Bagua

Origin in Chinese tradition

The Bagua traces back to the legendary Chinese emperor Fu Xi (between 2800 and 2900 BC, mythical figure), to whom the original creation of the eight trigrams from the observation of natural patterns is attributed. The Bagua is the basis from which the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching emerged: 8 × 8 = 64 possible combinations of trigram pairs.

There are two Bagua arrangements: the Earlier Heaven Bagua (Hetu, attributed to Fu Xi — represents the cosmic ideal order, the original world) and the Later Heaven Bagua (Luoshu, attributed to King Wen of the Zhou dynasty — represents the dynamic order of the manifest world, used in Feng Shui). The Later Heaven is the most used in practical applications.

The eight trigrams

Each trigram has name, image, family symbol, body part, season and a specific area of human life: Qián (☰ Heaven, three solid lines, NW, father, head, late autumn, helpful people/travel); Kūn (☷ Earth, three broken lines, SW, mother, abdomen, late summer, love/relationships); Zhèn (☳ Thunder, E, eldest son, feet, spring, family/ancestors); Xùn (☴ Wind, SE, eldest daughter, hips, late spring, prosperity/wealth).

Kǎn (☵ Water, N, second son, ears, winter, career/path); Lí (☲ Fire, S, second daughter, eyes, summer, fame/recognition); Gèn (☶ Mountain, NE, youngest son, hands, late winter, knowledge/study); Duì (☱ Lake, W, youngest daughter, mouth, autumn, creativity/children).

Application in Feng Shui

In Feng Shui, the Bagua is used as a map superimposed on a house, room or property to identify which area corresponds to which life function. The plan is divided into 9 sectors (8 trigrams + central point of unity), and each sector is enhanced with specific colours, materials and elements according to the desired energy. Example: the SE sector (Xùn = wealth/prosperity) is enhanced with the colour purple, vital plants, water (small fountain). Working with the Bagua harmonises the home and indirectly impacts the corresponding areas of life.