The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui

Auspicious
Definition of auspicious (adjective) being of a good omen; successful; favorable; beneficent.
Courtesy of: www.english-test.net

BAGUA: Pa Gua/Ba Gua

A Bagua is a tool used in Feng Shui to map a room or location in your home or office
to see how the different areas correspond to different aspects in one's life, also
known as the Eight Treasures or Eight Life Aspirations. These sections relate to
every area or aspect of our lives and are divided into categories in this structure.
The map is intended to be used over the land, one's home, office or desk to find
areas lacking good chi, and to show where there are negative or missing spaces and
what may need rectifying or enhancing in life or the environment.
Bagua, an ancient term, translated from Chinese that means "eight areas" (ba: eight; gua: area). It is
traditionally shown as an octagon with eight sections
surrounding a central area, the tai chi. The qualities or
energies of each of the outer areas are represented by a
trigram. A trigram is a three lined image which represents the
energy of each area. To make it easier to apply this map to
your living space, we extend the corners of the Bagua to form a square, and then divide it into nine
equal sections. The Bagua is a map or chart that relates to the various areas of your life to the eight
sections of your living space. These eight main sections of a space are represented by what are known
as guas. But while the word may sound foreign or unfamiliar to you, 'The Bagua' is one of the most basic
and fundamental tools of Feng Shui Practitioners or anyone who wants to get initiated into practicing
Feng Shui.

Ba zhai: Eight Mansions/Eight Houses/East-West Theory

In the Ba zhai method of Feng Shui relies on the kua or gua number of the home
which is used to derive the four auspicious and inauspicious location of a house.
A Luo Pan (Chinese compass) is used to take accurate compass readings of the
sitting direction of the home.

Bazi: Four Pillars of Destiny

Four Pillars of Destiny is a Chinese conceptual term that describes the four
components creating a person's destiny or fate. The four components within the
moment of birth are year, month, day, and hour. The four pillars is used within
the realm of Chinese Astrology.

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 The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui
Center
The center of your house or office is considered vital. Focus on health of the individual family
member or employee in order to survive

Chen
Trigram of the Bagua: Friends & Family Relationships
New beginnings, reflection of your interactions with or peers in business, your ability to initiate, & your
health, growth & new life.

Direction: East Colors: green & brown (T) Morning (S) Spring
Energy: Fertilizing, Action & Movement Element: Hard Wood Cure: Water creates wood
Animal: Dragon Family Relationship: Eldest Son Symbology: Thunder
Body Part: Throat, Feet & Liver Group: East Group

Chi: Energy
In traditional Chinese culture, qì (also chi or ch'i) is an active principle forming part of any
living thing. Qi is frequently translated as "life-force" or "energy flow", and is comparable to
the Hindu yogic science of prana, meaning "life force" in Sanskrit. Qi is the central
underlying principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine, as prana is in ayurveda.

The ancient Chinese described it as "life-force". They believed qi permeated everything and
linked their surroundings together. They likened it to the flow of energy around and
through the body, forming a cohesive and functioning unit. By understanding its rhythm and flow they
believed they could guide exercises and treatments to provide stability and longevity. Courtesy of
www.wikipedia.com.

Ch’ien
Trigram of the Bagua: Travel & Helpful People
Benefactors or assistance in achieving your goals, support network, & travel, mentors & networking, and
angels.

Direction: Northwest Colors: metallic, white & gold (T) Evening (S) Fall/early winter
Energy: masculine power Element: Hard Metal Cure: Earth creates metal
Animal: Horse Family Relationship: Father Symbology: Heaven, Leader
Body Part: Head, Lungs, large intestine Group: West Group

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 The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui
Chinese New Year: Spring Festival
The most important festival in Chinese culture is the Spring Festival, more commonly known as Chinese
New Year. This was a time for the Chinese to congratulate each other and themselves on having passed
through another year, a time to finish out the old, and to welcome in the new year. Traditional Chinese
New Year celebrations focus on home and family, and on ensuring that the New Year will bring lots of
good luck. Much of this activity centers on a thorough house cleaning to clear out old energy and make
way for the new. In the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the New Year marks the start of Spring, so it's a good
time for "spring cleaning" . In Feng Shui terms, Chinese New Year brings a change in Flying Star Feng
Shui energies in your space. It is the Chinese custom to seeking out Feng Shui advice on New Year's day
to provide an insight of what's to come with the energy for the coming year, and allows one to make the
necessary adjustments for any influences that may hinder one's luck, wealth and prosperity.

Chinese Zodiac
The Chinese Zodiac, is based on a twelve year cycle, each year in that cycle related to an animal sign.
These animal signs are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and
pig. The Chinese zodiac is calculated according to Chinese lunar calendar .

Chueh Ming
One of the portents of the Eight Mansion theory of Feng Shui and a direction of Ming Gua. It is one of
the not so auspicious directions & locations. Chueh Ming means hardships. Accidents, disharmony
leading to family quarrels, and loss in business are just a few of the energies.. This energy can cause
poor finance and unproductive career, experience difficulties and can cause depression.

Clutter
Clutter is low, sluggish, and confusing energy that drains energy from you. It hinders clarity of focus,
and blocks the flow of positive energy.

Compass
The Feng Shui compass, also called Lo-Pan, is used to define a deeper level of Feng
Shui information about a site or a building, such as the favorable and unfavorable Feng
Shui areas.

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 The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui
Earth Element
Earth Element (grounding and support) The element Earth is associated with muted tones
Yellow, orange & earth tones. Brick, tile, ceramics. Plaid and checkered patterns. Shapes of the
earth energy are squares and rectangles; they are horizontal shapes that encourage the
grounding of energy.

Fire Element
Fire Element (forceful energy) The colors that represent the element of fire (expansion and
transformation) are red and orange or any other bright color that bounces light and energizes.
The shapes that create the energy of fire are angular such as pyramids, triangles, diamonds,
and sunbursts. These shapes send energy quickly in all directions and therefore create
movement and change.

The Five Feng Shui Elements

One of the basic principles of Feng Shui is the principle of five elements, which are Wood,
Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. These Feng Shui elements interact between themselves in
many ways, generally defined as the productive and destructive cycles. Each Feng Shui
element is represented by a specific color, and color is the easiest way to use the five
elements principle to bring more harmony into your home with Feng Shui.

Flying Star
Flying Star Feng Shui is an analysis of the home based on the construction year of the home. It has
nothing to do with the stars in space, although they are called stars. It is actually the quality of energy
which is located in each of the compass directions of the home. Fixed stars, as they are called do not
change, but every year at the Chinese New Year, visiting or annual stars "fly" into a different location of
the home bringing with it a different chi quality influencing your home.

Fu Wei
One of the portents of the Eight Mansion theory of Feng Shui and a direction of Ming Gua. This energy
relates to "mental alertness". It is the energy that bestows one with growth, personal development, and
intelligence. The element of this energy is wood. Fu Wei means lying down position. It is for general
prosperity, can be used for personal development and studies.

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 The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui
Gua
This term is comes from Ba-gua. A Gua is one sector or area of the map.

Harmonious
Characterized by friendly agreement and pleasing combination. Well-balanced and well-proportioned.

Ho Hai
One of the portents of the Eight Mansion theory of Feng Shui and a direction of Ming Gua. This energy
is considered the least harmful but has been known to lead to all kinds of intermittent difficulty and
frustration. Huo Hai means injury. You may sustain injury in the form of emotional pain, physical
suffering, and unexpected calamities. You might be always running into obstacles and nothing ever runs
smoothly. The impact of all problems and loses in this direction is less compared to the other areas.
Persons under this influence may tire easily and feel insecure.

I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng", also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes, is one of the oldest of
the Chinese classic texts. The book contains a divination system and it is still widely used for this
purpose. The text of the I Ching is a set of oracular statements represented by 64 sets of six lines each
called hexagrams. Each hexagram is a figure composed of six stacked horizontal lines, each line is either
Yang (an unbroken, or solid line), or Yin (broken, an open line with a gap in the center).
Courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Ching

Inauspicious
Not of a favorable nature, suggesting that the future is not very promising or that success is unlikely

Kan
Trigram of the Bagua: Career
Your life path, strength or weaknesses, communication & social connection, flow

Direction: North Colors: black & blue (T) Midnight (S) Winter
Energy: Danger Element: Water Cure: Metal creates water
Animal: Pig Family Relationship: Middle Son Symbology: Water, the Moon
Body Part: Liver, Kidneys, Inner Ear, bladder Group: East Group

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 The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui
Ken
Trigram of the Bagua: Knowledge & Self Cultivation
Education, wisdom, contemplation & preparation, learning, your spiritual life, self-awareness, ability to
receive and give information to give to others, your clients & employees.

Directions: Northeast Colors: beige (stone color) (T) Dawn (S) Late winter, early spring
Energy: quietness Element: Earth Cure: Fire creates earth
Animal: Dog Family Relationship: Youngest Son Symbology: Mountain, Youth
Body Part: Hands, Spine, & Small Bones, spleen Group: West Group

Kua
In the Eight Mansion method the kua number of the home is used to derive the four auspicious and
inauspicious locations. Ming Gua or most commonly known as your Gua number gives your four
auspicious and inauspicious personal directions. Each direction and location reveals a different quality
of chi.

Kun
Trigram of the Bagua: Love & Marriage, Marriage, partnerships, & romantic relationships, maternal
affection.

Direction: Southwest Colors: Yellow (T) Afternoon (S) Late summer

Energy: Feminine Power Element: Earth Cure: Fire creates earth
Animal: Cow Family Relationship: Mother Symbology: "Mother Earth"
Body Part: Abdomen & Reproductive Organs Group: West Group

Lai See: Red Envelope

In Chinese and other Asian societies, a red envelope or red packet (known as hóngbāo in Mandarin, Ang
Pao in Min Nan, Lai See in Cantonese, is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special
occasions.
The red envelopes are widely used in the Black Sect Tibetan Tantric Buddhism School of Feng Shui
(BTB) as a means of respecting and protecting the transmission of the ancient Feng Shui knowledge.
Usually, the BTB Feng Shui practitioner will ask for several (may be 3, 7, 9 or even 21) red envelopes
with some money in them, given at the time of the Feng Shui consultation.

We also know that the red envelopes filled with money or little gifts are commonly used for Chinese
New Year, weddings, birthdays or other important events.

To sum it up, the red envelope tradition in Feng Shui is a means of protecting the ancient knowledge, as
well as showing respect for the person who shared this knowledge with you.
Courtesy of http://fengshui.about.com/od/faq/f/red_envelopes.htm

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 The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui
Li
Trigram of the Bagua: Fame & Reputation
Your good reputation, what you are famous or infamous for, & important business area, recognition,
external radiance.

Direction: South Colors: Red (orange) (T) Noon (S) Summer

Energy: brightness Element: Fire Cure: Wood creates fire
Animal: Pheasant Family Relationship: Middle Daughter Group: East Group
Symbology: Brightness, the Sun Body Part: Eyes & Heart

Liu Sha
One of the portents of the Eight Mansion theory of Feng Shui and a direction of Ming Gua. This location
brings forth lawsuits and relationship issues. Loss of money, health problems, and arguments. This
direction represents scandals, missed opportunities, and legal entanglements. Persons under this
influence may experience restless sleep, lack of focus, lethargy in their everyday being.

Luo Pan
Luopan is a Chinese magnetic compass, also known as a Feng Shui compass. It is used by
a Feng Shui consultant to determine the precise direction of a structure. Like a
conventional compass, a luopan is a direction finder. However, a luopan differs from a
compass in several important ways. The most obvious difference is the Feng Shui
formulas embedded in up to 40 concentric rings on the surface.

A conventional compass has markings for four or eight directions, while a luopan typically contains
markings for 24 directions. This translates to 15 degrees per direction. A luopan does not point to the
north pole of Earth. The needle of a luopan points to the south magnetic pole (it does not point to the
-
Courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luopan

Luo Shu Square

According to ancient Chinese legends, a giant tortoise surfaced from the River Lo
in central China around 4,000 years ago. The ancient Chinese found a pattern on a
tortoise shell. There were circular dots of numbers on the giant tortoise that
were arranged in a three-by-three nine grid pattern on it's shell. The pattern of
numbers on the giant tortoise in any given direction i.e. horizontal, vertical or
diagonal all add up to a total of 15. This is equal to the 15 days in each of the 24
cycles of the Chinese solar year. The Luo Shu Square with its 3 x 3 grid or nine
sectors is also used in Compass School Feng Shui called The Flying Star Theory
(Xuan Kong Fei Xing). The Luo Shu Square helps the Feng Shui practitioner to analyze a site, a house, a
flat (apartment) and/or an office space or building. It is used to unlock the time dimension of Feng Shui
and allows the practitioner to accurately know when is the best time to make changes to the site, the
home or the interior decoration. http://www.3dglobe.com/resources/theories/fs-tortise.htm

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 The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui
Manifestation
Manifestation is the art (or science) of making things happen in this plane of existence or material world
Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer often refer to the Field of Intent. If you place your desire or wish in the
field of intent it will manifest in the material (real) world.

Metal Element
Metal Element (mental power) is introduced through the colors of white, silver, and gray.
These colors are sharp and influence intelligence. The metal colors are also represented by
the powerful rainbow and bring both healing and creativity. The circle is the shape that
brings in the metal element and its energy is constantly moving in an expanding cycle sending
energy outward.

Ming Gua
Ming Gua is the type of chi that surrounds you. Your Ming Gua will tell you which trigram and its
associations you relate to the best, how each of the eight magnetic directions impact you, and help you
understand interactions with others based on the five element interactions.

Sheng Chi
One of the portents of the Eight Mansion theory of Feng Shui and a direction of Ming Gua. The energy
from this area attracts prosperity, vitality, respectability, and reputation. Therefore, it is ideal not only
for improving our personal income but also for achieving our career and fame goals. Translated it mean
positive chi. Sheng Chi is another term for lucky or prosperous chi. When chi is
balanced and is flowing, it brings openings, progress, satisfaction, fertility and the blessings of life. It
brings a good start in any undertakings, overall smoothness in wealth acquisition, and success in all as-
pects of life, tip top career and capable of creating positive attitude towards life.

Space Clearing
the energy maintenance of a place as physical cleaning is to the physical maintenance. Space Clearing is
a ceremony that can be done to clear and revitalize the stuck energies that become imprinted over time
in the walls, furniture and other objects of the buildings we occupy. It involves the use of various
techniques such as clapping and belling, done in a specific way and a specific order.
Courtesy of http://www.spaceclearing.com

Sage
The aromatic herb has been used for centuries as incense and in smudge pots for ceremonial use.
Burning leaves have been used to fumigate a house or dwelling after a contagion, and to purify the air
during illnesses. After moving into a new place, you can help it feel more like "yours" by cleansing it.
Cleansing will remove all of the energy left by the previous owners and/or any negative energy. It's
quite easy and you will notice a difference once you've done it.

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 The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui
Sun
Trigram of the Bagua: Wealth & Prosperity
Abundance, fortunate blessings, your ability to receive & reflects the flow of income into your business
life, money comes from outside.

Direction: Southeast Colors: Green (T) Late morning (S) Late spring, early summer
Energy: Growth Element: Soft Wood Cure: Water creates wood
Animal: Rooster Family Relationship: Eldest Daughter Symbology: Wind
Body Part: Hips & Buttocks, thighs & small intestines Group: East Group

Tai Chi
Tai chi, is a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise and stretching.
To do tai chi, you perform a series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner.
Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant
motion. Tai Chi arises out of two important philosophical texts in China: the Tao Te Ching
and the I Ching. Both of these texts stress what the Chinese call "chi." Chi is an ancient
Chinese notion designating a form of energy. According to the philosophy of tai chi, this
energy or chi flows throughout the body, but can become blocked. According to Chinese
medicine, tai chi masters, and tai chi philosophy, one becomes ill when the flow of the chi through the
body becomes blocked. The Chinese recognize several means for freeing up the flow of chi. Courtesy of
http://frank.mtsu.edu/~jpurcell/Taichi/taichi.htm

Tien Yi
One of the portents of the Eight Mansion theory of Feng Shui and a direction of Ming Gua. This
magnetic direction fosters good health. Persons under this influence are patient, agreeable, appreciative
as well as secure and confident in themselves. This is the energy that strengthens the body health and
mind so that one is always able to embark on any goal in their life. Tien Yi means heavenly or celestial
doctor. This direction can be used to cure illness. It also pertains to making a person wealthy.

Trigrams
They are a collection of ancient symbols, containing great wisdom and incredibly
advanced knowledge. Individually they teach us about important phenomena that affect
life, collectively they show us how life works and lead to the mastery of life. Based on
the Tai Chi a universal symbol of natural balance they formed the foundation for
Chinese philosophy, the I Ching and Feng Shui.
Courtesy of http://www.feng-shui-institute.org/trigrams.htm

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 The Basic Expressions of Feng Shui
Tui
Trigram of the Bagua: Creativity & Children. Your children bring new ideas to the world, conception,
your ability to complete things & creative energy

Direction: West Colors: metallic, white & gold (clear or gray) (T) late Afternoon (S) Autumn
Energy: Buoyant Element: Soft Metal Cure: Earth creates metal
Animal: Sheep Family Relationship: Youngest Daughter Symbology: Marsh
Body Part: Mouth area, lungs Group: West Group

Water Element
Water Element (release and renewal) is expressed in dark blues and black. These colors invite
personal wisdom. Still water energy is represented by any shape that would holds water and
creates a womb like effect. Moving water shapes are drawn as cascades or ripples.

Wood Element
Wood Element (personal growth) encompasses colors that are clear and energizing. These
colors are greens associated with growth and purples inviting abundance. Wood represents
energy that moves vertically and is therefore associated with cylinders and columns.

Wu Gwei
This energy generates the kind of mischief that leads to fire, loss of income, and burglary. It also causes
quarrels and misunderstanding at home and at work. This location represents total disharmony, lots of
bickering amongst family members and disloyalty.
Yen Nien
This location can be especially used for relationships, for harmony between husband and wife. This
location ensures good networking skills and enables a person to acquire wealth through his inter-
personal skills, can be used for PR, marketing managers, human resource managers, and personnel.

Yin Yang
The Yin Yang Theory is one of the main theories of Feng Shui are two energies that shape the universe

stitutes balance. Good Feng Shui can only be created when there is balance and harmony
between Yin and Yang. The best representation of the interaction of Yin and Yang is the
Tai Chi symbol: a perfect circle with two contrasting colors, black and white, creating the
circle of life together, and each containing inside itself the essence of the opposite energy.
Expressed in colors, Yin energy is represented by the Black color and Yang energy is
represented by color White.

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