Chapter 9. Geomancy

Geomantic figures

In the Renaissance, a geomancer interpreted how a handful of sand landed when tossed, like casting sticks to pick a hexagram for a reading from the I Ching or dealing cards for a Tarot reading, selecting four mothers from sixteen figures available, each figure consisting of four lines of either one or two marks, like binary code, and each with a symbolic meaning, associated with an element, a quality, a direction, a type, and a planet or node of the moon, placing the four mothers in the first row and constructing a shield chart of four daughters by rearranging the mothers placed on the top row left of the mothers, then constructing pair-wise by line, counting the marks in the corresponding line of the pair of figures above producing two marks when the number is even and one mark when the number is odd, constructing a row of four nieces, then a row of two witnesses, then a row for a judge from the witnesses, and a reconciler from the judge and the first mother, all this interpreted in order to know things that could not be known with just the physical senses, including root causes of the situation that prompted the consultation, hidden influences, trends and events in the questioner’s life, and a solution to the problem.

Vāstu sāstra

Every building and building site has its own soul. The shape of a Hindu temple is a rectilinear cosmic mandala that aligns divine powers for positive and progressive actions. Buildings must align male and female roles with the cardinal directions. Colors must cohere with the hues of planets and elements. Architecture based on other principles causes poverty, illness, and death. Rhomboid sites, for example, cause family quarrels. Triangular sites invite trouble from the government.

Feng shui

Naturally, you will want to align structures with the flow of qi. Qi is the natural life force before it is congealed in a living thing. Make that qi, yin and yang, and the five elements, wu xing. Then you will have good luck, wealth, and perfect health.

Wu Xing

Understanding how the five seasons of qi align with the five elements and the five planets gives us a leg up on political succession and when to take our medications. Just as night follows day (not the other way around), water follows metal, metal follows earth, earth fire, fire wood, and wood metal (of course), not the other way around.