Of Mountains, Wind and Water
Part 1
Mountains in Feng Shui
Ever heard of the term "Yin and Yang"?
The basic principles of Classical Feng Shui follow this concept wherein where the house faces ( front of the house) should be Yang and where the house sits( back of the house) should be Yin... "Yang facing and Yin sitting".
To facilitate the flow of energy or "qi" there should be a mound or raised area ( a stationary mountain which is yin) at the back of the house for support, and an agile or moving area (water which is yang) in front where the energy can be collected so that it can saunter and gently flow into the property that it surrounds.
Picture by Michael Erlewine from The Art of Feng Shui
Irregardless of our house location, most of us may already be familar with the four auspicious animals which stand for the four key directions of the home as we face South:
a) The BlackTortoise (Mountain; North ) which is represented by its hard outer shell for support at our back. It should enclose the house or property into an embrace. "The Black Turtle needs to be lowering its head 玄武垂頭 similar to that of an elderly ancestor looking over us and giving his kind support." ~according to Guo Po from the Book of Burial.
b) The Left side which is slightly elevated than the right, is the Green Dragon, and the slightly lower Right side is the White Tiger. The Green Dragon mountain on the left needs to appear meandering 青龍蜿蜒. This stands for the male aspect being prosperous and the staff beaming with vitality and being supportive and helpful. It should not be too high, because it can become a tormentor to the household – always insecure for the loss of power or position. The White Tiger needs to be tamed and resting 白虎馴頫 as this represents the female aspect, our friends and our health.
The left Green Dragon and right White Tiger Mountains should be embracing with affection; like protecting the site. An unsentimental embrace such as when the mountains on the left and right are extending outwardly at the end – as if the hugging arms are turning away is not desirable.
In ancient texts, it is written that where the energy or qi is strong-dwelling underneath the earth, there it produces a land reaction which generates the "soaring up" and creation of mountains and hills.. "In Chinese Metaphysics, mountains are formed by the magnetic pull of the stars from the skies ~ Joey Yap. Hence it is in these land formations where strong energy can be tapped from!
The spot where the ranges of mountains halt and terminate, then sprawls through the plains, is where strong energy plunges and collects. This site is known as the "Xue" (Meridian Spot) or "Dragon's Lair". It is the best spot where we would want to position our home, property or business. These locations are the most ideal and sought after, but are however the most luxurious to find nowadays!
Energy runs along the ridges of the mountain ranges as they descend in height, and it spreads through the footlhills, valleys and flatlands. Again in the ancient texts, it is said that "if there is good quality energy or qi, there will be a Water formation ( a lake, a spring, pool or stream) at the spot where the mountains meet the plains."
c) This spot should be in front, and where our house or property should face. It represents fire ( yang energy) and it is the location of thePhoenix or Vermillion Bird (South). This Table Mountain at the front must appear lively amidst the background of layers of mountains. The Red Phoenix needs to be dancing 朱雀翔舞. A lonely, dull and boring mountain here is not desirable.
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"It is worthy to mention here that these four symbolic animals were much a part of ancient astronomy, particulary the area surrounding the Big Dipper and the Pole Star (Polaris) which is directly above the North pole of the earth." ~ Michael Erlewine.
Spotting the North Star – and in that way knowing the direction north wherever you
are, has gladdened the hearts of many travelers throughout history.
Being able to find Polaris in the skies at night will always direct one, this time to the opposite direction of South which is North, hence it is called the North star! Polaris is stationary; it is the only star whose position does not change, relative to the rotating earth...Polaris is always in the same direction and place in the skies and the heavens!
The third factor that is important in the flow of energy is Wind.
Qi or energy is circulated with the assistance of Wind, hence we have the term Feng Shui which literary translates to "Wind and Water". This is the usual challenge faced by Feng Shui practitioners everywhere... it is how to direct the wind so that qi is pooled into water and not scattered and wasted, allowing it to harmoniously flow into our property! This is the art and metaphysics application of Feng Shui.
Feng Shui has two schools of thought. They are San Yuan Feng Shui which is the study of the Stars This includes Xuan Kong , Flying Stars, Eight Mansions and the Dragon Gate 8 formations. "The formula derived from the mathematical models of the Ba Gua, the He-Tu, Lo Shu and the 8 Trigrams, co-referenced against the North Dipper 9 stars, is the foundation of San Yuan Feng Shui" ~Joey Yap
The second school is called San He Feng Shui. It studies Land formations and the external environment. It is used for more long term, lasting results that can be passed to generations of the family. "When Feng Shui practitioners talk about "dragons and water" they mean landforms of the environment or"Luan Tou" ~Joey Yap.
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For this article, we will be introduced to the different basic mountain formations and what they stand for.
Methodology and Approach in San He Feng Shui ~ Joey Yap
"San He is one of the oldest Feng Shui systems in practice. Famous advocates and masters of this system include Great Grandmaster Yang Yun Song(Tang Dynasty) 楊筠松祖師, Zeng Wen曾文, Jing Dao He Shang靜道和尚and Lai Bu Yi 賴布衣. The foremost texts for San He practitioners, written by Grand Master Yang, is the Han Long Jing and Yi Long Jing. However, there are also some other important texts on San He that form the core readings required for any San He mastery, including Yu Sui Zhen Jing (Jade Essence Classics) Ru Di Yan (Entering Earth Eye) and Xue Xin Fu ( Snow Heart Classics)
San He methods focus on five factors - Long(Mountains), Sha (mountain embrace), Xue (Meridian Spot ), Shui(water) and Facing (Xiang). San He focuses largely on techniques of analyzing external Feng Shui. The methods are largely focused on appreciating and understanding how landforms generate and concentrate Qi, identifying the Meridian spot (Long Xue) through evaluating the land contours and ascertaining where the Qi has concentrated, by looking at the formations in the land. San He in that sense is focused on observation of the land first, before moving onto the calculations of Qi for the internal of the property.
Another distinctive principle of San He is the concept of Three Harmony. What is Three Harmony? It involves applying the Earthly Branches Three Harmony (which talks about the Mountain ranges in the vicinity) in tandem with the Water Formula Three Harmony that includes the 12 Growth Phases(Chang Sheng Jue) and the systematic alignment between environment, house and man.
Some typical methods for analysis and application used by San He Masters: Includes Ba Sha Huang Quan - 8 Killings Yellow Spring, Piercing Mountain 72 Dragons, Earth Penetrating 60 Dragons, 120 Gold Divisions, 12 Growth Water, Assistant Star Water and Land Embrace methods (Bu Sha Fa)."
Mountains have different shapes. Each shape represents an element in the Five Elements ... or the Nine stars of the North Dipper. Moreover, the shape of the mountain may determine the energy or Qi flowing in that environment, the types of people that live there, the talents they may have and or the achievements they can accomplish.
The different properties surrounded by the mountain ranges can tap into the different energies that can flow from the same mountain depending on where it faces.
1) Mountains representing the shapes of the Five Elements:
The shape of the mountain that best suits your BAZI chart will be the most favorable one for you. Usually, it is the "missing element" in your BAZI since that is the element which will provide balance.
Base on the Periods...for Period 8, the most favorable mountain shape is Metal and for Period 9, it will be Fire..
a) Metal Mountains: (rounded tops)
Round Mountains, Darrington, Washington
Valle de Vinales, Cuba
b) Earth Mountains (Flat Top)
Mount Connor, Australia
Flat Top Mountains of Colorado
c) Wood Mountains (long, narrow and elongated)
Mountains of Guilin, China
Tianzi Mountains, China
d) Fire Mountains ( angular Peaks)
Mount Everest, Nepal
Mount Whitney, Sequoia National Park, California
d) Water Mountain (wavy top)
Rainbow Mountains of Cuba
2) Mountains representing the shapes of the North Dipper 9 stars
For more information on Feng Shui and Bazi, contact us through this website
References:
Joey Yap Academy
Feng Shui Insights
Michael Erlewine, The Art of Feng shui
Picture Healer
Mimi Moorhouse, Classical Chinese Feng Shui
d) Academic star or Literary Arts Mountain (文曲星)
This mountain which is Water, has rugged and irregular tops and is associated with the Academic green star 4. It is called wen qu xing and are most suitable for those engaged in academic, literary, research, artistic start-up business fields which includes innovators, scientists, teachers, poets, artists, musicians, writers and other related pursuits. The mountain range is comprised of a group of wavy sub mountains with no major peak in the group.
e) Chastity star Mountain (廉贞星)
In Landform Feng Shui, this mountain star is called "lian zheng xing" or the Chastity Star mountain; it is associated with the 5 Yellow Star and is a Fire mountain. It is also known as the "Grandfather mountain" among the 9 stars. These mountains are very tall, characterized by having tips with peaks like those of flickering candle flames known as fire stars. They are uncommon to find in big residential areas so if you happen to hike of trek one, it may be a sign of auspicious and favorable things to come since these mountains stand for greatness!
Fire Mountains, Shangri-la Resort, Yunnan China ( Tibet)
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El Nido, Philippines
Cerro Torre, Southern Patagonia, South America
f) Military star mountains(武曲星)
This Military art star Mountain is called wu qu xing in Mandarin. It is a Metal mountain which represents star 6. It's shape resembles that of a half circle with very few teeth or sharp edgy curves. It is usually accompanied by a group of rounded small hills from the top to the foothill which looks like the back of many sheep! These mountains are associated with professionals and those with specialized skills.
g) Counter military star 破军星
Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina, United States
Mount Pu'u Waawaa on the NE slopes of Hualalai, Hawaii
The Po Jun Xing or counter military star mountain is associated with star 7 which is called the "Broken Soldier star". It is a spectacular, grand mountain! These mountains resemble the Resource star mountains but they have longer and gigantic vertical veins which extend almost all the way to the top of the mountains. The Broken Soldier star mountain is associated with unusual success and achievements, even unconventional victory against powerful opponents and over arduous and difficult undertakings! If the Broken Soldier has broken facade with chipping or protruding unsightly rocks, it is not prosperous.
h) Left Auxiliary Star Mountain 左辅星
This type of mountains is linked to the 8 white star and is called "zuo fu xing". Also known at the Left Assistant Star mountains , they come in 2 shapes as ascertained by some Feng Shui practitioners.
Ski Mountains of St Anton, Austria
One shape has a distinct one side protruding upwards which makes it stand out in form. Star 8 is usually associated with the acquisition of wealth and a comfortable style of living through hard work and independent provision for oneself and family.
Halla Mountain, Jeju Island South Korea
The other shape of the Left Auxiliary Star Mountain is that of the miniature version of the Huge door star mountain, which is less magnificent and majestic in height and form.
Still other Feng Shui Practitioners states that the Left Assistance is metal and that it is very similar to the Military Art and Broken Soldier mountains. The difference lie in that it is well covered by lush green trees and grass, thereby hiding it's sharp edges or teeth. It has a round but slanting top with no other round top hills around within the ranges.
i) Right Assistant Mountain 右弼星
Ski mountains of St Moritz, Switzerland
The "you bi xing" or Right Assistant Star mountain features less steeper slopes than the Military star mountain and carries the same but much lower round tops. The Right Assistance is Water; it is very similar to Literary Art with a wavy top, but this Star has one or more major peaks. These mountains which are associated with the purple 9 star carry the energy of stability, discipline and support and abundance in resources.
a) The Greedy Wolf Star Mountain(贪狼星)
Mount Fujiyama Japan
The greedy wolf star is known as "tan lang xing". It is associated with the white star 1 and is a Wood mountain. It has an elongated form with the tip of the triangle on top.The two shoulders are full and they slide downward smoothly without bumpiness. There are no “Teeth” (side veins) along the mountain. Mountain represents wisdom, noblemen and benefactors, innovations, recognition and spirituality. If the Tang lang mountain appears to be "leaning", it is not a prosperous mountain.
b) The Big Door Star Mountain.(巨门星)
The mountain which is called "ju men xing" is associated with the 2 black star
It is an Earth mountain with a flat table and has a more majestic height and stature. The energy it brings is for wealth generation, good for property (especially of land), profitability and sustainability.
c) The Resource or Reward star Mountain (绿存星)
The resource or reward star mountain is Earth and is associated with the competitive Jade star 3. It is called "lu cun xing" in Chinese and it's identifying feature is that of it's vertical bulging slope lines near the bottom of the mountain.
It looks very similar to the Huge Door mountain, the difference is its many deep slopes, teeth or branch- like veins around the foothill of the mountain. The energy it brings are that of physical abilities and competitiveness; good for those engaged in sports and athletics. The mountain is also associated with indirect income in destiny analysis.
Note:
The Mountains according to the Characteristics of the Five Elements:
Wood stands for 木 Benevolence
It represents Kindness, Generosity, Sincerity and Reliability.
Earth 土is Trustworthiness
It represents Stability and Wealth. It is regarded as a Wealth Star.
Metal 金 represents Selflessness
It stands for Abundance and Plentiful, Nobility and Official
Engagements.
Water 水 stands for Wisdom
It represents the Intellect balanced with Emotions.
Fire 火is Courtesy
It represents Power, Position, Esteem and Nobility.
In general, mountains represent health and relationships in Feng Shui. Those that are lush, fertile and supports a lot of living creatures are considered auspicious. It is good to see Wood, Earth and Metal shape mountains near the house. Wood also represents Longevity, as Earth stands for Wealth and Metal for Nobility. Water and Fire shaped mountains represent variation and movement; they may not be very suitable for someone who is looking for a home of peaceful and tranquil living.
Most of the mountains are not one individual unit alone; there are usually many mixed mountain shapes within a group or range. The energy that the mountain brings depend on where one's property is located within and around the ranges.
Aside from the shape of the mountains and their Five Element, their auspiciousness depend on the distance, their impression and how we view them. Their distance tells us how soon their energies' effects will take place – the farther the mountains are from your view from the home, the slower and lesser are the effects they will bring.
For the mountains representing the 9 dipper stars, like the Flying Stars... the shapes, condition and timeliness of the stars that the mountains represent determine their auspiciousness as follows:
1. 貪狼2. 巨門6. 武曲8. 左輔9. 右弼 are the five auspicious Stars
The special criteria for these auspicious star mountains are: They are either Straight, Round, Flat and Balanced.
3. 禄存4. 文曲5. 廉貞7. 破軍 are the four inauspicious Stars ( since we are reaching period 9)
The downfalls will occur when these inauspicious stars are:
~Out of time or untimely (out of period or waning period luck)
~Suppressing (mountains are too close to the house)
~Broken Face (either man-made, bulldozed intrusions or land-slides, or caused by other natural calamity)
~ Sharp protruding boulders of rocks which are Sha-qi or Killing energy.