The Logic of Geomantic Houses

[sdi]

In The Art and Practice of Geomancy, Greer writes that the houses follow a subtle but definite logic; true though this is, I've spent a lot of time trying to puzzle out what, exactly, that logic is.

Here is my best guess so far:

1. Me
2. Closely held things (possessions, money, self-esteem, close advisors, secrets you keep from everyone else, etc.)
3. Nearby things (the local environment, neighbors, communication, common knowledge, etc.)
4. Things beneath (things relating to the earth (agriculture, real estate, etc.), one's roots, the past, etc.)
5. Nearby benefits (pleasures, made things, etc.)
6. Nearby limitations (the body, diseases, hired help, etc.)
7. You (partners, opponents, "the other party", etc.)
8. Things let go of (death, wills, legacies, magic, etc.)
9. Distant things (faraway places, dreams, specialized knowledge, religion, etc.)
10. Things above (things related to the sky (weather, astrological forces, etc.), authority, gods, one's ambitions, the future, etc.)
11. Distant benefits (friends, benefactors, hopes and wishes, etc.)
12. Distant limitations (societal hindrances, things hidden from you, the unknown, fears, etc.)

Obviously, the opposite houses have complementary meanings. But there's also relationships to the four triplicities of the shield chart here (I+II=IX, III+IV=X, V+VI=XI, VII+VIII=XII). I am still grappling with these for the moment.

Comments

[sdi]

When I think of the VI/XII, I think the house logic is more about opposites in scale:

What is the opposite of an acute disease? A chronic disease!
What is the opposite of a person working for you? A person working against you!
What is the opposite of my body? Society as a whole!

So the VI is kinda about impediments one has in the immediate sense—things you need to work with or around to accomplish your goals, while the XII is about one's overall limits—things you're stuck with and need to work within the bounds of.

That is, another way to put this, I think, it's that it's an "in/out" sort of opposite, rather than a "left/right" sort of opposite. A point vs everything outside it, rather than two directions opposed on a line.