The
bagua (also known as the lo shu square or pa kua) is a feng
shui tool that provides a blue print of the nine energy centers
in your life: Wealth and Prosperity, Fame and Reputation,
Love and Relationships, Family, Well Being, Children and Creativity,
Knowledge, Career, and Helpful People. In traditional feng
shui, the bagua is represented as an octagon with eight sections
surrounding a central area. For modern (and practical) use,
the corners of the octagon have been extended to form a square,
which is then divided into nine equal sections. Included in
this article is a bagua for your use; it illustrates the corresponding
colors, the corresponding elements, and the position of each
of the nine energy centers.
This
article will introduce to you the bagua and how to begin to
apply it; the upcoming Feng Shui Focus articles will highlight
each of the nine energy centers in turn. Think of the bagua
as "a transparency" that will be superimposed over the floor
plan of your entire house, and then, if you are really a feng
shui fanatic, over each of the individual rooms of your home.
This process is known as "layering" and works to double the
good energies within an area.
So,
lets get started!
Finding
your energy centers begins with drawing a simple sketch of
your home and of each room within it- yes, it is time to shake
up and set free your inner artist! Graph paper (and a big
eraser!) is very helpful for this step. Be sure to include
all attached spaces, including the garage, any room additions,
and enclosed porches. Every area that has a roof, four sides,
and is attached to the main structure must be included in
your blueprint. After you have drawn the basic shape of your
living space, proceed to divide it into nine equal parts.
If you live in a multiple-story home, do this for each level.
Also of note, if your home is large, one energy center may
include two or three rooms. The opposite is true for smaller
homes and apartments, in which you may discover that two or
three centers show up in a single room.
Now,
to position the bagua correctly, you will need to identify
the main door that is used to enter the house (or the individual
room, if you are layering). Although you may use an alternate
door to enter your home, you should always use the formal
front door as the starting point to determine the layout of
the bagua. The door's position will always be located in one
of the three bottom bagua areas: Knowledge and Wisdom, Career,
or Travel and Helpful People. Once you figure out which center
your front door opens into, it is then easy to locate the
rest: place the bagua "over" the front door and then stretch
(or shrink) the bagua to cover the entire floor plan. The
same technique applies to an individual room for layering:
align the bagua with the doorway, and adjust the size of the
bagua to fit the space. In most cases, the bagua to each individual
room will be in a different orientation than how it is placed
over the entire main level; they don't need to match.
If
your home is in the shape of a square or rectangle, you will
notice that all centers are accounted for within the bagua,
which is ideal in the feng shui world. Some of you, however,
may have a home that is irregular or an L-shape, and in these
situations, some of the energy centers will be missing. These
structural voids can create deficiencies in the corresponding
area of your life, but don't become too frazzled, by utilizing
feng shui enhancements you can find ways to correct any situation,
and we will address such issues in upcoming articles.
