Intuition in Korean Fengshui by Avatarian Political

Intuition in Korean Fengshui Du-Gyu Kim (Woosuk University, South Korea)

1. Elements of Korean Fengshui

Korean Fengshui is composed with the following three elements;

First, it involves examining the Chi(氣) of a land, then determining use of the site that is suited to its Chi. What sites or areas are suitable for graves? What locations are suitable for homes, temples, or schools? What areas have the potential to become cities? Fengshui is typically applied to these three areas: Fengshui for gravesites, Fengshui for residential sites, and Fengshui for village and city -even capital of a country - sites. Second, after determining suitable use for the land, Fengshui is used to determine the spatial arrangement and structural layout of the selected site in accordance with the "native properties of Asia": Yin-Yang(陰陽), the Five Elements(五行), Eight Trigrams(八卦) and the unique theory of Fengshui. In the case of a residence, Fengshui is applied to determine the physical layout of such elements as the front gate, bedroom and kitchen. Today, this type of Fengshui is quite well known in the United States and Western Europe as well. Third, a central tenet of Fengshui calls for the alteration of sites that do not correspond with the two aforementioned principles so that they conform to Fengshui concepts. This is known as complementary and suppressive Fengshui; such that, "good" sites are complemented, "bad" sites are suppressed."1)

According to Fengshui theory, if a person lives on a good site he or she will be influenced by that site and become successful (housing site Fengshui), and if an ancestor is buried at a good site, his descendants will prosper, but if an ancestor is buried at a bad site, his descendants will suffer misfortune. A "good site" is one that satisfies the principles of Fengshui. Propitious sites are determined by the lay of the land, which requires a balance among the Blue Dragon (of the east), White Tiger (of the west), Red Phoenix (of the south), Black Tortoise (of the north) and another conditions.

2. My own experience as a Fengshui scholar and geomancer ‘What is the role of intuition in Korean Fengshui?’ I hope that my experience as a Fengshui scholar and geomance help you to get insights to answer the question. I currently teach Fengshui at a college in Korea and practicing it as a professional geomancer. Four years ago, I visited and analyzed the former Korean presidents‘ birth places and their ancestral tombs to write an article on 'Former Korean Presidents' House Sites and Their Ancestral Tombs in View of Fengshui'(韓國歷代大統領生家及先塋的風水)2). The list of my visitation is as follows, 1) The 1st President Syngman Lee(in office 1948-1960) 1.1) His birth place and ancestral tombs are in North Korea. No visitation is allowed. 2) The 2nd President Bosun Yoon(in office, 1960-1961) 2.1) Location: Ah-San, Choongnam Province. 2.2) The Birth Place 3) The 3rd President Chunghee Park(in office, 1961-1979) 3.1) Location: Kumi, Kyungbuk Province. 3.2) The Birth Place 3.3) Grandparents' Graves and Parents' Graves 4) The 4th President Kyuha Choi(in office, 1979-1980) He was an interim president during political turmoil after the assasination of Chunghee Park and military coup by Doohwan Chun. So I drop him from my analysis. 5) The 5th President Doohwan Chun(in office, 1980-1987) 5.1) Location: Hapchun, Kyungnam Province. 5.2) The Birth Place 5.3) Grandparents' Graves and Parents' Graves 6) The 6th President Taewoo Roo(in office, 1987-1992) 6.1) Location: Dong-ku, the City of Taegu. 6.2) The Birth Place 6.3) Grandparents' Graves and Parents' Graves 7) The 7th President Youngsam Kim(in office, 1992-1997)

7.1) Location: Kojedo, Kyungnam Province 7.2) The Birth Place 7.3) Grandparents' Graves and Mothers Graves 8) The 8th President Daejung Kim(in office, 1997-2003) 8.1) The Birth Place: Ha-euy-doh, Shinan, Chunnam Province 8.2) Grandparents' Graves:

Ha-euy-doh, Shinan, Chunnam Province

8.3) Parents' Graves : Young-In, Kyoungki Province My analysis is summarized as follows, The house sites and ancestral tombs of the Korean ex-presidents are mostly located in the propitious lay of the land, in observance of Fengshui principle. 1) The meandering ridges(來龍)of the hind guardian hill(主山=Main Mountain) are in full connection with the house sites. 2) The house sites are gently surrounded with the four Fengshui components(四神砂), whose encompassing hill are solemn-looking and harmonious with Fengshui principle. 3) The house sites are located at the subdued tail-end of hills or mountains (山盡處, 龍盡處), especially at the tale-end of Blue Dragon. 4) The ex-presidents, regardless of their religion, had firm belief in the significance of Fengshui(i.e., Yoon and Youngsam Kim are Protestants, Daejung Kim a Catholic, Chun and Roh Buddhists, Park a atheist). 5) Some of the ex-presidents(i.e., Roh, Chun, and Daejung Kim) followed Fengshui guidelines and searched genuine propitious pitholes(眞穴處) to move ancestral tombs. A year later, I wrote an article on "Presidential Candidates and Fengshui principle." It was 10 months before the Korean presidential election.3) My work was based on my visits to candidates' house sites and their ancestral Tombs just like my previous work. But the work included prediction of the presidential election as well as Fengshui analysis of their birth place and ancestral grave. The following summarizes my prediction of Korean presidential election in December 2002, which ended up with surprising victory of Moo-hyun Roh. 1. The strongest candidate Hoechang Lee of major opposition party

takes non of natural Vital

Chi(生氣). I wrote clearly, "If he is elected as President, I would give up Fengshui practice. 2. A strong candidate of the minor governing party, Inje Lee, who was 'Crown Prince' of President Daejung Kim at that time, will face an strong unfavorable wind.

3. The birth place and parents' graves of Moo-hyun Roh of minor governing party, who was underdog, were located in the propitious lay of the land. Following Fengshui principle, I predicted that Roh would be Korean President. In my interviews with the press(the Seoul-Branch of LA Times, weekly magazine 'Hankyore 21‘, Radio MBC etc.) before the election, I reiterated my prediction. After the Election, a protestant clergyman called and asked me 'what the secret of such prediction was.' I answered him, "it is 'Intuition in Fengshui'. And ‘Intuition in Fengshui’ helps to predict one person or his family's future, when geomancer analyzes their and birth places and ancestors graves."

3. What is Intuition in Korean Fengshui? 3.1. Ideal Fengshui Sites Fengshui defines the conditions of propitious sites for graves and housing lots. Those propitious sites refer to the lay of the land which is surrounded in equilibrium by the Blue Dragon(靑龍), the White Tiger(白虎), the Red Phoenix(朱雀) and the Black Tortoise(玄武) - which direct themselves to easterly stretches of the hills, the westerly stretches of the hills, the southerly lay of the land, and the northerly lay of the land respectively. The following four pictures is helpful to understand it. Photo 1

a poor quality propitious site

Photo 2 pseudo-propitious site

Photo 3 'ideal propitious site'

photo 4 'special strange propitious site with rocks'

Map 1. Ideal Fengshui Site

Picture 1. A painting by Seong-Dam Hong: 'Ideal Fengshui Site'(2000)

The four photos, one map and one painting above show the configuration of the land more or less balanced by four surrounding components, Blue Dragon(靑龍), White Tiger(白虎), Red Phoenix(朱雀) and Black Tortoise(玄武). The four surrounding components(四神砂) in photo 1 show weak vitality (we call it 'Dead Dragon'), not much of 3-dimensional configuration; those in photo 2 look more of vitality than those in photo 1, and regrettably the mountain ridges(來龍) running from the peak of Black Tortoise(主山) to the 'pithole of energy concentration(穴處; or the grave sites)' are monotonous with straight stretches of the hills. Those mountain ridges running along called dragon(龍). The dragon running in a straight line is referred to as dead dragon(死龍). The frontal water-flow(水口) is open with the Green Dragon(靑龍) and White Tiger(白虎) far from interlocking(交鎖).

The four surrounding components(四神砂) in photo 3 are more dynamic and more of three dimensions than photos 1 and 2. Photo 3 shows the best configuration of the land, which is rarely found in reality. We call it ‘Living Dragon(生龍)’. The four surrounding components(四神砂) in photo 4 are composed of stones, which we call ‘special strange propitious site'. According to Fengshui such a 'strange propitious site' brings prompt and strong fortune and success.

3.2. Way to Intuition in Korean Fengshui How can we interpret fortune from the four surrounding components(四神砂), pithole of energy concentration(穴處), shape of mountain, water, etc., which are located on or around graves and housing lots. 1) Black Tortoise(玄武=Main Mountain: 主山) Source of

Vitial Energy(氣): Concentration or non-concentration, Capacity, Strength and

weakness of Vitial Energy(氣) depend on it's size, shape4), soil condition5) etc. Source of good fortune, prosperity, long life, wealth of one's family.

2) Blue Dragon(靑龍) The task of Blue Dragon(靑龍) is to keep the Vitial Energy(氣) in good condition on the left site of graves or housing lots. In the interpretation on the fortune in viewpoint of Fengshui, it is connected with son and grandson, especially first-born son and first-born grandson, honor, power, government position, and with direct descent staffs

etc.

3) White Tiger(白虎) The task of White Tiger(白虎) is to keep the Vitial Energy(氣) in good condition on the right site of graves or housing lots. In the interpretation on the fortune in viewpoint of Fengshui, it is connected with daughter, wife, money of one's family, and with subsidiary followers. 4) Red Phoenix(朱雀) The task of Red Phoenix(朱雀) is to keep the Vitial Energy(氣) in good condition in the front of graves or housing lots. It's shape should be beautiful, in order to be considered as having affection(有情). In the interpretation on the fortune in viewpoint of Fengshui, it is connected with sort and pattern of success or vice versa of misfortune etc. 5) Mountain Ridges(來龍: Oncoming Dragon)

Part between Black Tortoise(Main Mountain) and pithole of energy concentration(穴處). It is very important part, because it transport the Vitial Energy(氣) from Black Tortoise(Main Mountain) to pithole of energy concentration(穴處). Therefore Mountain ridges(來龍: Oncoming Dragon) is classified into many categories according to Fengshui--criteria: Dead and Living, Main and Branch, Concurrent and Anti-Concurrent, Strong and Weak, Concealed and Appeared etc.6) Without it no good fortune (carrier in government, wealth, prosperity of descendants etc.) is possible, as if the electric light without electric current would not be lighted. 6) Propitious Sites(穴: pithole)7) It is 'Good Places' for the living and the dead, in which the Vital Energy is concentrated. People (inhabitant on the Propitious Sites or descendants of Ancestors buried on the Propitious Sites) can obtain the fortune only through the Vital Energy, which is concentrated on Propitious Sites beneath the ground.8)

According to the shape, the 'Propitious Sites(穴) are classified into 4 categories9), and these 4 categories are again classified in details, which determine the capacity, sort and term of good fortune. 7) Water around the Propitious Sites(水)

New Text for Fengshui [地理新法],10) which was a main Fengshui text to prepare the state administed Fengshui master certification test in Chosun dynasty (1392-1910), defines 'Water' in Fengshui as follows11): "The mountain, a static material, belongs to Yin(陰). Water a dynamic material, belongs to Yang(陽). The characteristics of Yin(陰) is constancy, and that of Yang(陽) is primarily change. Now, the matter of auspiciousness or inauspiciousness is fundamentally related to the observation of water. Generally: the mountain is comparable to the body, and the watercourse to the blood vessels of human body. The matter of the growing or perishing of human bodies depends on the condition of the blood vessels. When blood is circulated around the body and flows orderly, the person is healthy and strong. However, in the opposite case of above, everyone is subject to disease or death. No one is an exception to this natural principle. This principle then requires the correct flow of water, and a right location of mountains in order to form an auspicious place."12) According to certain criteria(taste, color, temperature, flowcourse, volume and location of water) 'Water in Fengshui' is classified in 2-, 4-, 7-, 9-, 14-, 21-categories. Each water has its own

function in the formation of fortune and misfortune. Especially water is connected with increase or decrease of wealth of one's family. 8) Bright Yard(明堂) Bright Yard(明堂) is the Area in front of Propitious Sites(穴: pithole), in which farmers do farming in the country, students play the game in school, or habitants make a garden. Bright Yard(明堂) is classified into various categories according to certain criteria(scale, distance, inclination, etc.) Another Chosun dynasty Fengshui text [明山論: Text on the Clarifying the Mountain] classifies Bright Yard(明堂) into 30 categories based on size and sort of fortune. 9) Direction of Mountains and Watercourse There are 2 schools in Fengshui: Form-School(形勢論) and Compass School(理氣論). Compass School examines the direction of mountain and watercourse by the Geomantic Compass. The theory of Compass School can be found in New Text for Fengshui [地理新法]. The purpose of the examination of direction of mountains and watercourse is to tell the fortune of the habitants and the descendants.

3.3. Intuition in Korean Fengshui Fengshui masters 'examine and analyze' all possible factors, which are mentioned above. Their main task is to "read" the lay or configuration of the land in pursuit of propitious sites ranging in quality from poor to excellent. All Fengshui Master do not come to the same conclusion, even they observe the same graves or the same birthplaces at the same time. Their personal experiences as geomancers, scholastic ability in the Fengshui texts lead them to different conclusions. Only well trained Geomancers to a high degree can "read" the 'earth' at one glance with the aids of his knowledge and experiences in Fengshui. A good Geomancer can be defined as the man, who can integrate all factors in one word. At this moment mountains and watercourse around a grave or a birthplace appears in a form of one animate or inanimate thing: military general, tiger, woman, supernatural man,

ox, flower, running boat, old mouse,

horse etc. The stage of this 'reading on earth' can be called "Intuitive Seeing Acts". We can get Fengshui intuition only when long and steady study opens our intuitive eyes. Mother earth tells us her story after we observe and admire her long enough period of time. References:

Kim, Du-Gyu; Korean Presidential Residence 'Blue Hosue' in View if Fengshui, in [Shindonga(新東亞)] Jan. 1999, pp 202-215. Kim, Du-Gyu;

Korean Presidential Election 2002 and Fengshui,

in [Shindonga(新東亞)] Febr.

2002, pp 180-193. Kim, Du-Gyu; Korean Presidential Power and Fengshui, in [Shindonga(新東亞)]

October

2000(pp. 366-387). Kim, Du-Gyu: Culture and Fengshui of Korea, Seoul 1998, pp.1-422. Kim, Du-Gyu: Careers and Arguments of Fengshui Scholars in the Chosun

Dynasty(1392-

1910), Seoul 2000, pp. 1-441 Kim, Du-Gyu: Feng Shui(Pungsu): Chain of Life that connects Ancestors with Descendants, in: KOREANA---KOREAN ART & CULTURE, Vol. 16 No. 4, Winter 2002(English), pp. 24-31 Kim, Du-Gyu; Introduction to Korean Fengshui, Seoul 2003, pp. 1-232. Kim, Du-Gyu(translation and annotation); Text on the Clarifying the Mountain(明山論: One of the 4 main Textes in the test administered by the state to certify Feng Shui masters in Joseon Dynasty(1392-1910 A.D.), Seoul 2002, pp. 1-284.

Kim, Du-Gyu: New Text for Fengshui(地理新法: One of the 4 main Textes in the test administered by the state to certify Feng Shui masters in Joseon Dynasty(1392-1910 A.D.), Seoul 2004, pp. 1-371.

Hong-key Yoon, Geomantic Relationships between Culture and Nature in Korea,

Taiwan 1983,

pp. 1-279.