The Magical Lo Shu Square

The ancient mathematical root of the I Ching and feng shui.

The Lo Shu Square is an ancient tool used for divination by ancient daoists and feng shui masters. It is not something you directly apply when working with the feng shui of your home; it is a theoretical, conceptual aspect to help see feng shui more accurately. The bagua, as we know it, evolved from the Lo Shu Square, so it might be good to understand its roots and wisdom. The Lo (Luo) Shu Square, sometimes called the Magic Square, is also at the root of ancient feng shui astrology (9 Star Ki), the Flying Stars school (Xuan Kong), as well as the I-Ching, of course.

As the story goes, an ancient Chinese master derived the wisdom of the magic square from the patterns on the back of the turtle. By reading and deeply contemplating those patterns, he realized the pattern of Universal rhythms as expressed in the Lo Shu Square. There are several slightly different stories about different masters, the more popular one is about the Emperor Yu walking along the river Lo (thus Lo Shu Square is translated as the Scroll of River Lo).

This legend dates to 650 BC, the times of great floods in China. The turtle that emerged from the river had an unusual 3 x 3 pattern on its shell which later became the basis of the Lo Shu Square, a mathematical grid where the sum of numbers from each row, column or diagonal is the same. No matter which direction you add the numbers — horizontal, vertical or diagonal — they always add up to 15. This is considered a powerful number because it corresponds to the number of days in each of the 24 cycles of Chinese Year. Meaning, it is the number of days in the cycle of New to Full Moon.

In the Lo Shu Square, number 5 is in the centre, with the odd and even numbers alternating on its periphery. The four even numbers (2,4,6,8) are at the four corners of the square, with the five odd ones (1,3,5,7,9) forming a cross in the centre (look at the Lo Shu Square image above). You can see how the feng shui bagua evolved from the Lo Shu Square, especially if you know that in China South is placed at the top of the maps.

Number 9 is the number for the South bagua area (on top) and 1 is the number for the North bagua sector (bottom of the square). The odd numbers are considered of Yang/masculine quality, and the even numbers carry Yin/feminine energy. In the Lo Shu Square the Yin and the Yang numbers alternate around its centre: number 5.

The numbers in the Lo Shu Square are considered to have specific properties, or be an expression of specific energies. For example, number 9 carries a strong Fire feng shui element energy, while number 1 is an expression of the Water element. In feng shui they are called “stars”, they have a predicted pattern of movement. In the Flying Stars school (Xuan Kong), the movement of stars is chartered each year in order to define the movement of specific energies, both positive and negative. Knowing this pattern, you can create a more peaceful and balanced home. However, the mystery of Lo Shu Square extends way beyond feng shui applications, and here I gave just a very small glimpse into its mystery. It is called a magic square for a reason.