Now that you know that you have three Numbers and you know that each Number is allocated to one of the Five Transformations, let us explore the system a bit more and introduce the Luo Shu, or Magic Square.

Star	Transformation	Gender	Yin-Yang
1	Water	Male	Yang
2	Earth	Female	Yin
3	Wood	Male	Yang
4	Wood	Female	Yin
5	Earth	Male/female	Yin-Yang
6	Metal	Male	Yang
7	Metal	Female	Yin
8	Earth	Male	Yang
9	Fire	Female	Yin

If your Numbers are 9.4.1 – and looking only at the first and second Numbers – you can see you were born in a year of Fire (9) and a month of Wood (4).

You can also see that both these Numbers are Yin, female.

Wood and Fire are in harmony as Wood engenders Fire.

If you Numbers are 6.3.8, your first and second Numbers are in the controlling cycle, because 6 Metal controls 3 Wood.

Each Number can be placed in the center of a nine sector Magic Square. From there, the central Number governs the other Stars and decides how they fly through a fixed pattern in the Luo Shu.

Because Nine Star Ki covers a cycle of Nine years, it follows that each year has its own distinct Magic Square, giving nine squares total.

The cycle of nine years revolves around the basic Luo Shu, or Magic Square, showing Number 5 in the center.

Once you know your three personal Numbers, you can locate them in their fixed Houses, using this basic Magic Square of 5 Earth.

If you know your Nine Star Ki Numbers and you know how to construct the square, you can easily see what Qi is affecting you for a day, month, or year.

Now you can forecast personal and global events.
This is great for planning of your do’s and don'ts and will help you to be at the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.

Basic Magic Square of 5 Earth (Luo Shu)

Let us first look at the basic Magic Square of Three. This square gives a basic sense of season and gives the location for your basic energy.

Referred to as the Luo Shu or Magic Square of Three, this diagram demonstrates the basic Magic Square used extensively in Nine Star Ki and Xuan Kong Feng Shui.

Here is the Five Transformation cycle we saw before, this time with the Stars around its perimeter and showing its waxing and waning function through the Solstices.

Just take the Numbers shown in this diagram and position them in the Magic Square.

Each year another Number flies to the center of the Magic Square, producing nine squares. However, the square shown here is the basic square and it has the Number 5 in the center.

If your Number is 9 Fire, then the 9 Fire House shown here is your basic House, or the House where 9 Fire Qi resides.

Luo Shu

There are several important things to note in the diagram of the Luo Shu:

- South is always at the top.

- The basic square (of 9 squares total) always displays 5 in the center.

- The Numbers progress or "fly" in a constant order:

center – northwest – west – northeast – south – north – southwest – east – southeast.

The sections are referred to as Houses. The central House is termed the House of Five or 5 House, regardless what other Number actually occupies this House for a year, month or day. The Northwest House is termed the House of Six or 6 Metal House, regardless what other Number actually occupies this House for a given time.

Regardless of the Numbers which appear in the Houses as the Numbers fly, the Elements, Numbers and directions shown here and names of the Houses are fixed.

Here are all nine squares.

One way of looking at it is, that the 5 Earth square (shown here as the central square) positions the Number 5 in the center and shows its directional influences using Numbers.

Staying with the 5 Earth square we can then select any given Number and again realize this Number became the center of yet another dynamic directional influence and for this reason we give it a separate square.

For instance, if we looked at the Number 4 in the 5 Earth square, it is in the southeast.

But, Number 4 in itself being in the southeast will have an environment of its own and to show this environment, we create the 4 Wood square shown at the top left.

Using the Year 2001 as an Example:

To the left the Luo Shu showing the Stars for 2001.
To the right the basic Luo Shu of 5.

The year 2001 is an 8 Earth year, with Number 8 flying to the central House.

Counting up from 8 in the center, the other Stars need to fly according to the formula previously described: 9 goes to Northwest, 1 to West, 2 to Northeast, etc.

In this example 8 is in the 5 Earth House: 9 is in the 6 Metal House and so forth.

The Number 9 relates to Fire, but the Northwest (6 Metal House) always remains Metal in nature. So, in 2001, Fire (9) combines with Metal (6) in the Northwest.

The Number 1 relates to Water, but the West (7 Metal House) always remains Metal in nature. So, in 2001, Water combines with Metal in the West.

Here we have the basic Luo Shu acting as Host, to the Annual square that is acting as Guest, or the annual Star visiting the basic Luo Shu Star.

This means that regardless of what Numbers occupy the Houses in different years, months or days, we must always refer back to the basic Luo Shu.

In the year 2001, Number 3 Wood occupies the South, so it is in the 9 Fire House. However 3 is still Wood, so here we have 3 Wood over Fire.

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