1 Definition
The Nine Star Water Method (九星水法), also called the Assistant Star Water Method (輔星水法), is the feng shui method that judges whether a watercourse is AUSPICIOUS or INAUSPICIOUS by the nine stars of the Northern Dipper (北斗九星). The system finds which star the incoming water, Lai Thủy 來水, and the water mouth, Thủy Khẩu 水口, fall on among the 24 Mountains 二十四山 of the compass, and reads auspicious or inauspicious from that.
"Cửu" (九) = nine. "Tinh" (星) = star. "Thủy" (水) = water. "Pháp" (法) = method.
2 The nine stars 九星
| No. | Star name | Chinese characters | the Five Phases 五行 | Auspicious or inauspicious | Chief meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tham Lang 貪狼 | 貪狼 | Wood 木 | ★AUSPICIOUS | Wealth and intellect |
| 2 | Cự Môn 巨門 | 巨門 | Earth 土 | ★AUSPICIOUS | GREAT wealth, riches |
| 3 | Lộc Tồn 祿存 | 祿存 | Earth 土 | INAUSPICIOUS | Illness, loneliness |
| 4 | Văn Khúc 文曲 | 文曲 | Water 水 | INAUSPICIOUS | Romance, licentiousness |
| 5 | Liêm Trinh 廉貞 | 廉貞 | Fire 火 | INAUSPICIOUS | Ngũ Quỷ 五鬼, the Five Ghosts; fire |
| 6 | Vũ Khúc 武曲 | 武曲 | Metal 金 | ★AUSPICIOUS | Power, office |
| 7 | Phá Quân 破軍 | 破軍 | Metal 金 | INAUSPICIOUS | Destruction, loss |
| 8 | Tả Phụ 左輔, the Left Assistant | 左輔 | Earth 土 | ★AUSPICIOUS | Wealth and rank, benefactors |
| 9 | Hữu Bật 右弼, the Right Assistant | 右弼 | Fire 火 | ★AUSPICIOUS | Good fortune, blessing |
📋 In summary
- 5 AUSPICIOUS STARS: Tham Lang 貪狼, Cự Môn 巨門, Vũ Khúc 武曲, Tả Phụ 左輔, Hữu Bật 右弼.
- 4 INAUSPICIOUS STARS: Lộc Tồn 祿存, Văn Khúc 文曲, Liêm Trinh 廉貞, Phá Quân 破軍.
3 How it works
1. The starting point
- Basis: The FACING OF THE HOUSE or the FACING OF THE GRAVE, on the 24 Mountains 二十四山 of the compass.
- Technique: From the established facing, "trigram transformation" (翻卦) or "star transformation" is used to lay the nine stars across the 24 Mountains.
2. The procedure
- Step 1: Establish the facing of the house or grave on the 24 Mountains 二十四山 of the compass.
- Step 2: Transform the trigram from that facing to lay out the nine stars.
- Step 3: Find which star the incoming water, Lai Thủy 來水, and the water mouth, Thủy Khẩu 水口, fall on.
3. The golden rule
"RECEIVE water from the direction of an auspicious star, RELEASE water at the direction of an inauspicious star"
- Lai Thủy 來水, incoming water → should lie at Cự Môn 巨門, Tham Lang 貪狼, Vũ Khúc 武曲 or Tả Phụ 左輔.
- Thủy Khẩu 水口, the water mouth → should lie at Lộc Tồn 祿存, Văn Khúc 文曲, Liêm Trinh 廉貞 or Phá Quân 破軍.
4 Each star in detail
1. Tham Lang 貪狼 貪狼 : Auspicious
- Five Phases: Wood (木).
- Character: Ambition, striving, growth.
- Water coming from Tham Lang 貪狼: Wealth, benefactors, clever children.
- In practice: Water from the Tham Lang 貪狼 direction flowing into the Bright Hall 明堂 is HIGHLY AUSPICIOUS.
- Please note: Tham Lang 貪狼 belongs to Wood, so it suits a Water facing, since Water generates Wood.
2. Cự Môn 巨門 巨門 : Highly Auspicious
- Five Phases: Earth (土).
- Character: The great gate, wealth and rank, riches.
- Water coming from Cự Môn 巨門: THE BEST for wealth, bringing great riches.
- The mnemonic: "When the water dragon meets Cự Môn 巨門 water, riches follow."
- In practice: Place the door, or receive the water, at the Cự Môn 巨門 direction.
- Please note: Cự Môn 巨門 is the number one wealth star in the Nine Star Water Method.
3. Lộc Tồn 祿存 祿存 : Inauspicious
- Five Phases: Earth (土).
- Character: Loneliness, widowhood, illness, poverty.
- Water coming from Lộc Tồn 祿存: Illness, isolation, discord in the household.
- Water leaving through Lộc Tồn 祿存: GOOD, it carries the bad Qi away.
- In practice: Use the Lộc Tồn 祿存 direction to RELEASE water.
- ⚠ A warning: Do not confuse Lộc Tồn 祿存, which is inauspicious, with "Lộc" 祿, which is good.
4. Văn Khúc 文曲 文曲 : Inauspicious
- Five Phases: Water (水).
- Character: Romance, licentiousness, drifting, squandered wealth.
- Water coming from Văn Khúc 文曲: Tangled affairs, waste, instability.
- Water leaving through Văn Khúc 文曲: It carries off bad romance, so it is good.
- Please note: In Eight Mansions 八宅, Văn Khúc 文曲 is the romance star. It carries much the same meaning in the Water Method, where it counts as an inauspicious star.
5. Liêm Trinh 廉貞 廉貞 : Highly Inauspicious
- Five Phases: Fire (火).
- Character: Ngũ Quỷ 五鬼, the Five Ghosts; fire, disaster, theft.
- Water coming from Liêm Trinh 廉貞: ★ THE WORST: fire, theft, litigation, one disaster after another.
- Water leaving through Liêm Trinh 廉貞: It carries off the Five Ghosts Sha, so it is good.
- ⚠ A warning: Liêm Trinh 廉貞 is the most inauspicious of the nine stars.
6. Vũ Khúc 武曲 武曲 : Auspicious
- Five Phases: Metal (金).
- Character: Authority, office, career, leadership.
- Water coming from Vũ Khúc 武曲: Promotion, power, standing.
- In practice: A door or received water at the Vũ Khúc 武曲 direction makes a career run smoothly.
- Please note: It suits people in management, politics and the military.
7. Phá Quân 破軍 破軍 : Inauspicious
- Five Phases: Metal (金).
- Character: Destruction, litigation, discord, loss.
- Water coming from Phá Quân 破軍: Scattered wealth, litigation, a family broken apart.
- Water leaving through Phá Quân 破軍: It carries the harm away, so it is good.
- Please note: In Eight Mansions 八宅, Phá Quân 破軍 is Tuyệt Mệnh 絕命, Severed Fate. In the Water Method it is likewise an inauspicious star, and water should not be received from it.
8. Tả Phụ 左輔 左輔 : Auspicious
- Five Phases: Earth (土).
- Character: Wealth and rank, benefactors, blessing, support.
- Water coming from Tả Phụ 左輔: Great blessing, accumulation, property.
- In practice: Receiving Tả Phụ 左輔 water brings lasting wealth and enduring prosperity.
- Please note: Tả Phụ 左輔 is Bát Bạch 八白 in Xuan Kong, and both are very good.
9. Hữu Bật 右弼 右弼 : Auspicious
- Five Phases: Fire (火).
- Character: Good fortune, flexibility, change, blessing.
- Water coming from Hữu Bật 右弼: It depends on the circumstances, and is usually good.
- One thing to note: Hữu Bật 右弼 is a "hidden" star: it is not fixed, and it shifts.
- Please note: Hữu Bật 右弼 is Cửu Tử 九紫 in Xuan Kong, so it rules Period 9.
5 The Star Transformation Method 翻星
"Star transformation" 翻星 is the technique of laying the nine stars across the 24 Mountains 二十四山 from the FACING OF THE HOUSE.
- Establish the facing of the house, that is, which of the 24 Mountains it sits on.
- Begin at the facing. The first star is Hữu Bật 右弼, the root.
- Transform, that is invert, through each Mountain by a particular rule.
- Each Mountain then answers to one star, which tells you whether that direction is auspicious or inauspicious.
Star transformation is VERY intricate. It calls for:
- a firm grasp of the 24 Mountains 二十四山 and the three plates, Earth, Man and Heaven;
- a clear understanding of trigram transformation 翻卦, the changing of lines;
- a specialist compass carrying the Nine Star ring.
6 Compared with the other systems
| Criterion | Nine Star Water Method 九星水法 | the Twelve Life Stages 十二長生 (Dương Công 楊公) | Flying Star Feng Shui 玄空飛星 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basis | the nine stars of the Northern Dipper 北斗 | twelve states | the nine Luo Shu 洛書 stars |
| Assessment | Auspicious and inauspicious stars | Generating and prospering palaces | the Flying Star 飛星 chart |
| The time factor | No (static) | No (static) | Yes (by Period) |
| Star transformation 翻星 | Trigram transformation 翻卦 | the Twelve Life Stages cycle 十二長生 | Flying |
| Used for | Water: watercourses and roads | Water: watercourses and roads | The whole house |
| Combined with | Dương Công 楊公, Three Harmonies 三合 | Dương Công 楊公 (Three Harmonies 三合) | Independent |
| Complexity | High | Moderate | Very high |
7 In practice
1. For Yin Dwellings 陰宅, graves
- Step 1: Measure the facing of the grave, then transform the nine stars.
- Step 2: Check which direction the water comes from and leaves by.
- Incoming water = Cự Môn 巨門, Tham Lang 貪狼, Vũ Khúc 武曲 → HIGHLY AUSPICIOUS.
- Outgoing water = Lộc Tồn 祿存, Liêm Trinh 廉貞, Phá Quân 破軍 → the harm is carried away.
2. For Yang Dwellings 陽宅, houses
- Step 1: Measure the facing of the main door, then transform the nine stars.
- Step 2: The road in front of the house is the Water. A junction is the water mouth.
- A road arriving from the direction of an AUSPICIOUS star → receives wealth.
- A road leaving at the direction of an INAUSPICIOUS star → carries the harm away.
3. Cross-checking
- The purpose: The Nine Star Water Method is often used to VERIFY the result of other systems, such as the Twelve Life Stages 十二長生 or Eight Mansions 八宅.
- If two or three systems all read AUSPICIOUS → EXCELLENT.
- If the results contradict one another → more analysis is needed.
8 The different schools
- The Lai Bu Yi school (賴布衣): ): its own system of star transformation, and the most widespread.
- The Yang Gong school (楊公): ): combines the Nine Stars with Three Harmonies 三合.
- The Liao Gong school (廖公): ): a variant of Yang Gong.
- The modern school: simplified, combined with Xuan Kong 玄空.
Each school transforms the stars DIFFERENTLY, so the results can differ. Establish which school you are working in before you apply any of it.
9 In summary
The Nine Star Water Method uses the nine stars of the Northern Dipper 北斗 to judge whether a watercourse is auspicious or inauspicious. The 5 AUSPICIOUS stars are Tham Lang 貪狼, Cự Môn 巨門, Vũ Khúc 武曲, Tả Phụ 左輔 and Hữu Bật 右弼. The 4 INAUSPICIOUS stars are Lộc Tồn 祿存, Văn Khúc 文曲, Liêm Trinh 廉貞 and Phá Quân 破軍. The rule is to receive water at an auspicious star's direction and release it at an inauspicious star's. Star transformation is intricate and calls for a specialist compass and experience. It is often used to cross-check the Twelve Life Stages 十二長生 or Eight Mansions 八宅.