A LuoPan is beyond just a tool to pinpoint location and direction. It is also a tool that is supposed to protect the practitioner in the event of danger and harm. Beyond that it is also a barometer to trace and track the unseen being usually loitering around in places with ShaQi or Killing Qi such as haunted houses. Some LuoPan such as those sanctioned by a certain FengShui school or sects contained special formulas that only people of such school would understood. Some LuoPan are so delicately handcrafted such as the produce of WuLu Hang, fit as a decorative or collective pieces and not for heavy duty usage. For more obvious information of the LuoPan, please refer to a LuoPan compendium, beautifully written and researched by Stephen Skinner based on the corpus of work by the late grandmaster Li DingXin entitled The 49 Rings of The Chinese LuoPan Explained.

Yet, it has been every FengShui master’s dream to create its own LuoPan. Now a day, you can approach LuoPan maker liked Thomson House in HongKong or TongTing in Taiwan to have it made according to a standard LuoPan template or even to add in some of your “fancy built to suit” rings according to your school and preferences.

We quote a statement by Master Han of France as he confessed, “Not only the Bolehland Conmaster plagiarized books and teachings of his master, but his team also plagiarized our LuoPan, with the help of the former collaborator of the WuJi Academy, mandated for the development (entirely financed by the WuJi Academy from 2010) and mounting our LuoPan and who wanted, in 2015, misappropriate a full stock of 45 pieces. They now even claim that this LuoPan is their exclusivity and that we are copiers! It's the world turned upside down!

But whatever the actions of those who tried and are trying to harm us. Here we have the proof that their school is neither official nor accredited by the masters of their lineage, but indeed built on betrayal, incompetence and lies, as Grandmaster LiDing Xin clearly stated in this letter which is a compelling evidence.

We have the proof that they are absolutely not trustworthy, as well as everything they say or write, especially regarding the Bolehland Conmaster and his minion but also our former collaborator who partnered with them.”

​Details HERE.

I will always remember March 11 for 2 reasons. One, the Earthquake that hits Japan that has trigger the Tsunami. Second, exactly that very moment, while measuring and setting the alignment for one of my FengShui audit, the South and North orientation of my brand new LuoPan went haywire, instead of pointing South, it pointed North. All my readings did not conform to my earlier record, saving me the embarrassment and it makes me wonder what has gone so very wrong without realizing that there is a major disaster over in Japan. That is the very first time I use this brand new LuoPan and it may also be the very last time of using it as it is no longer operational.

It makes me realize a point which I had overlooked. Have you ever wonder why olden day master uses one and only ONE LuoPan for their audits even though the conditions may have been aged and worn out? Next, wonder why a good LuoPan, made under ISO9000 can also be faulty upon measuring at the exact time when an earthquake measuring 8.9 equivalent to 340 megaton or 24,000 times the Hiroshima A-Bomb hits Japan? This is mind boggling. I have no answer. One thing I know, I will be using my old trusty LuoPan again.

Saying thus, I have not heard much about others talking about the quake in Japan caused by someone digging a hole somewhere eastern part of Japan (where it responses to China as the center of the Chinese Universe) causing a Quake in Japan which happened to be at the 5 yellow sector in XinMao year. Better, this is one old pal of mine has to say: -

"... The immediate following question for FengShui addicts should be: WHO DUG and WHERE and how deep and strongly to cause such havoc?

If we consider the Center of the LoShu in Beijing as the point of reference, groundbreaking in the east of this point must have occur according to the common FS theory. Now most digging activities includes : gardening, burying, building, mining, road engineering also. I suppose that to cause such an earth quake, all these activities are needed !
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So the assertion that 5 Yellow struck Japan leads us to assert that everybody who dug earth, in anyway and for any reason , in a 45° sector originated in Beijing are responsible for the earth quake in Japan! So what could China do: plead that the point of reference should be elsewhere: why not the crossing of Greenwich meridian and equator for this meridian partakes the world in two slices and this parting is used by everybody. So now the responsibility could be passed to all the people digging ground east of this line, mainly Khadaffi perhaps, which includes the oil producing countries, and that is quite interesting for they have quite a lot of money!"

His point is simple, I must say. Instead of grieving over the lost of lives and praying for the departed ones, some FengShui addicts sensationalize the entire episode as the effect of the 5 yellow and brought us to think, who is the culprit? 

Again, I may look upon the event of my LuoPan gone haywire has nothing to do with the Quake in Japan. I may also say that the quake has caused the sudden Qi fluctuation that directly hits my LuoPan causing it to change its polarity. For whatever reason, the sino-centric world views proven to be otherwise, accurate. As to the question, who dug the ground, I leave it to you for an answer.

Title: Guide To The FengShui Compass
Author: Stephen Skinner
Link: www.SSkinner.com

I have not been updating my blog as often as I wished as I am, on one hand, making hays while the sun is bright and on the other hand, just completed reading the above said book on Luopan. I must admit that was indeed a single notable effort from a serious researcher of FengShui from not a Chinese origin, although I was informed he reads and speaks Chinese and is practicing FengShui for many years. This book was a commendable effort both in terms of scholastic works and research on a single piece of Chinese invention called the Luopan. The depth of information was par excellent as compared to many of the literature written in the same subject in the English language in both with lucid renditions of the subject matters in clear and precise English and clear, beautifully crafted figures and plates illustrating the same subject matters. Definitely, worth its price. No doubt, that I am a little let down on the rendition of his other works notably the SanHe classics of Zhang BingLing, also by the same author, this book on Luopan is entirely different and worth collecting as it also provides a better framework for research works to come, on the same subject.

For the serious readers, the title could have been called or implied, The initial Guide To The FengShui Compass, for the following reasons that worth contemplating: -

Firstly, the study of Luopan is a science by its own accord. It is not just a compass but compressed information on formulae and applications in a plate. The information contains within the rings meant nothing unless it is annexed to its application of formulae and landform. The arrangement of the rings largely display the preference of its designer and the knowledge he had pertaining to the applications of the formulae within the rings via a structural logic of what comes before the others and not at a random and unknown basis. Comparatively with another similar book on the same subject matter by Li DingXin, notably the lineage holder of YangGong GuFa of Ganzhou, the approach to the subject matter is matched against the classics and what the author’s believed to be of the pure pedigree renouncing the others as XinFa. For such reason, many practitioners shy away from actually writing the book about Luopan without dishing out too much secret, unknowingly also reflecting on their limited knowledge on the same subject matter.

Secondly, researching into the classical Luopan is never an easy task especially by someone who does not belong to the FengShui lineage or are called the “outsider”. One cannot just visit museum or pick up samples of Ming and Qing Dynasty Luopan and start putting a comparative description on the rings, retrospectively, at a superficial level without knowing the actual Luopan designed by the founder of the school in question. Loosing sight of the first principles means the collective information is somewhat incomplete and compensated.

Thirdly, I believed, there are much more information under the sleeves as that the author reluctant to disclose as it will double up the pages from the current 400 plus, worthy to be classified as a PhD dissertation. With these omissions, the book will not make one an adept user of the Luopan or a FengShui practitioner and the most to the uninitiated, after reading the book, will just be able to gauge direction in accordance to the 24 mountains ring.

On these three reasons, strictly speaking, the book reflect its noble effort to seam up all the, otherwise, fragmented information about the Luopan currently available from the mainstream sources without reaching it to its marrow of the subject matter leaving the reader to taste the wine without reaching the throat. However, it is still a good book; all English speaking practitioners should have in their shelves.

If time permits I shall discuss the contents in greater details, in the more private discussion blog of Yifengshui (Inner Teachings).

Foremost, is the question of where do you hold the LuoPan, above the navel or below the navel? The navel comprises of a meridian spot known as DanTian 丹田 or elixir field. SanHe and SanYuan methodologies differed in the way a LuoPan is held above DanTian or below DanTian. The obvious question is why such measurement must be taken above DanTian or below DanTian?

Establishing the LuoPan is taking a reference point or datum. It is a single point in space. The question is again, which point of reference? SanYuan and SanHe had different point of reference. One measure the solid, the other the void. One measure the void within the solid, while the other measure the solid within the void. One measure the highest within the lowest, while the other measure the lowest within the highest. One, very little known method, is to measure between the thresholds of YinYang… What do you know about the threshold of YinYang?

When the datum is established, it is always the relation between the locations versus the direction. A guiding string will be established radiating from the centre of the LuoPan to the fix a water feature, the door location and so on so forth… This string is also called “Heaven string” while aligning against the LuoPan string is called the “Earth string”. Ancient people liked to name things sophisticatedly. When the Heaven string matched the Earth string, it is called Heaven and Earth comes together.
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When a second reference datum is required, LiPan may be required. Here a LuoPan is placed on a stool, a bucket full of uncooked rice or simply a stacked of joss paper. Older generation master has great regard with their tool – the LuoPan. When it is consecrated, meaning a guardian spirit is residing within the LuoPan, it must not have in contact with the soil. So you will never see the LuoPan placed on the floor, be it tiled or otherwise. This is a taboo observed by older generation master. Placing the LuoPan on a bucket filled with uncooked rice is very practical reason as it enable the alignment of the LuoPan to be balanced on the four corners.  

Westerners and even some Vietnamese students are very easily to fall prey to Bolehland Conmaster. As people say, talk is cheap… the over glorifications of the birth place of YangGong, GanZhou and doubtful lineage of the Fake YuHan Jing, fake royal decorum, unverified PhDs, unverified research papers that have no academic bearings be it on matter related to the 13 Ming Tombs, FengShui, Genting Highland, the collapsed of MAS, all the way to my grandma’s backyard FengShui research are all rubbish befitting only as a dossier for more con jobs to come, now targeting Russia, as I was told… This is not only the graduating moment from Bolehland Conmaster to World Wide Famous Conmaster in the making… somehow, no matter how it is done, this conmaster will NEVER beat Bolehland’s Greatest Con-Grandmaster of all Time – Mr. JOLOR who collects fees in the BILLIONS from the King of Bolehland… Maybe, because his ShengJi is not really working… For goodness sake, those who wish to learn FengShui please enrol to the school of Wan-MDeeBee.   
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Saying thus… the MOST CLASSIC of all shall be this very PICTURE of the Bolehland Conmaster and his Protégé taking measurement with the LuoPan place on the floor… As people say, picture paints a thousand words… This is Classics! I am Speechless…