Lesson 4: An Introduction to Nine-Star Ki
This lesson will discuss the methods of Nine Star Ki - and how it is used in personal Feng Shui. We will examine the history of Nine-Star Ki and how it originated, then perform an analysis of sample charts using these methods.
A Brief History of Nine-Star Ki
Nine Star Ki, also known as Kyu Sei Ki Gakuin in Japan and Nine House (Palace) Astrology in China, is the most ancient astrology used in the far East. As it is prevalent in Japan, it is often referred to as "Japanese Astrology".
The origin of Nine Star Ki can be dated to pre-historic China where Xia Yu (about 2180 B.C.), was made Emperor. His knowledge of flood control and water flow made great contributions to Chinese society at the time. While Xia Yu was supervising his flood control project, he came across a giant tortoise, which symbolizes longevity and happiness. Xia Yu noticed there were markings on the shell that were positioned in different octagon partitions that are common to the tortoise shell pattern. This diagram is known as the Luo Shu (The Book of Luo). The Nine Star Ki arose using this diagram and the nine partitions on the Luo Shu.
Nine Star Ki uses sequences of nine years, and it is based on a belief that everything follows this repetitive pattern of nine "states", which has also been described as different values of a wave function (sorry, I also teach math!). Nine Star Ki is related to Feng Shui and is often called Feng Shui astrology. It differs from Feng Shui as it deals with the movement of energy with time, and Feng Shui deals with movement of energy across space. A very good description of the energy of each pattern and Nine Star Ki in general can be found at this link: http://www.newagequest.com/NAIC/ninestar...
Returning to the topic of the Magic Square or Lo-Shu, we can understand the symbolism of each of the stars better through examining this more closely. An interesting point to note is that no matter which way you add up the numbers, they ALWAYS add up to 15. Also, looking at the Magic Square of Bagua, the 9 at the top of the square is facing South (South is always on top in Nine-Star Ki) - and South is the direction of Fire in most mythologies including Celtic. In the East is the number 3 which represents spring and the dawn, in the West, the number 7 which represents the autumn and dusk. 1 is in the North, and represents winter and cold. The soil stars are in a diagonal from SW to NE containing the center.
These spaces also constitute the Bagua of Feng Shui - which we will discuss further in a later lesson.
The Concept of Ki or Chi as Energy
No discussion of Nine Star Ki would be complete without an explanation of the concept of Ki or Chi. Most of the ancient world believed in the movement of energy cycles, either through time or space. This central concept of life force energy is the basis for acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Feng Shui, astrology, yoga, and martial arts and it permeates all Oriental cultures. The Hindus know this energy as Prana, and the ancient Egyptians as Kaa. This energy was thought to have arisen from two places - from the soil or earth, and from the heavens which determined our seasons and climate. This energy was said to be filtered by nine stars - with the outer limits being the two stars Vega and Polaris, and the inner stars being the seven stars of the Big Dipper constellation.
Getting in touch with our internal Ki or Chi allows us to expand our life potential greatly, and tap into the tremendous potential that is in every one of us. Many classes are taught that emphasize chi breathing as a way of reenergizing our life force energy. Chi is a central concept in martial arts as well as Tai Chi - which is a form of exercise that is growing in popularity. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine use the concept of chi extensively in making diagnoses, as well as treating diseases.
Once again we return to the concept of balance in Chinese astrology - an imbalance of any of the elements or polarity leads to an imbalance of chi - which creates all negative conditions in our lives.
