Judgments of the Shaking-Whip Method

I. Origins
This old man travels the realm with whip swinging, compass in hand to measure yin and yang. Since youth I studied the Changes and the principles of the Yi, with wondrous secrets and marvelous formulas stored within. He-Luo numerology divides substance and function; Qian as Heaven and Kun as Earth discourse on constant order. The five elements and eight trigrams are divided into prior and posterior; the Nine Stars and Seven Luminaries broke new ground.
Years of cold-lamp study wore through the iron inkstone; one success won fame and assisted the court's order. In purple robe and jade belt I rose as high official, bringing honor to clan and ancestors, repaying father and mother. In court I governed matters of yin and yang; at the Bureau of Astronomy I led the way. I planned the royal burial grounds and arranged the Heavenly Gangs of the imperial palaces.
Receiving imperial decree, I searched the realm, seeking only where dragon lairs lay. True dragon lairs feared producing a Son of Heaven, lest the court's order be thrown into chaos. Every dragon lair was surely cut and severed; following traces, I tracked down and disabled the remnants. Loyal to ruler and state for decades, I passed my village three times without entering.
Only because I offended the powerful and noble did slanderous memorials enter the court chambers. The court wrongly believed them, issued an imperial decree, and banished me beyond the frontier to Xinjiang. Short of food and clothing, enduring hunger, with blue sky as quilt and earth as bed. Through three bitter years of wind and frost I returned to my native place to nurse my wounds.
Upon returning home, how desolate — ashamed to face former colleagues and parents. Sorrowing, I visited friends before the mountains; depressed, I chatted with farmers. By night I lay gazing at the sky, sighing at the bright moon; by day I closed my door to write. White colts passed the gap unrecorded; black silk hair turned to grey.
In winter without clothes Heaven showed no pity; through the four seasons without money and short of grain. The old steed in the stable suddenly rose — why not start an enterprise down the hill? Using the arts of a lifetime of strategy, I benefited the people and traveled the four directions. From then on I entered the jianghu path, riding a donkey and swinging my whip across the realm.
Walk on, walk on, inquire, inquire — I traveled all Jiangnan and reached Suzhou and Hangzhou. One compass traveled the world; two worn books shook the nation. The three mountains and five sacred peaks were traversed by ancient roads; the four seas and five lakes were more than paradise. All five great peaks were surveyed; six waters and three mountains for dragon veins were sought.
Before the Seven-Star Terrace I expounded the Zhou Changes; trigrams and Nine Stars to discuss yin and yang. Across the nine provinces of jianghu I sought masters; at crossroads I dispelled confusion and dread. In the Fishbone Temple we discussed feng shui; before the Yellow Crane Tower we argued of hills. The towering Kunlun is ancestor of dragons; three great dragon veins enter the East.
Seeking dragon veins, I raise the whip, discussing true and false, long and short. Since of old feng shui has divided into two schools — Form and Compass — each contending for strength. Our school differs from the other practitioners, for it embraces both Form and Compass. San Yuan and San He are applied in thoroughfare, so wife and wealth flourish and the family line thrives.
Added to that are Long Life and Tomb Extinction; He-Luo numerology's way is detailed and fine. Ten thousand words here could never exhaust it — only in phrase and outline may the gist be given. Feng shui divides into various classes; wondrous secrets are stored in one furnace. In jianghu there are always master-transmitted formulas; judgments like a god spread through the realm.
Speaking of jianghu, weighing long and short — students must engrave this upon their hearts. Since of old jianghu values loyalty and righteousness; morality and trust are kept within the belly. Benefiting state and people, goodness is the root; stabilizing society is the general guiding principle. Honor the master, revere the Dao, protect the school; from time to time recite the three bonds and five constants.
Receiving a word from another, never forget your origins; treat the master as a father, better than parents. Fellow Daoists are as kin and must be respected; remember well not to compete for supremacy. With a quiet heart study the Changes to seek avoidance of harm; to benefit the people write your compositions. These forty-eight lines of the Shaking-Whip Rhapsody I leave to my disciples to carry forward.

San Fu note: merely offered as one account.

II. Secrets

Omitted.

San Fu note: only drawing on the same epoch of prior and later Heaven.

III. Judgment Methods

1. Flying Stars Judgment

Judging the house by shaking the whip is the true essence; all depends on the eight trigrams as foundation. One must know that yin and yang return to a single path — the trigrams, prior and posterior, reveal the secret. The flying stars of the facing form the upper trigram; the door or water mouth holds the lower trigram. Whichever position the Grand Duke occupies in a given year, carefully inspect the Form at that direction. Examine in detail the auspicious and inauspicious objects there, then use the annual period to fix the timing of the response period. Where wealth and progeny fall short, let Sun and Moon support and arrive without delay. This is the former master's true secret formula — use it when needed without doubt. To survey a house one must first observe Form: first look at roads and ditches. Chimneys, tall buildings, bridges and towers; trees, wells, stones and hilltops. If related and auspicious, they may be used; if related and evil, they are inauspicious — never keep them. Match trigram according to the auspicious and inauspicious positions; the timing ofresponse still follows the Grand Duke's travel.

San Fu note: seek the Grand Duke's Form and the positions of incoming and outgoing water, to inspect the auspiciousness and regret of sands and waters.

The Three Epochs span one hundred and eighty years, revolving without end and without edge. Period star enters the center and is counted in order; reaching the facing it becomes useful — need no more words. If one can understand the wonders within the mystery, all things are as if before one's eyes.

San Fu note: enter the flying stars into the center and view the facing by forward counting.

To judge a house first look at the Year Lord; the twelve earthly branches settle fortune and misfortune. If the Year Lord meets an auspicious spirit, there will surely be happy events entering the gate. If an inauspicious object approaches the Grand Duke, disasters pile up and luck does not turn. Year, month, day and hour are all judged the same — the shaking-whip house judgment shows marvelous efficacy.

San Fu note: year and month are each judged by position, but day and hour do not follow this.

2. Eight Trigram Judgment

Qian entering and controlling Zhen injures the eldest son; fire meeting Heaven's Gate damages the old husband. Wood coming to control Earth leaves the youngest male weak; Xun entering the Kun palace — mother departs the father-in-law.
Dui controlling Zhen and Xun — eldest son dies; Kun and Kan — middle male's life cannot be held. Li and Qian — old husband's days numbered; Xun and Kun — old mother's years cannot be full.
Kan and Gen — young ones much afflicted by illness; Li and Gen — a yin person confuses the household. Gen and Zhen — miscarriage costs human life; Gen and Xun — wind illness, life short.
Li and Dui — fire-light injures the young girl; difficult births and consumptive cough, illness upon illness.

San Fu note: this formula is often used in Eight Mansions palace determination and the generation and control of qi gates — but such use is erroneous; only the shaking-whip method is correct.

3. Nine Stars Judgment

Tan Lang does not enter Qian and Dui palaces: eldest son dies first, old husband damaged; fields, silks and treasure with no one to guard; widows wail before the hall.
Ju Men does not enter Zhen and Xun palaces: first family wealth is lost, then people are harmed; Ju Men reaching the youngest male position — Lu Cun is controlled and yin people are damaged.
Wen Qu crossing into Kun and Gen palaces: presides over harming women who flee the clan; Gen controlling Wen Qu injures males; Kun controlling Wen Qu damages women.
Kan palace controlled — middle male dies; water palace with earth arriving enters the Yellow Springs. Parents both whole, children and grandchildren extinguished; widow suffers torment in her chamber.
Zhen palace controlled by Wu and Po Jun: eldest son first injured, then loses his body; generation after generation of sons lose their fathers; widow's family wealth surely has no heir.
Wu and Po arriving at Xun — eldest wife dies; wifeless widower keeps an empty room; generation after generation of sons lose their mothers; yang thrives and yin declines — the old woman dies.
Li palace most fears Wen and water's malignity: yin people first suffer difficult births and emptiness; water and fire contending — no treasure; wealth scatters, wife and children, progeny damaged.
Gen palace with wood controlling — descendants sparse; of five males two still risk death; swelling illness and early death without respite; children and grandchildren suffer isolation and sacrifice.
Qian palace controlled by fire invading: patriarch dies of consumptive illness, the elder passes; old mother much in mourning before the hall; sons and daughters-in-law gone for years of spring.
Lian Zhen does not enter Kan water palace: throwing into wells and rivers, dying far from home; eldest son mad, thief and bandit danger; soldiers die bitter and fall to others.
Kun palace meeting wood with the old mother: swelling illness, bloated belly, crippled and deaf; generation after generation of sons lose their mothers; wife and women damaged, difficult births fierce.
Dui as young girl fears Lian Zhen: difficult births first damage yin people; panting girl, cough much consumptive illness; fire and metal controlling each other — no mercy.
Fu and Bi, two woods, come to Qian and Dui: population doomed to decrease, family wealth recedes; central palace wood position is most dangerous and fierce — still the old mother must manage the household.

San Fu note: these palace-star generation and control rules, if judged by the flipping method of the transmitted Eight Mansions, verify only half true.

V. The "How to Know" Chapter

Fortune and misfortune, blessing and calamity are as if seen with the eyes; I ask you to weigh each line carefully. How know a household has money? Yan Nian Wu Qu connects the auspicious door.
How know a household is rich and noble? Life-qi Tan Lang sits in the high position. How know a household is poor? Huo Hai's Heavenly Secrets press upon the house.
How know a household much given to licentiousness? Six Sha's direction has pits and dangers. How know a household bears many sons? Heavenly Grandson's position has the high rooms established.
How know a household prospers in progeny? Metal star declines while wood qi flourishes. How know a household ends its line? Yu Heng and Xian Chi arrive at the gate.
How know a household dies violent deaths? Water paths rush and shoot at another's gate. How know a household's men die early? Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen are all empty and void.
How know a household's women die first? Xun, Li, Kun, Dui connect to the small rooms. How know livestock are injured? All six creatures are in the White Tiger direction.
How know a household hangs someone? Five Ghosts' direction is high and also opens a gate. How know a household injures the young? Jue Ming and Po Jun — the evil door walks.
How know a household's man fears his wife? Yin rooms tall and yang rooms low. How know a household's woman fears her man? Yang qi thrives while yin qi disperses.
How know a household has killing and injury? All are large rooms pressing the small rooms. How know a household is burned by fire? Zhen wood enters Jue — heavenly beacon summons it.
How know a household's sons are unfilial? Wing rooms high, master low — household quarrels. How know a household is robbed by thieves? A road exists at Huo Hai's position.
How know a household is discordant? One protruding and one retracted, no proper main hall. How know a household is often ill? Six Sha and Five Ghosts controlling each other settle it.
How know a household has official calamity? Guan Suo's position has the gate opened. How know a household has disabled masters? Dead qi enters the house, Jue Ming stands.
How know a household produces deaf-mutes? Earth star controls water, Six Sha fears. How know a household does good deeds? Malevolent stars low and auspicious stars high.
How know a household commits evil? Six Sha direction is high, Heavenly Authority approaches. Whenever surveying a house, look at heights: auspicious high and inauspicious low is most fitting.
To survey a house one must look at water paths; Form and Compass judge at the moment of opportunity.If only one explores carefully and awakens to the truth — then one is the foremost master of feng shui.

San Fu note: this is the use of the Twenty-Four Stars; one should match them to the twenty-four directions, and moreover must exchange lines and transform images. If Kan takes prior-Heaven Kun, Ren draws the first line and transforms to Zhen; if the heavenly beacon has an evil sand corresponding to Zhen, a fire disaster occurs that same year.