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

Q&A Sunday: The Best Feng Shui Bedroom Color

Guest User November 14, 2021

What’s the best feng shui color for a bedroom?

I get asked some version of this question a lot, and I’m going to let you in on a feng shui secret: there’s no perfect feng shui color for a bedroom, or any room for that matter. The best color for you depends on what you want to manifest, your unique energy, and what colors you like. For me to recommend a color for your bedroom, I would need to know what elements you need more of, where you need more support, and what you’d like to work on.

For example, if you want to invite in a partner, pink or peach could be a supportive color for you. If you want to feel more grounded, an earthy brown or yellow might be the most nourishing. We can look at feng shui color theory, but I can’t give you a cookie cutter answer. If that was how feng shui worked, it would be really easy to just say that all bedrooms should be blue. However, not everyone wants a blue bedroom, and it might not be the best fit for everyone energetically either.

When choosing a color for your bedroom, first think about what it is that you want. Then, you can start looking at different colors and the connections you have to them. You can look at the feng shui meaning behind colors, but also pay attention to what you like and what resonates with you. If you read somewhere that orange is the best color for a certain room but you hate orange, it will be bad feng shui for you to paint your room orange.

What colors do you gravitate towards? What colors do you not like as much? I have a lot of metal element naturally and I love metal element colors, like whites and off-whites. I also really like black, which is connected to the water element. Those tend to be good colors for me to work with because I enjoy being around them.

Another thing to note is that there are many ways to bring color into your life besides painting the walls. Once you’ve figured out what kind of energy you want to create and which colors resonate with you, you can start by bringing in that color in small ways. It’s often a good idea to play around with accessories before committing to a new wall color. You can even start wearing a color, and see how it makes you feel.

by Anjie Cho

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

Feng Shui for Autumn

Guest User November 10, 2021

We’re well into fall here in the Northern Hemisphere, when the weather gets cooler and things start to die away. The leaves on trees start to change color and fall, and things start to get slower as we wind down for the holidays. During this season, we also have more yin time. Yang energy is related to the sunshine, while yin energy is related to nighttime and darkness. During the fall and winter, we have more dark hours of the day and less sunlight.

At its core, feng shui is really about connecting to the cycles of nature. Applying feng shui principles can be a way to engage with these cycles and the changing seasons in our homes and our lives. If you want to really embrace this time of year, here are a few ways you can do this using feng shui principles.

The metal element

First, you can work with the metal element, which is related to autumn. Metal also gives way to water, which is connected to the season of winter that we’ll be moving into next. One way to embrace the metal element is just to understand that we are moving into a time where things are falling away, and that it’s okay to let go of things. It’s okay to be going through a transition. The metal element has the feeling of a sword or scissors cutting through something. What do you need to cut through? What do you need to let go of that is no longer serving you? Once you’ve done some reflection on this, take action. Metal is about movement and taking steps to move things forward, not staying still. It’s also about contraction and becoming more compact. Think of an acorn: it has all the energy and wisdom of an oak tree, but in a smaller package.

Protect your neck

My acupuncturist always tells me to protect the back of my neck during this time of year as it’s getting colder. It’s a good idea to protect this part of your body from the wind. There’s actually an area of the feng shui bagua that’s related to your neck and head, and it’s usually near the front door. To support this part of your body and your home, make sure you have extra protection from wind and drafts.

Accept sadness

With the change in seasons, some people start to feel more sad. The metal element is connected to sadness as well. If this resonates with you, I would encourage you to recognize that it’s okay to feel sad. If there were never any sadness, you would also never feel any joy. It’s a part of life. It’s not about trying to eradicate sadness, because there is always sadness in the world. Begin to embrace all parts of you, including the sad parts.

If you are feeling very low and sad because of the waning light, there are a few practical things that you can do. You might want to bring in more full-spectrum lights to use during the day, and go out in the sun more. You can also look at how things are placed in your home. Is your bed or the artwork in your home placed especially low? If your mood feels low, and especially if you have a tendency towards depression, you might want to pay attention to this, and maybe take some time to lift the qi of your home. You might want to get a taller bed frame, or add a box spring or lifts for your bed. You also might want to carefully rehang one or more pieces of art. Take it off the wall, dust it, and place it even just an inch higher to lift your qi and raise your spirits.

I hope these tips help you to welcome autumn!

by Anjie Cho