The
Chinese were the first people to develop the compass about
4000 years ago. It was said that the very first compass was
found in the times of the Yellow Emperor (about 25th Century
BC). According to popular legend, the LuoPan was presented
to the Yellow Emperor by the Goddess of the Nine Heavens to
assist him in his heroic battle against the evil wizard's
clan.
Over
the centuries, the LuoPan has been reformed, redefined and
altered according to new discoveries in land and directional
theories by the respective dynasties' Kan Yu Experts ( today
called Feng Shui Masters). The LuoPan have since then became
an indispensable tool for the Ancient Chinese Art of Feng
Shui.
The
Definitive Tool for ALL FENG SHUI
Practices In the practice
and study of authentic Feng Shui, the LuoPan is a requisite
tool. For centuries Feng Shui Masters have researched, experimented
and studied the meanings encrypted in the various types of
LuoPans. Many have found that the significance embodied in
the writings of the LuoPan to be highly profound and fascinating.
Every degree and every character engraved on the heaven dial
(the round moveable plate of the LuoPan) to be very intricately
and accurately designed and carries with it the secrets of
Chinese Art of Feng Shui.
Feng
Shui, literally means wind and water. Many people knew that
Water represents Wealth in Feng Shui. But not many know what
the Wind represents!
The
WIND in Feng Shui represents direction.For Feng Shui to be
effective, the need of studying the forces of water and directional
influences is of paramount importance. Every direction, even
down to a single degree around your LuoPan can play significant
and profound effects on the Feng Shui of a particular location.
Before
selecting your LuoPan, first ask yourself, WHICH system
of traditional Feng Shui do you advocate? There are many
schools and or systems of Feng Shui. In general there are
2 categories of authentic Chinese Feng Shui:
1.
San Yuan School (3 Cycles System)
2. San He School ( 3 Combination System)
Fey
Xing (Flying Stars) or Xuan Kong (Time and Space) can be
classified under the SAN YUAN School. Pa-Chai (Eight Mansions),
Sui-Long (Water Dragons), San Long (Mountain Dragons) and
environmental Feng Shui are subsets of the San He system
of Feng Shui. These are traditional authentic Feng Shui
systems. Which system do you practice?
The
Rings
There
are various numbers of rings around a LuoPan. Depending
on which school or which system the LuoPan is designed for,
the LuoPan can be made up of as few as seven (basic rings)
to up to a number of thirty-six rings!
Every
ring carries with it a specific theory in the application
of Feng Shui. Different Feng Shui systems may have different
meanings given to a particular level of a LuoPan. Depending
on which system you advocate, the LuoPan can help the Feng
Shui practitioner measure, locate, calculate and even predict
the natural earth energies both directional and locational
in a particular area.
Today
we can find two standardized types of LuoPan. They are the
SanYuan LuoPan and the SanHup LuoPan. It is quite easy to
differentiate the two types of Luopans.
SANYUAN
LUOPAN: Can be easily distinguished with the presence
of the 64 Hexagrams of the I-Ching. The San Yuan LuoPan
is also generally called the Jiang Pan (named after the
founder of San Yuan Feng Shui : Great Grand Master Jiang
Da Hong's).
SANHUP
LUOPAN: Can be recognized by the presence of 3 distinctive
rings of the 24 Mountains. The San Hup Luo Pan is also commonly
known as the Yang Kung Pan (named after the first Feng Shui
Grand Master Yang Yun Song' of the Tang Dynasty)
And
there is the third standardized type of LuoPan which
is really a combination of SanYuan and SanHup. It is called
the Zhung Hup LuoPan. Designed primarily for those
who like to advocate both systems of Traditional Feng Shui.
The
8-Point Rule for Selecting Your LuoPan
1.
Quality of the Needle
The
needle MUST be able to align accurately on TOP of the RED
line at the bottom of the Heaven Pool (the round compass
piece in the middle). The needle MUST be able to align accurately
BELOW the AXIS CROSS (the intercrossing nylon strings).
It should not even be a slight deviation of .01mm away from
the above lines.
2.
Heaven Pool's Red Line
The
Double Dots MUST be pointing to the "Rat" (Direct North
0o ) direction while the point should be pointing the "Horse"
(Direct South 180o) direction.
3.
Accuracy of Axis Cross (the nylon strings)
The
Cross MUST be able to cross the CARNIDAL AXIS directly at
0o, 90o, 180o and 270o of the Heaven Dial. There should
not even be a slight deviation, or it renders the LuoPan
totally useless.
4.
Quality of the Heaven Dial Every character, trigram and
number MUST be printed or carved with great clarity.
Must
be easy to read. Some words or characters may be blurred
in the process of stamping, always double check. The dial
should be steady and smooth when turned. It should not be
too smooth or too tight.
5.
Squareness of the Earth Base and a Spirit Level
The
LuoPan must have the Square Base. It is used to take measurements
by matching it parallel to the wall or door of a house/building.
It must come with a Spirit Level for accuracy of reading.
6.
Material Quality
What
is the LuoPan made of? Poly-Electric wood, normal wood or
Recycled Wood? It DOES make a HUGE difference. Poly-Electric
wood can withstand temperatures of up to 140o C. Recycled
Wood or normal wood are the cheap renditions found in most
Chinese roadside stalls.
7.
Measurements and Sizes
*
- LuoPans MUST come with accurate markings of the EXACT
360o .
* - LuoPans come ONLY in the following standardized sizes:
i.
2"8
ii. 3"4
iii. 4"2
iv. 5"2
v. 6"2
vi. 7"2
vii. 8"6
viii. 1ft 2"
*
- The standard size Traditional Feng Shui Masters uses are
the 8"6 types. The smaller ones like the 2"8 - 4"2 are mainly
for convenience use. The smaller the LuoPan gets, the easier
it is to make mistakes. Thus it is only when one is very
experience should one use a small LuoPan for a professional
Feng Shui audit. For the beginners, start by using a 5"2
or 6"2. Professional Feng Shui practitioners should always
use a 8"6.
8.
Beauty
 If
all the above 7 points are met, the last point is the Beauty test. Some LuoPans
are good but they look highly unattractive. Or they may feel rough and fidgety
to be held. When choosing a LuoPan, treat it like choosing a beautiful quality
garment at a designer store. Not only must it have high quality, but it should
also have the right feel (i.e. fabric, smoothness and look). Your LuoPan must
even be good enough to be used as a decorative Feng Shui item. It is not unusual
for Feng Shui Masters to display their LuoPans glamorously in their homes. Some
have a sense of pride, others have a feeling of peace when they display their
LuoPans as decorative pieces. It is true that many Feng Shui masters today are
avid LuoPan collectors. Others believed that the LuoPan could ward off evil
spirits because it embodies the secret of the I-ching which we all know, is
the secret of the Feng Shui Ba Gua. This is however folklore and Feng Shui Symbolism,
believing or not believing is up to the reader.
A
quality LuoPan should weigh around 1.3 to 1.5kg. The Heaven
Dial (the Round Plate) should be easily turnable with a
slight firm and steady feel. Nowadays good LuoPans are scarce
to find. Unknowing vendors in the west have been victims
of many unscrupulous businessmen in China, selling them
cheap and tacky imitations of a real Feng Shui Luopan. Be
VERY careful of the LuoPan that you chose to purchase. Make
sure it comes with the 6 essential components (mentioned
above) and are made of exceptional quality (poly-electric
wood).
This
article serves the purposes to educate the masses and unveil
the truth about what really is a quality Chinese LuoPan.
Like any other quality goods, LuoPans today come in different
brand names. Be sure to select a reliable maker for long-term
usage. No doubt, higher end makers are dearer in price,
but the quality surpasses the test of time and weather conditions.
Buying a LuoPan is like buying a car. Do you want a BMW
or Hyundai? Well, you pay only for the quality, accuracy
and most of all durability.
Like
a stethoscope to a Doctor, the LuoPan is to a Feng Shui
Practitioner. For those who are serious in the practice
of Feng Shui, I urge you to search for a good 8"6 LuoPan.
Having your LuoPan is your first step to Feng Shui Mastery.
For the beginners, as guide, go for a medium San Yuan LuoPan
that comes in the sizes of 5"2 or 6"2.
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