Goin' South: Ten Years On

Introduction

Sherrill and Chu translated a manuscript, Heluo Lishu, into English for their book Astrology of I Ching (1976). The book explains some techniques of najia, which uses positions of the moon with the corresponding day of the month and the amount of light to tell your daily fortune. The hemerological technique derived from ba zhai (Eight Mansions) feng shui.

A footnote in Astrology of I Ching explains that the astrological year in the Northern Hemisphere begins at the winter solstice. This footnote, and Appendix C, provided the inspiration for Southern Hemisphere feng shui.

Ray Harris began the research on Southern Hemisphere feng shui. He says the primary advocates of change to a Southern Hemisphere system are Roger Green and Lindy Baxter. They collaborated in creating a system that alters the luopan, and ganzhi (the system of Stems and Branches), along with the Hetu and Luoshu.

Another advocate is Hermann von Essen. He advocates that everyone use the Black Hat Sect method of feng shui in the Southern Hemisphere, to align with what he calls natural vortices, and to favor Australian climate. Keep in mind that climate refers to the average weather patterns in a region over long periods of time (decades or more). Weather varies — even from year to year — but climate doesn’t.

Other advocates seem to be students or associates of Green, Baxter and Von Essen. Ray Harris hasn’t found anyone who is not a student of these people who accepts and uses the Southern Hemisphere system.

Ray Harris sent his research on Southern Hemisphere feng shui and his questions to its primary advocates before he sent his work to others. “I wanted to give them the opportunity to correct and comment,” he said.

Hermann von Essen never responded.

Lindy Baxter was initially enthusiastic. She replied to Ray’s questions, and he sent a detailed response — with more questions. Baxter replied that she was sorry he “disagreed” and wished him well. Roger Green said that he and Lindy Baxter did not wish to respond because they found Ray “overly aggressive.”

Imagine if Einstein or Niels Bohr had refused to let fellow physicists analyze their groundbreaking theories because they thought colleagues “overly aggressive”!

It has been ten years of silence, if you discount the ongoing advertising by Southern Hemisphere advocates. Have we learned anything more about the potential for this system?