History of the Feng Shui Compass

by Roger Green
Introduction to the Development of the Magnetic Compass in China
The magnetic compass is an instrument which is part of every day life. Joseph Needham in his
work Science & Civilization in China !Cam"ridge #niversity $ress %&'() claims this instrument is of
incalcula"le importance as it is the first instrument which played a large part in modern scientific
o"servation. $rior to the compass the wind vane and sundial were the main instruments to o"serve
forces in nature. The sundial was of course far older* "ut it was only a shadow which moved* and
not a part of the instrument itself. Sunshine and shade are the original meanings of the well known
terms +in and +ang.
The origins in the development of the magnetic compass "elonged to the world of imperial
magicians and geomancers not scientists. ,n fact it was some time "efore the compass was used
for navigation of the seas. To understand the development of the magnetic compass one must look
to the conte-t its original use. This lies in the ancient Chinese art of geomancy or .eng Shui !wind
and water). /ind and water not only referring to the actual elements themselves "ut also the
invisi"le energy of the magnetic directions.
0f all forms of divination* geomancy was perhaps that which "ecame most deeply rooted in
Chinese culture throughout the traditional period. 1 wealth of technical terms was applied to the
configurations of terrain connecting together in many varying ways the +ang and +in* the dragon
and tiger* the earth* planets and stars. The protection of a site from harmful influences was always
a matter of great importance* and the achievement of a "alance of +ang and +in forces. Thus the
"ackground history of geomancy is of some importance for that of the magnetic compass itself.
The evolution of the compass seems to have lead to the division of the geomancers into two
schools. The gentlemen of Canchow stemmed from Jiangsi* they held mainly to the older
principles* reasoning in their way on the shape of mountains and the courses of rivers. The men of
.u"ien !South China) followed /ang Chi from a maritime region* regarding the compass as all2
important for determining the indication of the topography. 1lso prominent in their "elief structure
was the 3ua or trigrams of the 4ook of Changes !+i Ching) and the astrological elements. 1 "ook
written "y Chen +uan2Ching descri"es early versions of compasses.
They cut a piece of wood into the shape of a fish* as "ig as ones thum" and make a hole in its
"elly* into which they neatly fit a piece of lodestone* filling up the cavity with wa-. ,nto this wa- a
needle "ent like a hook is fi-ed. Then when the fish is put in the water it will of its nature point to
the south* and if it is moved with the finger it will return again to its original position
They also cut a piece of wood into the shape of a turtle* and arranged it in the same way as "efore*
only that the needle is fi-ed at the tail end. 1 "am"oo pin a"out as thick as the end of a chopstick is
set up on a small "oard* and sustains the turtle "y the concave under2surface of its "ody* where
there is a small hole. Then when the turtle is rotated* it will always point to the north* which must "e
due to the needle at the tail.5
1lso certain maggots which arise from fish and meat* placed on the ground* move northward. The
compass is not only a tool for determining the indication of topography "ut also concentrated on the
astrological elements ie* it was used to select the most auspicious sites for tom"s and "uildings.
0ne of the earliest te-ts that descri"e a north2south pointing devise is the te-t of Shen 3ua written
in %677. This was appro-imately a century "efore any mention of a 8uropean compass. This
outlines how magicians ru""ed a needle with a lodestone !which gave the needles magnetic
properties) and then "alanced it on the rim of a cup or floated the needle in water where"y it pointed
north2south. ,t contains the earliest clear description of the magnetic needle compass* and also a
clear statement of the magnetic declination. 9agicians ru" the point of a needle with the
lodestone: then it is a"le to point to the south. 4ut it always inclines slightly to the east and does not
point directly at the south 1nother e-ample is an e-tract from 3hou Tsung2Shih !%%%' 1.;) it will
also point to the south* "ut will always incline !to the east) towards the compass2point $ing. This is
"ecause $ing "elongs to the principle of .ire* and the points 3eng and <sin !in the west)* which
"elong to metal !the needle "eing of metal)* are controlled "y it. Thus its !declination) is =uite in
accord with the mutual influences of things.5
The usefulness of the compass is also found in an compendium of military technology called /u
Ching Tsung +ao written around %6>>. <ere it descri"es when troops encounter dark nights or "ad
weather and needed to find their "earings* a thin piece of leave iron in the shape of a fish was
heated and then rapidly cooled. This magnetised the iron and was then floated in a "owl of water.
There is little other mention of the compass which is most likely due to the destruction of many
ancient te-ts during the time of the Jesuits in the early %?th century and also "y the first emperor
Chhin Shih <uang Ti. This has lead to the conclusive shutting of some of the doors of knowledge on
the origins of one of the greatest of all Chinese contri"utions to science.
The Chinese were also the first to develop a dry suspension type compass.This system used a
carved wooden turtle with a metal needle protruding from it and fi-ed to it tail.
The turtle was suspended "y a sharp "am"oo pin. The metal needle had "een ru""ed with a
lodestone giving magnetic properties. 1s a result the head of the turtle would point north. There is
another e-ample of the early form of the magnetic compass called the floating fish 2 shaped iron
leaf descri"ed in /u ching Tsung +ao in %6>>.
1t some time "etween the >th and the %6th centuries the south2pointing lodestone spoon was
superseded "y the south2pointing iron fish* tadpole* or needle which had "een magnetised "y
"eing ru""ed on the spoon* or "y sudden cooling in the earth* and that "y a natural association of
ideas* the needle came to "e called a frog or tadpole* while the tadpole itself ac=uired the popular
name of the mysterious needle. The first ma@or detail of the magnetic compass is in Ai /u Chueh
!.ive Transmitted Teachings in Beomancy) written in %?7'.
The first western te-t which details the magnetic compass was written in %7C> "y J. 3laproth. 9uch
of his findings still stand today. 1nother o"vious way to track the development of the compass is to
ascertain when it first appeared in 8uropean and 1ra"ic te-ts. The e-act date it may have appeared
in these cultures is also not entirely certain* however there is some reference to compass like
devises mentioned far "ack as %(C'. There is some speculation that the compass was invented in
,taly around %C66 in a town called 1malfi. 0ne of its earliest names for the mariners compass in
,taly was Calamita. /hile some have suggested that this was derived from the Breek work for
read* it is generally accepted that the word meant a small frog or tadpole. ,t is also consider that
some medieval churches in 8urope used a compass* however there is not much written evidence
according to Needham.
Needham speculates one of the reasons that the compass is not readily mentioned in early te-ts is
"ecause it was first used as a geomantic devise and not for navigation of the seas and land. ,f this
were the case details of its use would most likely show up in the writings of the pilgrimages of
4uddhist monks to ,ndia. ,n this connection it is also to "e noted that no mention of the mariners
compass has so far "een found in the accounts of China written "y 1ra" travellers. Sea captains
would have followed closely the cosmological principles em"odied in the magnetic compass* the
shih or diviners "oard. There is also a narrative of a voyage "y .a2<sien in >%> from ,ndia to China.
,t is the considered opinion of some e-perts in navigation and nautical technology that such a
voyage of the Chinese to the $ersian Bulf could not have "een made without the aid of some form
of magnetic compass. .or all ages* Chinese ships carried Taoist priests* and the use of the floating
needle may well have "een regarded as a nominal secret which would not readily "e revealed to
foreign merchants.

The Shih or Diviners oard
Needham claims the first pointer reading device prior to self registering metres such as the needle
and spoon pointer was the diviners "oard or shih. This device consisted of two "oards* the lower
one "eing s=uare to represent the earth and upper one circular representing heaven. The circular
piece rotated around (> compass points. 1ll the diviners "oards had engraved in the centre the
Breat 4ear constellation. 1t a given time or season the tail of the "ear successively pointed to
twenty four different e=uatorial positions depicted on the "oard. The ground plate also "ore the (7
hsiu constellations and the eight trigrams. ,t is "elieved that the arrangement of the shih was in
accordance with cosmological theories outlined in the "ook <uai Nan Tzu. The twelve months are
arranged on the <eaven plate* while the twelve 8arthly "ranches representing the dou"le hours of
the day appear on the s=uare earth plate.
Shih "oards are commonly found in tom"s dating to the former <an dynasty !(6' 4C 2 (D 1;).
1mong them were spoons* the shape of which permitted easy rotation when "alanced on their
"owls

The use of the Shih
This instrument allows the user to locate any constellation in the sky at any moment of the year.
1long with knowledge of the solstice and e=uino-es the user would "e a"le to predict which
constellations would appear and a astrological calendar was created. The configuration of the
heavens would "e determined at any time of day or month. The position of the Breat ;ippers
handle could "e predicted* which pointed to the always present North $olar Star. ,ts location would
designate the seasonal calendar and the four celestial =uadrants of the sky known as the Tiger
!west)* ;ragon !east)* Eermilion sparrow !south) and the ;ark /arrior to the north. 9oving the disc
to the right would represent the rotation of the Breat ;ipper around the North $ole. Correlations
"etween time and space were use to choose a fortune time and location.
The Compass* as we know it today has "een around for hundreds of years. Starting out from
wooden fish and turtle shapes to floating needles casting shadows to magnetic compasses that
guide and lead people to safety. Controversy rules over actual dates* "ut* it has to "e one of the
wisest and oldest forms of divination known to man.

The !pplication of the "#o $%an% & Feng Shui Compass
,n the centuries after the <an dynasty* the shih "oard was slowly replaced "y the feng shui
compass.The Ao $an incorporates the Chinese concept that <eaven and 8arth should "e in
harmony if our fortunes are going to prosper. They "elieve we are a microcosm* or small reflection*
of the greater whole* the macrocosm.
Ao $an is used for determining the direction of a site or dwelling. ,t can "e simple with only C rings
of information or as complicated as having over forty rings. ,t is held in veneration* and comes with
varying num"ers of rings around a central magnetic compass.This "ranch of .eng Shui is relatively
recent: it has developed over thousands of years as an accompaniment of the .orm school. ,t is
particularly useful when the landscape has few features which can "e associated with .orm School
re=uirements* such as mountains and rivers.
The Ao $an is a very helpful for any .eng Shui surveys. The practitioner needs to always take
physical forms into consideration first* and the Ao $an then lets you know unseen ch movements.
The FtrickF is to make use of "oth 2 to com"ine the .orm school principles with the techni=ues of the
Compass school and feng shui astrology. /ith very eminent topography* the Ao $an is secondary2
in flat* featureless areas the Ao $an takes more importance. /ith the use of the lo pan compass*
many decisions can "e made on the use of various rooms* and alignments can "e "ased on
individual horoscopes from their > pillars. The compass helps to produce the flying star house
chart* and gives a deeper insight into dealing with sha or negative energy and also gives clues into
energy readings and predictions. ,t also assists in locating the summer and winter sun pattern
surrounding a dwelling. ,t gives important information regarding the facing direction !front
orientation) and the mountain direction !the "ack orientation). This information helps to understand
the energy flow in a particular dwelling. The facing direction is usually determined "y the land form.
,f the house or "uilding is facing lower ground this is usually the facing direction. ,f this is o"vious
this will over ride the location of the front entrance. ,f there is no o"vious landforms to go on to the
front door usually "ecomes the facing direction. The Ao $5an is used to assess favoura"le parts of a
site* or "uilding. The practitioner can assess a place using "oth the older .orm school* which is
o"servation of purely geographical features* as well as using the Ao $5an. /ith practice* it "ecomes
a valua"le tool for helping people realise their potential in the relationship "etween person and
space.
The s=uare "ase is traditionally red* to sym"olise its auspiciousness. The Ao $an Compass were
traditionally made from tiger "one called <uku and were all hand painted. Two red threads must
intersect e-actly in the centre* running the length and "readth from the middle of the plate5s four
sides. The aptly named Ao $5an means 5reticulated5 !like a net) FplateF. The inner dial is covered with
circles and divisions* and sits on a s=uare "ase. The middle contains a compass. Two treads held
taut act as cursors. The final feature is a fine line under the compass which serves to align the dial
with the compass needle.
The "ases s=uare shape allows the Ao $5an to "e aligned against "uildings or structures.The "ase
is referred to as the 8arth $late. The circular dial is more comple- and contains concentric rings
which rotate independently of a central compass and is referred to as the <eaven ;ial. This allows
information to "e read from any direction. The compass is considered the sym"olic starting point of
chi* the F<eaven $oolF where action and rest interact. +in and yang rise and e"" giving rise to the
elements and other forms and forces* reflected in the rings. The <eaven $ool is seen as the centre
of the universe.
,n .eng Shui* directions are represented "y the five elements* the 7 trigrams* <eavenly stems and
8arthly "ranches* and the locations of the 1zure ;ragon to the east* /hite Tiger to the west* Ged
4ird to the south and 4lack Turtle to the north. The Ao $an correlates heavens wider order on
earth also through the correspondences ofH yin and yang: the <o2tu and the Ao2shu diagrams:
earlier and later heaven se=uence arrangement of trigrams: (> mountains which is a com"ination
of trigrams* stems and "ranches: the loshu portents: flying star horoscope ring: the , Ching
readings: the (7 lunar constellations: the elements of the lunar mansions. The seasons all have an
associated element and strength of +in or +ang. Similarly these fluctuate over the day. 8ach year is
also part of this cycle* so a pattern of elements and yin and yang succeeding each other over
shorter and longer time spans occurs.

Here is a brief overvie' of a traditional lo $%an compass rings
,t must "e noted that there arenearly as many variations to the lo pan compass as there are to
compasses themselves. <owever* each Ao pan shares some "asic rings with each other* namely
the trigrams and (> mountains. The variations are due* not only to different geographical locations
in China* "ut also different schools of thought in regards to what was considered auspicious or
favoura"le directions.
The Centre is called Tian Jio meaning heaven pond* or also called the Breat Tai Ji the original
nature of the #niverse. The heaven pool is filled up with water and a magnetic fish shape was used
as a needle until the invention of the dry needle. The magnetised fish had another very useful
function 2 it was used to measure things underground 2 like dowsing* so in the past the needle had a
three dimensional movement * which would indicate underground streams* holes* iron deposits etc.
There is also mention of a ancient form of divination which consisted of readings the shadow of the
sun onto the water using the old fish needle* a practice that some o"servers can still witness at
festivals in the south of China.
The main compass function was to esta"lish the direction and the North South a-is* there"y acting
as a reference for all the over directions
Ging one 2 the early heaven se=uence. The 7 directions and trigrams are linked with the original
early trigram se=uence. ,t represents <eavenly fluctuations of yin and yang as followsH
<eaven !complete yang) 8arth !complete yin)
Thunder !strong yang) /ind I /ood !strong yin)
/ater !middle yang) .ire !middle yin)
9ountain !lesser yang) Aake I Gain !lesser yin)
The visi"le yinIyang influence must also "e noted in a site. ,f it has any of these features* it is said to
"e +ang: windy* heavily "uilt up areas* hot* hilly* having warm2coloured e-teriors. +in sites are near
slow2moving water* in valleys or depressions* cool* cold* or painted in cooling colours* damp* and
=uiet. The overall result 2 visi"le* plus the readings of Gings 0ne and Two 2 should "e slightly more
yang. The practitioner would compare the site to the yin I yang se=uence a"ove* and note it. +ou
can advise the facade "e painted warmly if the site is too yin* or in cool colours if yang was
dominating too strongly. +ang FmountainsF can "e made with a rockery to the rear* of @agged rocks.
+in and yang plants can "e introduced. Aandscaping generally provides a yin element. The ,st ring
is the ideal perfection as e-pressed in <eaven. The 7 trigrams also had energetic associations*
meanings and significance* eg chien trigram N/ 2 sky* dragon* horse* heaven* hus"and* father H
8arth trigram S/ 2 cattle* wife etc
Ging ( 2 later heaven se=uence the post heaven dragon. The same procedure is taken* "ut the
later heaven arrangement of the trigrams come into play. The first ring gave <eaven5s unchanging
se=uence* while this represents 8arth5s se=uence. This ring is often represented numerically "y line
drawings @oining the num"er of stars or num"er representing in each direction. Ging two reveals
8arths unseen yin and yang and the first and second ring com"ined will ideally show a "alance*
with yang slightly more pronounced. 0"servation of the first two Gings allows for creating "alance
"etween the direction and immediate environment.
The (nd ring is also called Jiu2Jin the & stars as in the legend of yellow river turtle creating the lo
shu diagram. The & stars are H
%st star 2 hungry wolf 2 trigram thunder
(nd star 2 tian yi 2 heavenly doctor 2 trigram mountain
Crd star 2 2 longevity2 trigram heaven
>th star ' curses or ' sha 2 trigram water
Dth star 2 disaster2 trigram earth
'th star2 destroyers of armies* end of life 2 trigram lake
?th Star 2 D ghosts 2 trigram fire
7th star 2 fu wei 2 trigram wind
Aeft Tso .u and Gight +u $i "oth ruled "y wood 2 they com"ine to "ecome one star.
The & star is the "asis for the lo shu portens readings in the 4azhai 7 direction method of
Compass school feng shui. 8ach dwelling is given a 9ing 3wa which means fate of life num"er
and is associated with a 8ast or /est direction the door or gateway faces. The ming kwa is
calculated for the client and the techni=ue involves trying to have at least one entrance in that
favoura"le direction.
Ging three is referred to as the (> stars in the sky* mountains* directions or shens and also
known as the (> directions of ;i Ji. This ring is made up ofH
Twelve 8arthly 4ranches 2 influenced "y the .ormer <eaven se=uence* they represent the twelve
spirits of the 4ranches.
8ight !of the ten) <eaven Stems* from the Ao2shu system and
.our Trigrams showing corner positions from the Aater <eaven se=uence.
.eng Shui practitioners regard (> as complete num"er for heaven and earth. The (> mountains
esta"lish the orientation of the residence* how it sits and faces and where the mountain and the
water stars are in terms of the flying star dwelling horoscope. There is controversy a"out which of
the (> segments are auspicious. #se of this ring is to find favoura"le locations for your client. +ou
will need to take into account their year of "irth.
This ring also reveals places where the earth chi is very strong. The four Trigrams represent spirit
doorways* all inauspicious. 4ecause the magnetic and true directions are different* the
inauspicious locations fall to the left of their magnetic directions. They areH2 Bhost ;oorway !3uei2
men): 8arth ;oorway !Ti2hu):9an ;oorway!Jen2men) : <eaven ;oorway !Tien2men).Their
importance lies in knowing where their inauspicious directions for water courses are* and in gate
placement. Traditionally* auspicious readings are marked with red: inauspicious locations are
marked with "lack. These colours are used on the Ao $an to easily show their locations.
The (> mountains were also used to locate the alter in a house. Tien +i direction !the orientation of
Jupiter) 2 was considered good for a alter. The year %&&' was the Tai Shiu sha direction or opposite
direction of Tien +i and is due south 2 so it was avoided placing the alter there. The (> mountains
are used to locate the direction opposite that of the animal sign direction of the current year. This is
considered a sha or negative energy and occupies %I(>th of space. 1 popular form of feng shui is
not to live in a dwelling or face the direction opposite your own animal sign* as indicated "y this ring.
1lso avoided was distur"ing the soil or travelling in that direction. These directions of the natal year
"ranches make up the compass school called the San <e or Triple Com"ination School.
Ging four 2 Tian Jing. This is used to find a favoura"le direction if it couldn5t "e found from Ging
Three* and to find the direction of the sites ;ragon. 8ach num"er is representing a heavenly stem*
full of chi. The eight <eaven Stems !num"ers D and '* "elonging to 8arth are regarded as lying in
the centre) have four auspicious directions: C* >* ?* and 7* "ut some practitioner consider all 7 stem
directions auspicious.
There are many comple- water dragon formulates associated with ring C and >* here is a small
e-ampleH +ou should not have a site with water flowing inwards inH heng or ting !Stems ? or>) for
sites with 3un direction: hsin or @en !Stems 7 or &) for Chien direction: !S/) chia or kuei !Stems %
or %6) for 3en direction: or yi or ping !Stems ( or C) for Sun direction: ,n other words* houses facing
a stem shouldnt have water coming from the corner directions* and those facing corner directions
shouldnt have water coming from a stem direction. /ater flowing out in such a way is auspicious*
coming in is inauspicious.
The <eaven Stems are : %./ood Chia: (./ood +i: C. .ire $ing: >..ire Ting: D. 8arth /u 9ou '.
8arth Chi: ?.9etal 3eng: 7. 9etal <sin: &. /ater Jen: %6. /ater 3uei
The ,nner plate usually has appro-imately D rings 2 and is called theearth plate or centre needle .
The 9iddle plate appro-imately rings '2%6 2 is called the human plate or ren needle The 0uter
plate appro-imately rings %62%D 2 is called the heaven plate. 8ach usually has a repeat of the first D
to ' rings* "ut with a ?.D degree declination. These C plates are associated with <eaven* 8arth and
9an and also the three ma@or stages called the San +uan 2 upper * middle* lower and each yuan is
further divided into C when of (6 years. The Ao $an synthesises the relationship "etween heaven*
earth and human "eings* and depending on the situation* the relevant plate was chosen* eg for
siteing a tom"* the heaven plate was used.
Ging five 2 (> seasons of the agriculture calendar. The seasons were divided up into two stages
%(-(K(> characters or every %I( month is a seasonal division.
Ging si- 2 divided into C each (> aspects to get ?( divisions called the ?( ;G1B0NS that penetrate
from heaven. This ring was often used to plan the alter accurately and gives more detail for the
"asic 7 directions.
Ging seven 2 called cali"rate the metal 2 the (> mountains are divided into D to get %(6 divisions.
Gings D*'*? are there to interpret and give more detail to the Crd and >th ring.
Ging eight 2 the 7th ring is the "eginning of the human plate also known as the middle needle
where there is earth there is man.
Ging nine is the human plate 2 this ring has the (> mountains 2 "ut the centre line of this ring is
deviated "y a shift of %D degrees called ren @iang. Gen is the chinese name for <uman.
Ging ten 2 '6 dragons penetrate the ground.
Ging eleven 2 gives the first line of a poem to remem"er the su"divisions.
Ging twelve 2 relates to the o"servation of heaven 2 %( parts to heaven stars called wood star or
also called age star 2 goes from west to east each year and it changes like the e=uino- 2 in %(
years reaches a full cycle correlated to Jupiters %%.' cycle of earth 2 called Tai Shui. This is used to
forecast the opposite direction to the grand duke or the position of Jupiter in the <eavens 2 in this
direction it is considered not to till the ground or "uild in Jupiters direction or attack in this direction.
Ging thirteen2 called feng ye cali"rate the wilderness2 one of the first "ooks to mention the dragon
veins is +u Buong C666 years ago* it talked a"out su"dividing the earth in to %( sections.
Ging fourteen2 outer plate called feng zhen also called the stitch needle and has a %D degree
range. This works out the suns north 2 south a-is or the suns angle deviations.
Ging fifteen and si-teen2 relates to %>th heavenly plate and gives more graduations
Ging eighteen 2 D elements in relationship to the lunar mansions also called the '% elements of the
lunar year
Ging nineteen 2 the sky has (7 groupings or constellations of stars which hold up the sky. 1lso
used in ,ndian astrology* they all add up to C'6 degrees however each occupies different degrees of
the zodiac. 1n ancient coffin discovered in the <u"ai district had (7 constellations painted on it
(*766 years ago. The (7 constellations on the Ao p5an are also matched with fate of person and with
favoura"le or unfavoura"le days of the year for important occasions such as weddings and funerals.
Ging twenty 2 the , Ching portent readings of the '> he-agrams.
The Ao p5an e-perience 2the Sky and the people communicated 2 the .eng Shui practitioner located
the spot on earth where people could have their stars aligned to their fate. The practitioner must
spend many years perfecting the following stepsH .inding the place with the most a"undant sheng2
chi flowing in the earth. 8ncouraging the influ- of chi 2 the most important considerations are the
mountain* dragon* watercourse* house and doorway directions* and time. /e must consider the
locations of the sha or local eminencies* hsueh 2 the place of most vital chi* or commonly called
the the feng2shui spot* and chu 2 feng shui situation* and finally the ming2tang 2 or the "right
court.
Goger Breen has helped develop the western language Ao $an compasses and work"ooks that
are used in his training courses.