Roger Green claims Hetu and Luoshu in the Northern Hemisphere show the "dominant direction of wind and water movements in the Northern Hemisphere; e.g., water goes down a sink in a clockwise direction and all the major ocean and wind patterns move in a clockwise direction."
This graphic depicts global-scale circulation of the atmosphere. Notice that the "dominant direction" of the winds in either hemisphere depends on the latitude. Look closely and you will see that a wind pattern at a latitude in one hemisphere has a corresponding, but opposite, wind pattern in the opposite hemisphere. At this level, according to Five Element Theory the circulation is equal yin and yang -- they cancel each other out. In other words, global circulation is in harmony.
The Intertropical Convergence Zone is in harmony -- but in a different way than the rest of global circulation. And therein lies another challenge for proponents of Southern Hemisphere feng shui: which type of feng shui applies in the Intertropical Convergence Zone?
Thankfully, it does not matter which winds flow to California or New Zealand or Australia, or that the same type of winds flow in opposite directions. Feng shui isn't a study of the winds. For that you need feng jiao.
Sherrill and Chu suggested in their book Astrology of I Ching that ocean currents were one reason to change najia when it is used in the Southern Hemisphere. This was seized upon by advocates of Southern Hemisphere feng shui. However, ocean currents have nothing to do with feng shui. No feng shui techniques consider ocean currents -- probably because feng shui was developed inland!
Because the proponents of Southern Hemisphere feng shui know so little about the earth sciences, consider the following examples.
The graphic above depicts the thermohaline current, the so-called "conveyor belt" that may take a thousand years to complete. The predominant movement is anticlockwise throughout both hemispheres.
The graphic above shows the interaction between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. Notice that the Atlantic tends to move clockwise and the Pacific moves anticlockwise?
If we are going to use global circulation as the reason for shifting to feng shui by hemisphere, how do you tell which hemisphere to use?
The graphic below shows the surface currents. Notice that their direction varies, even in the same hemisphere.
The graphic below shows the main currents in the North Atlantic, which move anticlockwise.
No type of ocean current supplies the mirror image or "counterpart" that Sherrill and Chu claimed, and that the apologists for Southern Hemisphere feng shui claim. Ocean circulation is not a viable reason for establishing Southern Hemisphere feng shui.
In the TV series Pole to Pole, Michael Palin meets Peter McCleary in Nanyuki, Kenya, which lies on the Equator. Peter demonstrates the Coriolis force to Palin and a group of American tourists by draining a bowl of water in the North, and using a floating stick as the way to observe water draining clockwise. Then everyone wanders into what they are told is the Southern Hemisphere, where they observe the stick moving anticlockwise. "On the Equator line itself, the stick doesn't turn at all," Palin notes.
According to meteorologists, there's no Coriolis force at the Equator, or within a few degrees of latitude on either side of the the Equator. Storms do not start within 5 degrees of the Equator, and there is no record of storms crossing the Equator.
There is no way that McCleary led Palin and his companions more than five degrees south of the equator. They would have needed to walk hundreds of kilometers, not a short distance.
Michael Palin encountered a scam artist making money off an urban legend -- and the urban legend was embraced by Southern Hemisphere feng shui.
Because the Coriolis force is so small, you need specialized equipment to observe it in action. You cannot use an ordinary sink -- they are not symmetrical enough. You must let the water sit for weeks to remove the motion inherent in filling the sink. When you drain the sink it must take many hours if you hope to see the tiny Coriolis force. When you see it, you will discover the motion is cyclonic -- that is, it follows the spinning of cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere (clockwise), or hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere (anticlockwise).
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| Global-scale circulation of the atmosphere. U of Illinois. |
The Intertropical Convergence Zone is in harmony -- but in a different way than the rest of global circulation. And therein lies another challenge for proponents of Southern Hemisphere feng shui: which type of feng shui applies in the Intertropical Convergence Zone?
Thankfully, it does not matter which winds flow to California or New Zealand or Australia, or that the same type of winds flow in opposite directions. Feng shui isn't a study of the winds. For that you need feng jiao.
Sherrill and Chu suggested in their book Astrology of I Ching that ocean currents were one reason to change najia when it is used in the Southern Hemisphere. This was seized upon by advocates of Southern Hemisphere feng shui. However, ocean currents have nothing to do with feng shui. No feng shui techniques consider ocean currents -- probably because feng shui was developed inland!
Because the proponents of Southern Hemisphere feng shui know so little about the earth sciences, consider the following examples.
 |
| Graphic courtesy of CLIVAR |
| Graphic courtesy of CLIVAR |
The graphic above shows the interaction between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. Notice that the Atlantic tends to move clockwise and the Pacific moves anticlockwise?
If we are going to use global circulation as the reason for shifting to feng shui by hemisphere, how do you tell which hemisphere to use?
The graphic below shows the surface currents. Notice that their direction varies, even in the same hemisphere.
 |
| Surface currents. |
 |
| Graphic courtesy of CLIVAR |
Southern Hemisphere feng shui is built upon scientific ignorance -- proponents' belief in urban legends should convince you the concept is pure fraud
As you recall, Roger Green claims Hetu and Luoshu in the Northern Hemisphere show the "dominant direction of wind and water movements in the Northern Hemisphere; e.g., water goes down a sink in a clockwise direction…"In the TV series Pole to Pole, Michael Palin meets Peter McCleary in Nanyuki, Kenya, which lies on the Equator. Peter demonstrates the Coriolis force to Palin and a group of American tourists by draining a bowl of water in the North, and using a floating stick as the way to observe water draining clockwise. Then everyone wanders into what they are told is the Southern Hemisphere, where they observe the stick moving anticlockwise. "On the Equator line itself, the stick doesn't turn at all," Palin notes.
Unfortunately, Peter McCleary faked the wrong flow of energy.
Tropical revolving storms spin clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. Look at the spin on Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans, the spin of Hurricane Ike that wrecked Galveston -- then look at the spin of Tropical Cyclone Gene, and Tropical Cyclone Sinlaku.According to meteorologists, there's no Coriolis force at the Equator, or within a few degrees of latitude on either side of the the Equator. Storms do not start within 5 degrees of the Equator, and there is no record of storms crossing the Equator.
There is no way that McCleary led Palin and his companions more than five degrees south of the equator. They would have needed to walk hundreds of kilometers, not a short distance.
Michael Palin encountered a scam artist making money off an urban legend -- and the urban legend was embraced by Southern Hemisphere feng shui.
If you believe feng shui is supposed to follow the "natural vortices" in each hemisphere, you should be absolutely certain you know which direction your "natural vortices" move. Otherwise you'll look like a scam artist -- or a fool.The Coriolis force is so small that it plays no role in determining the direction of rotation of a draining sink, just as it does not influence the direction of a spinning CD or hard drive. The direction of rotation of a draining sink is determined by the way it was filled.
Because the Coriolis force is so small, you need specialized equipment to observe it in action. You cannot use an ordinary sink -- they are not symmetrical enough. You must let the water sit for weeks to remove the motion inherent in filling the sink. When you drain the sink it must take many hours if you hope to see the tiny Coriolis force. When you see it, you will discover the motion is cyclonic -- that is, it follows the spinning of cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere (clockwise), or hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere (anticlockwise).
The pattern does not define what things are. The pattern refers to the way things function and interact.Although Southern Hemisphere feng shui has been thoroughly debunked for more than a decade, its inventors and promoters continue to sell the idea to a scientifically illiterate and credulous public. Money, not truth, is the objective.
-- Cheng Yi
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