The Bagua

The Bagua (pronounced “bah-gwah”) is one of Feng Shui’s most basic and important tools.  This simple diagram provides a comprehensive guide to maximize the flow of chi in your home or office by arranging it around the nine primary areas of life:
Health
Career/The Path
Knowledge/Wisdom
Community/Family
Abundance/Prosperity
Fame/Recognition
Relationships/Partnerships
Creativity/Children
Helpful People/Travel
 
The Bagua is easy to use.  Simply align the bottom (North/Career) area with your front door then, face your home. It may be easier to overlay the Bagua over a floor plan, with the bottom of it along the entry to each room of the home or office. So, the Bagua diagram may be applied to the general floor plan of the entire space or it can also be applied to each room.  The center of the diagram corresponds to the inhabitants of the home (or the employees of the office). The eight surrounding zones (or gua) are specific to individual life attributes.  At different times in your life, depending on your personal needs and wants, the Bagua allows you to connect to it in different ways.
 
Each area of the Bagua corresponds to a color from the rainbow spectrum.  The five elements of the Bagua also have a color. The Element colors are specifically:  Earth/ yellow, Wood/ green, Fire/ red, Water/black, and Metal/ white.  The elements also have shapes that incorporate into Feng Shui design.  Earth is a square, Wood is columnar, Fire is triangular, Water is irregular, and Metal is a circle.
Health

Health is at the center of the Bagua.  This area touches all the others and emphasizes the importance of physical well being, which can influence the surrounding eight guas.
Enhancements for this area would make use of the earth element of square shapes and the color yellow as well as earth tones.  Considerations:  Center a fresh bouquet of flowers or a live plant on the kitchen table or in another room of choice.

Career & Life Path

This gua, situated at your front door (North), pertains to manifesting your dreams and realizing your magnificence in life.  This section of the Bagua is called the “mouth of Chi.” It’s where the life force enters your property and home.  The water element enhancements for this section utilize the color black and blue, irregular shapes, fish tanks, ponds, water fountains, rivers, streams, mirror and glass.

Knowledge & Wisdom

This gua is situated inside your front door to the left, NE direction.  This section of the Bagua is known as “being inside the cave”; being in contemplation, pursuing an education, learning new skills and gaining wisdom.  This area validates our need to be informed and prepared for the changes ahead.   The color enhancement for this section is blue and the earth element enhancements of yellow, orange and brown colors along with square shapes of terracotta. 

Community & Family

This gua is situated to the left of center, East, and represents support and ancestral belonging.  Enhancements in this area would be making use of the wood element of columnar shapes, wooden furniture and the color green. 

Wealth & Prosperity

This gua, found at the top left of the Bagua, SE, relates to the process of building, maintaining and securing those things that we find valuable and that provide us with happiness.  Although frequently used to address financial issues, enhancements to this gua may also be useful for those seeking the feeling of abundance conveyed by certain people, places and things.  Enhance this section with the color purple and make use of the wood element of the color green and columnar shape.

Fame and Reputation

This gua, located in the top center of the Bagua, South (or the rear-center of your home or office), corresponds to your reputation within your community. It is concerned primarily with the image you portray to other people and of how other people perceive you.  Of course, “community” can be defined broadly or more specifically. It may refer to one’s own family, workplace, or occupation or it may apply to one’s town, city or even, nation.  Enhancements to use in this fire element area would be the use of triangles, artwork with the color red, and the focus on a very well lit area.

Partnership

This gua, located in the top right of the Bagua, South West, the color pink, is primarily concerned with intimate relationships and marriage.  It is an area to focus upon when you are seeking to improve, nurture or maintain an existing relationship, as well as when you are seeking a new relationship.  In addition to love, this gua is involved with other partnerships, including friendships, business partnerships and one’s relationship with oneself.  Whether they are actually situated in the top right corner of one’s home or not, bedrooms are always considered part of this gua.  Use the earth element of yellow/earth tones and the square shaped picture frame with groups of friends along with plants to improve and enhance chi to this section.

Children & Creativity

This gua, located to the right of the center and West, mirrors Children, Creativity, Projects, passions, pleasures and the things that bring you joy.   Enhancements associated in this area are the color white and a circle shape metal element.

Helpful People & Travel

This gua, situated at the front right of your home, North West, pertains to the family, friends and mentors who assist us in tangible ways, as well as anyone else upon whom we rely -- whether we realize it or not.  Some believe that these “helpful people” include entities less tangible than our neighbors and co-workers--such as angels and spirits that are important to your spirituality.  By linking us to others, this section of the Bagua is often linked to “synchronicity,” or to being in the right place at the right time.
 The Travel component of this gua is much more concretely defined, relating to areas you would like to move to, visit or vacation.  Enhancements associated with this section would be the use of the color gray and the circle shape of the metal element