To define the bagua you need three things:
- The compass reading (direction) of your front door.
- A floor plan of your home.
- A protractor.
Compass Reading | Facing Direction
Using the traditional method, you need to discover which direction your home faces. You will need to do this from your front door, so clear all metal objects away from the area and remove any metal from yourself – whether on your belt, or your watch.
Stand in the doorway, as if you are about to leave your house and take a compass reading. You may want to take a few different readings, from standing inside the house facing outwards, and stepping outside so the door is behind you. Take at least 3 compass readings, as this will help you work out an accurate reading. Here are all the compass readings for each direction:
North – Compass Reading: 337.5 – 22.5
North East – Compass Reading: 22.5 – 67.5
East – Compass Reading: 67.5 – 112.5
South East – Compass Reading: 112.5 – 157.5
South – Compass Reading: 157.5 – 202.5
South West – Compass Reading: 202.5 – 247.5
West – Compass Reading: 247.5 – 292.5
North West – Compass Reading: 292.5 – 337.5
Floor Plan for Bagua
You need to draw up a floor plan ofyour home, similar to the one on the left. When you have done this you need to mark the centre of your floor plan. This is the yin-yang point. Also known as the centre of you and your health and well-being.
Place the protractor so the centre point is aligned with the centre of your floor plan and the number from your compass reading for the direction of your home is in line with the front of your home. This will be a straight line upwards.
From there, you need to divide your floor plan into 8 sections using the measurements of the compass areas with your protractor. This will look like a simple 8 line star with all lines meeting in the middle, at the yin-yang point.
Example:
If your home’s compass reading was 171.5 then your home is South facing.
You would then draw a line from 157.5 on your protractor to the centre point you have drawn on your floor plan. Then you would do the same with 202.5. This area is the whole measurement of the South. Mark this on your floor plan and continue to draw the sections in for the rest of the floor plan, using the measurements listed above for each compass direction.
Five Elements for Feng Shui
To understand Feng Shui, you have to understand the importance of balance between the five elements – fire, earth, metal, water and wood. These are defined by the direction of your home and each room within it. So, when you have done your floor plan you can figure out which elements will be defining your feng shui in every room of your house.
What do the Five Elements Mean?
If your kitchen is in the South East part of your home, which would be the best place to have it if your home was south facing, then colours like purple, green, brown or gold would be great for your feng shui. But, you’re not limited to one element. To strengthen the feng shui of a room, you can add another element that supports your primary element like the following:
Water nourishes – Wood feeds – Fire creates – Earth bears – Metal enriches – Water.
Now you have done the hard part, you can get on to the fun part – implementing the elements and their colours into your home!
Nicola Semple
