A Luo Pan is a magnetic compass with Feng Shui markings on rings around the needle. There are three types of Luo Pans in use today: the San Yuan Luo Pan, the San He Luo Pan and the Zhong He Luo Pan. The Zhong He Luo Pan combines features of the San Yuan and San He Luo Pans.

For beginner Feng Shui applications, the most important ring on the Luo Pan is the 24 Mountain Ring. This is used to show directional divisions of 15 degrees each. On the 24 Mountain ring, each direction is subdivided into three sectors, so there are three "South" divisions, for example. Each direction is comprised of either one Yang and two Yin sub-directions, or one Yin and two Yang sub-directions.

The 24 Mountains

Trigram	Direction	24 Mountains		Pronounciation	Polarity	Compass Degrees
Li	South	S1	Bing	"Beeng"	Yang	157.6 - 172.5
		S2	Wu	"Woo"	Yin	172.6 - 187.5
		S3	Ding	"Deeng"	Yin	187.6 - 202.5
Kun	Southwest	SW1	Wei	"Way"	Yin	202.6 - 217.5
		SW2	Kun	"Koon"	Yang	217.6 - 232.5
		SW3	Shen	"Shun"	Yang	232.6 - 247.5
Dui	West	W1	Geng	"Gung"	Yang	247.6 - 262.5
		W2	You	"Yoo"	Yin	262.6 - 277.5
		W3	Xin	"Seen"	Yin	277.6 - 292.5
Qian	Northwest	NW1	Xu	"She"	Yin	292.6 - 307.5
		NW2	Qian	"Chee-en"	Yang	307.6 - 322.5
		NW3	Hai	"Hi"	Yang	322.6 - 337.5
Kan	North	N1	Ren	"Run"	Yang	337.6 - 352.5
		N2	Zi	"Dzzz"	Yin	352.6 - 7.5
		N3	Gui	"Kway"	Yin	7.6 - 22.5
Gen	Northeast	NE1	Chou	"Cho"	Yin	22.6 - 37.5
		NE2	Gen	"Gun"	Yang	37.6 - 52.5
		NE3	Yin	"Yeen"	Yang	52.6 - 67.5
Zhen	East	E1	Jia	"Jya"	Yang	67.6 - 82.5
		E2	Mao	"Mah-o"	Yin	82.6 - 97.5
		E3	Yi	"Yee"	Yin	97.6 - 112.5
Xun	Southeast	SE1	Chen	"Chun"	Yin	112.6 - 127.5
		SE2	Xun	"Soon"	Yang	127.6 - 142.5
		SE3	Si	"Szzz"	Yang	142.6 - 157.5

Is a Luo Pan Necessary?

Strictly speaking, it is not absolutely necessary to buy a Luo Pan to practice Feng Shui, although it is convenient. It is possible to buy a regular, high-quality compass, and cross-reference the degree measurement with the chart above, or use the simplified Luo Pan diagram on the right to create a template to overlay with the compass. Another option for users with mobile phones is to purchase or download a compass app for the phone.

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Primary References

The Feng Shui Luo Pan

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About Feng Shui || Yin and Yang || The Five Phases || The Luo Shu and He Tu || Qualities of Qi || The Eight Trigrams (Part 1) || The Eight Trigrams (Part 2) || The Early Heaven and Later Heaven Sequences || The Luo Pan and the 24 Mountains || Taking Directions || Direction vs. Location || The Key Factors || Introduction to Landforms || Forms in the Urban Environment || The Four Celestial Animals || The Shapes of Forms || Introduction to Eight Mansions || East and West Groups || The Positive Wandering Stars || The Negative Wandering Stars || Calculating the Life Gua || Using the Life Gua || Common Mistakes in Eight Mansions || Introduction to Flying Stars || Plotting the Stars 1 || Plotting the Stars 2 || Timeliness of the Stars || Facing Stars and Sitting Stars || Characteristics of the Stars || Activating and Deactivating Stars || Period 8 Flying Stars || Activating the Prosperous Facing Star || Bedroom Flying Stars || Integrating Flying Stars with Eight Mansions

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