Get your bearings

You may have seen a traditional fung shui master taking readings with their luo pan or Chinese fung shui compass. This is an essential tool that provides significantly more information about a person's living or working environment than a standard western compass. The luo pan usually consists of a rotating circular section (which may be black or yellow) enclosed within a square plate (usually red). The centre of the luo pan, also known as the Heaven's Pool, contains a magnetized needle lying in an circle of methylated spirits that aligns itself north-south. The fung shui master needs to align the central needle with the markings etched at the bottom of the pool. The head of the needle, which rotates to the north, has a central hole with two protrusions on either side. The fung shui master lines up the top of the needle with the two dots on the base of the pool to determine where north lies. Then the orientation of the property being assessed can be determined. The effects of surrounding structures, both natural and man made can also be assessed. The fung shui master can use the compass to identify where water should enter and exit your property. This refers to the layout and design of roads and drains.