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DETAILED REPLY TO LINDY BAXTER

By Ray Harris

Here is a more detailed response to Lindy's 'brief response'. (Lindy's statements are in bold type).

'There have been experiments with magnets to suggest that the North Pole is not life enhancing, while the South Pole is.  Baron Von Reichenbach found a red glow at the south pole of a magnet and a blue glow at the north pole.  Dr. Albert Davis and Walter Rawls found worms left by the south pole of a magnet thrived, while ones left at the other end died.  From this it could be supposed that feng shui should not be changed for the southern hemisphere, as the earth's South Pole was a source of vitality, while the earth's North Pole was draining.’

'It is a fallacy to think that the earth's own magnetic forces have an effect on life exactly corresponding to a magnet.  Numerous scientists have disproved the link. (1) A.P. Dubrov, (2) working in the U.S.S.R, made 1228 experiments based on the effects of magnetic forces people, animals, birds, insects and plants.  He found wheat seeds thrived if planted without obstructions. Their roots would go south.  However, when the experiment was duplicated in an artificial magnetic south direction, they would bear stunted plants.' 

Yes, it is a fallacy to think that the Earth's own magnetic forces have an effect on life exactly corresponding to a magnet. I did not go into the magnetic argument in detail in my critique. I simply observed that the poles are different and that others have used Reichenbach, and Rawls and Davis. However, the magnetic argument needs to be now stated very clearly.

The work of Rawls and Davis related specifically to the use of dipole magnetism in healing. It was not concerned with the geomagnetic field. They observed that the magnetic poles were qualitatively different. This theory is still in use in magnetic healing.

The term north and south magnetic pole is derived from the compass' use in navigation. The end of the needle that pointed in a particular direction was named after that direction. However, in magnetism opposites attract. Therefore the North Pole, to which the north pole of a magnet points, is in fact a south magnetic pole. If the magnetic argument relied on a strict correlation between magnetism and geomagnetism then the South Pole should be read as the North Pole and vice versa. A point Lindy  seems to have missed. I do not however, argue that the effects of magnetic healing and geomagnetism are the same. I argue that the geographical bias of the globe creates a condition where the North Pole takes on the general characteristics of the trigram K'an. It is fortuitous that the healing properties of the north pole of a magnet point towards its matching geographical counterpart. This is entirely in line with the use of the compass as a tool of orientation.

Lindy seriously misrepresents and misunderstands Dubrov's work. As she is a lay person this can be understood as ignorance of academic ethics. If she were a professional academic this would be seen as a breach of academic standards, a breach that would probably result in disciplinary action (probably a reprimand). Dubrov simply does not address the question of dipole magnetism or magnetic healing. He does not mention Reichenbach or Davis and Rawls. He cannot therefore, be said to have disproved their work. Dubrov is concerned strictly with the effects of geomagnetism in biology. As such he is concerned with two separate questions. The biological sensitivity and response to the geomagnetic poles and the effect of fluctuations in the geomagnetic field, particularly the periodic fluctuations, of which the most notable is the 11-year solar flare cycle. 

As the geographic South Pole is in fact a north magnetic pole it is hardly surprising that organisms that seek south will react differently to a magnetic south pole. Dubrov knew very well of this difference, so the experiment Lindy claims he made is in fact pointless.

'This demonstrates that living things do not all seek out south.'

No one has ever suggested that all living things seek out south. This proposition is Lindy's creation.

'.it was found that many birds use the north pole for orientation.'

Several species of birds actually migrate across hemispheres. This indicates they are able to distinguish between the North and South Poles.

'The effects on Earth from outer space influences are very strong.'

Please qualify 'strong'. Strong in terms of what? Mechanical, magnetic, electromagnetic, gravitational? What effects? This statement is so general it is meaningless. It is not clearly qualified in the proceeding text.

'They have an opposite pattern in the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere'

What is the pattern? How is it opposite? Is it opposite in charge? Is it opposite in directional flow? What effects are opposite?

'Research from space explorations confirmed that the earth receives magnetic influences from the sun and the galaxy.'

Does Lindy mean magnetic or does she mean electromagnetic? The former implies we are influenced by the Sun's magnetic field. Information from NASA is but one source of our information about cosmic influences. Somehow the mention of NASA seems to suggest we should place more weight on this information. Are we to be in awe of NASA? Scientific organisations pay NASA to use satellites and to conduct experiments on missions. Significant work is also being done at Polar stations and by high altitude balloons. One of the most significant satellite experiments into the magnetosphere was to be Cluster, to be put into orbit  by ESA, the European Space Agency (unfortunately it blew up).

'These electromagnetic forces are called cosmic rays.'

No, they're not called cosmic rays. Cosmic rays refer specifically to charged (ionised) particles.

This is a term used to deliberately distinguish this type of radiation from the electromagnetic spectrum.

'Today, scientists know that it doesn't matter where the rays come from or where they hit the earth.'

Quite the contrary. There are a large number of scientists and a number of sub-disciplines concerned about this question. There are still a number of unsolved problems surrounding this very issue. Hence the design of the four satellite 'Cluster' project.

'Once here they are caught in earth's own surprisingly strong magnetic field of 0.6G, which is a million times that of a typical galaxy.'

This is a rather odd statement. 'G' is a measurement of gravity. There are four fundamental forces in the Universe; gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force. In the late 70's electromagnetism was found to be connected to the weak force, creating what is now known as the 'electroweak' force. Physics however, has not yet unified electromagnetism and gravity. The above statement simply shows that Lindy does not understand the science which she uses to support her argument. Moreover, it is difficult to see how this relevant to Feng Shui.

'From there, they act with equal but opposite force over the north and south poles, going in clockwise…or anticlockwise loops.'

I'm unclear about what she is talking about with these forces. My reading on this subject suggests to me that she is talking about the reaction of charged particles (cosmic rays) with the Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. Charged particles are drawn to the poles, where they are drawn in due to an anomaly, or fold in the magnetosphere. They are then able to enter the ionosphere. Here they are distributed globally. These ionic currents are affected by the Lorentz force, which causes contra movement. One of the effects of this process is the southern and northern aurora in the auroral oval.  One of the sources of these charged particles is the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF). If it flows toward the South Pole it causes what is called an 'open magnetosphere case'. If it flows toward the North Pole it creates a 'closed magnetosphere case'. Which seems to suggest a qualitative difference between the poles. But this needs further clarification. Did you know that cosmic rays are warmer at a point south of Leo and colder at a point north of Aquarius? (Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica). But what effect does the Ionosphere have on ground level Chi, where we all live? This is the real question. All of the above may be irrelevant.

'…Dubrov saw a link between cosmic ray bombardment from solar flaring activity. Dubrov concludes that geomagnetic forces are even important as an evolutionary factor.'

Solar flare activity and the resultant increase in electromagnetic disturbance and cosmic ray bombardment is different from geomagnetism, which is the Earth's own magnetic field. But what conclusions do we draw from all of this? Radiation of all sorts, ie cosmic, natural and artificial affects cellular structure and DNA. Is cosmic radiation different from natural and artificial radiation in its effects? What is the mechanism at work here and how does it affect Feng Shui in particular?

'.so do they have equal cosmic influences that move in opposite spirals.'

Again, I am not sure what she means here. Cosmic influences don't move in opposite spirals, the currents of the ionosphere do. This is simply due to the Lorentz force. It is not a special case.

'Archetypes have value because of their validity.'

Or archetypes are valid because they are valid. Actually, Archetypes are valid because they are universal. Archetypes have a specific meaning and are not to be confused with symbols and signs. It is a term coined by Carl Jung to convey the idea that human consciousness has a structure. Archetypes are similar to Plato's 'Ideas'. They exist independently of an individual. Symbols and signs reveal an Archetype.

'Archetypes are special because they demonstrate truth.'

Facts and logic demonstrate truth. Archetypes are true if they reveal a universal quality. The bagua is not an Archetype; it is simply a manifestation of an Archetype. Other forms of this Archetype are found outside of China, ie, the Native American Medicine Wheel.

'The bagua symbolizes (seasonal) conditions valid only in the north.'

This is precisely my point. Lindy then goes on to repeat the seasonal argument whilst failing to address my critique. Rather than requiring a need to alter the Later Heaven Sequence, this point merely indicates that the seasonal associations are secondary and associative, not primary and causative. The seasonal associations do not have validity outside northern temperate zones. Changing the bagua for the SH creates a logical absurdity.

'The bagua shows the progression of the seasons and the directions. Integral are the energetic level observations contained within the trigrams. Taoist philosophy predicates that where there is a front, there is an equal back. The validity of the traditional bagua is in no way lessened if its southern hemisphere counterpart is used.'

There is no doubt that the Later Heaven Sequence was used to explain the progression of the seasons in the NH. However, the trigrams are much more than seasons and directions. The Later Heaven Sequence was also designed to replicate the cycle of life and death, of day and night and of rise and decline.

Lindy does not explain what the energetic observations contained within the trigrams are. Certainly the trigrams and hexagrams were thought to represent the manifestation of the 'Many' in Taoist thought, but she does not go on to state how this truism supports her case.

'Taoist philosophy predicates.' This is a nonsensical statement. Every philosophy predicates that where this is a front there is an equal back. I assume that here she is referring to yin and yang. In which case she has grossly simplified this notion. The SH is not automatically the opposite of the NH. It cannot be said it is the yin (or yang) to the NH yang (or yin).

The traditional bagua is lessened if its counterpart is used. This is because the traditional bagua is also related to northern sky and the divisions of the ecliptic so essential to Chinese astrology.

'This same sequence, linking season, element and direction, has differences in the southern hemisphere.'

Part of Lindy's conceptual error is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the Chinese concept of season. Her arguments are based on the Western concept of seasons as derived from Western cosmology. The Chinese saw the local climatic changes as being fundamentally connected to the movement of the constellation of the Northern Ladle (also Great Bear and Big Dipper) as reflected through the four palaces. The palaces contained the essence of the seasons and the elements, and as the heavens rotated about the north celestial pole the seasons and elements descended to earth. The particular nature of Chinese cosmology is clearly explained in 'Science and Civilisation in China' by Joseph Needham. Now, as the palaces are divisions of the ecliptic it is not possible to change them in the SH. This leads to the obvious contradiction with Lindy's SH model.

'These flows reflect the scientifically validated observations of the complementary effects of the Coriolis effect.'

Using the Coriolis effect to justify a change to clockwise reading of the Lo P'an is a gross simplification and a false analogy. Firstly, the Coriolis force does not cause a specifically anticlockwise movement in the SH. The Coriolis force creates a movement to the left in one hemisphere and a movement to the right in the other. When combined with other forces this can create either a clockwise or an anticlockwise movement within the same hemisphere, (for example, cyclones move in contraclockwise movement to anticyclones). The same principle applies to rising and descending air and water currents. This pattern is simply reversed in the opposite hemisphere. Both hemispheres experience both clockwise and anticlockwise air and water currents. But this ignores the central issue. The Chinese were simply not aware of the Coriolis force and to argue that the anticlockwise reading of the bagua reflects the Coriolis force cannot therefore, be true.

'The compass was developed purely for seasons rather than climate.'

This is an absurd statement. The compass was not developed for seasons. It was developed to integrate astrology and the directions into the practice of feng shui.

Seasons are the result of the cultural interpretation of climate. Seasons do not exist outside the context of a specific climate or of a culture. The Australian use of four seasons is the result of northern cultural imposition. The Aboriginal people interpret Australian seasons quite differently.

'…arguments about different climatic effects have no foundation on the question of changes to the compass.'

If different climatic effects have no foundation on the question of changes to the compass then why change the compass in the SH? 

'Developed for the latitudes between 30 and 40 degrees north, they are at their best when applied in this region (Lily Chung, The Path to Good Fortune).'

The full quote from Lily Chung's book reads. "The process of development of all these mysterious ideas took place in Central China, mainly between the latitudes of thirty and forty degrees north. The analysis thus tends to be more accurate for people born within these latitudes globally".

The first thing to say is that Chung's book is primarily a book on Tzu Ping astrology, not Feng Shui. The analysis she refers to is a classic 'four pillars' analysis. It is Lindy who extends Chung's ideas to the Lo P'an.

The second thing to say is what do all of the practitioners in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia think of this proposition? All of these places are the major centres of feng shui practice and they are all below 30ºN. Another exponent of Tzu Ping is Master Raymond Lo of Hong Kong. He makes no mention of the novel idea that Chinese astrology only applies at certain latitudes.

'The compass was designed for areas in China where there were few natural features…Chinese feng shui practitioners look primarily at landforms...the lo p'an is used where natural features are lacking.'

This is quite some generalisation. Is this really the situation in current feng shui practice? Has Lindy done a survey of well known Masters to confirm that this is how they practice? This statement is patently false. As an anecdotal aside I suggest Lindy watch the Hong Kong movie 'Bury me High'. This action adventure uses Feng Shui as a central part of the plot. In the early scenes a Feng Shui Master uses the Lo P'an in an extremely mountainous sub-tropical location. How the directions of the mountains affect a burial site is central to the story.

'The trigrams are energetic descriptions of natural phenomena.'

The trigrams are symbols of universal principles. Combined into hexagrams they form the foundation of indigenous Chinese philosophy (as opposed to imported philosophies, ie, Buddhism). The trigrams are used in many contexts. To be precise, trigrams can be interpreted as symbols of natural phenomena. I don't know what the term 'energetic description' means.

'The lo p'an is NOT based on weather.'

Lindy is confused about the difference between weather, climate and season. They are essentially the same, they cannot be separated. Weather and season are a function of climate.

'It is based on seasonal progressions (among many other things). Ernest J. Eitel's Feng Shui discusses this.’

The use of Eitel as a source is unfortunate. It is an extremely dated work and flawed due to the culturally biased nature of his 'Victorian' scholarship. It is of historical interest only.

Having said that Lindy has been extremely selective in her quote. She doesn't mention the material that supports the traditional model. Take these two quotes for example.

"The Chinese look upon the seven stars as of the Great Bear as forming a natural clock."

"Everything that exists on Earth is but the transient form of appearance of some celestial agency. Everything terrestrial has its prototype, its primordial cause, its ruling agency in heaven."

Again, Lindy has committed an academic indiscretion. One does not quote an author out of context, or use selective quotes. An author's work must be dealt with fairly.

'Remember, feng shui observations are based on the position of the earth relative to the Sun. We are opposite in the southern hemisphere.  Also note that the effects from outer space regarding these five planets are based on their seasonal position.'

Feng shui observations are not based on the position of the Earth relative to the Sun. This statement is absurd. The compass school is clearly based on the movement of the sky around the north celestial pole. The divisions of the Lo P'an are to be read as divisions of the sky. The Sun, Moon and the five planets have a very specific place in astrology. The effects from outer space of the five planets are not based on their seasonal position. They were associated with particular seasons because they are the essence of the five elements. As you well know, Mars the fire planet moves around the ecliptic and can sit in any celestial palace at any time of the year.  Therefore fire can sit in the palace of the Azure Dragon in the middle of winter.

'The Ten Heavenly Stems are also assigned to the Five Forces, with numbers 5 and 6 symbolically placed in the centre of the lo p'an to reflect the central 'direction' of Earth.'

The number 6 is not assigned to the centre. This right belongs exclusively to the number 5. This is basic lo shu numerology. Lindy seems to have confused the numerology applied exclusively to the Stems with the lo shu. 

'The summer directions are those of greatest heat, the opposite to the northern hemisphere, just as time is opposite.'

Time is a function of longitude not latitude. Time is not opposite in the SH.

'This must have the Snake and Horse in the north.'

This raises another conundrum. Do you change the calendar by adjusting it forward or backward? How do you determine which way it should go? Do you adjust the cycle of years by 6 years so that 1998 is actually the year of the Sheep in the SH? Do you go backward or forward, thus changing the stem?  Take a person born at 6am, 3/4/66. The situation is clear if they are born in Singapore but not if they are born in Jakarta. If they are born in Jakarta they can equally have two different Tzu Ping charts. One adjusted forward and one adjusted backward. I wonder about all of the people born in the SH who have had their charts done whilst visiting Taiwan or Hong Kong.  Were adjustments made? Were the readings successful? Is it an accepted practice in Chinese astrology to make adjustment for the SH? Do we change Tzu Wei astrology as well? Dates and time are a function of longitude, how does a change of latitude change them?

'Peoples living outside the temperate latitudes may well get less validity from the application of the compass.'

May or will? This statement must also apply to the NH. What about all the practitioners in Malaysia and Singapore? Have they mistakenly been using the Lo P'an all this time? Does this mean the Lo P'an ceases to function between the two tropics?

'It is the Coriolis forces that produce the deflection of currents, as reflected in the compass.'

The Coriolis force does not affect the geomagnetic field so it is not reflected in the compass.

'The southern hemisphere model produced by Lindy Baxter is based on the earth's magnetic currents.'

It seems Lindy is confused about the difference between the Earth's magnetic currents, the currents in the ionosphere and the magnetosphere in general. 90% of the Earth's magnetic field is created inside the Earth, the so-called 'geomagnetic dynamo'. The ground-based magnetic fields are not greatly affected, if at all, by the Coriolis force or by the seasons.

Fluctuations and anomalies are largely geological in origin.

'…cosmic effects as demonstrated by NASA.'

I am unaware that NASA by itself has demonstrated any cosmic effects. NASA operates in collaboration with a wide range of scientists from around the world. NASA does initiate and commission research, but very often disciplines within the scientific community hire NASA's services to undertake its own research.

Again, she is unclear about what cosmic effects. Does she mean cosmic rays, solar flare activity, background radiation, or specific problems associated with specific bands of the electromagnetic spectrum? How is this actually relevant to Feng Shui?

'The Former and Later Heaven trigram arrangements are altered.'

What justification is there for changing the Former Heaven Sequence? It is not based on seasonal associations.

’There is no logical absurdity in having two complimentary systems, with a neutral ground at the Equator.'

The logical absurdity exists because they are contradictory, not complimentary. Complimentary means that you can use both systems interchangeably. In Lindy's system one cannot use the NH compass in the SH and vice versa. The Form School and Compass School are complimentary. A neutral ground at the Equator does not remove the logical absurdity; it merely redefines the context in which it occurs. We must still define the Equator. Because she mentions the Coriolis force in this context perhaps we must use the Coriolis equator? The Coriolis force diminishes in effect incrementally. Is the Coriolis equator the exact point of neutrality or do we accept a cut off point where the force is regarded as so weak as to be insignificant? How do we come to agreement about this? What if we reach agreement and decide, for argument's sake, that the cut off point is 3º latitude either side of the Coriolis equator. Suppose you live in Kuala Lumpur. The whole city is divided by this cut off point and many houses are split by this cut off point. Does this mean that one half of the house can be divided into the bagua and the other not? Does this mean that Singapore is in a 'Lo P'an no-go zone'? Do you think for one minute, that Singaporean practitioners will accept such an idea? Does Lindy know that the Equator is neutral or does she imagine it is neutral?

'Cosmic energy is immensely potent'.

Who is Lindy trying to impress? What sort of cosmic energy? Immensely potent in reference to what scale and in comparison to what?

'Numerous tests show it can come to Earth at any point, be caught in the Earth's Van Allen belt, then be deflected in opposite but equal directions between the two hemispheres.'

Cosmic rays are not 'caught' in the Van Allen belt and then deflected, they enter the magnetosphere at the so-called 'ionospheric trough' located at either pole. The Van Allen belt lies at the Equator. Charged particles are concentrated in this area but they are not deflected. They concentrate and dissipate over time. The influx of cosmic rays at the poles are not 'deflected' but interact with the ionosphere. 'Opposite but equal directions' doesn't make any sense. How can they be equal if they are opposite - a confusion of terms. Lindy's ignorance of the actual processes involved is astounding. She clearly does not know what she is talking about.

'…but overall the effect is opposite but equal.'

The opposite directional flows of ionospheric currents does not appear to have either a quantitative or qualitative effect on life. It is radiation itself that affects matter.

'Authors such as Lily Chung, Diana ffarginton Hook and Chu and Sherril see the need for change in the southern hemisphere.'

Please note that Lindy specifically states that the quoted authors 'see the need for change.' In fact two of the three authors do not mention the need for change at all. Lindy has misinterpreted these authors. The other interesting thing about these authors is that they write fairly exclusively about the I Ching or Chinese Astrology, not Feng Shui.

I have already mentioned Lily Chung (The Path to Good Fortune. Llewelyn, 1997). However, she does not state that she sees the need for change. What she says is this, "The method does not apply to births in the Southern Hemisphere, where the atmospheric condition at any given point is in contrast to the north." Chung is of course, speaking specifically about Tzu Ping astrology. If we extend her belief into Feng Shui then we come up with the radical notion that Feng Shui does not apply in the SH. It is Lindy's wishful thinking that suggests this statement is talking about changing systems, instead it simply negates their validity for the SH. Yet, the reality is that most Australian practitioners are successfully using Feng Shui and Tzu Ping astrology. Lily Chung seems unaware of this fact and Lindy chooses to ignore it completely. It is interesting to note that the cover notes to Chung's book state that it is 'the only guide in English for beginners'. Not so of course, Master Raymond Lo has written 'Feng Shui: The Pillars of Destiny' and  'Feng Shui and Destiny for Managers'. Hee Yin Fan has written 'Discover Your Destiny'. All in English and all currently available.

Diana ffarington Hook wrote 'The I Ching and You' (Routledge, 1973. Out of print). Lindy has misquoted this author. She does not advocate change at all. What she says is that in reading some commentaries of the I Ching people living in the SH should note that 'the second moon of spring' should be understood as being autumn in the SH. This is not, in any way, an endorsement for the changes Lindy proposes.

Chu and Sherrill wrote two books. 'The Astrology of the I Ching' (Routledge, 1975. Currently available) and 'An Anthology of I Ching' (Routledge, 1977. Out of print). Both books share the same appendix, which refers only to the need for change in the application of astrology. They make no reference to Feng Shui. They say:

"Everyone knows that the Southern Hemisphere is the counterpart of the Northern Hemisphere, i.e., when it is summer in the north it is winter in the south, the circulation of the ocean and wind-storm currents are reversed, etc., indicating different influences acting on each area."

I have already made ample comment on these matters. Chu and Sherrill have obviously not studied the issue in enough detail. They then go on to assert that the astrological year must be offset by six months, choosing the summer solstice point as the nominal starting point of this 'astrological' year.

Firstly, they do not explain why the year must be advanced rather than retreated. Secondly, neither the Chinese Solar nor Lunar Year starts at the summer solstice, and it is these two year markers that  are used in Feng Shui. I have dealt with the problems that such calendar manipulations give rise to in my original paper.

It would seem that Roger Green and Lindy Baxter have based their calendar changes on Chu and Sherrill. If this is the case then it is clear they have simply repeated the original error. Authors such as Master Raymond Lo and Lillian Too, who are acknowledged and highly regarded Feng Shui experts, have clearly stated that there is no change for the SH. Whom do we believe, Chu and Sherrill or Lo and Too?

'The I Ching is the basis for feng shui practice'.

This is another simplistic statement that is patently false.

'Taking the inner hexagrams until the same hexagram is endlessly repeated gives only four hexagrams. These are numbers 1, 2, 63 and 64. They are very important as they underlie the other 60 hexagrams.'

The first sentence does not make any sense. How can one endlessly repeat a hexagram? What is an 'inner hexagram'? Does Lindy mean bigrams or trigrams? The hexagrams certainly exhibit symmetry. Numbers 1 and 2 are symmetrical around the centre. But so are hexagrams 61, 30, 27, 28, 29, 30, 61 and 62.

Hexagrams 63 and 64 are symmetrical around two lines. But what does this prove? I am not aware of any commentary isolating the above mentioned four hexagrams for special mention. Which works state this?

'Number 64 reverses Li and K'an.(this) is the mate to hexagram 63 but ruling the southern hemisphere.'

This only makes sense if the arrangement of the 64 Hexagrams is based on the Later Heaven Sequence. There is no reason why this should be done. If we interpret the Hexagrams according to the Earlier Heaven Sequence then the numbers 23 and 26 indicate the hemispheres. But what does this tell us?  Surely the Hexagrams are not interpreted according to either of the two arrangements of the Trigrams?

'Having different species between the hemispheres, or different numbers of population, does not mean natural forces can be ignored.'

Natural forces are the cause of the different species. It is called evolution. Life evolves to adapt to natural forces. If there is a difference in evolution between hemispheres then it is because the conditions are different. Life in the NH has had to adapt to long periods of snow. Life in the SH has had to adapt to different conditions.

'Continental drift has been responsible for many acts of biodiversity.'

Continental drift accounts for some differences, climatic adaptations for most, and separation by sea or land for others. The distribution of land and sea is a geological accident, but so what? The differences between the hemispheres are largely a consequence of this distribution. The NH happens to have large landmasses near the pole. This doesn't negate my point about global differences. It supports it.

'Wind, water, and seasons all flow in opposite ways between the two hemispheres.'

This is far too general. Prevailing winds show a much more complicated pattern, ie the westerlies and trade winds. Water in general does not flow in an opposite way. Look at the flow of the major currents. They flow around continents. Seasons do not flow, nor are they affected by the Coriolis force.

'The importance of the Big Dipper must not be misconstrued. The Taoists believe it is a sacred constellation, with the Pole Star the home of highly evolved beings. Yet it moves slowly over time, and feng shui is not posited on positions of planets, but on the relative position of Earth and Sun. In the northern hemisphere the Big Dipper appears to point to north, south, east and west as the seasons change. This is not a rationale to dispense with the associations of metal to autumn, wood to spring, fire to summer and water to winter, however. These are intrinsically tied to the Later Heaven Arrangement of the trigrams.'

The Big Dipper is actually of central importance to astrology and feng shui.

Chinese cosmology believes that the source of primal Chi is the Celestial North Pole. It is the still point from which the motions of the Heavens arise. It is the source of yin and yang, and the five elements. The Big Dipper is known also as the Purple Palace. It is regarded as the abode of the Lord of Heaven. In Chinese belief Heaven rules Earth. It is the source of the laws that Earth must obey. The Emperor is regarded as the Son of Heaven. It is his duty to represent and follow the laws of Heaven. This involved, as sacred duty, the creation of the almanac and the performance of rites. As you well know these were performed according to the rules of astrology and feng shui. These systems are regarded as being dictated by the Lord of Heaven.

So, we have a chain of origin. It begins from the primal source, the Celestial North Pole. It is codified by the Lord of Heaven and put into earthly practice by the Son of Heaven. Failure to follow this pattern spelt disaster for Chinese society.

The next thing to understand is that the Chinese did not use an ecliptic system. Nor did they understand that the seasons were due to the tilt of the Earth. The seasons were considered the result of the movement of the Big Dipper, as were the hours of the day. You will be familiar with the fact that the Big Dipper is used as an indicator of the calendar. This is fundamental to Chinese astrology. What must be understood is that this movement was regarded as a cause, exactly like the Finger of God.  Furthermore, the Big Dipper is fundamental to the Compass School. The earliest Lo P'ans were simple cosmographs that had a piece of carved lodestone placed in the middle. This lodestone was carved in the shape of a ladle to directly replicate the Chinese image of the Big Dipper – the Northern Ladle.

The movement of the seven luminaries (Sun, Moon and planets) were regarded as secondary. In fact they were regarded as emissaries of the seven stars of the Northern Ladle. The Compass School cannot be said to be posited on the relative position of the Earth and Sun. In fact Chinese cosmology does not recognise a connection between the Earth and Sun - to do so is to confuse Western cosmology with Chinese cosmology. The Sun and Moon were born of Fire and Water, which in turn, were born of yin and yang. The five planets are born of the pure form of the five elements.

"In the sky were the sun and moon, on Earth yin and yang. In the sky were the five planets, on Earth the five elements. In the sky were the lunar mansions, on Earth the terrestrial mansions. The three luminaries (Sun, Moon and planets) are the seminal chi of yin and yang. This chi resides on Earth and the Sages unify and organise it".

Ssu Ma Chien

The compass needle replicates the Northern Ladle. The Heavenly Pool replicates the Central Palace with the Celestial North Pole as its source.  Each of the rings of the Lo P'an arise out of the Heavenly Pool, just as all the divisions of Heaven arise out of the Celestial North Pole. The 28 Hsia, 24 Ch'i, 8 trigrams (ba gua), 64 hexagrams and so on, all have their origin at the Celestial North Pole. They radiate down to Earth where they are regarded as the cause of the cyclical changes on Earth. The task of the astrologer, the alchemist and the feng shui master is to follow and interpret the will of Heaven as represented by the cosmological model.

In the SH the Celestial North Pole maintains its position north. We need to imagine the various systems of Hsia, Ch'i and so forth, as divisions of celestial longitude. Yes, the seasons change as latitude changes, but there are marked changes within a single hemisphere. This suggests that the seasons are associative.

The origin and cause of the divisions of the Lo P'an and Ba Gua is the Celestial North Pole. This will always lie north. And the whole system of Chinese astrology and Compass School feng shui was about obedience to the Lord of Heaven, who resides in the Purple Palace of the Northern Ladle. To change the Lo P'an is to literally turn our backs on our figurative Lord and Master.

Conclusion

From what Lindy has written she seems unclear about the actual physical processes that occur in the Earth's geomagnetic field and the ionosphere.

My knowledge is based on general reference material (ie Encyclopaedia Britanica) and even this basic knowledge contradicts what she has said. She has made some basic and serious errors of fact. To my knowledge there is nothing to suggest that the interaction of cosmic rays with the ionosphere has anything to do with feng shui. It seems totally irrelevant.

She also seems unclear about the relationship between season, climate and weather. My argument is that because the seasonal associations of the Ba Gua are not true for all climates they cannot therefore be considered causative, only associative. She has not proven that they are indeed causative, instead she has merely argued from association. The argument from association leads to a logical absurdity. She has not resolved the absurdity; she has merely complicated it. She has now created a theoretical equatorial neutral zone of undefined magnitude. She has also made a proposition regarding the use of the Lo P'an that clearly contradicts accepted practice.

Her acceptance of the need for a total change of the elements of the Lo P'an has led to the unsolvable conundrum of which way to adjust the calendrical system of lunar months, stems and branches. There is no reason to choose one way over the other. This creates a classic dilemma, thus breaking another rule of basic logic.

She has also misunderstood the meaning of Archetype. Archetypes are another way of talking about Plato's 'Ideas' or the Perennial philosophy's 'Imaginal realm'. Taoism is an 'Idealist' or 'Perennial' philosophy. 'Ideas' or 'images' arise out of an unseen world. In China, the Immortals and Sages are the ones who can see into this world and extract meaning. The I Ching is meant as an intermediary. We consult it as an oracle, we gain wisdom by contemplating it, we perform magic through the correct application of its symbology.

She seems to have confused this world of 'Ideas' with the phenomenal world, the classic Idealist/Materialist dilemma. Some astrologers have attempted to cloak their work in the mystique of science, only to trip them selves up. Like feng shui, it is not a physical science; it is an esoteric science, what the Hindus would call a jyotir vidya - a truth of spiritual light. The truth of feng shui comes out of a true understanding of Chi and out of an understanding of the realm of the Immortals.

Ray Harris