The
3 types of Luo Pan
Before
selecting your LuoPan, first ask yourself, WHICH system
of traditional Feng Shui do you advocate? There are many
schools and or systems of Feng Shui. In general there are
2 categories of authentic Chinese Feng Shui:
1.
San Yuan School (3 Cycles System)
2. San He School ( 3 Combination System)
Fey
Xing (Flying Stars) or Xuan Kong (Time and Space) can be
classified under the SAN YUAN School. Pa-Chai (Eight Mansions),
Sui-Long (Water Dragons), San Long (Mountain Dragons) and
environmental Feng Shui are subsets of the San He system
of Feng Shui. These are traditional authentic Feng Shui
systems. Which system do you practice?
The
Rings
There
are various numbers of rings around a LuoPan. Depending
on which school or which system the LuoPan is designed for,
the LuoPan can be made up of as few as seven (basic rings)
to up to a number of thirty-six rings!
Every
ring carries with it a specific theory in the application
of Feng Shui. Different Feng Shui systems may have different
meanings given to a particular level of a LuoPan. Depending
on which system you advocate, the LuoPan can help the Feng
Shui practitioner measure, locate, calculate and even predict
the natural earth energies both directional and locational
in a particular area.
Today
we can find two standardized types of LuoPan. They are the
SanYuan LuoPan and the SanHup LuoPan. It is quite easy to
differentiate the two types of Luopans.
SANYUAN
LUOPAN: Can be easily distinguished with the presence
of the 64 Hexagrams of the I-Ching. The San Yuan LuoPan
is also generally called the Jiang Pan (named after the
founder of San Yuan Feng Shui : Great Grand Master Jiang
Da Hong's).
SANHUP
LUOPAN: Can be recognized by the presence of 3 distinctive
rings of the 24 Mountains. The San Hup Luo Pan is also commonly
known as the Yang Kung Pan (named after the first Feng Shui
Grand Master Yang Yun Song' of the Tang Dynasty)
And
there is the third standardized type of LuoPan which
is really a combination of SanYuan and SanHup. It is called
the Zhung Hup LuoPan. Designed primarily for those
who like to advocate both systems of Traditional Feng Shui.
The
8-Point Rule for Selecting Your LuoPan
1.
Quality of the Needle
The
needle MUST be able to align accurately on TOP of the RED
line at the bottom of the Heaven Pool (the round compass
piece in the middle). The needle MUST be able to align accurately
BELOW the AXIS CROSS (the intercrossing nylon strings).
It should not even be a slight deviation of .01mm away from
the above lines.
2.
Heaven Pool's Red Line
The
Double Dots MUST be pointing to the "Rat" (Direct North
0o ) direction while the point should be pointing the "Horse"
(Direct South 180o) direction.
3.
Accuracy of Axis Cross (the nylon strings)
The
Cross MUST be able to cross the CARNIDAL AXIS directly at
0o, 90o, 180o and 270o of the Heaven Dial. There should
not even be a slight deviation, or it renders the LuoPan
totally useless.
4.
Quality of the Heaven Dial Every character, trigram and
number MUST be printed or carved with great clarity.
Must
be easy to read. Some words or characters may be blurred
in the process of stamping, always double check. The dial
should be steady and smooth when turned. It should not be
too smooth or too tight.
5.
Squareness of the Earth Base and a Spirit Level
The
LuoPan must have the Square Base. It is used to take measurements
by matching it parallel to the wall or door of a house/building.
It must come with a Spirit Level for accuracy of reading.
6.
Material Quality
What
is the LuoPan made of? Poly-Electric wood, normal wood or
Recycled Wood? It DOES make a HUGE difference. Poly-Electric
wood can withstand temperatures of up to 140o C. Recycled
Wood or normal wood are the cheap renditions found in most
Chinese roadside stalls.
7.
Measurements and Sizes
*
- LuoPans MUST come with accurate markings of the EXACT
360o .
* - LuoPans come ONLY in the following standardized sizes:
i.
2"8
ii. 3"4
iii. 4"2
iv. 5"2
v. 6"2
vi. 7"2
vii. 8"6
viii. 1ft 2"
*
- The standard size Traditional Feng Shui Masters uses are
the 8"6 types. The smaller ones like the 2"8 - 4"2 are mainly
for convenience use. The smaller the LuoPan gets, the easier
it is to make mistakes. Thus it is only when one is very
experience should one use a small LuoPan for a professional
Feng Shui audit. For the beginners, start by using a 5"2
or 6"2. Professional Feng Shui practitioners should always
use a 8"6.
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