|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Luo Shu and the Magic Square
Dating from as early as 2800 BC the legend of Luo Shu or "scroll of the river Luo" tells of a huge flood in ancient China. The people tried to offer some sacrifice to the river god of one of the flooding rivers, the Luo river, to calm his anger. A tortise emerged from the water with a curious pattern on its shell, with patterns of circular dots arranged in a three-by-three grid on the shell, such that the sum of the numbers in each row, column and diagonal was the same: 15. This number is also equal to the 15 days in each of the 24 cycles of the Chinese solar year. This pattern, in a certain way, was used then to control the river by the Emperor Yu.
|
| This grid of 9 numbers in its earth form or basic form is also known as the Magic Square because whichever way it is added, even diagonally, it always totals 15. (Incidentally the number 15 in numerology is also the number of magic.) It provides the key to unlocking many of the secrets of the Ba Gua as the numbers correlate with the eight trigrams of the Later Heaven Ba Gua. To this we can add the compass directions and the five elements so that we begin to build a picture of each sector. This then forms the basis of most Feng Shui formula. |
 |
|
The grid of 9 numbers also can be found in a total of 9 different arrangements but only the earth form with the centre number being “5”, totals to 15 in every direction. These 9 different grids are used in flying star Feng Shui formula. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|