The Feng Shui and Astrology Connection and the Timing of Effort

Feng shui is often called the Chinese art of placement. That boils a very deep and lengthy practice into something that's more about what picture to hang over the sofa versus a nuanced technique that accounts for time and the movement of energies in the environment and their impact on those who occupy it.

What else does that sound like?

If you're a student of esoteric studies, you'd say astrology. If you are more technically inclined, you'd say astronomy.

And either way, you'd be right.

At one time, the study of astronomy and astrology were one science, but the two diverged becoming two distinct fields of study, with astronomy being considered the more true science.

However, Chinese scholars knew that the gross movements of the planets and stars often accompanied shifts and changes on earth. From that feng shui grew as a science based on their careful observations and study over hundreds and thousands of years.

The Big Dipper and Feng Shui
The Big Dipper, called the Emperor's Chariot by the Chinese because it resembles a chariot with handles, was how the earliest Chinese began telling time. By watching the Big Dipper rotate through the sky night after night on the axis, the earliest Chinese began noting how the heavens reflected the passage of time - and oftentimes the shifts of fortune with it.

Over the millennia, the Chinese noted that the stars began moving in a repeating pattern. This pattern is called the Sigil of Saturn, a pattern that is known and regarded in many civilizations and beliefs, from Free Masonry to Kabbalah and Wicca. Saturn is often regarded as the father planet - the one who dictates fortunes and fates.

The Saturn Effect
In feng shui the sigil pattern was predictable and the arrival of a particular number, or star, in a nine square grid known as the Lo Shu Square, could bring either good fortune or misery and difficulties. The stars are often said to fly into their various quadrants, and the study of their flight and their effects is called the Flying Star school of feng shui.

Each year, it is those movements that help us to understand the movements of the energies and how they will change in the coming year ahead.

Based on these movements we can tell when health will be challenged, and for whom, such as the man of the house or the youngest daughter or if there will be good fortune for the woman of the house. But Saturn's pattern of energies isn't the only astrological-astronomical connection. The planet Jupiter has one too.

The Grand Duke -- or Dukes -- Jupiter?
Jupiter, often called the Great Benefic in western astrology for the belief that the planet bestows all manner of good fortune in western astrology, has a similar orbit as Earth, although it takes twelve years to move around the sun to Earth's one.

In feng shui and Taoist beliefs Jupiter has 60 moons and a 60 year rotation that is called the Grand Duke Jupiter or Tai Sui. He often represents the annual energy so there are actually 60 Grand Dukes, one for each moon or year of rotation. But for feng shui purposes it's easiest to think of the Grand Duke as a single entity.

In feng shui, the Grand Duke is a beneficial energy unless you are the zodiac sign for the year, such as a rabbit in 2011, in which case it's said that you are offending the Grand Duke and should take precautions, especially with health. In 2012, the dragon will be offending the Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke energy is most helpful when it's behind you and never confronted or faced. When it's behind you, this energy will help you overcome insurmountable odds and cast favor on any of your endeavors.

Follow the Moon
Many have asked me what the connection is with the New Moon and astrology to feng shui and the answer is that it is feng shui's most ancient connection. To make the most of feng shui's astrology, follow the annual and monthly movements of the stars, observing taboos and recommendations. You'll find that it becomes more specific and relevant to you and less like a newspaper horoscope.

Feng shui energies shift annually (like the sun), monthly (like the moon), and even moment by moment and decade by decade like the many planets and stars that occupy our solar system.

And even though today feng shui stays in the earthly realm, its roots are decidedly in the cosmos above us. Yet, its influence is felt and played out here on the chessboards of our homes, offices, cities and countries, making feng shui is true reflection of the astrologer's old saw, "as above, so below."