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The Tao Of 9 Star Ki, Part 1

by Andy Nicola

In the days before numbers were invented, the Shamans of ancient China described the attributes of the Sun, Moon, Stars, the 5 Phases or Elements, and all activities and circumstances 'under heaven' by the use of the mystical diagram known as the Lo Shu.

The Lo Shu is a mystical diagram of utter beauty and symmetry. Its mysteries are profound and with a little discipline and penetrating insight, it reveals all that the mind is able to absorb. Surely, the only limits to the knowledge that can be gained from the study of the Lo Shu are those created by the mind that studies it.

LoShuAs you can see from the diagram, each group of dots or circles is rooted in a particular direction. The Lo Shu, like most ancient maps, has North at the bottom, South at the top and the other directions distributed as you see in the illustration.

In the universal 9 Ki map, 5 Earth is the center, 6 Metal is in the Northwest opposite 4 Wood in the Southeast, 7 Metal in the West opposite 3 Wood in the East, 8 Earth in the Northeast opposite 2 Earth in the Southwest, 9 Fire is due South opposite 1 Water in the North.

Once again, from the standpoint of ancient Taoism, 5 Earth is TAO and the remaining numbers are Ki. At the first spark of the creation or initiation of an event, idea or being, 5 moves from the center to the Northwest and begins its ascending journey through the Lo Shu chart - its journey through the phases or elements; its journey through the trigrams. The 4 Wood star simultaneously moves to the center and this begins the descending progression of the numbers. As 5 makes its way around the chart the other numbers or 'fragments' of the chi, follow its every twist and turn. Think of the 5 as the center of a tornado or cyclone - as it travels, it pulls all the other winds with it. While this process is taking place, every palace that the 5 'touches' or 'rests in' produces the opposite number (Ki) in the center of the chart. Following this thought we will see how the Ki expresses the TAO and its cyclic and sequent action through the 9 palaces of the Lo Shu.

The route that 5 takes in terms of house numbers is 6,7,8,9,1, 2,3,4, and then it returns to the center. The route that the 8 numbers representing Ki take, by being dragged into the center palace, is 4,3,2,1,9,8,7,6, and the also resolve when 5 again returns to the center. The motions of TAO and Ki are opposite, but as TAO re focuses the center, each number has its opportunity to become the center, and express TAO in its own way.

The 9 Stars move in perfectly synchronized movements not unlike an object and its shadow. The moment that 5 enters a palace, its shadow (the Ki of the star that rules the opposite palace) appears in the center of the chart, creating perfect balance.

Everyone will agree, I'm sure, that moving 'against' TAO will create imbalance, and this can also be seen in the Lo Shu chart. Outside of being philosophically profound and the fundamental basis of the Yijing, this insight can be quite practical for divination.

When 5 Earth is in the 7 Metal palace, it 'drags' the 3 Jade star into the center and creates an imbalance on that axis. In other words, Ki is 'slanted' or biased towards the West ( 7 palace ). This accumulation of "western" energy will cause a reaction in the direction or palace that is opposite it, in this case the 3 Wood palace. The 1 Water star is the reacting energy there, because 1 Water will occupy the Eastern 3 Wood palace when 5 is in the West (see illustration). One must be cautious in interacting with the Eastern direction or the 1 Water star during this time-cycle, because it has been thrown off balance, and circumstances, relationships, substances or activities related to the 1 Water star are likely to suffer. The following chart shows the movement of 5 Earth and which stars will be adversely affected by its movement.

Think of a water balloon, and imagine squeezing the left half of the balloon. The water will shift and accumulate to the right half of the balloon causing an imbalance. The left side of the balloon will be severely depleted and the right side will become overabundant. Both are unbalanced. So there is not only an adverse affect on the palace and star opposite the palace (the "expanded" side) in which 5 Earth resides, but also the palace and direction (the squeezed side) in which the 5 resides.

So far, we have only discussed the cycle in which the 5, or TAO is on its ascending course, and the 8 Stars are tenanting the center in descending order. At the point where the greatest Yin or Yang is reached, the two primal forces transform into one another, and the cycles reverse, such that the 8 stars will now visit the central palace in ascending order, and the 5 Earth star will visit the 8 palaces in descending order. This is evident in the Year, Month, Day, and Hour cycles of time. The Stars reverse their motions at 'fixed' intervals. The Ki Day Star is the easiest to understand, because they move to the central palace in ascending order from Winter Solstice to the Summer Solstice. At this point Yang (ascending order) is the most extreme in nature, and consequently converts to Yin, therefore at the Summer Solstice the numbers reverse directions and begin to move to the center in descending order until Winter Solstice arrives, when the Yin has matured and become so strong, it compensates by transforming to Yang again.

Whether or not the cycle in which the 9 Stars are active is Yin (descending) or Yang (ascending), the principle is the same. In 9 Star Ki, when 5 Earth ascends the other 8 Stars descend, and when 5 Earth descends the other 8 ascend. TAO produces Ki in reverse motion. Do keep in mind that the 5 is always balanced and as it traverses through the Lo Shu chart. It must be, by necessity, to 'hold fast to the center', and create the point of balance upon which the extremes wrestle out the changes and transformations we call circumstance. Winter and Summer are extreme conditions, but the forces behind these conditions, the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, the ocean currents and the atmosphere, must remain in perfect balance. Any disturbance to one of these factors will trigger reactions throughout the system with possibly disastrous results.

We cannot find anywhere that this principle of balance in movement within the Lo Shu and the 9 Ki system have been discussed in this way, and studies are currently under way that will reveal much more about this ancient magical tool. The mysteries of the 9 Palace Stars are subtle and profound, and with diligent study, these mysteries will emerge from their cocoon, transformed into useful guides on the path to wisdom. You will also find these pearls of wisdom to be practical tools for discovering otherwise hidden information and taking advantage of opportunity in everyday life.