My very limited alchemical logic…

I got one more idea on your first question, from your own example, the Sun. Coincidentally it dawned me while doing my sound practice for the wood element. 🙂

As wood is actually expansion (growth), and metal contraction, you could see the sunrise – east as expansion of light (and heat, etc.), and the sunset – west, as contraction of that light.

Gemini- The magic square is that of the planet Saturn and the bagua, of the center with eight directions, comes from that. Saturn is the planet of choice here because the “Old Ones” realized that it is the higher vibration of earth and, as we learn in kan and li, the gateway to the sun. This is where the number assignments for the bagua come from.

“In the five elements system, why does East belongs to ‘Wood’ and West to ‘Metal’?”

You have to understand that this is a circular flow of energies through the elements and the corresponding directions. If you are in the northern hemisphere- Wood/warm/east/liver is spring-ing, growing energy phase of the lifeforce manifesting itself after winter- water/cold/north/kidneys, and is followed by the fullest manifestation of the lifeforce, the hottest time, the summer/south/fire/heart. After summer, things cool off and begin to expire- west/fall/lungs/metal/cool. Metal is a result of the process as fall brings harvest. So while the sun may rise in the east, that is where it is just getting started.

“Why is East-Wood-Jupiter-3 is represented on the left, and the West-Metal-Venus-7 ccmbo represented on the right? Orientating West as being on the Left is almost a universal practice…”

It is a practice only if you use facing north as your orientation. The chinese face south keeping the fire in front of themselves as the heart is in front. The water element is the kidneys which are in the back, so they have the back facing north. Their maps were made this way too.

“Is there a resource which could explain the ‘logic’ or numbering the elements with ceraint numbers, like wood=3 and water=1 and especially fire=9? It seems almost random…”

Yes, this is hard to find info and you have to intuit and gather. But again, it is taken from the Saturn square. And if you think about the feng shui meanings of the different guas (sections of the bagua) you will see that the water area, #1, is the beginning of one’s life, the path or “career” one takes. Water births us. The end, #9, is the fire of illumination and realization, the recognition or “fame” area, mundanely.
If you are standing in the center (the #5, for earth) of a bagua that is on the floor, you can easily see that the beginning is behind you, you face the end, you have the past, your roots, on your left, and your future, what you will create on your right.

Your last question about metal and the “hierarchy” of elements is a difficult one. I had a hard time with it too when I started because of ideas I had in my head that I couldn’t get the five element system to fit into. You’ll have to see it over time as you practice especially after you start mixing things in fusion practice. They see it as a practical flow of very real things. Nothing to do with homage or anything like that. It’s a thing you have to feel to get.

The word for metal in chinese is the same word they have for gold, according to Michael. The subtle/gross thing is not looked at the same way by the daoists. “The subtle” comes after you refine yourself, your energies, through practice and make the gold out of whatever grosser stuff was there. This becomes your inner earth, the refined substance, the pearl- alchemical gold. Daoists do not look at it as an etheric thing like western alchemy does. It is spirit brought into matter so that (your) matter is raised.

I hope that helps,
Alexander