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The three main Feng Shui schools, compared
The same word covers three genuinely different methods. This table lays out what each actually does, sourced to how each school describes itself.
How this table is built.
- Core method
- Primary tool
- Historical origin
- How it orients the Bagua
| Criterion | Form School | Compass / Flying Star | Black Hat (BTB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core method | Reads landscape and physical shape — hills, water, room form | Precise directional calculation tied to orientation and construction date | Orients the Bagua to the front door; blends Buddhist symbolism with placement rules |
| Primary tool | Observation of physical form | Luopan compass and directional charts | The Bagua map itself, applied to the floor plan |
| Historical origin | Older branch, rooted in landscape and burial-site practice | Developed alongside Form School over centuries in classical China | 20th-century lineage, popularised in the West from the 1970s–80s |
| How it orients the Bagua | Used alongside compass methods in classical practice, not typically its focus | Fixed to true compass direction (N/S/E/W etc.) | Fixed to the position of the main entrance door instead of compass direction |
| View of contested points | Regards direction as secondary to form/landscape | Regards precise direction and timing as essential | Regards door-based orientation as sufficient; this is disputed by classical Compass practitioners |
| Typical modern context | Cited in academic and classical-tradition writing | Practised by classically trained consultants, often in Chinese-speaking contexts | The version most Western décor content and consultants use |
What this table cannot tell you. This table describes method, not merit — it does not rank the schools, and whether a given school's claims are 'correct' is a traditional and contested question this site does not resolve.
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