How the Feng Shui Bagua Map Works (and Why It's No DIY Project)

Guest User July 22, 2020

Anjie Cho was featured on PureWow

For many of us, our interior design skills are based on instinct: We arrange our furniture, art, even the books on our shelves based on what looks good—and, if we’re being honest, what will fit in any given space. Sometimes that works, sometimes it’s…a cluttered jumble that we hope we’ll fix someday. But for practitioners of Feng Shui, there’s an art to placing every item in your home—one that can affect the flow of energy, or Chi, throughout each room. “The intent is to create an environment that nourishes you holistically,” writes Anjie Cho in Holistic Spaces: 108 Ways to Create a Mindful and Peaceful Home.

One of the primary tools to achieve just that is through a Feng Shui Bagua Map, which essentially divides a space into eight areas that can boost different types of energy in your life, be it relationships, wealth or spiritual growth, just to name a few. The center of the map, which forms the ninth section, is considered a neutral zone. It represents a sense of balance and of being grounded.

Once you have a reading of where those areas are in your home, you can arrange the things you own—according to the principles of Feng Shui—to encourage abundance in those areas.

But! Before you click print on the map below and dash off to use it, there are a few things to know first.

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

The Metal Element

Guest User July 8, 2020

Today we’re going over the metal element, and how to add it to your home if it’s nourishing for you. If you’re not sure which element nourishes you the most, check out my quiz here. I have a lot of metal characteristics so it’s an element that I like talking about. Metal is related to the completion and helpful people areas of the bagua. It has the qualities of righteousness and contraction, and is related to joy.

Metal is also connected to the mouth, so if someone talks too much they might have too much of the metal element. On the other hand, if you have a hard time speaking up for yourself, you might need more metal. Putting your voice out there is like ringing a bell, which is why the helpful people area is connected to metal. In order for people to know how to help and support you, you need to communicate your needs.

The metal element is related to white, gray, and metallic colors. I love to bring the metal element into my home with white flowers. Metal is also associated with circular shapes. You can look for metal element colors and circular patterns in rugs, wallpaper, and other decor. Metal objects also represent this element; metal Buddhas can be a great way to add metal to your space. Another way to invite the metal element is through sound. Metal chimes and singing bowls, as well as white crystal singing bowls, can both invoke the metal element and help to clear space.

That’s all the elements! Which one did you add to your home? Have you noticed any shifts? If you want to learn more about the five elements and examples of how to add them to your home, you can check out my book, 108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces.

by Anjie Cho

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

The Water Element

Guest User July 1, 2020

If you took my five element quiz and the idea of swimming in a deep, cool, dark lake sounds really appealing, you’re nourished by the water element. Water is also related to the career area of the bagua, and the qualities of fluidity, wisdom, and intelligence. Still water (think of a lake) represents wisdom. Moving water (think of a flowing river) represents your social network and how you interact with the world.

If you’re lucky enough to have a window that looks out over a body of water, you already have the water element in your home. Water is really healing for me, so I love living near water and being able to see water from my home. I also use mirrors to reflect the water outside and bring more views of water into my life. Hanging a mirror that reflects water over your bed, desk, or stove is a great way to assist with positive cash flow and bring more wealth into your life.

If you don’t have a view of water, you can always paint or buy an image of water, or artwork that includes watery colors. The water element is related to the color black, as well as very dark blue and dark charcoal gray. To create your own watery image, you can get a canvas and paint it with those colors. In other traditions and schools of feng shui, water is related to the color blue, but in BTB feng shui (the school of feng shui that I practice), blue is actually related to the wood element.

You can also bring in water with wavy patterns (make sure the waves have soft curves if you want to invite more water; zigzags with sharp corners relate to the fire element). Mirrors are also a great way to incorporate the water element into your home, because they have the same reflective quality of still water. Before we had mirrors, humans would have looked at their reflections in bodies of water.

Adding a fountain or aquarium with actual water is another way to add the water element to your home. Just make sure that you take care of these objects and clean them regularly. If your fountain is flowing dirty water, it’s distributing qi, or energy, that is polluted rather than life-affirming. The goal is to have clean, healthy, vibrant energy in our spaces.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design Feng Shui certification program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. To get on the list about it, sign up at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com.

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