Wood Wind & Water

the art of environmental alignment

The Bagua Map

 

             While the Bagua map is something that literally can provide a diagram for your house, it also can provide the internal guidance system for maintaining a full and balanced life.   Once the internal system is understood, the external support that you set up in your living spaces gives you real connection to the world and gives you a centering point from which to venture out.  The more you build on both the internal and the external, the surer is your compass.

             The Bagua is divided into 9 “guas,” each gua representing a different aspect of your life.  The Bagua map is traditionally in an octagonal shape (shown as a square below), with a cross forming the “load bearing” part of the structure—3 guas horizontally, 3 guas vertically.  Virtually every culture uses the symbol of the cross to represent the outer material world (the horizontal line), and the inner spiritual world (the vertical line).

             The horizontal line of the Bagua represents our connection back to that which has preceded us, and forward to our legacy.  It rises in the east in the spring and represents inspiration and truth—in the gua that represents the honor we pay to our ancestors and mentors.  It sets in the west in the autumn and represents release—in the gua that represents the honor we pay to the children and creative efforts we will leave behind.

             The vertical line represents our personal journey of growth.  It begins where we are in the present moment—in the north in the gua that represents introspection and imagination.  Our journey leads to the gua in the south that represents illumination, wisdom, and expansion. 

In the center where the inner and outer meet, we are in the gua of yin and yang—the place of perfect balance.

             The 4 guas in the corners of our structure represent the various ways we fill out our lives—for balance, we satisfy all of them.

             The gua in the southwest represents harmony.  Our lives are empty without relationship with others, so this is the place in our hearts, the space in our homes where we honor this.  In the opposite corner, the northeast, we find the gua that represents our own growth.  Attending to our personal development is not only vital to creating a well-adjusted life, but it is essential to having fulfilling relationships.  Conversely, our personal growth is heavily dependent on strengthening our relationships, so these 2 guas nourish each other.

             The gua in the southeast represents generosity.  Our lives are abundant; we have so much we can share with others.  The corresponding gua in the northwest is the  place/space for gratitude.  We are grateful for all the support we receive.  These 2 guas work together to remind us that that giving and receiving keep the life cycle moving and thriving.

 

Wood Wind & Water

 

Nola Wood

 

949/481-9235

 

E-mail: nola@woodww.com