Element: Earth

Teaching: This area symbolizes being grounded and centered through all of life’s activities.

In Feng Shui the Center area of the Bagua is considered to be the Center or hub of the wheel and the other areas flow around it.

Ways you can enhance this area of the Bagua:

This is the perfect place for a meditation or quiet room; place art, a large plant or any object that reminds you of the importance of arranging your life to flow around a solid base.

I Ching Trigram – K’an – DEEP WATER

Teaching: Honest and sincere assessment of our life by diving deep inside to find the answer.

Element: Water

So many of us have been challenged to define and be involved in our perfect vocation. We can spend years trying to figure out what we are here to do. This area invites us to ask the question “What’s next” many times in our life. The answer is inside us, not outside, so we have to be willing to go inside and listen. Then it will take courage to follow your inner promptings to move forward into a new direction on your journey through life, which is not always a career.

Enhance this area when you are not sure what your life’s purpose is; are not happy with your current job; are looking for a job; would like more clients or customers; would like a promotion at your current job.

Here are some ways you can enhance this area of the Bagua:

Install a water feature, fountain, waterfall (if outside), or aquarium; posters, paintings, collages or photos of streams, lakes, waterfalls or ocean; objects or images that symbolize your career; books that relate to your career or journey through life; image or plaque with your company name; colors of black, deep dark browns, maroons or deep blue; objects that are freeform or a flowing shape; mirrors, crystals or glass objects, sculptures or artwork.

I Ching Trigram – Ken – STILL MOUNTAIN

Teaching – Powerful connection between a calm, quiet mind and our assimilation of wisdom.

This Gua is about how we assimilate what we’ve learned by practicing some form of stillness, meditation, contemplation or introspection. The ability to integrate all of our learnings gives us the natural ability to share what we have learned with others. The “Still Mountain” that represents this Gua symbolizes climbing to the quiet height within, to contemplate our experiences and return, having integrated them into wisdom.

Whenever you find yourself in a learning situation like taking a class or workshop, you can deepen your understanding by taking some time afterwards, spending some time in stillness and silence. What you’ve learned will fall deeper into your understanding.

Becoming truly wise is complex and is more than just gathering information. You have to be able to integrate and assimilate your learnings as well as put them into practice so that you embody wisdom instead of becoming a “talking head”. Unfortunately our western culture applauds action and busyness more than stillness, silence and meditation.

In the practice of Feng Shui, we embrace stillness and mindfulness because it enhances the quality and efficiency of our actions.

Here are some things you can do to enhance this area of the Bagua:

Display books, CD’s or other material that you’re studying; display artwork of mountains or quiet places such as meditation gardens or other natural settings that invoke a feeling of stillness and silence; display photos of people and public figures that you consider wise; incorporate colors of black, blue and green; this Gua would be a perfect place to create a meditation area with an altar.

Health and Family – I Ching trigram – “Chen”

Arousing Thunder

Element – Wood

The foundation principle about this Gua is the importance of developing good physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strength and vitality. When you are under stress, experiencing challenges and the stormy conditions of life, your survival and resiliency depends on your strength, health and vitality. Strong physical, mental and emotional health is truly the foundation of our lives. Without it we are unable to enjoy or cultivate and participate fully in all other areas of our life. Our work, ability to earn an income, family life, spiritual path and creativity suffers. The healthier you are, the more choices you have.

This area also relates to having strong, happy, healthy relationships with our family of origin and extended family. These relationships also form a strong foundation in our lives by offering us support during challenging times. There is an emphasis on the importance of healing, forgiving and making peace with any relationships in your circle of family and friends.

Is there anyone that you need to forgive or talk to about something that has caused you to harbor resentment or anger?

Here are some ways that you can enhance this area of the Bagua:

Symbols of the Wood element, healthy plants with rounded leaves and a soft graceful appearance; artwork with trees, plants, flowers, gardens, landscapes; artwork or a collage depicting ideal health; accessorize with blues and greens and floral prints and stripes in fabrics, paint, throw pillows, art, upholstery, linens, wallpaper; objects made of wood; pillars and columns; photos of family and friends in blue, green, floral or striped frames.

Here is a great Health and Family story I heard in my Feng Shui training. There was a client of a Feng Shui colleague of mine that had been hopelessly battling trying to quit smoking. There was a collection of cactuses in her Health and Family area that had appendages that looked exactly like cigarettes. My colleague brought this to her attention and she removed the plants and was finally able to quit smoking for good! AND as a bonus – the relationship with her mother greatly improved. They had always had a very “prickly” relationship which smoothed out after the cactus plants were removed!