It is amazing to think that this Feng Shui blog was started in 2018 and here we are near the end of 2024 of the Western calendar. It has been a lot of information over the years including changes of countries, cities and apartments along the way. One of the biggest lessons to learn is that Feng Shui isn’t a miracle cure, it is about balancing what you can control and then using positive affirmations to attract positive situations.

Once the concepts and expectations are understood about Feng Shui, the next key question is what is the Bagua map and how do we use it? Especially if a home, apartment or living space doesn’t fit a classic square box to fit in to the map. Look at other posts on this blog for Missing Sectors as well. Include balconies, attached garages and gardens as part of the space and place inside a square to see how your place fits. Let’s start with the placement and entrance.

 

Where Do I Start?

Using the Bagua Map, you should have completed the process below which seems complicated but basically involves drawing a big square for your whole living space and putting a general floor plan within that square. If you have more than one level and/or a basement, then put each level in the their own map. Then do the same for each room. Here is a past apartment we owned. See the missing sector for the Career and also the Travel and Helpful People sectors. Don’t panic, other posts on this blog discuss how to remedy this aspect. It can be seen here that the main entrance is where the black arrow is, the Career & Life Path sector.

  • Place the map on a drawing of your whole living place using the wall that has the main entrance as if you are entering in the front door and the same for the main staircase entrance for any floor above or below – your main door is likely to open into the Inner Knowledge, Career and Lifepath or Helpful People sectors
  • Write on your drawing which rooms or areas are in each square – for example, our living room was in the Relationship area
  • Identify ‘missing’ spaces, don’t panic, many of us live in L-shape spaces and there are simple remedies
  • Highlight the centre of the whole space – the yellow sector and it may just be a wall or staircase
  • Note where the bathroom and the kitchen is – see posts on bathrooms and kitchens as these are key rooms
  • Draw where you have or would place each bedroom
  • If you have a dedicated home office, highlight that area as well
  • Then for each room, draw a square for each room using the map placing on the wall that contains the entrance facing inwards and follow the same process

The Front Door

Sometimes your front door instantly faces a staircase, this appears especially in European house or in large houses with big staircases. If the stairs are opposite the main entrance and very close to the main door, you will need to slow the energy down from racing up the stairs. Consider putting small lamps and pictures going up the wall for people to view. There maybe enough space between the door and stairs and the natural Chi energy, doesn’t feel like rushing upwards, use your own energy to test this out. We had a townhouse with a short space between the door and very steep stairs, we placed small lamps with battery-operated candles in and obvious art work to slow people’s attention down from running up the stairs.

The Corridor Effect

Another issue may be that you open your door and instantly you look down a corridor to the back door or another window. You will need to distract the Chi to a small table or bookcase to slow down the energy from shooting out the back door or window! The result could meant that the Chi energy doesn’t go enter into the other areas of the whole place which means some of the Bagua sectors wouldn’t be active. Another tip is to use a crystal ball or a pendant light that attracts the Chi attention and will keep the energy in the room before it escapes quickly outside. More tips on crystal ball remedies are in other posts.

Golden Bagua Tips

Get rid of clutter, rubbish and clutter in every sector as you are clearing out old and often dead energy. It is also allowing new energy in and something that resonates with the start of a new year. Follow the elements in the Bagua map cycle – fire creates ash/earth, earth polishes metal, metal is cleaned in water, water and earth feed wood.  Avoid opposites – fire absorbs water, metal chops down wood. Keep the centre clear of your whole area and within each room. There are many other rules to consider as you will discover in other posts and there are remedies as well.

Walk Right In

Check where it opens – in 1 of 3 areas of colour and element:

  • Inner Knowledge
  • Career & Life’s Journey
  • Helpful People & Travel

Before stepping through your front door, check out what message it sends out. Is the area around cluttered, has rubbish, old shoes, a broken bell, needs painting – what does it say to a new person? Clear the area both outside and directly inside your front door. Close your eyes and step in to get a good sense of your space – the light, the smell, the first impression.

Not a Blue Person? Before we start, you don’t have to paint the whole entrance blue or even a wall! Instead, add small touches within pictures, ornaments and include the element. Let’s look at the the sections where your door may open in to.A note, whilst the main colours of these areas according to these three areas are blue, black and grey, you don’t have to paint the whole area those colours. Western Feng Shui decor is more practical and recommends touches of the colours in art work, ornaments and soft furnishings. That being said, our main door is dove grey with original 19th century black iron work and the inside is a darker grey paint which is very chic.

Inner Knowledge

This is the lower far left sector and focuses on blues, greens, black and the element of earth. Our front door has often opened here. We have painted the inside of the maindoor and used different fabrics to soften the effect. Think about what this area means to you. Self Knowledge to me is all about learning, traveling and absorbing different ways of living and that has been a key area over these last years.

 

 

Career & Life Journey

Black and darker tones are the key focus with the element of water. Dark charcoal can be softened by lighter greys and enhanced by white. Pictures and ornaments related to water are the key element and if your door opens here, it is an opportunity to make it chic with black and white. Also use diplomas, think about what makes a statement about your career. Our main door is in this sector and we have added art work with gentle water images.

 

Helpful People & Travel

Use white, greys and blacks with a hint of strong, clear lines. Add ornaments or pictures that say travel and new places to see. In the past, we have used 1920s advertisements of travel, planes and different countries framed by silver. Think for a moment what this sector means to you and match images and decor to mirror this mental message.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Other posts will be revisiting each sector but at this stage, it is important to have worked out where each sector is placed and if any area is missing. A note, if you use another main door such as a back door or the garage door, you may want to rethink going back to using your main door instead or re-orientate your map to that door. The message you are sending using an alternative door is stating that this is the entrance to the energy of your place. Don’t forget though, Feng Shui is practical, fix the broken lock, window, external stairs and clean up any clutter. This is the first area that the Chi energy is entering and if it isn’t welcoming, clean and working, you may want to ask yourself, why?