The LUO SHU, a hidden TAI JI?

A deeper look into the dynamics of the Magic square. Featured in Feng Shui Times December 2001.

The LUO SHU is also called the magic square.
Magic square because the numbers added up diagonal, horizontal or vertical result always in 15. It is said that in ancient times a turtle emerged from the river Luo with markings on its back resembling these numbers given below.

But the greater magic lies within the Luo Shu.

The arrangement of the numbers shown here is in the LATER HEAVEN SEQUENCE. As it has been arranged by King WEN.

Only these numbers will not help us any further with our Feng Shui studies.
But as soon as we blend the TAI JI

over the magic square we will come one step further. The TAI JI is a two dimensional sign representing YIN and YANG. YIN and YANG are the two opposing universal forces representing Qi. Always trying to reach a situation of total harmony. There is always a waxing and waning. Please imagine them not as a flat picture but as a sphere constantly in motion.

YIN is the cold, female, dark, even numbers.
YANG is the hot, male, light, odd numbers.

The black dot in the white area (YANG) of the TAI JI is representing YIN.
The white dot in the black area (YIN) of the TAI JI is representing YANG.
This indicates that everything YANG also has a little bit of YIN and everything YIN
has also a little bit of YANG. YANG gives birth to YIN and YIN gives birth to YANG.

If you look at the numbers opposite of each other they are adding up to ten you see that they have opposing YIN or YANG quantities.
2 is in a black (YIN) area and is opposite 8 in a white area (YANG).
4 is in a white (YANG) area and is opposite 6 in a black (YIN) area.
3 is in a white (YANG) area and is opposite 7 in a black (YIN) area.
9 is in a white with some black (mostly YANG) area and is opposite 1 in a black (mostly YIN) area.
5 has equal YIN and YANG areas.

When we divide the numbers from 1 up to 9 with exclusion of number 5 we get two groups of numbers, even and odd numbers.

Even numbers are: 2, 4, 6 and 8.
These numbers are YIN but follow a Yang (counter-clockwise) pattern

Odd numbers are 1, 3, 7 and 9.
These numbers are YANG but follow a Yin (clockwise) pattern.

Because in everything YIN is also some YANG the movement is in the opposite direction at the last pair of number.

Even numbers:
The movement from 2 to 4 (to 5) to 6 is counter-clockwise.
The movement from 6 to 8 is clockwise.

Odd numbers:
The movement from 1 to 3 (to 5) to 7 is clockwise.
The movement from 7 to 9 is counter-clockwise.

The odd numbers (red arrows) are tracing the outline of the border of the YIN and YANG symbol. Only with the even numbers we do have a problem now. But here we have also to consider the other three possibilities to arrange the numbers of the LUO SHU so that the result still will be 15 and 10 respectively. Now we see that in the Later Haven sequence and in the reversed Later Haven sequence the odd (YANG) numbers are tracing the symbol border, where as in the other two sequences the even (YIN) numbers are tracing the border.

So we have two times YIN numbers and two times YANG numbers tracing the outline standing in harmony to each other. They are creating (following) the TAI JI.

But why have the ancient Chinese picked the LATER HEAVEN sequence and not one of the three other possibilities?
To answer this question we need to look at the properties given to the 9 stars in the LUO SHU.

Clockwise: Both Later Heaven sequences are 1-8-3-4-9-2-7-6.
Both options 3 sequences are 1-6-7-2-9-4-3-8.

Counter-clockwise: Both Later Heaven sequences are 1-6-7-2-9-4-3-8.
Both options 3 sequences are 1-8-3-4-9-2-7-6.

We get two different sequences for the four possible number distributions in the square.

Sequence 1-8-3-4-9-2-7-6:
Water to Earth to Wood to Wood to Fire to Earth to Metal to Metal
Except the water to earth combination this is the enhancing cycle.

Sequence 1-6-7-2-9-4-3-8:
Water to Metal to Metal to Earth to Fire to Wood to Wood to Earth
The wood to earth to water sequence belongs to the controlling cycle.
The other sequences belong to the weakening cycle.

The TAI JI is about harmony and creating balance! For that the second sequence
(1-6-7-2-9-4-3-8) is not fitting into this picture.

At next we have to look at the direction, clockwise or counter-clockwise?

This answer becomes clear when we assign directions to the Luo Shu.

When we are working according to the position of the sun the four cardinal directions showing us the path of the sun. (Clockwise direction of the Tai Ji)

- The south is most hot (White (YANG) in the TAI JI) and stands for highest position of the sun on any given day. Yang is at its peak.
- The north is most cold (Black (YIN) in the TAI JI) and stands for the lowest position of the sun (night).
Yin is at its peak.
- The east is gaining light, temperature (White (YANG) is increasing in the TAI JI)) it stands for sunrise.
Yang is waxing and Yin is waning.
- The west is getting darker, colder (Black (YIN) is increasing in the TAI JI)) and stands for sunset.
Yin is waxing and Yang is waning.

The movement of the sun is clockwise.
For that the Later heaven sequence has been chosen.

When it is possible to project Day and Night onto the Luo Shu and the Tai Ji it is also possible to extend this thought on to the four seasons.
#9 is fire and #1 is water. Setting fire (sun) for summer and water (snow and ice) for winter the LUO SHU also represents the seasons.

- The south is most hot (White (YANG) in the TAI JI) and stands for summer.
Yang is at its peak.
- The north is most cold (Black (YIN) in the TAI JI) and stands for winter.
Yin is at its peak.
- The east is gaining temperature (White (YANG) is increasing in the TAI JI)) and stands for spring.
Yang is waxing and Yin is waning.
- The west is getting colder (Black (YIN) is increasing in the TAI JI)) and stands for autumn.
Yin is waxing and Yang is waning.

#1 water Yang #1 is watering the
#8 earth Yang earth (#8), that holds the seeds to
#3 wood Yang grow plants (#3).
#4 wood Yin Wood (#4) is feeding
#9 fire Yin the fire (#9),
#2 earth Yin burning the earth (#2),
#7 metal Yin to melt out the metal (#7),
#6 metal Yang which will be formed to tools (#6) to dig for water (#1)

Until now we have ignored the number 5. #5 has all the quantities of the other numbers, too. It is the centre. We say it's element is earth. But this element has to been seen as Earth. Our planet. It is mostly earth (not the surface), but it also has all the other elements. It is the centre of everything.
With the number 5 you can also build all the other numbers:

5 + 1 = 6
5 + 2 = 7
5 + 3 = 8
5 + 4 = 9
5 + 5 = 10 1 + 0 = 1
5 + 6 = 11 1 + 1 = 2
5 + 7 = 12 1 + 2 = 3
5 + 8 = 13 1 + 3 = 4
5 + 9 = 14 1 + 4 = 5

Even more clear is this example:

5 + 1 = 6
5 + 2 = 7
5 + 3 = 8
5 + 4 = 9
5 is the centre, the Tai Ji!
5 - 4 = 1
5 - 3 = 2
5 - 2 = 3
5 - 1 = 4

Sure with the other numbers you can form a similar table.
But the special notion has to be the line 5 + 5. The result is 10.
Ten stands for completion. 1 is Yang and 0 is Yin. It also produces 1 (beginning) again. 1 and 0 is the universal computer code (Binary system). Any message can be displayed in an combination of 1 and 0. In the book of change is said: One becomes two and two becomes three and three becomes every thing.

Knowing now that #5 is everything, we have to redraw the square. Better said, we have to transform the square into a octagon to visualise this effect.

In this view it becomes clear that #5 is a part of everything. The centre number also rules to which place the other numbers have to fly. For that the #5 is also called the emperor. Qi is always centring. Thats how #5 is/becomes everything.
Through this explanation it also becomes clear that it is not logical to place a Luo Shu square over a floor plan to do a Fengshui audit. Qi is moving in/from all directions. Qi is moving from all directions to the centre. When we look at a house Qi is moving towards the centre of the house. When we look at a town it is moving toward the city centre. But this does also indicate that the different stars in one palace are interacting with each other. We have to see which stars are entering the house, which stars can move freely and which stars are blocked.

designed, maintained and copyright ©2004 Jürgen Wessel

JW Feng Shui; Bangkok / Thailand