Q&A Sunday: BTB and Flying Star Bagua Layouts

Anjie Cho November 21, 2021

Is it possible to feng shui my home using the bagua as well as flying stars? For example, my living room’s bagua Wealth corner is in the SE, but for 2016 flying stars says the Wealth is in the SW. Is it correct to use the feng shui wealth cures in two directions?

Fahriye S., Nilüfer, Bursa,Turkey

Hi Fahriye,

Thanks for writing in about how to use the feng shui bagua map on your home. To clarify, I believe you are asking if you can use the BTB school bagua layout with a Flying Star school bagua layout.

There are dozens of schools of feng shui, such as BTB, Flying Star, Compass, Form, etc. There are similarities and differences in each school, all varied. This is one of the most important reasons why it’s best to use a consultant rather than try to practice feng shui on your own - because the average person will get very confused and often mix up the schools, which may conflict. And it sounds like this is what’s happened to you!

Another clarification, I practice BTB feng shui and am not a Flying Star practitioner. However, I do work with flying stars a bit in my personal feng shui (not with clients) and use their activations with success. So for myself, I may work on a wealth cure using the BTB bagua layout but also use a wealth activation in my home based on the Flying Star school. And there are practitioners who practice from both schools with their clients. But in Flying Star it can be very dangerous if you activate the wrong sector. For instance, maybe it’s really in the south and you activate something very negative. Therefore I highly discourage you from trying anything on your own.

BTB and Flying Star use a similar feng shui bagua map. BTB locates the bagua map based on the “mouth of qi,” which is generally the formal entrance (front door) to a space. The Flying Star school locates the bagua map based on the compass direction among other things. With both schools, but especially Flying Star, there is skillfulness required to locate bagua areas in a space.

Finally, my BTB teachers have always, always, always taught that all schools of feng shui are valid. You can find success with whatever school you resonate with, or whichever school(s) your consultant practices. However, I would again caution against attempting to use Flying Star on your own. It may produce something undesirable. And also I believe it’s best to do something simply with the correct intention, and do it well, rather than spread yourself thin and do too much. Things can get muddled and confused, and therefore ineffective.

If you decide to go with the BTB bagua layout, you will find plenty of guidance in this free guide or you can schedule a call with me for help! If you're certain you want to opt for the Flying Star school, I would strongly urge you to find a consultant to guide your adjustments for positive results. Please let us know how it goes and if you have specific questions regarding BTB bagua adjustments!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Clear Your Space with Oranges

Guest User September 23, 2020

Space clearing is an important practice in feng shui. Our homes and spaces are made up of energy that impacts us, so it’s important to make sure we are surrounded by supportive, healthy energy as much as possible. Clearing space in your home helps to remove stagnant, stuck, or negative energy that has accumulated to make room for new, positive energy.

Space clearing is especially helpful during times of transition. This could be moving to a new apartment, starting a new chapter in life, or even a change in seasons. The transition from summer to fall that we’re currently experiencing in the northern hemisphere is a great time to clear your space.

One of my favorite ways to clear space is to use oranges. In feng shui, oranges have a lot of yang energy. Yang energy relates to brightness and sunlight. It’s the opposite of night, which is related to yin energy.

Take a moment to close your eyes and visualize peeling an orange, and imagine the experience through all of your senses. Oranges are visually bright and cheerful, like the sun. The color orange is a protecting, uplifting, and vital color. The smell of oranges can also instantly uplift any space. As you are visualizing an orange, or even as you’re peeling a real one, notice the smell, the way it looks, the taste, the way it feels in your hands, and even the sound as you peel it.

A great way to clear your space using feng shui principles is to use a mist with orange essential oil. You can purchase some here or make your own. To clear your space with oranges, open all your windows and doors for at least 15 minutes and allow air to move throughout your home, then spray the orange mist all over your home. If you want to make it more of a ritual, start at your front door and go in a clockwise direction around the perimeter of each room. This makes your space clearing more of a special, sacred experience, and not just an everyday activity.

As you’re clearing your space, set the intention that you’re filling your home with bright orange light or sunlight, along with feelings of joy, contentment, and vitality. This will help set the stage to welcome in positive energy and opportunities.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Open the Eyes of Your Home

Guest User September 16, 2020

In feng shui, the windows of your home represent your eyes. Because our surroundings are a reflection of our inner worlds, the state of your windows can say a lot about your vision and how clearly you are seeing the world around you.

If your windows are dirty or dusty, it can be harder to see, not only on a mundane level, but also in life. If you are seeing the world through a film of dust, this can represent a lack of clarity in your life. Perhaps your vision is clouded by perceptions or judgments, just as your home’s windows are clouded by debris.

Clean windows, on the other hand, represent clear vision and being able to see with open eyes. Because of this, it’s helpful to wash your windows regularly. Instead of using toxic chemicals and paper towels, you can make your own cleaning solution from vinegar and water to use with cloth towels.

Make sure your window frames are in good repair also. Broken things in general often indicate difficulties or challenges, so it’s a good idea to fix anything that is no longer functioning properly. Because windows are connected to eyes, dirty or broken windows could even relate to eye problems.

When you clean your windows, both your environment and your perspective become clearer. Not only does your space become brighter and more cheerful with the added light, this allows you to see things in your world with more clarity, precision, and truth. It also allows you to see the everyday magic and beauty in the world around you.

The transition to fall is an especially great time to clean your windows and clear your vision. I encourage you to take some time in the next few weeks to work on this, or hire your local window cleaner. Let me know if you notice any more clarity in how you see the world around you!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com