Just what is the bagua map, exactly? And how can you draw it over your floor plan?
In the Taoist form of alchemy that we call feng shui, there is a mathematical and magical construct known as the bagua. In Western mystery traditions it’s known as a magic square (a square in which each row adds up to the same number) or, more specifically, as the square of Saturn. In fact, the bagua/square of Saturn is present in some form in the mathematical and spiritual traditions of countless cultures, both Western and Eastern. It looks like a tick-tack-toe board in which each square contains a number. If you take a moment to investigate, you’ll notice that each row on the board, whether horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, adds up to the number fifteen.
The square of Saturn and the numbers associated with each area of the bagua map or feng shui floor plan
In feng shui, each square in the bagua corresponds with a major life area.
Western magical traditions associate this particular magic square with the planet Saturn: the planet of earthiness and limitation. This is notable because the bagua, or square of Saturn, is an alchemical map that works within the appearance of limitation to help us find our way back to a connection with the infinite bliss that is our natural state.
To illustrate this, imagine sunlight streaming through a clear prism or wind blowing through chimes. The sunlight is sunlight, and the wind is wind. Still, by flowing through something that appears limited (the prism or chimes), the sunlight creates rainbows, just as the wind rings the chimes. Similarly, an infinite life force flows through our present finite “reality” (or existence and perceptions) to create the holographic interplay of stories that we call our life conditions. The bagua/square of Saturn is a symbol, or conceptual construct, of that mechanism. It gives us a framework and reference point for effecting positive change through working between the realms of finite and infinite, seen and unseen, form and spirit.
How to Draw Your Bagua
You can absolutely draw your very own bagua, or feng shui map. That way, you’ll know the location of each power center of your home.
Believe me: it’s really not as hard as it may sound! It just entails a tape measure (just to get it as close to scale as possible), a piece of graph paper, and a tiny bit of patient determination. And keep it simple: all you need to draw are the walls, doors, and perimeter of the space. (No need to worry about things like windows, toilets, or drawing the burners on the stove!) Again, there’s no need to go crazy: just get it as close to scale as possible so that you have a good working idea of the layout of your home.
Here are a few additional tips:
- Include any attached garages or attached covered patios. (If they’re not attached or covered, leave them out. The one exception would be if it were a raised patio that is contained by railings; if it is attached to the home, even if it is not covered, include it.)
- If you live in an apartment, just include the boundaries of your personal space. Include attached balconies or attached covered patios.
- If you rent a room or live with parents or roommates, just include the room that is uniquely yours. (If you want to do the whole house later at some point, go ahead, but start with the space you call your very own.)
Now that you’ve gotten that out of the way, you’re going to draw the square of Saturn (see above) over your floor plan. To do this, follow these simple steps:
1. If the outside border of your floor plan is not already a perfect square or rectangle, make it into one by extending the sides in order to complete any “missing areas.” (See dotted lines below.)
2. Draw an arrow at the front door/main entrance (as intended by the architect, even if you use another one more often) that’s pointing in toward the home.
3. If necessary, rotate the paper so that the arrow is pointing up.
4. Draw a tick-tack-toe board over the square/rectangle, dividing the floor plan into nine equal parts.
4. Write the essential names of the bagua areas on each area as below.
Here are common and alternate names, along with links to explanations for each area:
Gratitude and Prosperity: Wealth and Prosperity
Radiance and Reputation: Fame and Reputation
Love and Marriage: same
Health and Family: same
Synergy: Center
Creativity and Playfulness: Creativity and Children
Serenity and Self-Love: Knowledge and Self-Cultivation
Career and Life Path: Career
Synchronicity and Miracles: Helpful People and Travel
Please note: for additional floors, the floor plan extends straight up or down from the floor containing the front door. In other words, if it’s directly above (or below) the prosperity area, it’s also the prosperity area.
Please also note: if areas are “missing” from your floor plan (i.e. if they are outside of the house), don’t worry: this post has got you covered.
…And if you have any questions, be sure to leave them in the comments.
Thanks for all the information you share. My garage is attached to the house and extends out on left corner, like an inverted L so how does the garage fit in the bagua? Do I include it? The extension of the garage is simply part of the front yard.
Hi Monde! Yes, you include the garage if it’s attached. So if you extend the lines, you would just include that front yard area as part of your bagua. Here’s a post to help with that: https://tesswhitehurst.com/diy-feng-shui-part-6-five-ways-to-remedy-missing-areas/
Hi Tess,
Just found your site today and wanted to say you have explained how to position the bagua so simply. Makes it so easy to understand. Thank you for that.
I have a couple of questions. If there is a covered porch area leading to the front door, do we place the bagua at the entrance to the porch or the actual door. If I place it at my actual front door, then an entire bedroom is left out that extends down the right (helpful people area). But you have said to include attached garages, in which case the bottom of the bagua would be at the porch entrance and not the door. So which is correct? Also, what do I do when the bagua cuts a room in exactly half. My kitchen/dining is cut in exactly half by the top 2 rows of squares.. so it has 4 bagua areas across it. How do I decide what bagua is the room then? Unless I paint half the room purple, and the other half green!! lol. Please help!!
Hi Misty! Glad this post was helpful! Well, your covered entry porch is included in your bagua, but your front door is still your front door. So, if you enter the covered porch from the same direction you enter your door, the bagua will be the same either way. If you enter the porch from once direction and the door from another, the bagua will be based around the front door, but the porch area will still be included in the bagua. Does that make sense? But you can still included those areas. See this post: https://tesswhitehurst.com/diy-feng-shui-part-6-five-ways-to-remedy-missing-areas/
As for the room that is in more than one bagua area, that is totally normal and fine. You don’t have to paint every room to match the bagua color, but there are usually common colors you can use if you want to choose paint. For example, the health/family area and the wealth/prosperity area share greens and blues in common. The wealth/prosperity and fame/reputation areas share reds and purples in common. But instead of painting to match the area, you can decorate with imagery, materials, and colors in the decor that area appropriate for each respective bagua area. And they can feel continuous – you don’t have to create a distinct design style where one bagua area ends and another begins.
Hello Tess! I LOVE your site and have enjoyed reading it and sharing different posts with friends! Thank you for sharing your gift with us!
I am having a hard time doing my bagua. My “front door” is at an angle. If I follow my intuition, my front door falls in the balance and bliss section. However, I know the front door should be aligned at the bottom of the map. What is your advice on angled front doors? Thank you and blessed be!
Hi Summer! Thank you for your kind words about my site, and for reading my posts. Front doors don’t actually always fall into the bottom third of the map. If a house is not a perfect square (like if it’s an L or a U shape), the front door can fall in the middle or back third as well. When doors are diagonal, I often look at the street placement and behave as if the front door is parallel to the street. But if your front door is around the side of the house, this may not be applicable. In that case, I would follow your intuition. Where does your energy and attention go when you enter the house? Notice if it feels like it’s going straight in, left, or right, and position your bagua accordingly. Let me know if you have any more questions about this.
Hi Tess
Are you related to Eileen ? I come across her work quite often and saw the names …made me miss her even more
Peace Love and Gratitude,
Joanne
Oh, you mean Ellen? No, we are not related. Whitehurst was her married name. We were in contact, though (via email), because of our shared name and shared interest in feng shui.
Hello,
I’m assuming that the order of the bagua is fixed such as gratitude/prosperity being the upper left or NW corner and all else to follow?
Do you have any articles about the better placement of bathrooms, bedroom, etc., with regards to these areas of the bagua? I am attempting to place things for a studio guesthouse and it seems that the bathroom door will break the rule of not facing kitchen, bedroom or dining room as it’s a studio.
Hi Chris! No, there are two main ways to orient your bagua: directionally and based on front door placement. I subscribe to the front door placement system. So when you draw your bagua using this system, you would not pay attention to the directions….And yes: https://tesswhitehurst.com/diy-feng-shui-part-5-a-guide-to-designating-your-room-and-area-usage/