The Bagua
A Map of Life Onto Space
Every space we inhabit has different qualities. One area may feel open and expansive, another quiet and inward. One room invites connection, while another supports rest, work, or creativity. The Bagua gives us a way to see these qualities more clearly. It is a map of a space that connects its different areas to different aspects of life.
The word bagua means “eight trigrams.” Its roots are found in the I Ching, the ancient Chinese Book of Changes, where the eight trigrams represent fundamental patterns of nature and the ways energy moves and changes.
In feng shui, these eight areas are arranged around a center to create a map that can be placed over a home, room, or other space. The Bagua gives us a framework for noticing what is happening within each area and considering how the environment may be impacting the life we are creating.
Reading the Bagua
Different schools of feng shui have different methods and use various tools for orienting the Bagua map. At Nama Spaces, we anchor the orientation to the main entrance of a space, as this is known as the mouth of qi (link to article).
From that fixed orientation, the map divides the space into nine equal sections surrounding a central area. The center is the heart of the space, and around it are the eight guas that relate to different dimensions of our lives.
The mapping gives us a way to see the space from a feng shui lens and is a tool that helps us become more intentional. It invites close observation of our environments, helping us ask better questions and notice where there may be opportunities to create greater support, clarity, or balance.
The Nine Areas of Life
Career
Career relates to our path through life, our work, purpose, and the way we move forward.
Career is about more than a job or profession. It speaks to direction, purpose, vocation, and the way we navigate our journey through life. It invites us to consider where we are going, what we are moving toward, and whether we feel able to move with a sense of purpose. Because Career sits at the entrance to the Bagua, it can also be understood as the way we enter and engage with life.
Known in the trigram as K'an (坎), or Deep Water, Career is associated with Water, whose qualities include flow, depth, adaptability, and intuition. It relates to movement, direction, possibility, and our ability to navigate change.
Enhancements for this area can include blacks and very dark colors. Freeform, irregular, and asymmetrical shapes that reflect the fluid qualities of Water, mirrors, glass, crystal, and other reflective surfaces can also be incorporated. Water features and imagery of oceans, lakes, and streams, as well as objects connected to Career, purpose, or life's journey, can further support this area.
Helpful People & Travel
Helpful People & Travel relates to the people who support us, including mentors, teachers, friends, clients, and others who help us move through life. It also relates to travel, opportunity, and our connection to the spirit world.
Known in the trigram as Ch'ien (乾), or Creative Heaven, this gua speaks to guidance, support, and the people and circumstances that help us along our way. It includes the assistance we receive from others as well as the opportunities and synchronicities that can connect us with the right people at the right time.
Travel expands our experience beyond what is familiar. This area can therefore also relate to journeys, new places, new experiences, and movement into what comes next.
Enhancements for this area can include whites, grays, and blacks, along with round and curved forms. Meaningful reminders of mentors, teachers, and others who have provided support can be included. Images or objects connected to places visited or hoped to be visited can also support this area, as can objects with personal or spiritual significance that represent guidance, protection, or support.
Creativity & Children
Creativity & Children relates to creative expression, play, joy, and the things we bring into the world. It also includes children and the qualities of curiosity, spontaneity, and wonder they represent.
Known in the trigram as Tui (兌), or Joyous Lake, this gua speaks to pleasure, openness, communication, and the enjoyment that comes through creative expression and discovery.
This area encompasses artistic creativity as well as experimentation, imagination, new ideas, children, pregnancy, and our relationship with the qualities of childhood.
Creativity & Children is associated with Metal, whose qualities include clarity, refinement, precision, and completion.
Enhancements for this area can include whites and pastel colors, along with circular, oval, and arched forms. Metal materials such as brass, steel, copper, silver, and gold can be incorporated. Creative supplies, playful objects, handmade pieces, and things connected to childhood or personal experiences of joy can also support this area.
Love & Relationship
Love & Relationship relates to partnership, intimacy, connection, and our capacity to give and receive love.
Known in the trigram as K'un (坤), or Receptive Earth, this gua speaks to receptivity, nurturing, partnership, and the qualities that allow relationships to develop and deepen. It encompasses romantic partnership as well as friendship, family relationships, professional relationships, and our relationship with ourselves.
At its heart is the capacity to be open to connection: to offer love, receive love, and create relationships grounded in mutual care and trust.
Enhancements for this area can include pairs of objects that represent partnership, balance, and companionship. Colors in the spectrum of reds and pinks, along with objects with personal meaning related to partnership, affection, or meaningful relationships, can also be included. Symbols that represent the kind of relationship to be cultivated can further support this area.
Fame & Reputation
Fame & Reputation relates to visibility, recognition, reputation, and the way we express ourselves in the world.
Known in the trigram as Li (離), or Clinging Fire, this gua speaks to expression, vitality, and the way our qualities become visible to others. Fire illuminates what might otherwise remain unseen, connecting this area with recognition and the reputation we develop through our actions and contributions. Fame does not mean public celebrity, but rather being recognized for who we are and what we contribute, whether within a profession, family, or community.
Fame & Reputation is associated with Fire, whose qualities include warmth, illumination, vitality, and expression.
Enhancements for this area can include colors within the red spectrum, along with triangular and pyramid shapes. Pleasant sources of light can support this area, including sunlight, candles, and lamps. Awards, diplomas, accomplishments, and other meaningful acknowledgments can also be included as symbols of recognition.
Wealth & Prosperity
Wealth & Prosperity relates to abundance, resources, and our ability to cultivate and receive what supports us.
Known in the trigram as Sun (巽), or Persistent Wind, this gua speaks to the gradual and sustained movement through which prosperity develops.
Wealth extends beyond financial resources. It encompasses the many forms of abundance in our lives, including time, energy, talents, opportunities, relationships, and our capacity to recognize and receive what supports us.
Enhancements for this area can include reds, purples, and deep blues, along with healthy plants and flowers in these colors. Objects associated with value, resources, prosperity, or things to be cultivated can support this area, as can forms and imagery that suggest movement, flow, and abundance.
Health & Family
Health & Family relates to physical wellbeing, family, ancestry, and our sense of connection to where we come from.
Known in the trigram as Chen (震), or Arousing Thunder, this gua speaks to awakening, movement, vitality, and the energy that initiates growth.
Health includes both what we inherit and how we care for ourselves. Family encompasses ancestry, relatives, chosen family, and the relationships and patterns that have shaped us.
Health & Family is associated with Wood, whose qualities include growth, vitality, expansion, and life force.
Enhancements for this area can include blues and greens, along with vertical forms and natural wood materials. Healthy plants and fresh flowers can support this area, as can floral patterns and imagery connected to gardens, nature, health, family, and friendship.
Knowledge & Self Cultivation
Knowledge & Self Cultivation relates to learning, reflection, inner development, and the quiet process of becoming more aware.
Known in the trigram as Ken (艮), or Still Mountain, this gua represents stillness, contemplation, wisdom, and the ability to pause. Like a mountain, it offers a stable place from which to reflect, absorb knowledge, and develop greater understanding.
This area encompasses formal learning as well as personal growth, meditation, spiritual study, and the ongoing process of developing greater awareness.
Enhancements for this area can include blacks, blues, and greens, along with imagery of mountains and quiet natural places. Books and materials related to subjects being studied can support this area, as can meaningful reminders of teachers, mentors, or quotes that share wisdom for personal development. Objects connected to meditation, contemplation, reflection, or practices that cultivate inner awareness can also be beneficial.
Center
The Center sits at the heart of the Bagua and relates to health and overall wellbeing.
It is the point from which all of the other areas connect, representing grounding, integration, balance, and our ability to remain centered as we move through the different dimensions of life.
The Center is associated with Earth, whose qualities include grounding, stability, nourishment, and integration.
Enhancements for this area can include yellows, golds, and earth tones, along with square and rectangular forms. Earthen materials such as ceramics, clay, and brick can support the grounding quality of this area. Objects or symbols that represent balance, harmony, centeredness, or integration can also be included. Keeping the Center clear and free of clutter can help maintain its role as the heart of the Bagua.
Creating Dialogue With Your Space
The Bagua offers a framework and lens through which to view our space and begin the cultivation of a relationship between our environment and different dimensions of life.
The condition of each area can offer clues about what may need attention, support, or change. Enhancements can be very simple, but if they are thoughtful, even the simplest can be very impactful.
The Bagua offers a language for becoming more aware of what a space may be communicating and responding with greater intention. When we learn to listen to our spaces, they can become active participants in the way we live. The Bagua gives us a language for listening to our spaces and creating a dialogue with them.