How to Read the Compass Reading in Feng Shui

Some practitioners in the classical and traditional schools of Feng Shui may make use of a magnetic compass as a tool to assist them in providing advice to their clients. Utilizing the compass to locate the magnetic directions of your home enables you to ascertain both the facing direction and the sitting direction of your property. You can also use the information to lay out the bagua on your home in accordance with the directions, and you can also use it to determine whether or not the birth data of the people living in the home are compatible with one another.

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The luo pan is a traditional Chinese compass that was used to determine the bagua of a residence. Feng shui masters and practitioners of a more advanced level are the ones who typically make use of them.

The magnetic directions correspond in feng shui to the various areas of the feng shui bagua, the five elements, yin and yang, and a great deal more.

• Kan, the water element, represents the north;

• Gen, the yang earth element, represents the northeast;

• Zhen, the yang wood element, represents the east;

• Xun, the yin wood element, represents the southeast;

• Li, the fire element, represents the south;

• Kun, the yin earth element, represents the southwest;

• Dui, the yin metal element, represents the west;

• Qian, the yang metal element, represents the northwest;

However, not all practitioners apply these fundamental principles in the same manner, even though they are shared by all feng shui schools. Therefore, it is understandable if you are experiencing some level of confusion! Adjustments to your feng shui that you make yourself should preferably be kept on the straightforward side, but you can also work with a feng shui consultant who will be able to provide advice based on their experience.

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Compass

A device known as a luo pan is the traditional instrument that is utilized in the practise of feng shui for the purpose of determining the magnetic direction of a location, such as your home. Normally it takes the form of a circular or square piece of wood that is painted with red or yellow and accented with gold. Magnetic north is indicated on the compass that is located in the center of the design, which is surrounded by concentric circles. The rings revolve around the central compass, and each one of them has information written in Chinese characters inscribed on it. Within one of the rings are the names of all 24 cardinal directions, which a skilled classical practitioner will be trained to use to evaluate the Feng Shui of your home or business.

Luo pan compasses are distinguished from Western compasses by their needles, which are oriented in the opposite direction, pointing north. Notations on a compass typically look like this (and it's the same for both the northern and southern hemispheres—you take the reading based on the geographic magnetic field):

·        North is 0 degrees

·        East is 90 degrees

·        South is 180 degrees

·        West is 270 degrees

If you are not a trained professional, you can take the readings for your feng shui home directions with a regular compass designed for use in the outdoors, such as a hiking compass, or even the compass app on your smartphone. (It's possible for even professionals to use the app on their smartphone.) Just check that you have a compass that is of good quality. If you are using your smartphone, check to see that the app you are using has been properly calibrated. You can absolutely buy a luo pan if you want to be fancy, but it's likely going to make things more difficult for you than it solves!

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How to Understand the Compass Reading

Here are the steps you need to take in order to take a reading for the purposes of feng shui once you are prepared to get started with the magnetic compass of your choice.

1. Place yourself inside the home's main entrance with your back to the door and your feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Place the compass on its side so that it is parallel to the ground and pointing in the direction of the front door.

3. Determine which way you are facing and jot down the direction as well as the degrees facing that direction.

4. Reposition yourself further inside the house and conduct a few more readings. Make sure to read it three times.

5. Examine the results and determine the direction of the magnetic field and the angle it makes with your doorway by averaging the readings.

6. When you are taking your readings, it is important to check that there are no large metal or magnetic objects in the immediate area.

After you have determined your directions, you can make eight equal pie pieces by superimposing them using an accurate floor plan. In a compass bagua layout, each individual piece of the pie represents a sector that corresponds to a different direction. When completed, the home's focal point will be the intersection of all of the intersecting pie pieces.

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Facing Direction vs. Sitting Direction

In most homes, the door that leads into the living space is situated so that it faces the facing direction. This refers to the official, formal, and very first entrance to the building. However, there are times when it could be in a different location. Some examples of this would be if the front door of your house was located on the back side of the building, or if the street address of your home did not correspond with the location of the door.

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In most cases, the back of the house faces the sitting direction, also known as the mountain direction. It is always the magnetic opposite of the facing direction, and it is typically where the backyard is located. Even if the placement of your home is more complicated, you can still determine the directions your home faces and superimpose the eight sectors using the method described above. After that, you should consult with a feng shui expert to figure out which of the facing and sitting directions you should investigate further.

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