The Feng Shui grid is a vital part of any Feng Shui practice in the home.  It is what provides the guide for where to place items in order to improve the flow of Chi and bring optimal positive energy into the home.

The Feng Shui Grid

The Feng Shui grid is known as the “Ba Gua” and it looks deceptively simple, divided to a number of even sections.  An example of a typical Feng Shui grid is below:

If using traditional Feng Shui, the grid is oriented to the compass directions.  If you are using the Westernised version of Feng Shui – generally called Black Hat Feng Shui – the grid fits the same way on every room and is oriented to the entry door that most people use.  Black Hat Feng Shui is simple and brings a sense of order to any room.

Themes According to Feng Shui

In Feng Shui, it is a good idea to assign different themes to areas of you room, home, or office.  For example, everything related to finance goes in one area, reference books in another, and so on.  The Ba Gua is used for this.  Feng Shui is based on common sense.  For example, when someone comes through the door and looks straight ahead, what they see affects their impression of your living space.  This is called the fame area, or reputation area.  This area should feature the colours red and/or orange, and should also include symbols of your past successes and future goals.

Feng Shui Tips for 2008

In the year 2008, the following Feng Shui tips based on the Ba Gua may be helpful:

• The East – in the east area of your room or home, grow water plants or place a fish tank here to improve your wealth.
  
• The Southeast – this is the location of joyful events.  To improve a steady relationship, place 4 potted plants and 9 stems of red flowers here.  Boosting luck in this location will improve all joyful events such as getting a promotion, salary raise, having a baby, and so forth.
  
• The South – this is the area of major sickness and can cause problems with your respiratory and digestive system.  If your main door, kitchen or bedroom, falls right on the South area, the symptoms worsen. To improve this, place a music box or wind chimes here.  Other metal objects that make sounds are also helpful.
  
• The Southwest – place a glass of water here to improve your luck and wealth.
  
• The West – this is the location of quarrels and fights. A pink carpet here can help to improve this.
  
• The Northwest – this is the area of minor sickness and if your main door, kitchen or bedroom fall here, you fall sick easily.  Place a noise-making metal object here such as keys or wind chimes.
  
• The North – this is the location of courage and it brings luck to anyone with a non-clerical job.  If you want a promotion, 8 white stones placed here can help.  A raise in salary may eventuate if you place a glass of water here.
  
• The Northeast – this is the area of intellectual achievement.  To boost luck in this area, grow 4 water bamboo plants here or simply place a glass of water here.
  
• The Central Grid – this is the relationship location.  To boost your luck in love and general human relations, place a glass of water here with a music box beside here.  Wind the music box occasionally to vibrate the water with sound waves.

Easy Feng Shui Tips

Here are some more easy Feng Shui tips that you can use in your home:

• never place a toilet in the north area of your home as it flushes away career opportunities
  
• use metal wind chimes in the west and northwest corners of the house
  
• in odd shaped rooms, expand the missing area with mirrors
  
• place potted plants or flowers in the east area
  
• never display sharp objects on the wall
  
• the main door should not open onto a cramped hall or staircase – use a screen in between or curve the bottom of the stairs