Vượng Sơn Vượng Hướng in Huyền Không Phi Tinh: Why It Is the Best Configuration and Why No Primary Facing in Period 9 Achieves It

What is flourishing mountain flourishing facing?

Flourishing mountain flourishing facing is the configuration in which the star of the current period in the mountain star flies to exactly the sitting palace and the star of the current period in the facing star flies to exactly the facing palace. In other words, the flourishing qi of the era is fully present in the two most essential aspects of a house or grave: the place where people live and the place that receives wealth qi.

It is necessary to distinguish clearly the three layers of stars in a chart: the period star (the star of the period currently in rule), the mountain star (the star governing the people, tied to the sitting palace) and the facing star (the star governing wealth, tied to the facing palace). All three layers fly along the Luo Shu path, which Trạch vận tân án calls the Lường Thiên xích, differing in the number that enters the central palace and in the forward or reverse direction. Flourishing mountain flourishing facing is achieved only when both the orbits of the mountain star and the facing star stop exactly where they need to stop.

The mechanism: why is this the best configuration?

The underlying principle of feng shui is to seek places where qi gathers in order to generate flourishing and to avoid places where qi disperses in order to preserve. A house strong only in wealth but weak in people, or the reverse, is still a deficient configuration. Flourishing mountain flourishing facing solves exactly that deficiency: it brings the flourishing star to both ends.

It should also be noted that li qi (the study of qi patterns) is only half the story, and the rest lies in geographical landform.

The role of external landform

Trạch vận tân án states plainly: a house that reaches mountain and reaches facing but has its front blocked by high mountains, with no water visible, will lose home and fortune; if there is water behind but no mountain, it offends the pattern of the dragon deity descending into water. The book cites the line from Thanh Nang tự: the mountain dragon deity does not descend into water, the water dragon deity does not rise to the mountain. That means the sitting side needs real mountain, and the facing side needs real water or an open, spacious area. If the chart reports flourishing mountain flourishing facing but behind the house there is a pond and in front there is a high wall sealing it off, then that flourishing is inverted and loses its effect.

Loan đầu texts also consider the án sơn, that is, a low mound directly in front. A good án sơn must be balanced, neither so high that it overwhelms nor so low that it fails to shield. This is the part where landform resonates with li qi.

Distinguishing flourishing mountain flourishing facing from double stars to facing and double stars to sitting

These three configurations are often lumped together. There is a way to distinguish them by the position where the stars converge.

Double stars to facing gathers both flourishing stars at the front. Because the flourishing star of the mountain star needs mountain and the flourishing star of the facing star needs water (Nhập môn loan đầu), this configuration is only properly formed when the front has both mountain and water. If the front has only water and no mountain, that wealth flourishing still stands but the people aspect lacks support. Conversely, double stars converging at sitting concentrates both flourishing stars at the sitting palace, governing people but draining wealth.

Why is double stars to facing not equal to flourishing mountain flourishing facing?

Double stars to facing concentrates all flourishing qi on one side. Wealth qi is strong but people have no flourishing star stationed at the sitting palace, so over the long term it easily loses balance. This is why flourishing mountain flourishing facing is still ranked above it.

Why does period 9 (2024 to 2043) have no main facing that achieves flourishing mountain flourishing facing?

This is a point that needs to be made clear to avoid misunderstanding. Period 9 runs from 2024 to 2043, and the star of the period is cửu tử (nine purple). To achieve flourishing mountain flourishing facing, the chart must place star 9 of the mountain star at exactly the sitting palace and star 9 of the facing star at exactly the facing palace, with the facing lying wholly within one mountain of the lower trigram, that is, a main facing without deviation.

Across the charts of the 24 mountains in period 9, no main facing satisfies both of those conditions at once. In other words, if one uses only the main facing, the person setting up the chart will not find a pure flourishing mountain flourishing facing configuration. Trạch vận tân án writes that periods 1 and 9 both have no ideal sitting and facing for reaching mountain reaching facing, and that in period 9 only the sitting Giáp facing Canh is usable, and when the dragon arrives strongly one may use substitute gua to bring the flourishing star to where the water arrives.

This does not mean period 9 has no good houses. It only means the best configuration in theory does not come automatically from the main facing, but must be sought through other routes.

How do deviating facing and substitute gua change the result?

A deviating facing is when the sitting mountain or the facing does not lie in the center of one mountain but shifts toward the neighboring mountain. Trạch vận tân án holds that a deviation of from four degrees may use substitute gua, and a deviation of from four to six degrees must use substitute gua to re-establish the chart.

As the book presents it, thế quái (substitute stars) means replacing the number that enters the central palace: the period chart number at the sitting or facing palace corresponds to one mountain of the same origin (earth, heaven or human) as the house's sitting and facing; that mountain is looked up in the substitute star formula to obtain the replacement number, and only then does the star fly. The forward or reverse direction still follows the yin or yang of that mountain.

Trạch vận tân án also records an example from period 3, Tý mountain Ngọ facing, where if one uses substitute gua such as Tý Ngọ deviating to Nhâm Bính by five degrees, then after working out the numbers it becomes flourishing mountain flourishing facing. This is evidence that a deviating facing can overturn the result: a main facing does not achieve it, but when deviating and using substitute gua it does achieve it.

According to the book, substitute gua aims to bring good stars to the facing or to the entrance (thành môn), and in the period 3 example only the number entering the central palace for the mountain chart changes, from 8 to 7 because Cấn uses Phá Quân; the number for the facing chart remains 7 because Dậu does not change. The number 7 flies forward in the mountain chart and in reverse in the facing chart, bringing star 3 to both the sitting palace and the facing palace. The substitute star oral formula cited in the book has the line 'Càn Hợi Thìn Tốn Tỵ, liên Tuất Vũ Khúc danh', meaning those six mountains use Lục Bạch; the book also holds that Thanh Nang Áo Ngữ gives only twelve characters, and the other twelve characters are supplied by oral formula. This shows that the substitute gua part is not self-evident knowledge, but requires transmission and careful practice.

Where do the schools disagree?

Trạch vận tân án treats thế quái (substitute stars) as a distinctive feature of the Huyền Không school compared with other feng shui schools, and writes that the Huyền Không school takes the facing and the door that receives qi as primary, unlike the Tam Hợp school, which takes the sitting mountain as primary. On the threshold, the book writes that a deviation from four degrees may use thế quái, and from four to six degrees must use it. Accordingly, a house with a deviating facing must have a substitute chart set up before any conclusion, and the result of the main facing chart is not used.

Practical application and points to note

For example: a house sitting Canh facing Giáp in period 8 has mountain star 8 and facing star 8 both arriving at the facing palace, that is, double stars to facing, not reaching mountain reaching facing. When recording the chart, the book writes the mountain star number on the left and the facing star number on the right in each palace.

Trạch vận tân án also distinguishes the primary deity and the spiritual deity for each period: the primary deity direction should open its door to receive qi, and should avoid seeing water; the spiritual deity direction should see water, and should avoid opening a door; when another period comes, those two directions change. This is a reminder that flourishing mountain flourishing facing also has a lifespan, and is not unchanging.

Does flourishing mountain flourishing facing guarantee wealth and health?

No. This is the most beautiful configuration in theory within the Xuan Kong flying stars system, but it is a li qi condition, not a guarantee of results. Readers should regard it as a tool for analyzing space, not a promise about finances or health.

Is a good facing enough for a good house?

No. A facing that is good in li qi but has no mountain support behind, is sealed off in front, or lies in an area where qi disperses, then that flourishing has nothing to anchor to. Conversely, a facing that does not achieve flourishing mountain flourishing facing but has good qi-gathering landform, with a balanced án sơn, can still give favorable results.

Which house facings achieve flourishing mountain flourishing facing in period 8 and period 9?

Period 8 has six flourishing mountain flourishing facing configurations: Sửu, Mùi, Tốn, Càn, Tỵ, Hợi as sitting. Period 9 has none: twelve sitting-facing pairs are double stars to facing, and twelve are double stars to sitting. The table is calculated according to the Xuan Kong flying stars star-placement method of the Thẩm school, and applies only to main facings (lower trigram); houses with deviating facings that use substitute gua may come out differently.