Black Turtle Feng Shui

The Numinous Black Turtle

You have seen Chinese coins. They are round, with a square hole in the center. The circular shape of the coin represents heaven. Squares represent earth. Maybe they were modeled after turtle shells, also round on the top and square on the bottom-earth under the heavens, united. A turtle is a symbol for inviting the blessings of both. 

Before the written word, Ancient Chinese diviners used turtle shells as oracles. They made cuts in the shells, heated them, then interpreted the patterns of the resulting cracks. 

The Big Dipper, twenty eight constellations, and the sun and moon are an integral part of the elegant entirety of Chinese metaphysics. A group of seven northern constellations carries the name Black Turtle.

A primary arrangement of the numbers one through nine, the qi numbers used in classical feng shui, is called the Luoshu, or Magic Square of Three. Much more than a template for feng shui, the luoshu is a cosmogram of the world order. It was central to the development of Chinese mathematical, scientific, and philosophic development. Legend says this numerical arrangement was a gift to Yu the Great, the founder of China's first dynasty. This gift came to him as markings on the back of a giant turtle.

Steven Karcher, Yijing scholar and depth psychologist, refers to "The Numinous Turtle" in his writings.  Numinous means mysterious and spiritual-full of divinity. 

Add in that a Black Turtle is the name of a protective landform in feng shui, and there you have the resonance of meaning in Black Turtle Feng Shui's name.

Chinese metaphysics aside, turtles are the world's oldest vertebrate animals. There are creation myths about the world being carried on the back of a turtle; some cultures associate it with female energies (the primal mother); and it has long been a symbol of Mother Earth, longevity, and groundedness in life.  

Celebrate the turtle! 

   

Mirror, Mirror

There is an enormous amount of information, or partial information, publicized on feng shui in the west. The problem with most of it comes from those who grasp a portion of what feng shui is, then use only that piece to create a book, or practice, or website, or the worst, a feng shui "remedy" store. Much of the information and advice out there is conflicting, leading to frustration and finally to the belief that feng shui is charlatanry. (In some cases, it is.)   

There are a few popular notions that should be debunked from the start.

One is the use of mirrors. Mirrors are not used as remedies in classical feng shui. They have no mysterious properties to ward off negative qi or evil forces. They simply reflect light. By all means hang a mirror if you want to lighten up a dark area of your house, but there is no need to get one of those round mirrors in an octoganal frame, known as a bagua mirror, and hang it outside of your front door to deflect bad energy. If there is indeed a source of negative qi outside your front door, it belongs to one of the five elements, and a five element remedy is the appropriate way to handle it. The mirror will not do anything for you.

What color is your front door? There are feng shui myths that say all front doors should be painted red to attract wealth. There are others that say if your front door faces north, for example, it should be painted black or blue, with other colors prescribed for other directions. In fact, there are no pat, one-size-fits-all front door color palettes. Any color has a place in five element theory. Your front door should be painted a color that will suit the specific five element influences of your particular house. This is determined by taking a compass reading at your house, knowing its construction date, and using this information to generate a chart for your house alone.

There is advice out there that says one must always use the front door, even if a garage door or side door in more convenient. This is also case-specific. Your front door may be the best one for you to use the most often, but another may in fact be better. Another train of thought by one practitioner says that everyone in a family should always use the same door to prevent argumentativeness and bickering. If your family argues and bickers, the cause is not that you are using different doors. Something else may need to be addressed in your space that can be determined with your chart, however! 

There are charming myths about foo dogs being protective. Maybe they are on some other level, or maybe one can just enjoy them for what they are, but foo dogs and classical feng shui are really not connected. Feng shui is not about "evil spirits" that need to be warded off.

In fact, classical feng shui is not a religion, or a mystical practice. There are no crystal readings or clearing ceremonies. Someone who shows up on your doorstep with a crystal in hand may be on to something else, but that person is not practicing feng shui.