Feng Shui Compass Luo Pan | Feng Shui Institute International

The Luo Pan Chinese Feng Shui Compass

The Feng Shui compass or Luo Pan is an essential tool in the practice of traditional Chinese, or classical, Feng Shui. The Luo Pan, sometimes referred to as a Lo Pan, has been developed in China over the last 2,000 years. As every traditional Feng Shui master of note has added his knowledge and experience to the Luo Pan during this time, it contains the sum total of Feng Shui knowledge to date and is therefore invaluable to the Feng Shui professional. "Luo" means a net that encompasses everything, whilst "pan" means utensil or plate. This allegorically refers to the union of Heaven and Earth, and specifically to the electromagnetic field that holds all matter together.

How is a Luo Pan Different?

A conventional compass normally only shows 4 or 8 directions, and although it can be used for Feng Shui purposes, a Luo Pan provides information about the full 360°, which allows the practitioner to be extremely accurate as to the building's orientation, whilst the formulas provide information as to the energy in any specific direction. The smaller the Luo pan, the fewer rings it will have and the easier it will be to use. The more rings on the Luo Pan, the more formulas and information it will hold.

Just like any other magnetic compass, the Luo Pan is a direction finder. However, unlike most compasses, a Luo Pan needle points south. A Feng Shui compass also looks very different from normal compasses, as it is embedded into a wood or metal circular plate, the "Heaven Dial", which holds the rings and Feng Shui formulas. The Heaven Dial sits on a square base, the "Earth Plate". There is also a spirit level in the corner ensuring the compass is held correctly. To find a direction and the specific information relating to it, a red wire or thread should cross through the centre of the Luo Pan.

English or Chinese Feng Shui Compass?

A professional Luo Pan is typically written in Chinese, not just because Feng Shui originated in China, but more importantly, because the many Chinese characters on a traditional Luo Pan contain hidden information and formulas that cannot be shown or explained using English words. Quite simply, translating the information on a traditional Luo Pan into English means that the Luo Pan would be impossibly large and unmanageable. Essentially, to get professional Feng Shui results, all the information shown on a traditional Luo Pan should be taken into account.

Types of Professional Luo Pan

There are two main types of Luo Pan, namely the San He (triple combination) used at an elementary level, and the advanced level of Luo Pan, the San Yuan (three eras). There is also a combined Luo pan called a Zhong He. Luo Pans also come in various sizes ranging from 4" corresponding to the four seasons, 8" based on the Ba Gua and 12" for the twelve Earthly Branches or animals of the Chinese zodiac.

Luo Pan Rings

Some rings on the Luo Pan are paired and cannot not be used alone, some are used for direction only, whilst others carry important messages associated with timing. Although appearing extremely complex, an understanding of the Five Elements allows us to quickly determine the auspiciousness of a direction through the use of the "Twenty Four Mountains". Although most rings use Five Elements, there are some that are based on the "Twelve Palaces". Professional quality Feng Shui Compasses range from 8.5cm to 36cm and can be bought from the Feng Shui Institute Shop.

The Feng Shui Institute offers training courses in the application and use of the Chinese compass through our Feng Shui Accredited Schools or via Distance Learning Courses.