Flying star feng shui, Xuan Kong Flying Stars (玄空飞星 Xuánkōng Fēixīng), is the school of feng shui (风水 fēngshuǐ) that adds time to space. Nine numbered stars move through a nine-square grid, so the same corner of a home carries a different quality from one year to the next. The annual stars change at 立春 (Lìchūn), the start of the solar year, not on 1 January. This guide covers the grid, the stars, how they move, Period 9, and sensible use of the annual chart.
Try it on this year: our free Flying Stars chart plots where each of the nine stars sits for the year, so you can follow the explanation below on a real grid.
The Luo Shu grid: the map the stars move on
Everything in flying stars sits on the Luo Shu (洛书 Luòshū), a three-by-three square of the numbers 1 to 9. Each number has a home direction, and each direction carries a trigram name from the eight trigrams. Traditional charts put South at the top, as below.
| Luo Shu base grid (South at top) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Southeast 巽 4 |
South 離 9 |
Southwest 坤 2 |
| East 震 3 |
Centre 中 5 |
West 兌 7 |
| Northeast 艮 8 |
North 坎 1 |
Northwest 乾 6 |
This is the resting position. Every row, column and diagonal adds to 15, and every flying star chart is this grid with a different number placed in the centre.
The nine stars of flying star feng shui
Each star has a number, a name, an element and a tone. The tone is not fixed fate; it describes the kind of energy a sector carries while the star sits there.
| Star | Name | Element | Tone | Traditional reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 一白 | Tān Láng 贪狼 | Water | good | Career, fame, new beginnings — an auspicious star. |
| 2 二黑 | Jù Mén 巨门 | Earth | ill | Illness and worry — the sickness star. Keep this area calm and still. |
| 3 三碧 | Lù Cún 禄存 | Wood | ill | Disputes, robbery, arguments and legal trouble. |
| 4 四绿 | Wén Qū 文曲 | Wood | good | Study, romance, scholarship — good for students and writers. |
| 5 五黄 | Lián Zhēn 廉贞 | Earth | ill | Misfortune and obstacles — the Five Yellow. The year’s most difficult star; avoid disturbing it. |
| 6 六白 | Wǔ Qū 武曲 | Metal | good | Authority, mentors, and heaven luck — supportive. |
| 7 七赤 | Pò Jūn 破军 | Metal | ill | Theft, violence, and betrayal — guard valuables here. |
| 8 八白 | Zuǒ Fǔ 左辅 | Earth | good | Wealth and prosperity — the money star. Activate this area. |
| 9 九紫 | Yòu Bì 右弼 | Fire | good | Joy, celebration, and future prosperity — amplifies whatever it sits with. |
Read the readings as tendencies, not events.
How the annual stars fly
Each year one star takes the centre, and the centre number steps down by one from year to year: 3 in 2024, 2 in 2025, 1 in 2026, then back round to 9 in 2027. The other eight stars then “fly” out from the centre in the Luo Shu order: the next number goes to the Northwest, then West, Northeast, South, North, Southwest, East and Southeast, which is the same path the numbers 5 to 4 trace in the base grid.
Take 2027. Star 9 sits in the centre, so 1 lands in the Northwest, 2 in the West, 3 in the Northeast, 4 in the South, 5 in the North, 6 in the Southwest, 7 in the East and 8 in the Southeast. The full sector map, with notes for each room, is on the flying stars 2027 page. The 2027 chart takes over at 立春, 2027-02-04 09:45 (UTC+8).
The centre star and the three most-asked stars, year by year:
| Year | Centre star | 5 五黄 sits in | 8 八白 sits in | 9 九紫 sits in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | West | North | Southwest |
| 2025 | 2 | Northeast | Southwest | East |
| 2026 | 1 | South | East | Southeast |
| 2027 | 9 | North | Southeast | Centre |
| 2028 | 8 | Southwest | Centre | Northwest |
| 2029 | 7 | East | Northwest | West |
| 2030 | 6 | Southeast | West | Northeast |
Period 9: the twenty-year layer
Above the annual stars sits a longer clock, the Three Cycles and Nine Periods (三元九运 sānyuán jiǔyùn). We are now in Period 9 (九运 jiǔyùn), which runs twenty years from 立春 2024 (2024-02-04 16:26) to 立春 2044. In Period 9 the 9 star, 九紫, a Fire star, is the “timely” star: the one whose energy is in season. That is why 9 is treated as a strong, positive presence wherever it lands in these years.
What a full Xuan Kong reading adds
The annual chart is the public layer, the same for a flat in Tampines and an office in Raffles Place. A full Xuan Kong reading also builds a natal chart for the building itself (宅盘 zháipán), with its own water and mountain stars. That chart depends on two facts about the house: its exact facing direction and the period in which it was built. Both need a compass reading taken on site; a facing guessed from a floor plan is not enough.
Two homes that look alike can face differently and carry different charts, so this site does not publish house-chart numbers. The annual stars are what you can use safely on your own; the house chart is work for a consultation. Personal direction systems are a separate method again: your Kua number gives your own best directions, and it combines well with the annual map rather than replacing it.
Using the annual stars in practice
The method is plain five-element logic, the same cycle explained in the five elements: Wood feeds Fire, Fire feeds Earth, Earth feeds Metal, Metal feeds Water, Water feeds Wood. A good star is supported by the element that feeds it. An ill star is calmed by the element it feeds, which drains it, rather than attacked head-on.
- 5 and 2 (Earth, ill). Keep these sectors calm and still, and avoid disturbing them with heavy renovation during the year. Metal drains Earth, so white, grey and metal finishes suit them; leave out strong Fire colours, which feed Earth.
- 3 (Wood, ill). A restrained Fire accent draws the Wood off. Go light on greens and Water.
- 7 (Metal, ill). Water drains Metal: deep blue or black. Keep valuables organised and secure.
- Good stars 1, 4, 6, 8 and 9. Use these rooms. Light, tidiness and daily activity matter more than objects. The 8 is the star most people link to the wealth corner.
None of this needs anything bought. Colour, material, and how often a room is used are the tools. The foundations of the wider practice are on the feng shui hub.
If you want the annual stars read against your own home’s facing and your own chart, that is what a session is for. Book a reading: one hour, your chart and floor plan on the table, a written summary afterwards, and no fear-selling.