Ok, you've gotten the introduction to the bagua and learned about the different sections. Now for the fun part! Let's explore how this all works and how you can apply the bagua to your space.
How It Works
The bagua is flexible and, as we mentioned, can be applied to a space as large as an entire house or as small as a desk or tray. It is mostly used to diagnose any “red flags” that help to explain why someone is having trouble achieving their goals. For example, a woman who claims she wants to be in a romantic relationship with a man but has statues and pictures of single women in her Relationship section might have a hard time finding a partner. Typically we’re unaware of the symbols we’re using and what they are showing us about ourselves; we just know that we like that statue or book or painting. However, once we’re aware of any differences between what we want and what we’re displaying in our space, we can make corrections that align our space with our desires.
The cool thing about the bagua is that each section relates to and enhances the others, particularly those that are surrounding each other, but also those that are across from each other. Check out the examples below to see what I mean:
Relationships and Descendants are next to each other: a loving, positive, and meaningful Relationship with a significant other could yield many Descendants, or offspring.
Compassion and Empowerment are opposite each other: power that is not grounded in compassion, aided by strong mental, spiritual, and emotional health, can be dangerous and tyrannical.
The bagua also helps to explain everything in time and place. There’s a timeline implicit in the bagua, particularly in the fact that Self moves forward in time to the Future as long as Health is strong, but it shows up in other ways too. Community and Descendants are related in that one’s community, including family and close friends, move forward in time to become one’s descendants, provided that Health is intact. As we mentioned in Part 2, Health is the only area that touches all of the other sections, connecting them together, and this is very much on purpose. Without health, it’s very hard to achieve an optimal experience in any area.
How Can I Apply It?
The bagua is fairly simple to use. You're going to want to look at any area as if you're staring down at it from a birds-eye view (sometimes drawing out a floor plan on a piece of paper is helpful!). Then, print out the map from Part 1 and, holding it up, line up the page so that the bottom three sections (Wisdom, Self, Compassion) are along the wall containing the most used entrance to the room or house. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the front or main door. It’s whichever door you most frequently use to enter and exit that area. Remember, you're aligning the room with the map as if you're flying above it and looking down at the whole space. For a smaller area, like a desk or a tray, place the map directly on top and line the bottom sections with the bottom of the area. See what you see in each section!
Read on to Part 4 to learn how the bagua expresses major life issues.