LUOPAN
BY ARCH. PIERFRANCESCO ROS

THE LUOPAN

Each of the two main Schools has codified over time and in the various dynasties, a complex diagnostic instrument known under the name of Luo Pan or “wang luo zhi pan” or plate of the sky (“pan” in Chinese), which each master built by personalising it through the different styles.

This disk-shaped instrument, formed by several concentric rings joined by a kind of spider web (“wang” in Chinese) has a magnetic compass at its centre. This plate, built in ancient times in wood or bone, contains a series of information that differs depending on the School to which it belongs. However, there are mainly three types of Luo Pan or Compasses on the market which, despite having many rings in common, differ mainly in some.

San He Pan
San He Luo Pan: the three staggered radial rings containing the Three “Gifts” of Qi at the top, left, center, bottom right, three models in sequence from low to excellent quality of San He Luo Pan

The San He Pan used by the San He School, is mainly differentiated by 3 radial rings staggered by 7.5 degrees containing the 24 Mountains in the sequence: earth, man, sky (the three “Gifts” of Qi) each with sub-rings of more specific energy composed of 72 and/or 120 dragons.
As we have just anticipated in the methods of the San He School, this Luo Pan is used to evaluate the compatibility between the energies of the Elements given by relevant landscape aspects that enter into relationship with the Front or Back of the house.

For example, if we want to analyze the energies related to the position and orientation of a house, we will look at the energies related to the Gift of the Qi of the Earth (visible through the Luo Pan, in the Plate of the 24 Mountains of the Earth), if we look at the effect of a mountain or a surrounding building, we will look at the energies related to the Gift of the Qi of Man (visible through the Luo Pan, in the Plate of the 24 Mountains of Man), if we look at the effect of a surrounding river or a road, we will look at the energies related to the Gift of the Qi of Heaven (visible through the Luo Pan in the 24 Mountains of the Plate of Heaven).

Furthermore, this School looks at the relationship of the triple compatible combinations of Animals (called “San He” combinations or triple favorable combinations) linking them to the orientations. For example, if you were born in 1947 and therefore belong to the symbolic animal Boar, you will have as allies the Sheep and the Rabbit from which the favorable directions for that person will be the SW\S (Ramb) and the East (Hare). Therefore, if the entrance door, the parents’ bed, or the kitchen are placed in the specificity of the stove, in these directions there will be an increase in wealth, if an altar is placed there will be an increase in health and spiritual well-being. The same applies to the favorable combinations of animals that are linked in pairs (called “Liu He” combinations or the six combinations or direct favorable positions).

Instead, the unfavorable, opposite combinations (called the six unfavorable opposite combinations) and the direct unfavorable ones (called Zhong Sha or the direct unfavorable positions) should be avoided

These methods described above fall within the three main Classic methods called:

Si Dai Shui Kou or Method of the four great mouths of water, Classic method created by Master Kong Wen-Xing;

Huotian Shui Fa or Method of the Waters of the Later Heaven, Classic method created by Master Ye Jiu-Sheng;

San He Si Da Ju or Method of the four great positions of the San He method: Classic method created by Master Zhao Jiu-Feng.

San Yuan Pan
San Yuan Luo Pan two models of excellent quality: on the left by Yoseph Yu, on the right by Howard Choy

The San Yuan Pan used by the San Yuan School is mainly distinguished by a single ring containing the 24 Mountains of the Gift of the Qi of the Earth, with sub-rings of more specific energy of 72 sections called Dragons of the Mountains and 120 Dragons called of the Waters, and by a further ring (placed on the periphery of the disk) with the 64 Hexagrams.

Inside this Luo Pan we find above all two main Classic methods that give emphasis to time (even if they are based on different temporal methodologies).

The Xuan Kong Feixing Pai or “School” of the Flying Stars and the Xuan Kong Da Gua Pai or Method of the 64 Hexagrams:

Zong He Pan
There is also a third type of Luo Pan called Zong He Pan, which is the combination of the previous two.