Read a Feng Shui Bagua Map
The bagua map (BAH-gwa) is a very basic tool used in feng shui to learn which parts of a space–-such as a home, office building, room or yard–-correlate with particular areas of life. Once we know which area of a space corresponds to which life aspiration, we can enhance our environment in such a way that our environment helps us achieve our goals (for example, using color psychology to make a room more conducive to relaxation). There are multiple ways use feng shui analysis and the bagua map, including the Form, Compass, and Black Hat Sect schools of thought. Since the Black Hat Sect method is the simplest, relies heavily on intuition rather than specific compass directions, and the bagua is their only tool, we'll use the Black Hat method to learn how to read a bagua.
Steps
- Choose the space you want to analyze: the entire home, a room, or a smaller space such as a desk.
- Stand in the main entryway facing into the room. In the Black Hat Sect method, the main entryway of a space is always the mouth of chi.
- Hold the bagua with the Wisdom/Career/Helpful people sections facing you and parallel to the main entryway wall. The main entryway always falls in the wisdom, career or helpful people areas.
- Determine which section you are standing in. For example, if you are analyzing a room, is the entryway in which you're standing in the left, center, or right? The left corner/area is the Wisdom area, as shown on the bagua map. The middle area is the Career area. The right corner/area is the Helpful People area.
- Use the bagua map in the same way to determine where the other sections of the bagua map are located. Once you've identified each area of the bagua, go on to the next step.
- Place elements of an area's corresponding element to enhance that area's aspiration. Each area of the bagua has a corresponding color and element which are usually (but not always) listed on the bagua map. Example 1: Place a yellow clay (earth) pot in the Health area of a room to enhance your or your family's health. Example 2: Paint the far wall (in the Fame area) a shade of red to attract a more positive reputation or gain recognition.
Tips
- Sometimes the bagua is in the form of a 9-section square, sometimes it looks like a 9-section octagon. Either way, they include the same sections and are read the same way. If it helps, picture the octagon as a square divided by a tic-tac-toe board.
- Different bagua maps call the various sections of the bagua different things. These different terms are all ways of titling and explaining the same sections, so no need to worry or feel confused. (For example: the Wisdom section may also be called the Knowledge or Education section; while the terms mean different things, this bagua section includes all of them.)
- There are 5 basic feng shui elements: Fire, Metal, Water, Wood, and Earth. The other "elements" on the bagua (not listed on all baguas) actually reference one of the other elements. For example, Mountains are Earth.
- The corner sections of the bagua have a color that is most auspicious and colors that are less auspicious. For example, The Relationship sector's primary color is pink, but white and red (the primary colors of the neighboring sectors) are also useful to Relationships.
Warnings
- Don't limit yourself or feel frustrated with feng shui if all you know of it is the bagua--the bagua's colors and elements are not the only way to use feng shui to enhance an area in your life. Each color, including those not in the bagua, has a psychological effect on our subconscious, and different types of gems and other items have other symbolic meanings associated with them.
Things You'll Need
- bagua map
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