yellow River (黄 河, Huáng Hé), a river of notable importance in Chinese culture (it is also called the Mother River). It is said that from a diagram in which Fu Hsi connected the shell, the river and the constellations, the trigrams were later developed, formed by groups of three complete lines or divided in half (-- and -). Eight trigrams were created because they were all possible combinations.
Apart from its more philosophical and divinatory part (through the I Ching), the important thing in relation to Feng Shui is that it represents or organizes the 8 general points: north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west and northwest. This "compass" is later used for house maps.
There is no single organization or division, there are various schools and traditions that have preserved or manipulated what they understand to be real or best for their philosophy. There are two main currents. In the beginning, there was a Pa Kua of the primitive Heaven, with associations inspired by those of Fu Hsi. Later, this Pa Kua was modified into what is known as the late Heaven. Both are used today, earning much criticism, especially from those who consider it to be baseless superstition.
The basic thing that can be observed is that the primitive heaven has associations more dedicated to family and nature, while the late heaven is associated with vital elements, places and relationships. Therefore, there can be no doubt about the influence of the late Heaven on current Feng Shui, where these elements are considered much more relevant.
The version of the early Heaven differs greatly from that of the later Heaven. For this reason, we present both versions here:
>Primitive Heaven:
Chien (☰) symbolizes Heaven and the father figure. Its cardinal point is the South.
Kun (☷) is the Earth and the mother, and its direction is the north.
Chen (☳), symbolizes thunder and the first-born son. Its direction is the northeast.
Kan (☵). Represents water and the middle sons. Its cardinal point is the west.
Ken (☶) represents a mountain and the youngest son. Its direction is the northwest.
Sun (☴) symbolizes the wind and the eldest daughter. Its direction is the southwest.
Li (☲), is fire and the middle leaves. Its cardinal point is the east.
Tui (☱), Two continuous lines superimposed, with a broken line above, represents the lake and the youngest daughter. It reigns in the southeast.
> Late Heaven:
Kan (☵) is the north and its element is water. It is related to profession and vocation.
Ken (☶) is the northwest, and its element is Earth. It is identified with knowledge and learning.
Chen (☳) corresponds to the east, and its element is Wood. It is related to Family and friendships.
Sun (☴) is the southeast, and its element is also Wood. It is identified with prosperity in all aspects.
Li (☲) is the south, and its element is Wood. It is related to fame, in the sense of what people talk about you.
Kun (☷) would be the southwest and its element is Earth. It is identified with relationships with others.
Tui (☱) is the East and its element is Metal. It is related to imagination and creativity.
Chien (☰) is the northeast and its element is Metal. He identifies with the benevolent people we meet throughout our lives.
Although there are those who add to the trigrams the meanings of the hexagrams of the Book of Changes (I Ching), for this article we consider it better to deal with them within the divinatory I Ching.
For now we will focus on the Ba gua as a map of the house, which is the main application that is made today. With the eight trigrams as a base, it is possible to find which rooms and walls face one direction or another. It is a fact that today's houses are mostly irregular and with spaces that cannot be modified so easily. Therefore there are two ways to observe and divide the space.
The first is to put the Ba gua on the plan of the house, with the same orientation, and see which rooms are in or touch each of the 8 zones.
The second option is more free but more difficult, since it orients the plan of the house as if it were the bagua itself, looking for a center and limiting each of the directions to a specific room (for example, the entrance to the northwest, the kitchen to the west, the bathroom to the southwest, a bedroom to the south, the living room to the north, and the master bedroom to the east.
When there is an irregular plan, the exterior areas, that is, those that are not habitable or that escape from the walls, are not usually taken into account, and in reality this clashes strongly with the beginnings of Feng Shui geomancy. For this reason there is much debate between schools about Feng Shui and its effective application with exteriors that are currently not modifiable (such as blocks of buildings, roads, garbage cans, etc.)
In any case, the rooms that coincide with certain areas of pacuas and try to adapt to what this area incites or promotes in a positive way. Following the Ba gua map of the late Heaven, the areas covered by Kun (☷), which promotes good family relationships and social, so the southwest would be the ideal area to place the living room. Or the areas covered by Tui (☱) would be good for imagination and creativity, so rooms to the East would be ideal for children or for an artist's workshop.
The ideas presented are the basic ones about the orientation of a house and the distribution of spaces. But Feng Shui has many more elements to take into account: colors, size of objects and furniture, as well as their position, materials, weights... or their value as amulets, or on the contrary, as things that should be eliminated...
All these desired or unwanted objects have their cultural backgrounds and their myths. Many of them are based on being considered ying or yang, which will be analyzed in the second part of this article.
Pietro V. Carracedo Ahumada - pietrocarracedo@gmail.com
BIbliography:
-Batalha, S. Symbolic Home: Exploring ancient feng shui roots for contemporary practice. Amazon Services - KDP Print US. 2020
-Birdsall, G. Manual de feng shui. Guía práctica del antiguo arte de la ubicación. Inner traditions, 2000.
-Bruun, O. Fengshui in China. Geomantic Divination Between State Orthodoxy and Popular Religion. NIAS Press, 2003.
-Povo, M. Feng Shui. Editorial RBA 2006.
Related articles:
> Chinese astrology. Astrological notions (III)
> The Five Elements: East and West
