Criticisim of Two Cycles & Eight Periods AND Xuan Kong Liu Fa (9)

7. What is the auspicious and inauspicious based on the 2 cycles and 8 periods (二元八運)

Let's make a discussion about auspicious and inauspicious of time and direction by using the 2 cycles and 8 periods. For early palace, the Zhen Gua is starting from 0° to 45°. If the time now is in the 8th period, Zhen Gua would be auspicious; therefore 0° to 45° would be auspicious. This is easy to understand. However, if we fit this model into the traditional 24-mountains in luopan, the direction would be from half of the mountain-Zi (子山) to half of the mountain-Gen (癸山). In another word, half of the north direction and half of the northeast direction would also be auspicious while half of the north direction and northeast direction, inauspicious.

Table 7. Auspicious and inauspicious of time and direction for 2 cycles & 8 periods should follow the below in order to make their standard.

Cycle	Period	Year	Year Period	60 years cycle (六十甲子)	Early Trigram Palace	Auspicious
						Degree	24-mountains
Upper	1	18	1864 – 1881	Jia Zi – Xin Si 甲子­­−辛巳	Kun	315°-360°	½Qian – ½Zi ½乾 − ½子
	2	24	1882 –1905	Ren Wu – Yi Si 壬午−乙巳	Xun	180°-225°	½Wu – ½Kun ½午 − ½坤
	3	24	1906 – 1926	Bing Wu – Ji Si 丙午−己巳	Li	45°-  90°	½Gen –½Mao ½艮 − ½卯
	4	24	1930 – 1953	Geng Wu – Gui Si 庚午−癸巳	Dui	90°-135°	½Mao –½Xun ½卯 − ½巽
The time and direction are in doubt
Lower	6	21	1954 – 1974	Jia Wu – Jia Yin 甲午−甲寅	Gen	270°-315°	½You –½Qian ½酉 − ½乾
	7	21	1975 – 1995	Yi Mao – Yi Hai 乙卯−乙亥	Kan	225°-270°	½Kun – ½You ½坤 − ½酉
	8	21	1996 – 2016	Bing Zi – Bing Shen 丙子−丙申	Zhen	0°-    45°	½Zi – ½Gen ½子 − ½艮
	9	21	2017 – 2043	Ding You – Gui Hai 丁酉−癸亥	Qian	135°-180°	½Xun –½Wu ½巽 − ½午

There is one kind of compass school called “Xuan Kong Liu Fa” (玄空六法). This school is also based on the principle of 2 cycles and 8 periods. Nevertheless, by their law of “Yang-clockwise; Yin-anti-clockwise” (陽順陰逆), such practitioners would find out where is the Five Yellow Star (五黃星) located to be an inauspicious direction (Their calculation would be mentioned later). By Xuan Kong Liu Fa, palace-Zhen would be said to be inauspicious since the Five Yellow Star (or in their word: Ji Long 金龍 Golden Dragon) is now flying on this palace but by the core theory of 2 cycles and 8 periods, palace-Zhen would be asked to be auspicious. This is rather a paradox.

In Chinese Feng Shui, there are much principle, school, theory etc. needed to be clarified, eliminated and rationalized by Feng Shui practitioners with heart. No one wants Feng Shui under the shadow of superstition, so try your best to study Feng Shui in scientific approach.

Fig.7. Distribution of 64 hexagrams in Loupan from the view of yang and yin cycle. Commonly used directions and the centre of interval should be changed.

Designed by Mr. Chan Kam

Drawn by Mr. Wai Wah

Fig.7. Distribution of 64 hexagrams in Loupan from the view of yang and yin cycle. Commonly used directions and the centre of interval should be changed.

Criticisim of Two Cycles & Eight Periods AND Xuan Kong Liu Fa (8)

6. The study of 64 hexagrams (六十四 卦) from the view of yang (陽) and yin (陰) cycle

If we say, the principle of 2 cycles and 8 periods is mainly based on the early trigram; the 0° should be obviously occupied by the hexagram-Fu 復 (Return) and so on as follows:

Table 6. Distribution of early hexagrams on Luopan

Interval of Degree	Arrangement of Early Hexagrams	Early Trigram Palace	Centre of the Interval / Palace	Modern Direction (early trigram palace)
0° - 45°	Yang initiating Fu 復 (Return) to Wu Wang 無妄 (Innocence)	Zhen	22.5°	North-northeast NNE
45° - 90°	Ming Yi 明夷 (Darkening of the light) to Tong Ren 同人 (Fellowship)	Li	67.5°	East-northeast ENE
90° - 135°	Lin 臨 (Approach) to Lu 履 (Treading (Conduct))	Dui	112.5°	East-southeast ESE
135° - 180°	Tai 泰 (Peace) to Qian 乾 (The Creative) Yang exhausted	Qian	157.5°	South-southeast SSE
180° - 225°	Yin initiating Gou 姤 (Coming to Meet) to Sheng 升 (Pushing Upward)	Xun	202.5°	South-southwest SSW
225° - 270°	Song 訟 (Conflict) to Shi 師 (The Army)	Kan	247.5°	West-southwest WSW
270° - 315°	Dun 遯 (Retreat) to Qian謙 (Modesty)	Gen	292.5°	West-northwest WNW
315° -360°	Pi 否 (Standstill) to Kun 坤 (The Receptive) Yin exhausted	Kun	337.5°	North-northwest NNW

From the above, one yang is initiating in palace-Zhen that is represented by the first hexagram-Fu 復 (Returning) since only the first yao is yang among all yao. Afterwards, the yang Qi (氣) is gradually increasing to give one more yang yao for the inner trigram (內卦) in palace-Li. Two yang yao and one yin yao forming inner trigrams in palace-Li start the hexagrams from Ming Yi 明夷 (Darkening of the light) to Tong Ren 同人 (Fellowship). In palace-Dui, this shows the inner trigrams also with two yang yao and one yin yao, however, the yin yao (in palace-Li) is rising from 2nd line to 3rd line; the hexagrams are changed from Lin 臨 (Approach) to Lu 履 (Treading (Conduct)). Finally, the palace-Qian is a place with maximum yang Qi and ended by the hexagram-Qian 乾 (The Creative). By the theory of Yi Jing 易經 (Book of Changes), yin would be initiating when yang exhausted, so the Qi would then be going to palace-Xun and its respective hexagrams until all yin Qi were exhausted. In turn, yang Qi would start again and so on as a continuous cycle of yin and yang. This theory from Yi Jing constitutes the principle of Da Xuan Kong (大玄空) in which yin and yang are dynamic with each other and each of them governs half of a circle in the universe.

From the above elaboration of Qi, I want to tell everyone that I have no objection for the theory of 64 hexagrams embedded into their corresponding early trigram palaces since this obeys the theory of Yi Jing and Tao in Chinese. I just argue that the misconception of time and space generated from the principle of 2 cycles and 8 periods.

The discussion of 2 cycles and 8 periods:

1) If the arrangement of directions follows the column (Interval of degree) of Table 6 shown, the middle lines of each direction should be changed to the column (Centre of the Interval / Palace) of Table 6 also.

2) The concept of 8 directions should be changed from the traditional one (i.e. N, E, S, W, NE, NW, SE & SW) to the column (Modern Direction (early trigram palace)) of Table 6 for the purpose of finding out which is the auspicious direction or not.

3) However, if the practitioners still use the traditional direction, or say later trigram-palace, from the view of early trigram palace, just only half of the palace is auspicious; the remaining would then be inauspicious. If there is no confirmation of using which set of direction (early or later), auspicious or inauspicious direction couldn't be told.

4) Finally, if the practitioners choose the early one, this is easy to say palace-Zhen is auspicious during the 8th period. (i.e. Fu 復 to Wu Wang 無妄, 0° - 45°)

5) If so, there would be no contradiction in the theory of 2 cycles and 8 periods. But is this the fact? Is this true?

Figure 7 shows the distribution of 64 hexagrams in Loupan from the view of yang and yin cycle. Commonly used directions and the centre of interval should be changed.

Fig.6. Direction distribution of early trigram embedded in later trigram palace by using the non-fixing method and starting on the centre of the later palace-Kan 0° from which other trigrams are located in clockwise direction.

Designed by Mr. Chan Kam

Drawn by Mr. Wai Wah

Fig.6. Direction distribution of early trigram embedded in later trigram palace by using the non-fixing method and starting on the centre of the later palace-Kan 0° from which other trigrams are located in clockwise direction.

Criticisim of Two Cycles & Eight Periods AND Xuan Kong Liu Fa (7)

5. Further study of phenomenon C (2)

If we don't try to fix the axis of 0°, 90°, 180° & 270° (non-fixing method) for trigram location and place the early Kun on the centre of later palace-Kan, other trigrams would then be distributed in clockwise direction and a chaos of 8 directions could be seen. Figure 6 shows this pheonoemenon.

Table 5. Calculation of all directions of later trigram palaces by using non-fixing method and starting on the centre of later palace-Kan (i.e. 0° of a circle) under the theory of 2 cycles and 8 periods.

Early Trigram	Value of Total Yao	Later Trigram Palace	Calculation	Interval In Degree	Centre of Early Trigram in Degree
Kun	6 x 3 =   18	Kan	18 x 2° = 36°	342° to 18°	0°
Zhen	9+6+6 = 21	Gen	21 x 2° = 42° 42° + 18° = 60°	18° to 60°	39°
Li	9+6+9 = 24	Zhen	24 x 2° = 48° 48° + 60° = 108°	60° to 108°	84°
Dui	9+9+6 = 24	Xun	24 x 2° = 48° 48° + 108° = 156°	108° to 156°	132°
Qian	9 x 3 =   27	Li	27 x 2° = 54° 54° + 156° = 210°	156° to 210°	183°
Xun	6+9+9 = 24	Kun	24 x 2° = 48° 48° + 210° = 258°	210° to 258°	234°
Kan	6+9+6 = 21	Dui	21 x 2° = 42° 42° + 258° = 300°	258° to 300°	279°
Gen	9+6+6 = 21	Qian	21 x 2° = 42° 42° + 300° = 342°	300° to 342°	321°

Fig.4. Formation of new central line deviated from the original one with certain degree in clockwise direction according to the principle of 2 cycles & 8 periods (By fixing method).

Designed by Mr. Chan Kam

Drawn by Mr. Wai Wah

Fig.4. Formation of new central line deviated from the original one with certain degree in clockwise direction according to the principle of 2 cycles & 8 periods (By fixing method).

Fig.3. Degree changes and uneven distribution of directions according to the principle of 2 cycles & 8 periods (By fixing method & updated from Fig.2).

Designed by Mr. Chan Kam

Drawn by Mr. Wai Wah

Fig.3. Degree changes and uneven distribution of directions according to the principle of 2 cycles & 8 periods (By fixing method & updated from Fig.2). Two kind of calculation are shown.