About
Feng Shui 360
Feng Shui basics
Feng Shui articles
testimonials and success stories
basics
children
clutter, organizing, clearing ceremonies
colors
eco lifestyle
gardens, plants, landscaping
general
love and romance
office and career
real estate
room-by-room
seasonal, holiday, travel
wealth
articles about and by Carol Olmstead
Feng Shui Power Principle #3 -- The Bagua
The Feng Shui bagua is a basic tool of Feng Shui. It is a mapping chart used to determine which part of a home relates to a specific aspect of life, such as wealth, love, or health. It helps you decide where to place the furniture, objects, and art around you to bring positive things into your life. Understanding how to use a Feng Shui bagua is a basic step in making Feng Shui adjustments.
The word “bagua” (pronounced bag-wha) means eight-sided in Chinese. The traditional Feng Shui bagua is an octagon that contains eight areas (or guas) plus a grounding center, for a total of nine areas corresponding to critical aspects of life. Modern Feng Shui use a grid-shaped chart that contains the same eight life areas and grounding center as the traditional octagon, but more closely resembles the shape of our contemporary homes.
How to Use the Feng Shui Bagua
These three simple steps will help you orient the bagua and use it to map the areas of your home, office, or business.
Step #1: Orient the bagua by standing at your front door looking in to your home. Even if you usually enter your home through the garage or side door, orient the bagua from the true front door.
Step #2: Draw the floor plan of the first floor of your home, including all attached structures like the garage, side porch, and deck. Ultimately, you can draw the floor plan for each level of your home, including the basement and attic.
Step #3: Divide the floor plan into the nine equal areas. Then, determine where the rooms lie within the bagua. Once you know what each area of your home represents, you can add furniture, accessories, and colors to activate these areas.
Once you have divided your home or workplace into the nine areas of the bagua, you can decorate and accessorize these areas in order to activate the specific energy for each area. Here are a few of my favorite objects to place in each bagua area to activate its attributes.
Power/Wealth/Abundance
• Valuable possessions and collections
• Fine art
• Pictures of desired objects
Fame/Future/Reputation
• Diplomas, awards, prizes
• Pictures that represent future aspirations
• Image of a sunrise
Love/Relationships/Marriage
• Photos of you and your spouse/partner
• Pairs of objects
• Pictures of romantic places
Creativity/Children/Legacy
• Shiny metal objects
• Whimsical images and items associated with childhood
• Creative projects, craft supplies, hobbies
Compassion/Travel/Helpful People
• Images that represent mentors and heroes
• Successful business projects
• Pictures of places you want to visit
Self/Career/Work
• Fountains or fish tanks
• Artwork depicting moving water
• Items that represent career success
Knowledge/Wisdom/Harmony
• Books, DVDs, CDs
• School materials
• Images that feel peaceful
Family/Health/Community
• Photos of family and friends
• Heirlooms and antiques
• Items you associated with good health
Well-Being/Balance
• Artwork that depicts mountains
• Objects that feel grounded and secure
• Items made of ceramics or clay
When adding objects, shapes, or colors to activate a bagua area, some people are tempted to overdue it and put all of these items in each of the bagua areas of their home. I recommend you resist the urge to over-adjust. One or two items that represent the attributes of each Feng Shui bagua area for you will do the job.
Click here to download a color bagua to use to map your home or office space. Choose either a horizontal or vertical bagua, depending on which one matches the general shape of your home.
The Bagua is the third of the five Power Principles of Feng Shui --
Power Principle #1 -- Chi
Power Principle #2 -- The Five Elements
Power Principle #3 -- The Bagua
Power Principle #4 -- Yin and Yang
Power Principle #5 -- Continuity and Connectedness
The word “bagua” (pronounced bag-wha) means eight-sided in Chinese. The traditional Feng Shui bagua is an octagon that contains eight areas (or guas) plus a grounding center, for a total of nine areas corresponding to critical aspects of life. Modern Feng Shui use a grid-shaped chart that contains the same eight life areas and grounding center as the traditional octagon, but more closely resembles the shape of our contemporary homes.
How to Use the Feng Shui Bagua
These three simple steps will help you orient the bagua and use it to map the areas of your home, office, or business.
Step #1: Orient the bagua by standing at your front door looking in to your home. Even if you usually enter your home through the garage or side door, orient the bagua from the true front door.
Step #2: Draw the floor plan of the first floor of your home, including all attached structures like the garage, side porch, and deck. Ultimately, you can draw the floor plan for each level of your home, including the basement and attic.
Step #3: Divide the floor plan into the nine equal areas. Then, determine where the rooms lie within the bagua. Once you know what each area of your home represents, you can add furniture, accessories, and colors to activate these areas.
Once you have divided your home or workplace into the nine areas of the bagua, you can decorate and accessorize these areas in order to activate the specific energy for each area. Here are a few of my favorite objects to place in each bagua area to activate its attributes.
Power/Wealth/Abundance
• Valuable possessions and collections
• Fine art
• Pictures of desired objects
Fame/Future/Reputation
• Diplomas, awards, prizes
• Pictures that represent future aspirations
• Image of a sunrise
Love/Relationships/Marriage
• Photos of you and your spouse/partner
• Pairs of objects
• Pictures of romantic places
Creativity/Children/Legacy
• Shiny metal objects
• Whimsical images and items associated with childhood
• Creative projects, craft supplies, hobbies
Compassion/Travel/Helpful People
• Images that represent mentors and heroes
• Successful business projects
• Pictures of places you want to visit
Self/Career/Work
• Fountains or fish tanks
• Artwork depicting moving water
• Items that represent career success
Knowledge/Wisdom/Harmony
• Books, DVDs, CDs
• School materials
• Images that feel peaceful
Family/Health/Community
• Photos of family and friends
• Heirlooms and antiques
• Items you associated with good health
Well-Being/Balance
• Artwork that depicts mountains
• Objects that feel grounded and secure
• Items made of ceramics or clay
When adding objects, shapes, or colors to activate a bagua area, some people are tempted to overdue it and put all of these items in each of the bagua areas of their home. I recommend you resist the urge to over-adjust. One or two items that represent the attributes of each Feng Shui bagua area for you will do the job.
Click here to download a color bagua to use to map your home or office space. Choose either a horizontal or vertical bagua, depending on which one matches the general shape of your home.
The Bagua is the third of the five Power Principles of Feng Shui --
Power Principle #1 -- Chi
Power Principle #2 -- The Five Elements
Power Principle #3 -- The Bagua
Power Principle #4 -- Yin and Yang
Power Principle #5 -- Continuity and Connectedness
