The “Ten Impoverishments” is a term in Feng Shui used to refer to ten types of adverse shapes related to dragon, site, sand, and water. Feng Shui practitioners believe that places with these characteristics have a low quality of land, and it is inauspicious to bury the dead there.
The description of the “Ten Impoverishments” in the Nine Songs and Ten Decisions of Feng Shui is as follows:
1. Impoverishment due to an unlocked water mouth.
2. Impoverishment due to water falling into emptiness.
3. Impoverishment due to a broken city gate.
4. Impoverishment due to water breaking and flowing straight.
5. Impoverishment due to exposure to wind from behind.
6. Impoverishment due to water being merciless.
7. Impoverishment due to broken water at the heart of heaven.
8. Impoverishment due to the sound of water laughing.
9. Impoverishment due to no response from all sides.
10. Impoverishment due to a solitary dragon.
What are the “Ten Vile Shapes” in Feng Shui?
The “Ten Vile Shapes” is a term in Feng Shui used to refer to ten types of adverse shapes related to dragon, site, sand, and water. Feng Shui practitioners believe that such places have no qi condensation, and it is inauspicious to bury the dead there.
The Nine Songs and Ten Decisions of Feng Shui describe the “Ten Vile Shapes” as follows:
1. Vile due to the site being blown by eight winds.
2. Vile due to the disappearance of the Zhuque (a mythical bird).
3. Vile due to the Azure Dragon flying away.
4. Vile due to the water mouth splitting.
5. Vile due to the head shaking and tail wagging.
6. Vile due to wind blowing before and after.
7. Vile due to mountains flying and water running.
8. Vile due to emptiness on both sides.
9. Vile due to mountains collapsing and cracking.
10. Vile due to having a master but no guest.
What is “Wind Concealment” in Feng Shui?
Feng Shui practitioners refer to a terrain where the surroundings of a site are tightly enclosed, capable of protecting the site from being invaded by external winds that would dissipate the “vital qi” as a “wind concealment” site. Guo Pu’s “Book of Burial” states: “In the methods of Feng Shui, obtaining water is paramount, and concealing wind is secondary.”
Feng Shui practitioners believe that vital qi gathers due to water and disperses due to wind. Therefore, when judging the quality of a place’s Feng Shui, it is important to see whether it has water, but if the site does not avoid wind, the vital qi will dissipate, and having water would be like not having it at all. Hence, Guo Pu’s “Book of Burial” says: “It is said that qi scatters when carried by the wind, and stops when bounded by water. The ancients gathered it so that it would not disperse, and guided it so that it would have a stopping point. Therefore, it is called Feng Shui.”
What is the San Yuan Jiu Yun?
The San Yuan Jiu Yun is a method used by the ancients to divide large periods of time. The ancients divided 20 years into one “yun” (period), and three “yun” (60 years) formed one “yuan” (era).
The San Yuan Jiu Yun totals 180 years. These three “yuan” are divided into the Upper Yuan, Middle Yuan, and Lower Yuan. Each “yuan” is exactly 60 years, which is equivalent to one Jia Zi cycle.
Upper Yuan: From Jia Zi year to Gui Hai year, including the first, second, and third “yun”.
Middle Yuan: From Jia Zi year to Gui Hai year, including the fourth, fifth, and sixth “yun”.
Lower Yuan: From Jia Zi year to Gui Hai year, including the seventh, eighth, and ninth “yun”.
These nine “yun” are also associated with the nine stars of Xuan Kong.
Upper Yuan first “yun” from Jia Zi to Jia Xu for twenty years, associated with the One White star, called the One White “yun”.
Upper Yuan second “yun” from Jia Shen to Jia Wu for twenty years, associated with the Two Black star, called the Two Black “yun”.
Upper Yuan third “yun” from Jia Chen to Jia Yin for twenty years, associated with the Three Green star, called the Three Green “yun”.
Middle Yuan first “yun” from Jia Zi to Jia Xu for twenty years, associated with the Four Green star, called the Four Green “yun”.
Middle Yuan second “yun” from Jia Shen to Jia Wu for twenty years, associated with the Five Yellow star, called the Five Yellow “yun”.
Middle Yuan third “yun” from Jia Chen to Jia Yin for twenty years, associated with the Six White star, called the Six White “yun”.
Lower Yuan first “yun” from Jia Zi to Jia Xu for twenty years, associated with the Seven Red star, called the Seven Red “yun”.
Lower Yuan second “yun” from Jia Shen to Jia Wu for twenty years, associated with the Eight White star, called the Eight White “yun”.
Lower Yuan third “yun” from Jia Chen to Jia Yin for twenty years, associated with the Nine Purple star, called the Nine Purple “yun”.
