ANÁLISIS COMPARADO DE 20 ESTADOS: ENERO–OCTUBRE (2012-201

Chinese astrologers devised a system of measuring time based on the luoshu. Among Daoists, the stars of Beidou were viewed as nine gods residing in nine palaces.²⁹ These nine deities were thought to control the destiny of humanity. When the central god moved from his palace to visit an adjoining palace, its occupant also had to move on. Thus, all the gods moved following the yubu path. This heavenly shuffling of positions was known as “flying across the palaces” and took nine years to complete. Yubu movement could be in one of two directions: clock-wise or counterclockclock-wise. Yin energy flows in a counterclockclock-wise pat-tern, yang energy clockwise. In astrology, the nine phases within this cycle of movement were represented by derivatives of the luoshu con-figuration, each identified by the number and color occupying the cen-tral cell. The colors associated with the luoshu’s elements in this system are given in figure 4.10.

FIGURE 4.10

4 9 2

3 5 7

8 1 6

green purple black

blue-green yellow red

white white white

The Luoshu in Cosmic Ritual, Fortune-Telling and Fengshui 57

Using their zibai [purple and white] system of identification, astrologers could specify a year of the nine-year cycle, a month within a counter-clockwise nine-month cycle, and a day within a nine-day counter-clockwise cycle. A clockwise derivation of the nine-phase cycle is shown in figure 4.11.³⁰

These phases are identified as (a) “five yellow,” (b) “six white,”

(c) “seven red,” (d) “eight white,” (e) “nine purple,” (f) “one white,”

(g) “two black,” (h) “three blue-green,” and (i) “four green,” respec-tively. A clockwise path is generated if one starts with the yang complement of the luoshu and follows a yubu path in a clockwise direction. In both these cyclic derivations only two of the number arrays—the luoshu and its yang complement—are truly magic squares in a mathematical sense.

A form of divination that relies heavily on the zibai system for its time dimension is fengshui, “the science of wind and water.”³¹ Practitioners of fengshui attempt to determine auspicious locations for buildings or tombs and for rooms within homes—and also the arrange-ment of objects within rooms—by examining the topographical features of a geographical location, using a special compass, and constructing an appropriate zibai-based chart. In theory, they are aligning the structure or object in question with desirable yinyang force fields. The computa-tion of time in fengshui is based on a 180-year cycle divided into nine periods of twenty years each.³² Individual periods are designated by a

“reigning star” which corresponds with a zibai year. Practitioners of the

“Flying Star” system of fengshui construct a geomantic chart for each site under consideration.³³ This chart consists of three superimposed luoshu-derived number squares: the first is the “Earth Square,” domi-nated by the reigning star and arrived at by correlating the construction date with the existing 180-year cycle; secondly, the direction the front of the site faces will determine the “Facing Star” square; and finally, the direction that the rear of the site faces will determine the “Mountain Star” square. The reigning star is fixed; the earth and mountain star are movable and may, therefore, assume either yin or yang configurations.

The particular orientation of these latter stars is determined by use of a geomancer’s compass. When the geomantic chart is complete, each of its nine cells will contain three numbers representing yinyang energy levels. The diviner will interpret the interaction of these three numbers and accordingly designate the status of the site or structure and even the status of particular rooms or parts of a house.³⁴

As an example of this fengshui technique, assume a house was built in 1972. Its reigning star is six-white (figure 4.11b). Its front is facing south, so its facing star is one-white and its mountain star is two-black.

Further careful orientation and alignment indicate that the facing star is moving in the yang direction, the mountain star in the yin direction. The appropriate geomantic chart for this example is shown in figure 4.12 in

The Luoshu in Cosmic Ritual, Fortune-Telling and Fengshui 59

which the normal-sized numbers represent the “Earth Square,” the small superscripted numbers on the right side of each regular number belong to the “Facing Star” square, and the superscripted numbers on the left of each regular number belong to the “Mountain Star” square.

Some readings of the “Earth base and Facing Star” interactions for this square indicate: children of the house will do well in academic mat-ters (1⁶); those occupying this region of the house will enjoy good health (8⁸); and a threat of fire exists in this corner (9⁷). Combinations of 5 and 2 are considered particularly inauspicious as they are believed to indicate sickness and accidents. Such a combination exists at the back of this house. Remedies can be undertaken: the effects of bad fortune can be reduced by placing a prescribed object in the prob-lem room. By imposing more time constraints, that is, consultation for a special year and/or month, additional numbers can be added to the grid and more complex, detailed readings undertaken.³⁵ A “Flying Star” fengshui analysis is based primarily on time factors. More detailed fengshui considerations also take into account topographical factors that influence the structure.