Basic Feng Shui Tool: The Bagua Map
When we look at your surroundings through ‘Feng Shui’ eyes, we can often see what it is in your life that is challenged or challenging you or what you may be missing. A basic Feng Shui tool is the Bagua Energy Grid, which shows you which areas of your home or office is affecting your Relationships, Career, Health, Wealth and other aspects of your life.
The Bagua energy map represents a universal energy grid and represents all aspects of a life in balance. In Feng Shui, everything is alive, always changing and interconnected. This energy map, the Bagua, helps you know how and what to change; by adjusting the energy according to the Bagua, people’s lives have improved dramatically. We’ll focus on the “Form” school method of applying the Bagua beginning at the front entrance. [The Compass School will orient the Bagua to the compass directions—both work well, I find the Form School completely effective.]
To apply the Bagua to your home, stand at your front door looking into the house holding the Bagua in front of you. Notice that your front door will fall somewhere along the bottom line of the map. Now visualize your entire home from a birds-eye-view. Don’t be concerned that your home is not a perfect square. As if you were going to take your home to a shipping store, stretch the Bagua as though it were a box in which you wanted to ship your house. There will be some areas that need to be filled with ‘packing’; these are missing areas and they are important to note as they reflect missing energies or challenges in your life.
Now you have this box around your home. Draw a tic-tac-toe board over the whole picture and you will see which rooms (or parts of rooms or couple of rooms) correspond to the Bagua areas. The back left rear of your house is the wealth area, the back right is the marriage area, etc. Some areas of the house may overlap several areas of the Bagua. For example, your living room may include the area of Inner Knowledge as well as some of the Family area.
Once you have identified which areas in your home correspond to the areas of the Ba-Gua, you can learn which colors, shapes and energy are ‘at home’ and which would be destructive. With a little more knowledge of Feng Shui principles, you can make changes to address these areas of your environment and improve the flow and vitality of the Ch’i, so that you may live in full abundance and joy, creating all the health, wealth and happiness you have been wanting…the difference is: you will no longer be wanting it–you will begin the process of having it…are you ready for it?
Everything Matters: A Feng Shui Way to Look at Life 
Hi Fawn, Website is looking good. I like the grid
Joseph
H Joseph,
Thank you! It’s so nice to hear from you. Your input really means a lot to me. I hope that everything in your life is going wonderfully.
Please let me know how you are!
All my best,
Fawn
Do we set the Ba Gua grid for all the home entering to side of Wisdom, Career and Travel or does it depend on North, East, South, West? Meaning if the house/business is facing West, then the entrance should align with the Relationship, Creative, and Travel side? Please advise. Thanks, Cindy
Hi Cindy,
First place the Bagua at the front door, regardless of the direction and the front of the business/home will be either in the Wisdom, Career or the Travel sectors.
I have found that this placement works to 98% accuracy. If, after you have made all the necessary alignments, you find that you’d like to further enhance your Feng Shui, then align the entrance to the compass directions if you choose.
There are many methods of using Feng Shui. I have found that this Form School application works in the primary format.
Did that help?
Thank you for sharing your Feng Shui knowledge. The Ba Gua Grid is exactly what I was looking for. I had one a while ago and cannot find it. I remember from my previous intro to Feng Shui that our garage is our “money sector”. We cleaned it out… garage sale made $400, then the rest to charity. Within a month, my husband was offered the job he’s been waiting 18 months for!!! Seriously!
Now we want to figure out where our family/children area is located. We decided it’s time for a family and we’re using Feng Shui to help us along that path too!
P.S. I’m a Realtor and would like to repost/tweet your article. May I?
Hi Denise!
That is so awesome about your Husband’s job and wonderful that you used the energy of tithing to give it a little extra boost!
Okay, as to Feng Shui for getting pregnant or starting a family–all aspects of the bagua are important but here’s a place to start:
Look to the Children and Creativity area–is it clear and open? Also look to the Family and Ancestors area–this relates to health and what you have inherited from your ancestors, genetics and upbringing. Is this area open, clean, free of clutter and mold or mildew (check the basement if you have one). Is there a lot of metal in this space and can it be removed or countered by adding a bit of water energy?
Also, check your doors and the Life Purpose area. Do all your doors open completely and on to a beautiful view? Is everything working perfectly? For instance: check your plumbing–make sure the water flows easily and if you have water features, make sure they flow toward the center of the house. Make sure all electrical features work perfectly as well.
All aspects of your home are equally important, as all aspects of your life contribute to a well-balanced experience. If you want more information on Feng Shui for Starting A Family or Getting Pregnant, I am available for personal consultations; you can email me at fawn@fawnchang.com
And finally, absolutely re-post or re-tweet. Sometimes I get amazed that I get amazed that this works–it really does work!
Warm regards and best wishes!
Fawn
I try to put fung shui principles into practice, but unfortunately my husband doesn’t share my belief. His den/office is in the wealth area of the house in the basement level directly below the living room . His “space” is a disaster- a total mess. What can I do to mitigate the effects, especially on our finances?
Hi Bonnie,
This is an excellent question.
There’s a very important piece to being in a healthy marriage and a well-designed home: everyone needs to have their own ‘space’ to BE in. For now, I would allow him his own experience, especially in his “den/office”. This will be hard at first, but it is the greatest gift you could give him and he will feel it on some level. Accept that it’s a mess and you still love him.
It’s okay that he doesn’t share your belief–you can still have a positive outcome.
If your husband’s office, being in your home’s foundational wealth area is a bit of a mess, then it might be a clue for you. How is your own personal relationship with money and finances? [I say this with knowing compassion because at one point early in my marriage I had a similar experience. I did some Feng Shui cures in our home’s basement Wealth Area and asked for ‘increased flow of wealth’ — within 2 weeks our basement flooded. After the extensive clean up, I thought about what that meant and realized that I had a lot of emotion around our money issues and that didn’t have a strong foundation with my own financial life. It took a basement flood to bring it to light but that’s how this Feng Shui stuff works and what I have learned I choose to use to help others avoid similar ‘dis-asters’. Before you make any ‘cures’ be sure you clean up the aspects of your life you are asking for more in.]
What I mean in plain English: is everything else organized in your own financial life?
If you can answer yes to that, and everything in your own world is organized and happy and the only thing that is a drain is your husband’s contribution to the family wealth–then we have a different question and answer. Let me know and we’ll address that one.
The MOST important part is to first work on what you can control. Keep your wallet organized and beautiful, buy a fresh new one in either light blue or red for extra good energy, organize and clean your purse, your spaces, the drawers where you keep your personal financial papers, etc. Is your car beautiful, organized and smelling fresh?
This may not be what you want to hear but it will give you the greatest result in the long run. This work will also allow him to experience you becoming different and that will be the greatest incentive to his own changing of his own space and his own life with you.
Organize your dresser and your wardrobe, your closet, start to really take care of your world and make sure that you do it silently. Don’t announce that you will be doing this or that you are doing it or that you have done it. It will speak more loudly, for itself, the more silently you proceed. This particular piece of the puzzle is all about you and your relationship with yourself. This will start to mitigate the effects of all disorganization in your life including your husband’s den. Start to understand your relationship with money and if you already know how you could support yourself tomorrow if you had to, you know what a sense of strength and self-confidence that is.
The next step, after the silent re-organization of all of your personal spaces, would be to begin to silently organize the ‘family areas. I say “silent” because this is about you and your idea and with the re-organization of you, you allow your husband to see it, experience it, and he will then make it HIS IDEA, to do something when he wants. None of us likes change that is thrust upon us or that we are guilted into (not saying you are doing this), and it seems that once husbands make it their idea–we are golden!
PART 2:
If you have done all of the above, regardless of how your own or your marital finances are structured, I would look at the relationship area of your home and organize that. This will help with your ability to work as a team. Take a look at the Bedroom Feng Shui blog I wrote and see if your relationship area has water in it (bathroom, laundry room or kitchen) or if it’s a room that makes you feel happy to be in relationship with your husband.
I hope this is helpful and if you have done all this and there’s still an issue that the only thing in your life that is unorganized and cluttered is his office, please let me know. I would LOVE to help you figure this one out!
Warmest hugs,
Fawn
Hi
I have been trying to sell my shoe shop for a year now, there has been an enormous number of people looking at it on the internet, but do not have anyone who would consider buying it. The business is in a very lucrative area, so both the estate agent and I are surprised that it has not been sold yet. Please could you help me to bring the right person forward by using feng shui.
Thanks
Hello Sati,
Selling a business, especially if it is yours and you’ve worked it for a while, is not unlike selling a home. The biggest thing that will prevent a sale is an emotional attachment to the space or the business or to whatever benefits it affords you that you fear cannot be replaced.
Here are some quick tips:
-Remove all your personal items from the business.
-Do a complete cleaning and a space clearing. (see post for space clearing)
-Dress it up and give it some love — we are attracted to a space that is loved more than one that is looking forlorn.
-See it already sold and you onto your next adventure
-Check to see what is in the furthest right hand corner (the Relationship Area) if there’s something large or meaningful to you, remove it, lighten it up
-Leave as much space as possible empty in your file cabinets and closets. (keep your inventory looking good and well stocked) clean your storage areas of everything that is not necessary or beautiful
That should help a LOT. Read these posts and let me know if there’s any way I can help you further.
PS What do you want to do next after you sell the business?
Read these posts:
Selling your home fast with Feng Shui
The Reason Most Homes Don’t Sell
Hi
Thank you very much for your reply. In the right hand corner of the shop their are rows of shoes and that is where we keep our vacuum cleaner as well. Do you think that I should move this? Also you asked me what I wanted to do in the future, I want to take a few months off, but wish to eventually provide a healing service. I have been putting off completing my CV for some reason. Do you think that this is holding me back.
Hello Sati,
First I want to say that there is an important factor in this whole thing called timing. For some reason, you are now ready to make a forward push and so I do believe that every bit of energy you put forth to forward motion is now going to be connected to your internal, heart’s desire.
Far right-hand corner, yes, move the vacuum cleaner, change the bag, clean the floor and dust the shelves (sing a happy song while you do it if you want!). What is in the center of the store? Are all the lights working perfectly? Are the windows clean? How much love does the store give out?
When organizing, displaying and cleaning think about how much you loved working here and how much someone else will love it too.
Yes, complete your CV because this is something you will feel accomplished and free about after you have done it. (We always know what we need to do — we just need validation sometimes.) Then start planning your ‘few months off’. What are your plans to use that time to have a greater feeling of freedom and joy in your life? If it’s travel, start planning; if it’s taking classes, same thing.
Then, I would say every day that you go to work, decide to love your store. The beautiful, happy feelings and displays that you place there will attract more of what you are needing to had your baby off to the next person. You can be really proud of how the Shoe Store will help someone else get to this wonderful point in her life — it will attract lots of people who want a piece of the love you have planted in that space.
Tell the world how wonderful your store is! Tell me! Send photos. Do you have it listed on the web where I can take a look?
Smile lots because before you know it, you will be signing the papers and onto your next adventure!
Fawn
Hi Fawn
Thank you very much for your message, I will send you some photos once I have got them together.
Best Wishes
Hi Fawn,
As usual, your articles are always upbeat, honest, clear and precise with your suggestions, realistic, energy provoking, ( getting us to act and not just think about what we want), pleasant and exceptionally positive. I look forward to all your emails regardless of the subject area because they all intertwine. What I find most important is be honest with oneself in our questions about what we want and expect. Then make a list of to do activities to create the life we want and become proactive by actually motivating oneself to do it. It’s so refreshing!
Looking forward to your next email!
Hi,
My house is facing south east and according to feng shui wealth area is represented in that area. But according to Bagua it should be at the farthest left corner of the house from the entrance.
Pl advice what should i do.
Thanks
Sandeep
Hi Sandeep,
There are two major methods of placing the bagua. One is to position the bagua according to the Compass diretions and the other is to use the Form School. Both work equally well but I have found that since they work just as well, here in the west, the Form school position, being easiest to use is the one I recommend.
If you are comfortable, use both! Look at your spaces from the Form School and position the wealth corner in the furthest left corner. Look at what is there. Is it wealthy, healthy and vibrant? Of course all areas of your home can be arranged this way, but in my experience, the Form School is extremely accurate to show where counter-forces are negatively impacting lives. Form School looks at the home as if you were meeting a person and the way our bodies then are trained to experience the energy of what we live with.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns or you can contact me for an online consultation if you’d like and we’ll get it working right for you! fawn@fawnchang.com
My floor plan is the completely backwards according to the Ba Gua grid. I located the center of my condo and with a compass I found S, SE, SW, N, NE, NW, E and W according to the teaching I learned, but now this says that the entrance should be located on the North and my front door is located on the south.
What do I do?
As I mentioned just before: there are two major schools of Feng Shui, the Compass School and the Form School. Since they work equally as well, here in the west, the Form school position, being easiest to use is the one I recommend.
If you are comfortable, look at your spaces from the perspective of both. You can do a little backward detective work. Using the Compass School, what does your SE corner represent and display. Is it upward moving, wealthy, flourishing and make you feel blessed. Then look at the North, is it quiet, calm and flowing toward the center of your home?
Where is the entrance to your home?
When you Look at your spaces from the Form School and position the wealth corner in the furthest left corner…what is there? Is it wealthy, healthy and vibrant?
Of course all areas of your home can be arranged this way, to be organized healthy and wealthy looking, but in my experience, the Form School is extremely accurate to show where counter-forces are negatively impacting lives.
There are many layers to life and Feng Shui addresses all of these layers. The problem comes when we try to address them all at once. Form school looks at the forms we encounter…where’s the door, where are the walls, how does the energy flow properly? It makes no sense to me to struggle to put the head of the bed toward the North for health if it is not in the ‘power position’ which would challenge health in a bigger way.
There are some great books about how to use the Compass School, Simon Brown is one author who seems to make it simpler than most.
Form School looks at the home as if you were meeting a person and the way our bodies then are trained to experience the energy of what we live with.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns or you can contact me for an online consultation if you’d like and we’ll get it working right for you! fawn@fawnchang.com mailto:fawn@fawnchang.com
Greetings – I am confused about how to place the bagua. I read somewhere that you must place the career sector exactly over the front door – is that the method used for the compass school? If so, then my right hand side door (facing in) means I have a lot of missing space in the helpful people, creativity and relationship areas. If I used form school, then my career is over the back door (what does that mean?!) and my front door is over helpful people, with very little missing areas. Can you tell me if I’ve interpreted the placement correctly? Thank you!
Hi LuLuBelle,
I know how confusing this can be. Using the Form school, the bagua is placed so that your front door, the door to which your address is tagged, it will not necessarily be the door you use daily (but it’s a good idea to use it daily!). Your front door will fall somewhere in one of the three areas: Wisdom & Knowledge, Career OR Helpful People. The ‘missing areas’ can easily be dealt with then. Let me know if I can help you! Also, you can make 2013 your Best Year Yet– http://clearyourclutternowworkshop.eventbrite.com/#
Hi Fawn
Your site answers my basic question – Do I use the ba qua compass method or the square ba gua method when mapping my home? I was taught the ba gua map using the compass method – BUT have seldom seem this method promoted. I usually see the ‘square ba gua map’ promoted – using the front entrance as the starting point. If I read your July 12, 2011 8:28pm response correctly – both ways can be used with a 98% accuracy – Am correct?
Hi Donna,
The basis of Feng Shui is within you and your connection to the spaces you live in, and their connection to the land, the community, and so on. When you begin to look around and get curious as to how your spaces might be influencing things in your life and around you, you are making the biggest best step to understanding what the ancient “Science” of Feng Shui actually is all about. Both the compass school and the Form school will work because they each give you a perspective from which to view your world. I have found that in the Western world, we have ‘grown up’ being influenced by the ‘forms’ around us, the walls, the furniture, the streets all have an affect on how we move through our worlds. It’s all about you and when you take time to focus your awareness and effort, making things ‘feel’ beautiful and opening the spaces for easy flow of life and energy, you have changed your life immeasurably. So the short answer is: yes, both methods can be used with 98% accuracy.
Check out my post on the energy of ‘doorways’ and how they influence the human psyche–this gives credibility to the shift that happens moving through doors–now whether the door faces East, West or anywhere in between, will have a subtle influence but there are layers to the energy we live with and it all matters, some more obviously than others.
Bottom line, I use the Form School because it is the one that creates the least confusion and treats each room as the energy flows through it naturally and because when something is easy, we use it and we get benefit from it. If something is complicated, it thwarts our energy. They both work, it depends on you. Warmest regards, Fawn
Hi Fawn,
How can I apply the Form School method to my 2-story home?
Hey!
My balcony is on relationship area. How dows this affect my relationship?
Hi Rachel, First thing: don’t worry. I know this might be hard but this is great news because now you can take a metaphorical look at things and make some easy changed. Breathe and then email me and I’m delighted to help you anchor those missing areas and restore your relationship with your sons to the joy you all deserve.
Hello Kart,
It depends. What is on your balcony? Is it beautiful? Is there room for two people? a party? or just one? Do you use the balcony? do you love it? is it possible to spend time there with someone you love and conducive to enjoying a beautiful romance? That’s what I’d look at first. Then if you have other questions, just send me an email at fawn@fawnchang.com. Warmest Wishes, Fawn
Hi Fawn.. i have been searching the web to find a cure… my wealth and family sector of my home are missing.. i have lived in the this house for 6 months and things are a struggle with my family relationships ( my 2 sons ) and my money flow.. to top it off.. i have a big old air conditioning unit in my family area.. can you help? Im really quite worried.. love and light Rachelle.
Hi Rachel,
The good news is: don’t worry. You have accomplished the biggest hurdle in properly using your environment and that is to become aware of what is around you and how it might be impacting your life and relationships. So the first step was to notice what was ‘missing’ and the next step is to anchor those spaces with things that are beautiful and of the supportive energy/items. I’d love to help you, send me an email to fawn@fawnchang.com and I’ll be happy to send you an explanation of how to anchor those spaces. Don’t fret over the Air Conditioning unit either, make sure that it’s working perfectly, that the area around it is beautiful and well kept and open and fresh. You a few beautiful plants, if you are able, to bring beauty into the area and upward growth; the same with the wealth corner. I’m happy to help you and know that you are on track to restoring your positive wealth flow and the relationships with your sons. The “family” area pertains mostly to relationships with your own siblings and parents, so double check what is in the Children/Creativity area and make that fresh, clean, clear and beautiful also. Place things there that remind you of the ease and joy with which you and your sons communicate. There are a lot of other things that we can take into consideration, if I can be of further assistance, just email me.
Warm regards,
Fawn
Hi. I am wondering if you would have any tips about a basement flooding. The main drain in my basement floods about once a year sometimes more sometimes less. I can’t help but to think there is an energetic component
Asking questions are truly good thing if you are not understanding something fully, however this post gives good understanding yet.
Hi Fawn,
What a great article — I had been fretting about whether to use the compass school (which seems awfully confusing) or the method you’re recommending here (which happens to fit well into the bagua, room-wise — a lucky plus — as long as I’m comprehending this accurately). Now I’m so relieved and glad to be using the form school with your reassurance that it works well.
One aspect of aligning the bagua confuses me: this apartment is such that there are two possible entry doors off the main balcony entrance to the apartment. Walking up the stairs onto the balcony entryway, you see the intended front door straight ahead of you at the end of the balcony. BUT the rest of the house is behind this entry point (Helpful People/Travel) — meaning you walk past the bulk of the apartment on your way down the balcony to the front door, so wouldn’t this mean there’s a whole lot of missing bagua going on if orienting with the intended entry way? Yikes.
On the other hand, before you get to the “intended” front door, along the balcony you first come upon double doors (90 degrees to your left) that enter into the dining room (center/Life Purpose/Career area of the grid). These double doors are the entry doors to the apartment that are used most often, versus the “intended” front door at the end of the balcony. For that reason, would it be OK to align the bagua along those double doors? I know you wrote above that it’s best to use the numbered/tagged door, i.e. the intended door, as your orientation location. Hoping this is not an ironclad or crucial aspect of bagua work. More than a bit curious… ;>)
Thanks for such a well-written, positive, and informative website. I’ll be back for sure!
Best wishes,
Ilais
Hi Fawn, very useful article, but I need to know if the house has the front door on the knowledge sector, does it mean that we gain knowledge or are we losing our wisdom. My house has entrance on the knowledge sector & the laundry or the service area in the wealth sector? I m confused, pl help as we are facing a lot of problems.
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do i have to include my balcony in the layout for the bagua map? when i tried that it leaves me with no rooms in the S and SE? thanks
Hello Mayen,
Yes, this is the best way to use the bagua, to make sure that you call in all of the ‘missing areas’ created by the spaces that you live and work in.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Fawn
Yes, absolutely. This is the beauty of looking at your home through the bagua this way. You can now make changes to capture that energy for yourself.
I work in the corporate world. After 8 years of the company allowing us to work from home, they are now having us work in the office on a daily basis. I will be assigned a corner cube, which has floor to ceiling windows along the outside walls. The entrance of the cube is along the opposite wall. I will be placing my desk diagonally on the corner, so that I can see the entrance of the cube. Do I use the map and placement standing at the entrance of the cube, looking into the cube, or in the opposite direction which would be from behind my desk looking out?
Hi, my garage is beside of the house, with a door link to the house. Both of them in rectangle shape. but the house is longer than garage. Is the garage included in bagua map?, if so, second level of the house will have huge missing spot? Thanks
Hi Earl,
Yes, this would be true and that’s good news to understand where a “Missing Area” would be as regards your BaGua and the Feng Shui of your life. You can call in the missing area on the second floor using mirrors as I recommend in the Mirror post. http://fawnchang.com/feng-shui/how-to-use-mirrors-in-feng-shui/
If you have questions, be sure to email me and I’ll be happy to help you sort it out. Fawn