What is the Bagua?

The Bagua is an “energy map” which is laid over the floor plan of a piece of property, a house, a room or even any horizontal space such as a bed or a desk. The word Bagua is translates as “BA” meaning eight and “GUA” meaning area. So Bagua means eight areas. In Feng Shui, we add a ninth Center area sometimes shown as the Tai Chi or in Black Hat Tantric Feng Shui it is called Health. All of the other areas of the Bagua touch Health, and so are affected by Health.

The nine areas of the Bagua are as follows:

Knowledge and Wisdom is the educational goals for yourself, the ability to use what you have, deep understanding of who you are, and your inner wisdom and or spirituality. The color is Blue, the corresponding Element is Earth, the body part is the Hands, and the area belongs to the Youngest Son.

Career is your journey in Life and activities you love to do. The color is Black, the corresponding Element is Water, the body part is the Ears, and the area belongs to the Middle Son.

A Helpful People is any person or persons who support you mentally, emotionally and financially: clients, realtors, travel agents, Doctors, your Feng Shui consultant, etc… You could also be a Helpful People to others. The color is Gray, the corresponding Element is Metal, the body part is the Head, and the area belongs to the Father.

The Family area represents the family you came from, ancestors and relatives, any group with a common purpose (like your coworkers, a book club, knitting group, scrapbooking group, etc…) and even authority figures. The color is Green, the corresponding Element is Wood, the body part is the Feet, and the area belongs to the Oldest Son.

Health or Center is your Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual well-being. The color is Yellow, the corresponding Element is Earth, the body parts are Heart, Spine, Spleen and all other parts.

Children and Creativity is any children or pets in your life. It is also your creative endeavors, and bringing projects to completion. The color is White, the corresponding Element is Metal, the body part is the mouth and the area belongs to the Youngest Daughter.

Wealth is the money you earn, win, or inherit, Personal Blessings as well as your personal power. The color is Purple, the corresponding Element is Wood, the body part is the Hip, and the area belongs to the Oldest Daughter.

Fame and Reputation is being known, what people say about you, how people perceive you, and maintaining your good name and integrity. The color is Red, the corresponding Element is Fire, the body part is the Eyes, and the area belongs to the Middle Daughter.

Partnership (Love & Marriage) is a heart-to-heart connection with a spouse, significant other, business partner, the Universe, God or your Source. It can even be a partnership with yourself. The color is Pink, the corresponding Element is Earth, the body part is the Abdomen, and the area belongs to the Mother.

Blessings,

Dorine King

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is the Chinese art of balance and placement. It can help the people who inhabit a space to balance the energies to assure their health and good fortune.

In Feng Shui we believe that everything is, has and holds energy or Chi. Our homes reflect the energy of our lives, and our lives reflect the energy of our homes. If we are having an issue in a certain area of our lives, chances are, we are also having issues with certain areas of our homes. If we want to make changes in our lives, we can make changes in corresponding areas of our homes. When we make changes in our home, we change the energy flow. The energy changes in our home and it carries energetically through to the corresponding area of our life. For instance, if we “enhance” the partnership area of our home, bedroom, or desk, we are changing the energy of that area and in Feng Shui; we believe the energy in that area of our life will also change. We make changes with Intention.

Intention is Key. Intention is everything. We honor the Red Envelope Tradition with intention. We place our coins and the Practitioners fee, with intention, into the Red Envelopes. As we place our coins in the envelopes, we think about our intention in asking for the Feng Shui consultation. The Practitioner sleeps with the Red Envelopes under his/her pillow and adds their own intention to the clients’. A ceremony is held the following day with these envelops. Much like when a Priest burns incense, the Feng Shui Practitioner burns the Red envelopes. The intentions of the client along with the added intentions of the Practitioner are in the envelopes and go out into the world, add to, are affected by, and affect other peoples intentions as they go up into the universe and ultimately to the sky and Heaven. I believe these are like our prayers and ultimately they reach God. There is a Heaven Earth Connection, a peace, and a harmony we are always seeking to achieve.

Our Thoughts (our intentions) become Words. Our Words become Actions (energy-Chi). Our Actions become Habits. Our Habits become our Character (this is how we are judged by man). Our Character becomes our Nature. Our Nature is judged by God. Every motivational speaker will tell you to write your plan, to speak your plan and to begin living as though your plan were already in place. That is intention. That intention is what we purpose to do when we make Feng Shui adjustments. Energy will follow intention. Energy creates change.

Blessings,

Dorine King

The Three Ring Binder and the Feng Shui Bag

What is this binder for and how will we use it? As I said in the last post, the binder is a home for all the paperwork we will be dealing with this coming year. Into it we will put all the pre-appointment information as well as what I bring along to the first appointment. So far it will contain:

- The consultation checklist (history, present circumstances, thoughts and feelings)

- Her three to five issues we will work on this year (why she wanted the Feng Shui appointment)

- The Red Envelope Tradition

- What is Feng Shui? (Explained at our 1st appointment)

- What is the Bagua? (Explained at our 1st appointment)

- The Three Secrets of Reinforcement (Explained at our 1st appointment)

- Mary Kathleen's floor plans

- The Orange Peel Blessing

The Feng Shui Bag is the bag I carry with me. It holds graph paper, a ruler, a tape measure, Mala beads, pens, pencils, a calculator, extra red envelopes, Feng Shui Adjustments, Blessings and anything specific I plan on doing for and with the client.

I have Mary Kathleen's Three Ring Binder put together and I have my Feng Shui Bag packed and a list for a few things I will pick up on the way to the appointment. (Like a beautiful organic orange for the Blessing!) I am organized, packed and ready for the appointment next Sunday!

Mary Kathleen, I want to thank you for allowing me into your home and for allowing me the privilege of having you help me with my final project for Certification!

Blessings,

Dorine King

Preparing for the First Appointment

A little bit Water and a little bit Earth

We are beginning to move out of the Water phase and into the Wood phase of our project. Between each of the five Elements (Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal) there is a little period of rest; this time of rest is Earth. We may be resting but there is still a lot going on in the background! Earth is solid, concrete, dependable, contained and caretaking. We are preparing; we are getting ready to move along.

Water is the planning and planting phase. Let’s think of a vegetable garden for this analogy. You gather your gardening catalogs, you pour over them looking for the vegetables you want to grow and eat all summer and “put up” for the following year. You graph-out the garden space, you order seeds. The seeds come in the mail but It is still only March, too early to plant the garden, so you make sure your gardening supplies are in order: you have your seed pots and soil, you have a sprinkler and hose – there are no holes in the hose, you have garden gloves, you have a tiller, you have tomato cages, etc… You wait for the right time. Finally, it’s time to plant the seeds and wait for them to grow into seedlings just in time for Spring! Our project is at the planting-of-the-seeds-and-waiting-for-the-seedlings-to-grow phase! We still need to water the seeds and prepare the ground in the big garden. We are caretaking.

Mary Kathleen saw what we did for our mutual friend and wanted something like that for herself. Our friend thought to give her a Feng Shui appointment for her birthday. She planned to do the appointment and we set a date. I mailed her all the reappointment information. She is thinking about things and answering the questions on the questionnaire. Like the gardener thinking about the summer crop, Mary Kathleen is dreaming and planning on seeing her home and her life getting under control and in order. She is beginning to set her intentions for her future.

Meanwhile … I have received Mary Kathleen’s floor plans, made some working copies for future reference and use, and am getting a binder together for her. There will be papers, diagrams, charts, instructions, blessings, and homework for her to do. I am planning and preparing all of that. The binder will help her contain and organize all the Feng Shui information in one place.

Blessings,

Dorine King

Floor Plans

Water:
One of the first things I ask of my clients is a copy of their floor plan. We work with the floor plan throughout the entire Feng Shui process. The floor plan is the beginning of the process for the client. It is the beginning of a commitment. When I ask for a floor plan, I can almost hear, see and feel the apprehension set in! Drawing the floor plan often stops people dead in their tracks! It doesn’t have to, so if you are asked to draw your floor plan – just dig in and do it. It is the first step to opening yourself to changing the energy or Chi of your space and of your life.

Besides needing the floor plan for practical purposes, there is also a metaphysical or energetic reason why we need the floor plan. Later we will lay our “energy map” or Bagua over the floor plans in order to read the space and to better understand the energies we are working with. (More on the Bagua later.)

To begin the process, you will need graph paper, a tape measure and a pencil -- you can even use blue line notebook paper if you wish. It’s not necessary, but it is also helpful to have a partner or helper – one of you can draw the floor plan and one of you can do the measuring. Begin with the main level of your house. Draw a floor plan for each floor, using a separate sheet of paper for each. Make sure you label where all the doorways and windows are and the swing of the door (opens left or opens right). It’s also helpful to use squares, rectangles, circles and ovals to indicate the main pieces of furniture in the rooms.

Walk through the house, looking at each room as you go, and follow the wall lines. Do not assume that a room is square. Follow around the room and draw what you see. Putting what you see down on paper makes this process more visual and personal. If you are feeling stuck, try drawing just the bedroom.

Feeling stuck and apprehensive is normal and means you are on the right track to changing the energy of your space and the energy of your life. So get out your pencil and paper and have some fun!

Blessings,

Dorine King

The Red Envelope Tradition

The Red Envelope Tradition is a Chinese custom that is still used today at the Chinese New Year, weddings, and other special occasions. Money is exchanged in these Red Envelopes. The traditional envelopes have designs on the outside of them depicting the appropriate event for which to use them. Plain red envelopes are just as effective and easier to find.

Today, Feng Shui Practitioners are paid in Red Envelopes to honor this legacy. This tradition shows respect for the sacred work done by the Practitioner and increases the effectiveness of the information that is being shared with the client. It is a way to respect and honor the exchange of money. It also protects the Practitioner from having his/her Chi or energy, drained or weakened when sharing information.


In a Feng Shui appointment the client will be asked to provide anywhere from one to nine new Red Envelopes. The envelopes can be made by the client or they can be decorated with some elements of red to keep with the tradition. It is important that the client take the time and trouble to provide the envelopes since it will begin the personal process of opening up to the information that is given during the consultation.

When paying for a Feng Shui consultation, the client is asked to put the payment in one of the envelopes (which since payment is determined by time, cannot be enclosed until after the consultation is completed). In the other eight envelopes a coin or money is enclosed. All the money in the remaining eight envelopes is donated to charity. The number of coins enclosed would be best received if they added up to nine or multiples of nine (9 cents, 18 cents, 27 cents, $9, $18, $27, etc) The odd numbers are active numbers with the number 9 being the most active and contributes to the quick action of the clients intentions.

The Feng Shui Practitioner places the envelopes under his/her pillow and sleeps on them for one night. The next morning a ceremony is done to seal in the clients intentions and to support them in any changes or enhancements they are trying to make. The money is removed and the envelopes are burned.

If a client decides to share the sacred information given during a consultation, the client likewise must ask the new person to whom the information is bestowed for a Red Envelope. Again inside the envelope is a coin or coins. The client receiving the Feng Shui envelopes puts them under his/her pillow for one night, after which any money can be removed and the envelope burned or destroyed. The client can donate any money received to a charity or choose to keep it for personal use.

Blessings,


Dorine King

Water: Pre-appointment Documents

This is the Water phase of the project. This is the beginning. Things are being organized, formulated and started – watering, tending to and nurturing this little seed of a project. Later, I will go into detail about the elements and how they work and what their relationship is to each other.

I’ve been working on my pre-appointment documents. Yesterday, I mailed three pieces of information; a letter confirming the date and time of the appointment, a consultation checklist, and a detailed explanation of the Red Envelope Tradition. In addition I asked Mary Kathleen to mail a blueprint or drawing of her living space to me.

I ask for a drawing or blueprint prior to the appointment to immediately engage the client in the Feng Shui process. By taking the time to make the drawing and mail it to me, she is making one of the first steps in changing the energy of her space and her life. The drawing is a commitment on her part. I know she is serious and wants to receive the information I have for her.

The confirmation letter not only confirms the date and time of the appointment but also briefly lists the nine areas of the Bagua – or the nine areas of our lives (more on this later). This will help Mary Kathleen decide and focus on her reasons for wanting the Feng Shui appointment and will help define the direction of the project.

The Consultation Checklist or questionnaire, includes such things as the history of the house, the present circumstances of the occupants and the house itself, her thoughts and feelings about the house, and then specifically what her concerns are - why she wants the Feng Shui appointment to begin with.

The Red Envelope Tradition is a Chinese custom that is still used today at the Chinese New Year, weddings, and other special occasions. Money is exchanged in these Red Envelopes. Today, Feng Shui Practitioners are paid in Red Envelopes to honor this legacy.

Blessings,

Dorine King