Science has proved that there is a profound difference between the effects of the ordinary magnet and the Earth's own magnetic force.

A magnet is not a geomagnetic system, but a magnet does get used by a wide range of scientific disciplines as a gross analogy of the Earth's magnetic system. A quick glance at the most popular websites for geomagnetic studies(including NASA, JPL, and some biomedical research firms) makes it readily apparent how common this practice is.

There have been experiments with magnets to suggest that the North Pole is not life enhancing, while the South Pole is. Baron Von Reichenbach found a red glow at the south pole of a magnet and a blue glow at the north pole. Dr. Albert Davis and Walter Rawls found worms left by the south pole of a magnet thrived, while ones left at the other end died. From this it could be supposed that feng shui should not be changed for the southern hemisphere, as the earth's South Pole was a source of vitality, while the earth's North Pole was draining.

The work of Rawls and Davis specifically related to the use of dipole magnetism in healing and was unconcerned with the geomagnetic field. Rawls and Davis observed that the magnetic poles were qualitatively different. This theory is still used in magnetic healing.

Let's not forget that "south" on Earth is just an expression. In magnetism, a dipole field has opposites that attract and alikes that repel. Therefore, any magnetized lodestone or needle indicates north but is actually pointing south. The North Pole, where the "north" end of our magnets point, is in fact a south magnetic pole. This corresponds with the physics condition known as the nonconservation of parity (eloquently explained by Martin Gardner in The Ambidextrous Universe). All Chinese compasses use these absolute south and north designations.

It is a fallacy to think that the earth's own magnetic forces have an effect on life exactly corresponding to a magnet. Numerous scientists have disproved the link.(1) A.P. Dubrov, (2) working in the U.S.S.R, madel228 experiments based on the effects of magnetic forces people, animals, birds, insects and plants. He found wheat seeds thrived if planted without obstructions. Their roots would go south. However, when the experiment was duplicated in an artificial magnetic south direction, they would bear stunted plants.

This is a gross misrepresentation of Dubrov's work. He simply does not address the question of dipole magnetism or magnetic healing. He does not mention Reichenbach, or Rawls and Davis. Dubrov is strictly concerned with the biological effects of geomagnetism and two important questions: biological sensitivity and response to the geomagnetic poles, and the effect of geomagnetic field flux (especially periodic flux, in particular the 11-year solar flare cycle).

As the geographic South Pole is in fact a north magnetic pole, it is hardly surprising that organisms known to seek south react differently to a magnetic south pole. Dubrov acknowledged this difference.

Many other plants have roots gravitating north, while some, such as rye, prefer an east-west growth. Flies and eels have an east/west orientation. In the northern hemisphere, where the research was done, it was found many birds use the north pole for orientation, but Dubrov thought further research was necessary for conditions at the equator, where earth's magnetic field dropped to half. This demonstrates that living things do not all seek out south.

Readers need to be cautious about Ms. Baxter's statements. It's not clear whether she is discussing absolute (magnetic) south or geographic south. It looks like she doesn't know there is a difference.

With all the ground- and space-based systems currently studying geomagnetic activity, it's amazing that none of them have reached the conclusion "Earth's magnetic field dropped to half" -- especially because, during magnetic storms, the bombardment of particles increases. Perhaps she is confused with the South Atlantic Anomaly, even though the storms create higher radiation there and at the poles.

Interestingly, at no time in this series of discussions has anyone suggested that all living things "seek out south." This seems to be Ms. Baxter's creation.

Cosmic Keypoint

The effects on Earth from outer space influences are very strong. They have an opposite pattern in the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere. Research from space explorations(first was the MAGSAT mission in September1980 made by NASA) confirmed that earth receives magnetic influences from both the sun and the galaxy. These electromagnetic forces are called cosmic rays. The Nobel Prize was awarded to the scientist, Victor F. Hess, who first found cosmic rays were extraterrestrial in origin in 1912. Before, it was widely believed these forces came exclusively from the sun. Hess observed supernova shocks were the dominant source, as well as stellar or galactic wind. Intensity increased with altitude.

None of this makes sense and the material is not reported with any accuracy.

Cosmic rays are high-speed electrons and atomic nuclei stripped of electrons. Primary cosmic rays are accelerated to their near-light speed in exploding stars (supernovae), pulsars, and possibly quasars. These rays are influenced by stellar magnetic fields, but the most energetic rays escape from galaxies into deep space. Those that remain, dubbed electromagnetic synchroton radiation, spiral in the magnetic field of a galaxy. Cosmic ray electrons produce the radio noise that can be heard from our galaxy and others. The rays do have an effect on biological cells of spaceship crews, just as they affect terrestrial DNA through mutation. CBR (cosmic background radiation) emits from every region of space. It is prevailing evidence of the Big Bang.

We can't figure out what she means by "strong influences" from outer space. Nor do we have a clue what constitutes an "opposite pattern and effects" in the Southern Hemisphere. Baxter also seems confused about the difference between magnetic and electromagnetic (magnetic implies that we are influenced by the Sun's magnetic field). And we don't know what is meant by "intensity increased with altitude."

Information from NASA is but one source regarding cosmic influences. Mentioning NASA seems to suggest that we should be impressed by this information, but it doesn't mean her statements are correct.

Today, scientists know that it doesn't matter where the rays come from or where they hit the earth. Once here they are caught in earth's own surprisingly strong magnetic field of 0.6G, which is a million times that of a typical galaxy. From there, they act with equal but opposite force over the north and south poles, going in clockwise(northern hemisphere) or anti-clockwise loops over the southern hemisphere.{E.g., Patel, VL Solar- Terrestrial Physics from Bruzek and Durrant (eds.)Illustrated Glossary for Solar and Solar-Terrestrial Physics 1977, D. Reidel Publishing Co., Dordrecht, Holland }.

There are plenty of scientists willing to differ with Ms. Baxter. However, first we all need clarification of her concepts of "cosmic forces." We have generously interpreted her comments as regarding something about the reaction of charged particles (cosmic rays) on the Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere.

The Interplanetary Magnetic Field is but one source of charged particles. If they flow toward the geographic South Pole they cause an open magnetosphere case; to the North Pole, a closed magnetosphere case, which seems to suggest a qualitative difference between the poles. Charged particles draw towards the poles or fold into the magnetosphere and from there enter the ionosphere to distribute globally. Interestingly, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, cosmic rays are warmer at a point south of the constellation of Leo and colder at a point north of Aquarius!

Ionic currents are affected by the Lorentz force, which causes contra movement and the Auroras are but one result of this atmospheric activity. The question to be asked is whether the ionosphere has an effect on ground-level qi.

When Baxter says a "surprisingly strong magnetic field of 0.6G, a million times that of a typical galaxy," we wonder whether she's claiming the Earth's magnetosphere emits a gravitational field that is a little more than half the strength of Earth's gravity ("G" is the usual abbreviation for gravity in technical literature).

Cosmic Effects

Among his many other findings, Dubrov saw a link between cosmic ray bombardment from solar flaring activity, which had a direct correlation with heart attacks, industrial injuries, road accidents, and acute schizophrenia episodes. Dubrov concluded that even so-called non-organic matter was affected by cosmic rays. People and other living things are affected even to the extent that our DNA structure changes. Dubrov concludes that geomagnetic forces are even important as an evolutionary factor.

The solar wind makes stars appear to twinkle, causes changes in terrestrial weather, creates radio interference and contributes to the Auroras, along with other effects. The magnetic field of Earth collect solar wind particles in the magnetosphere, especially in the Van Allen belts. The winds follow a general 11-year and 27-day cycle, but others occur in much shorter cycles. However, the solar wind is not a cosmic ray, for cosmic rays do not apparently follow a cycle. The definition of, actions, and effects of cosmic rays are previously noted.

Solar flare activity and the resultant increase in electromagnetic disturbance and cosmic ray bombardment is different from geomagnetism, which by its very name specifies the Earth's own magnetic field.

But what conclusions do we draw from all of this? Radiation of all sorts (cosmic, natural, artificial) affects cellular structure and DNA. Is cosmic radiation different from natural and artificial radiation in its effects? What is the mechanism at work here and how does it affect Fend Shui in particular?

Flights on polar routes during severe geomagnetic storms increase radiation exposure. This is also true in the South Atlantic Anomaly, where unusually high radiation levels are generally encountered during storms. In fact, it's common to plot spacecraft orbits and aircraft flight routes to miss the poles and the South Atlantic Anomaly because of the danger. You can read more on the subject at this website.

The presence of biogenic magnetite in human and other animal brain tissue was established by using magnetic and electron microscope techniques. The SQUID(superconducting quantum interference device) is generally used to measure the smallest biomagnetic fields, including those emitted by tissue and muscles.

Psychiatric admissions, seizures, and heart failures in humans have been correlated with global geomagnetic activity. Dull and Dull (1935) first made psychiatric admission correlations, but more studies in 1997 bolstered the preponderance of existing evidence. (Raps, Avi, et al: "Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LAM. Solar Activity and Admission of Psychiatric Inpatients," Perceptual and Motor Skills,74:449, 1992)

According to the EMF Health Report(Vol. 3, No. 1, 1995), seasonal peaks in depression in the spring and fall can be partly accounted for by seasonal variations in geomagnetic storms and their effects on the pineal gland. The effect involves a "threshold event" in susceptible individuals. Another study raises the tantalizing question of whether cancer recurrence can be linked to geomagnetic storm activity. ("SSE News Items," Journal of Scientific Exploration,6:208, 1992)

Biogenic magnetite and other kinds of magnetoreception are common among animals. Red-spotted newts (Notophtalmus viridescens), for instance, use Earth-strength magnetic fields as homing devices during migration and may also rely on cues such as spatial gradients. Newts apparently employ what researchers call a "light-dependent magnetic compass" to find their way around. (EPRI grant WO 430703) Sea turtles' magnetoreception-based migratory skills are widely studied as part of the concerted global effort to save these endangered creatures.

According to an abstract from a biometeorology magazine (October 1992,361[4]226-32), geomagnetic activity apparent causes a rise in rat mortality if the rat suffers from acute epileptic limbic lability. Researchers know that certain sinusoidal features in humans respond to geomagnetic forces. (Campbell, 1997) The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich is running tests in concert with University Hospital in Zurich and the University of Hawaii to determine if biogenic magnetite has a role in diseases and disorders of the brain such as epilepsy.

It is well known that space weather induced currents will flow in long Earth-based conductors such as pipelines and underground cabling. This causes massive corrosion over a short period of time if the conductor is not properly grounded.

Feng shui must truly reflect what is happening on earth. Just as north and south experience opposite seasons, so do they have equal cosmic influences that move in opposite spirals. There can be little doubt that geomagnetic forces have a pivotal influence on the earth and its inhabitants, and that these forces occur equally but in an opposite direction in the southern hemisphere. For feng shui to continue to serve us as a profound means of detecting geomagnetic forces, working with them and with the earth itself, we must adapt to the conditions as we find them.

Currents of the ionosphere move in opposite spirals, thanks to the Lorentz force.

Ancient Chinese texts refer to "two currents" of yin and yang in the Earth's surface. Jung characterized dual tension as opposites creating a potential that expresses itself at anytime in a manifestation of energy. Usually references to terrestrial currents of yin and yang reflect the ancients' understanding of the dipole field of Earth. We know this because the remarks correlate with works regarding geomagnetic properties that are the backbone of authentic Feng Shui.

King Liu An and his colleagues wrote about wu wei in the Huainanzi (ca.120 BCE). They expressed concern that "no personal prejudice or private will interferes with the universal Tao, and that no desires and obsessions lead the true courses of techniques astray." Yet we see this happening with Baxter's peculiar ideas!

Until its discovery by Western syncretists such as Baxter, Feng Shui has always expressed the aim of reflecting the cosmos on earth. Feng Shui adepts strive to understand cosmic ecology to the best of their ability and apply that knowledge to human habitations. Chinese civilization 6,000 years ago knew the difference between magnetic and geographic north and south. If only people in our own time were as learned!

According to He Guanzi, written about 2,400 years before the present, "When Bei Dou points to the east it is Spring, when Bei Dou points to the south it is Summer, when Bei Dou points to the north it is Winter." Therefore according to Chinese it is the position of Ursa Major, the Big Dipper (Bei Dou), that determines the seasons, not weather patterns on Earth! One looks to the skies to find out what time it is on Earth. Chinese navigational diagrams depict the Southern Cross and Chinese sailors understood the stars were not the same in the Southern Hemisphere. Yet these facts did not necessitate compass modifications. No compass on Earth has ever required the modifications Ms. Baxter advocates.

Feng Shui xian sheng knew to align with the whirling patterns of stars. They reckoned time by the movements of Bei Dou. This asterism has not changed. Therefore we have no convincing argument for Feng Shui to change as Ms. Baxter advocates. No matter where one stands on Earth, traditional Feng Shui still serves its original purpose.

Archetypes Keypoint

Archetypes have value because of their validity. The bagua simply does not represent conditions in the southern hemisphere unless it is changed.

The first statement is classic tautology -- that is, it makes a claim based on one of its conditions. This makes it hopelessly flawed logic. To make matters worse, the statement that accompanies it is incorrect and doesn't agree with modern physics and magnetism, though any old Chinese Shipan or Luopan does! Baxter's ideas are unworkable because no credible evidence supports her theory.

Carl Jung invented and defined archetypes as universal images in existence since the remotest times, unconscious content that is altered by becoming conscious and by being perceived. He defined an archetypal image as a hypothetical and irrepresentable model, something like a "pattern of behavior" in biology. (Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious,1990:5). He said that it was "characteristic of our time that the archetype, in contrast to its previous manifestations, should now take the form of an object, a technological construction, in order to avoid the odiousness of mythological personification."(Flying Saucers 1978:22)

Jung noted that a traditional mind can invest a tin can with the spiritual significance of a fetish. It is not the can that has the power — the psychic value the human gives the can is what gives it power. Humans invest articles with meaning, and that meaning must be interpreted within context.

In the case of the bagua, it is a "period doubling" of four basic symbols (xiang) that signify creation. We know from depth psychology that doubling imbues something with twice the power. "In the history of symbols," Jung tells us, "quaternity is the unfolding of unity." (1978:101) Four is "a psychological formula for describing the process by which an unconscious context becomes conscious" according to the four basic functions of consciousness sensation, thinking, feeling, and intuition. This is certainly true of xiang, which doubled to become the eight symbols or ba-gua. Consequently, Jung says, "the object's extension in time and what happens to it is the proper the phase of the great circuit of the given year, then the earthly branch combined with the stem shall determine the yearly and seasonal ruling primary and secondary influences. The twenty-four solar terms of a year are divided into six steps of four terms each. Each step is about slightly more than sixty days long and is governed by an atmospheric influence." (Maoshing Ni's translation,1995:246) II this can be found on the average Luopan!

For Chinese, the circumpolar stars and those along the Equator were the most important (Needham and Ronan 1:195). We know the five elements or phases correspond to the degrees of the constellation of the celestial sphere. In the Guan Shi Di Li Zhi Meng it says the compass needle "responds to the qi by orientation, being central to the Earth and deviating in various directions. To the south it points to the Xuan-Yuan constellation [our Leo] hence to the xiu [asterism] Xing [part of Hydra]." Could the astronomical and cosmological significance be any clearer? We're all asking ourselves why Ms. Baxter refuses to acknowledge this material.

In the Huainanzi it says that "the universe produces qi [vital, gaseous emanation] and this was like a stream swirling between banks. The pure qi, being tenuous and loosely dispersed, made the heavens, the heavy muddy qi, being condensed and inert, made the earth." Nothing there radically contradicts what we accept in science about the formulation of the universe and our planet.

Looking at this in a circle gives a perfect anticlockwise movement.

Diana ffarington Hook wrote, "Reading around the Luoshu in an anticlockwise direction,which is indicative of the evil or negative side of life, which is included in the diagram, yang sits next to yin." (I Ching and You,1974:69). Emperor Ziao Ho faced wei-wang rituals to absolute south so he could use ya-sheng. As in Indian tradition when black magic is used, the Chinese recognize that the right-hand circular pattern must be exchanged for the left-hand one in these circumstances. Baxter's new version of the bagua embraces what is nearly universally recognized as black magic!

Moreover, she neglects to tell us how the usual arrangement of yin and yang numbers is to be altered in her brave new system. By advocating the black magic approach, the normally yin numbers are changed to yang and the yang numbers are changed to yin. The Nine Palaces shift radically. Again, this indicates that she's advocating black magic.

The trigrams are energetic descriptions of natural phenomena. The directions of the trigrams are full of chi at their assigned times. In Kao-Kung-chi Tai Chen it is stated: "in heaven there is time. On earth there is ch'i. There follows a description of the properties of the trigrams, with Li representing the radiance of the sun, according to the Na-chia System. Science does not admit to seasons being the same universally. The trigrams reflect the seasonal progressions, or general sway of the five elements. In the southern hemisphere they go in a different sequence and the bagua must reflect this.

In Sima Qian's Shi ji (ca. 90 BCE) it's apparent that the equatorial constellations were used to divide the sky into the xiu. Chinese astronomers were most interested in which constellation was near a planet or the Moon.

The Guanyinzi was written at the time of the Tang and says, "The qi involves a time factor. That which is not qi knows no day nor right. Form has a spatial factor. That which has no form has no north nor south." The Zhoudon Yi says, "The five qi diffuse harmoniously and the four seasons proceed on their course." In this case, "qi" is an ancient technical term for the poles of the heavens. So, in essence, the authors were saying that humanity's universe (their planet) rotates on its axis --and the celestial axis is the Pole Star. The Najia system does not contradict the fundamental correspondences of Feng Shui (Ufa or Xingfa) because all are based on fundamental Chinese scientific and philosophical principles.

We feel that we have quoted enough books for people to follow the Chinese theories and corroborate our research with research of their own. Because Ms. Baxter advocates the use of black magic, people should be extremely cautious in their use of her system.concern of intuition. The splitting into four has the same significance as the division of the horizon into four quarters, or of the year into four seasons."(1978:101-102) This is exactly how creation of the universe, the Earth, and humans is explained in the Yijing and other Chinese texts. How Baxter managed to miss these facts is beyond the scope of this material.

Facts and logic demonstrate truth. Archetypes exhibit a universal quality. Jung said they are mixed up with our unconscious, "an acting and suffering subject with an inner drama" which we discover "by means of analogy, in the processes of nature both great and small." (1990:7) He also warned that "dogma takes the place of the collective unconscious by formulating its contents on a grand scale." (1990:12)

The bagua is a symbol. In the Shi ji it is reported that an imperial cult of the Supreme One (Tai Yi) began in 123 BCE. The altar was octagonal and each side opened to passage of each trigram's essence and all they embodied. The residence of Tai Yi is the Pole Star, and its terrestrial equivalent is the center of the Bagua. Anyone familiar with Chinese history and philosophy knows the Supreme One is a Han Dynasty deification of the Great Absolute, and the octagon represents the cosmos. Baguas as household talismans are merely the modern variation on this theme one hangs a bagua in the house to invoke Heaven's protection and guidance. That does not make the bagua an archetype!

The Chinese compass, however, does exhibit the traits of an archetype because it embodies the dian-yuan di-fang (the circle squared), which since the earliest days of Chinese civilization has been recognized as a mandala, a magic circle which is a form of "mother archetype." (Jung 1990:81) Such an archetype represents a pattern of order like a psychological "view-finder," so that content falls into place and the tumult of the universe is made understandable by the protective circle. (Jung 1978:117)

Wei Boyang's "Akinness of the Trigrams in the Book of Changes" (ca.200CE) and Zhu Xi's commentary nearly a thousand years later link trigrams with phases of Moon and Sun for each month. Trigrams connect with compass directions by where on the horizon the Moon is first seen in the night sky on the first night of each phase. The directions are indicated by the heavenly stems. From these observations we get the trigrams and stems that appear on a particular ring of a Luopan. A passage in Ta Zhuan (645BCE) says that the trigrams multiply and engender numbers which, as Feng Yulan says, create "various numerological categories" based on them. Obviously the trigrams are schematizations of natural phenomena, primarily studiously-observed astronomical phenomena.

Absolute north is the same direction no matter where one stands. Until such time as Ms. Baxter can disprove this, her system will be relegated to the realm of crackpot notions.

Again Ms. Baxter astonishes us with her superficial knowledge. Earth at center is not late summer -- center marks the Central Pool of Heaven which is compass housing, axis mundi, quincunx, Emperor, home, Great Absolute, and Bei Mout The Hetu began in the heavens, as asterisms that can be traced back almost 18,000 years (Staal, Stars of Jade: 1984). Later these astronomical divisions were applied to locations on earth via the Luoshu (as Professor Field says, this is when "the gods descended to Earth.").We see this in the 200 or so asterisms associated with Chinese astrology. Mircea Eliade eloquently explained this universal pattern in Myth of the Eternal Return. Perhaps Ms. Baxter never got that far in her requiredreading.

Anyone on Earth can replicate the diurnal aspects of the Luoshu by standing as a Chinese Emperor did, with their back to the north. Once there, they need only turn clockwise to follow the movement of the Sun. Perhaps where Ms. Baxter stands the Sun moves differently than it does for everyone else.

Direct translation of a sentence in the Neijing Suwen --the premier Taoist text -- says, "Heaven gives birth to the five phases and the three qi."

Huangdi asked Qi Bo how the five phases or elements interact with the six atmospheric influences (cold, fire dry, damp, heat, wind [ben]) on a yearly and seasonal basis. Qi Bo said, "The heavenly stem shall determine