Understanding the Bagua

A quick guide to bringing harmony into your home with Feng Shui
by Palma Bellardoni

The Bagua - pronounced Ba-gwa - literally means “8 directions” or “8 happening sectors”.

Based on the principles of Taoism and the I Ching, the Bagua is a universal and fundamental tool in understanding energy patterns and it is used by many disciplines and practices, such as feng shui, chinese medicine, zen cooking, chinese and oriental astrology, and agriculture.

The eight trigrams of the I Ching corresponding to the eight different directions are placed in a sequence, starting with the South at the center top.
The eight directions are: Southeast, South, Southwest, West, Northwest, North, Northeast, and East.

Their arrangement results in a “magic square”, or grid, where the sum of the numbers always equals fifteen, whether added vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

The understanding of how these energy cycles work and how they affect each other - either positively or negatively - is based on the principles of Yin and Yang, and the Theory of the Five Elements.

Chi or Ki is the energy emanating from the eight directions and it creates cycles of nourishing or destructive patterns.

This basic grid can be used to classify a wide range of topics, and it often contains categories such as body organs, colors, the five elements, the seasons, food groups, life aspects, personality traits, yearly forecasts and weather patterns.

Each direction has a specific energy blueprint, associated with one of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water). How do these directions affect us and our lives?

Feng Shui practitioners, upon observation of natural phenomena over a long period of time, have identified which sectors of our lives are affected by the energy of each of the eight physical compass directions, as follows:

SOUTHEAST 4 WEALTH ABUNDANCE	SOUTH 9 FAME POPULARITY	SOUTHWEST 2 MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIPS
EAST 3 HEALTH WELLBEING	CENTER 5	WEST 7 CHILDREN PETS
NORTHEAST 8 KNOWLEDGE WISDOM	NORTH 1 CAREER REPUTATION	NORTHWEST 6 INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

This grid represents the eight sectors of your home. In the next lesson you will learn which are the corresponding areas and how you can use the bagua in various ways.

Five free easy lessons will give you an understanding of what a Zen Home is all about. If you want to know how to use the bagua for your home, and how it can help you create an environment that will support all areas of your life - read next!