I Ching, Yijing or Zhou Yi
"Oracle of the moon": © 2000 LiSe
Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon
Luoshu oracle (a trigram oracle)
The layout of this oracle is an ancient map of the earth. In China it is the layout of the Luoshu magic square, nowadays worldwide known as the basic stucture of Feng Shui, the art of creating a harmonious environment.
Both in the East and the West magic squares intrigued people since old times.
In the West the most well-known one is the magic square of Saturn, planet of order and solid structures.
Every number in this square has a direction because it is a map of the 'Earth', the space in which creatures live: North, South, East and West, and 'here', the center.
North is cold, it is where the shadows fall, where one is alone. South is light and warm, no shadow will descend there, people gather here. East is where the sun comes up, where things start, where the dreams of the night meet the reality of the day. West is where the day and the light end, where the night with its dangers begins. In China, the pensive black turtle lives in the North, the fiery red fenix in the south, the creative green dragon in the East and the wild white tiger in the West. Each place also has a trigram associated with it, according to the meaning of its direction and the meaning of the trigram.
In China places like houses or burial mounds were positioned and designed according to this 'map'. It aligns them with the world and everything the world has to offer, which is a great protection and help for the one who dwells here, in the center at 5.
The blue-green lines in the
square of Saturn (at right) are an old symbol for the planet Saturn. But when you follow the numbers in the Magic Square of 9 (3x3) in the center (or the Luoshu magic square at left), the same symbol will emerge.
In astrology, Saturn is a planet associated with discipline, responsibility, structure, limitations and boundaries. The sturdy reality of things.
In Fengshui, living according
to your reality and its needs is the way to find prosperity and happiness. It is the art of creating a harmonious environment.
This magic square is a great way to consult an oracle - laying trigrams out on (or imbedding them in) the pattern of your life and character. Han Boering made a very good one with hexagrams. But this one uses the original trigrams assigned to each place. Your question adds 8 trigrams to find 'your' answer for each realm in your life. This will also create hexagrams (except in the center) but this time much more focused on your own existing background, place and other surroundings. Including your mind with its talents, shortcomings, dreams, regrets and joys.
The Luoshu oracle will tell you what to do in accordance with the regions of your life or your mind. When trigram Kan, Water, lands on number 9, the South, there might be danger or wisdom from your surroundings. Or did trigram Zhen, Thunder, land there? Renew acquaintances or a common project, or prepare for shocks in that direction. But when a trigram lands on point 1, the North, the same might happen in secret, or in the depth of your soul or at the base of your project.
If it lands on point 4, the South-East, it affects the realm where things become actually visible, after their birth in the East. It is the connection with people you start to know. Peers, colleagues, classmates, but also other surroundings that are becoming part of your life.
It is a layout of possibilities that you might lay out around yourself, or paint on the walls of your room. Each direction connects to a part of your soul or mind, your place, your surroundings, your ideals.