Geomancy has been recognised for several hundred years in the West whilst in the East there is reason to suspect that it has been used for even longer with different cultures assessing it in a variety of ways. Basically however it is a method of divination by which environmental factors play a significant part such as how rock formations appear or the way in which sand may spool in the desert to form dunes and so on. During the 19th century Christian missionaries working in China came across Feng Shui practitioners and mistakenly assumed that Feng Shui was yet another form of geomancy.
In the west Geomancy is based on a human perception for pattern recognition rather than on complex calculations or instrumentation. The only form of calculation used although spontaneously constructed are sixteen figures of dots and dashes that follows the traditional direction of notation (right to left). No count is made during the process of sketching the dashes in order to retain their spontaneity. When completed four figures are archieved and entered onto two charts referred to as the Shield and House charts and through a dual process of calculation form the core of the figures used to complete the entire chart. Using this technique of geomancy the charts are then able to be interpreted by a geomancer who may provide information relating to the resolution of issues that have caused concern. The four double elements of each of the four figures offers sixteen different combinations with a maximum 1 6x1 6x1 6x16 or 65536 being attainable. The charts are sufficiently flexible to be applied to a range of questions. With only sixteen figures to utilise in any of the calculations the use of geomancy possesses a fairly straightforward mechanism with which divination may be accomplished.
Because this form of geomancy is fairly easily learned it was regularly used during the Middle Ages across the class structure.
In regard to spiritual ecology or the study of relationships between living organisms and their environment able to be assessed through the use of geomancy, the flexibility of this divinations discipline allows for the exploration of the realm in which the human consciousness converges with the Spirit of Earth, thereby permitting a well-balanced interface for human and place communications. The significance of this communications is reflected by a general improvement in a person's attitude through a sense of being at peace with their environment that in theory is also shared with the environment.
With this kind of geomancy as with many forms of divination the need for an open mind towards what we do not understand is essential. In addition the open mind principle also allows us the freedom to access that which is not always obvious while the closed mind will never permit such access.