TEOFS - 2 - Symbols Of Heaven And Earth(2)

THE SIXTY-YEAR CYCLE

The Chinese calendar revolves around a cycle of sixty years. The cycle is formed by the interaction of the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches which are units of time and place. Each year, a stem is paired with a branch and a new combination is produced so that the Heavenly Stems are repeated six times. In the first year the Heavenly Stem is Chia and the Earthly Branch is Tzu, following the yearly rotation this combination will take sixty years to appear again.

The branches, in particular, give information about time and place, although they are the means by which the heavenly bodies can express their influence. On the feng shui compass the branches mark directions of the earth, and identify the ch’I of the earth, the dragon ch’i. The stems are associated with water and can be used to mark twists, turns and branches of watercourses.

When they stand on their own, the Earthly Branches correlate to the twelve animals of the Chinese horoscope, twelve months, twelve double-hours of the day, twelve directions, and twelve groups of animal associated with the twenty-eight constellations. The twelve animals of the Chinese horocope do not correspond to stars or groups of stars as do the twelve animals of the Western zodiac.

Legend tells how the Jade Emperor invited the animals of the earth to a banquet, only twelve animals arrived at the palace and each was allocated a year and an hour of the day for their efforts.

The Jade Emperor and the Twelve Animals

One day the Jade Emperpr was bored of life in Heaven, and as he idly gared towards the earth he wondered what the creatures of that land looked like. Now that his curiosity was aroused, he summoned one of his assistants:

 'Go down to the earth and order the creatures to visit me in the palace',

 'But there are so many, your majesty, do you want me to bring them all?', replied the assistant.

 'No, I only want to see the most interesting. Select twelve and bring them to me as soon as you can.'

The assistant travelled to earth and gave his first invitation ta a rat. 'When you see your friend, the cat, ask him to come to the place. I know that emperor will be fascinated by his coat.'

The assistant then continued on his journey and along the way he sent invitations to the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the hourse, the ram, the monkey, the cock and the dog, telling them to be at the palace at six o'clock the next morning.

The animals preened themselves in preparation and the rat dutifully went in search of the cat. The cat was delighted to hear the news but since he was a deep sleeper, he made the rat promise to wake him up early the next morning. The rat gave his promise and then returned to his nest to sleep. But the rat couldn't sleep and the more he thought about the cat, the more jealous he became.

 'That cat is far too beautiful, he will outshine me', he thought to himself. And as the night wore on the decided not to wake the cat.

The next morning eleven animals were line up for inspection in the palace courtyard. The Jade Emperor walked slowly past each one and when he came to the end of the line he turned to his assistant. 'They are fine creatures, but where is the twelfth one? I want the last animal here immediately', demanded the king.

Afraid that he may lose his position on the palace the assistant returned to earth at full speed to find a substitute for the cat. The first thing that caught his eye was a servant carrying a pig through a farmyard and so the assistant took the pig to the parade.

Meanwhile the rat was still anxious to be noticed and so he sat on the ox's back and played a flute. The king was fascinated by this unusual creature and gave him first place. The ox was placed second since he had been generous enough to allow the rat to sit on his back. The courageous-looking tiger was placed third and the rabbit with his fine white hair was place fourth. The king thought the dragon resembled a strong snake on legs and so he was given fifth place. The snake was given sixth, the hourse seventh, the ram eighth, the monkey ninth, the cock tenth, and the dog eleventh. The king consideredthe pig the ugliest of all the assembled animals, but he had no choice but to give him twelfth place. No sooner had the king made these awards than the cat ran into the palace.

 'I'm sorry, your majesty, I overslept but I beg you now to give me a chance.'

But it was too late, the king had already made his decision on the twelve animals of the horoscope and their corresponding twelve earthly branches. The cat accepted his fate but he could never quite forgive the rat, and to this day the cat still bears that grudge.

The Chinese day is traditionally broken into twelve hours, each hour corresponds to two ordinnary hours. The chart opposite shows how each animals was attributed a year, a time of day a period within the year and a direction.

When the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches and four trigrams appear on the compass to mark the twenty-four directional points, they are not only used for making the positions of the dragon ch'i and of watercourses, but they are used also for marking lucky and unlucky points. The stems can be used as numerals 1 to 10. Stems 1, 2, 9, and 10 are unlucky; stems 3, 4, 7, and 8 are lucky. Stems 5 and 6 are at the centre of the compass and not on this directional ring. They are said to be unlucky but they are capable of dispersing the positive energy of ch'i over areas where malign forces have accumulated.

The elements are placed at interim stages to indicate their interaction between the various aspects of the stems.

Earthly branch	Animal	Period of the Year	Hour	Direction
T-zu	Rat	Mid-winter	11pm-1am	N
Ch’ou	Ox	End of winter	1am-3am	NNE
Yin	Tiger	Early spring	3am-5am	ENE
Mao	Rabbit	Mid-spring	5am-7am	E
Ch’en	Dragon	End of spring	7am-9am	ESE
Szu	Snake	Early summer	9am-11am	SSE
Wu	Horse	Mid-summer	11am-1pm	S
Wei	Ram	End of summer	1pm-3pm	SSW
Shen	Monkey	Early autumn	3pm-5pm	WSW
Yu	Cock	Mid autumn	5pm-7pm	W
Hsu	Dog	End of autumn	7pm-9pm	WNW
Hai	pig	Early winter	9pm-11pm	NNW

Heavenly stems	Number	Direction in The 24 points	Luck
Chia	1	ENE by E	Bad
Yi	2	ESE by E	Bad
Ping	3	SSE by S	Good
Ting	4	SSW by S	Good
Wu	5	Centre	Bad
Chi	6	Centre	Bad
Keng	7	WSW by W	Good
Hsin	8	WNW by W	Good
Jen	9	NNW by N	Bad
Kuei	10	NNE by N	Bad

THE EIGHT CHARACTER HOROSCOPE

Before giving a reading of a site the geomancer must, at the very least, know the birth date of the person concerned. Using the Pa Che method, their corresponding elament, hexagram and auspicious directions can be calculated. For greater accuracy, he may produce an eight character horoscope using the stems and branches that correspond to the hour, date, month and year of birth. The days and months, like the years, follow a cycle of sixty, and the stems and branches rotate accordingly. The stems and branches allocated to the hours follow a fixed pattern.

CH'I

Ch'i is commonly referred to as the life breath. The geomancer's skill lies in his ability to allow for the unhindered circulation of this energy in relation to dwellings of the living and of the dead.

The main purpose of ch'i is to function as the principle shaping all forms. This function is described by the philosopher Chu Hsi:

 Throughout heaven and earth there is Li and there is Ch'i. Li is the Tao (organising) all forms from above, and the root from which all things are produced. Ch'i is the instrument (composing) all forms from below, and the tools and raw materials with which all things are made. Thus men and all other things must receive this Li at the moment of their coming into being, and thus get their specific nature; so also must they receive this Ch'i and thus get their form.

While li determines order, ch'i animates it so that it is capable of physical being - they are interdependent, one cannot exist without the other. A feng shui expert is concerned with the place where ch'i accumulates, because this will confer fortune on those who live and those who are buried there. When referred to in its plural form, ch'i is identified with yin and yang as they operate in the changing of the seasons, in the climate and in the landscape. Ch'i comes and goes in a continous flow, prospering and dispersing, growing and decaying. The continual and often irregular accumulation and dispersal of ch'i at certain points on the ground is known as 'earth ch'i'. The stages of ch'i at any time or place on the ground can be identified by the geomancer using the information on the compass dial.

The ch'i that govern the regular cosmic cycle of seasons are known as 'heaven ch'i'. Besides the division of the year into four seasons, the annual cycle is broken into six phases, known as 'heaven ch'i'. The six phases do not fall at regular intervals, according to the year some are more pronounced than others. The phases are further divided into twenty-four terms which mark solar, climatic and agricultural patterns. These phases occur every 15-16 days, and are described in detail on part next.

There is yet  another aspect of ch'i that is related to the earth, but is not part of it as earth ch'i is. This is ch'i in the literal sense of the life breath or energy that courses through the earth - the arteries and veins of the dragon - and through its rivers and streams. By observing the lie of the land, the geomancer can observe where ch'i are accumulating. Shallow, fast-flowing rivers or streams disperse ch'i, as do hills exposed to strong winds. These are the places where yang accumulates. Low-lying valleys and pools of water encourage ch'i, they are sources of peace and quiet and a reflection of yin. The ch'i identified here in the broad sweep of the landscape is different to readingstaken on the compass to identife ch'i at specific points on the ground.

Ch'i produce life but they are also subject to decay and their absence or weakness in an area or spot will allow sha, the life-taking breaths, to enter. sha can appear as the result of one element overpowering or destroying another causing sickness, business failure, family arguments, marital disputes, or impotence.

Sha in its physical sense is manifest in the cold wind that blows from the earth through hollows in the land and in wind that pierces gaps in ridges or outcrops that protect a site. Sha that takes life and distributes malign influences can be found anywhere. This type of sha travels along straight lines, natural or man-made. A corner of a building facing onto a railway line, telephone line or straight watercourse is considered bad feng shui. The ideal site is protected and peaceful but open to gentle winds that allow ch'i to circulate. This site should be southfacing. A southfacing site is particularly important in China since it will benefit from warm, wet winds and will be protected from bitter northern winds. A building or a grave should be built in a hollow on a gentle slope so that air can circulate freely. The soil should be well-drained but not hard or rocky, and a pool of water lower down the slope will not only improve drainage but will also encourage the accumulation of ch'i. Well-drained soil is also required for the preservation of the coffin, and, more importantly, for the preservation of the bones. Finding a site that affords good bone and coffin preservation is seen by the Chiness as a filial duty. This is how an ideal grave site is described:

 Near the surface, one half should be sand and one half clay, with but few large stones. After digging four or five feet you may come upon a rock that cannot be moved, or upon water, and the place has to be abandoned. At a depth of three or four feet a layer of clay may be reached, and at six or seven feet a layer of sand, then a layer of loose stones, and then a layer of hard clay, yellow, red or variegated. Beyond this, water will be reached. Those buried above the hard clay find the air warm and comfortable, and have no trouble from water or white ants. Good clay is a sure indication that it is a safe place to bury, and the quantity of the clay may be tested by taking bits from the side and straining it through water. If no sand appears and the clay feels greasy to the touch, it is good.

Besides the practical benefits, a well-placed site will bring good health, family harmony and successful trading. A site that is pleasing to the eye and peaceful to live in, which receives the sun and has an unrestricted view of natural features, will no doubt encourage emotional well-being. Details outlining the advantages and hazards of choosing building sites, domestic or commercial premises are outlined in chapters 5-8.