Q&A Sunday: Laying a Bagua with Unusual Door Placement

I'm an interior designer just starting to learn about Feng Shui - I just discovered your podcast and I love it! Thank you for sharing your knowledge about this. I popped the floor plan of my apartment into Autocad - It's attached here. I have no idea how you would impose the bagua on this layout, because the entrance is in a strangely shaped corridor in the middle of the space. I would love your opinion on the right way to look at the space. 

Laura K.H., Brooklyn, NY

Hi Laura,

Happy New Year! Thank you so much for your email, and I’m glad you like the podcast! 😃 Hopefully I’ll bring it back one day!

Laying a Bagua with Unusual Door Placement - Floor Plan.png

It's great that you have a nice floor plan drawn of your home. You’ve labeled that the front door of your apartment, the door by the kitchen, is the “main entrance”. I’ve graphically place a big red arrow there for reference. If that is indeed the main entrance, you would lay out your bagua as shown on my sketch here in solid red lines, with the Path in Life/Career area as shown. This arrangement leaves your entire dining room, living room and office outside of the bagua area, as extensions of the bagua areas adjacent. For instance, Career extends to part of the dining room and the sofa area of the living room, as shown with the dashed red lines. The dashed blue area could be considered part of the Career extension creating a boot like shape. 

I would strongly advise that you rethink the “main entrance” to your space and start using the door in the living room, which would place the bathroom, bedroom and office as extensions. In addition to switching up and using the living room door, you can also use the first step when you reach the landing of your hallway as the “yin” door and lay a second bagua. It looks like you may be on the top floor of this building, so you could claim that hall area as part of your bagua. This would give you the most balanced bagua. And it’s slightly better to walk into the living room first than the kitchen and bedroom area.

You can claim the hallway as part of your second bagua layout with energy, or with color or rugs or other visual ways. 

Let us know what you think! 

by Anjie Cho 

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

My sister gave me an aromatherapy diffuser from Christmas and I've been obsessed!  My recent favorite essential oil combination is frankincense with sweet orange oil.  My friend Andrea Giordano specializes in essential oils and aromatherapy, so I interviewed her about them!

AC:  What brought you to study essential oils?

AG:  I have always had a great love for plants and their healing properties.  Essential oils are just one area of study for me. While studying feng shui and my background of study in ornamental horticulture I thought it would be SO great to put the two together. And I have! The aromas and energetics of essential oils are very powerful.

Can you tell us about the powers of essential oils?

The energetics of the plant are present in all forms of plant medicine - flower essences, herbal tinctures, dried herbs, essential oils, etc. Depending on what you are treating - physical vs. emotional, internal or external and the potency you want to use, you have all of these different choices of preparation. The human sense of smell is very powerful.   We relate happy, sad, and different periods in our lives with smell. Just think what you could do to change that with different aromas.

What essential oil do you recommend for space clearing, and why?

I find White Sage to be very powerful in clearing all negative forces followed by some Orange to brighten and lighten (uplifting) the area.

What essential oil do you recommend for relaxation and bedrooms, and why?

There are many essential oils to chose from depending on what mood you want to achieve. For relaxation I recommend Lavender mixed with some Sandalwood and a bit of Orange.  For a romantic bedroom, try Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Neroli or Rose mixed with some Sandalwood. Sandalwood grounds the spirit.

What essential oil do you recommend for focus, such as at the desk and workspace, and why?

For me, I love Rosemary, Basil (for getting my brain working) Clary Sage (calms the nerves) and a touch of Peppermint (uplifting) 

What essential oil do you recommend for entertaining, such as at the living room area, and why?

Once again I love Orange (lifts the sprits) refreshes and relaxes.  I call Orange “The happy oil"!

OOh!  I can't wait to try these different combinations throughout my home to create a truly holistic space that supports my needs!  Thanks Andrea.

Are there any special essential oil combinations you want to share with us?

by Anjie Cho

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Aroma - The Scent     Thera - The Healing     Chi - The Energy

AromatheraChi was created from a lifetime interest in plants combined with a devotion to natural and organic products.  These interests led AromatheraChi owner, Andrea Giordano, to pursue a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and begin exploring natural applications for health and beauty.  Ten years ago, she began making and selling all-natural soaps.  It is important to her to make sure that she always delivers the highest quality products.

While there is much to love about the essential oils themselves, the true passion and focus of AromatheraChi is the science behind the oils.  Scientific studies have shown that different scents have positive impacts on well being.

Aromatherachi was born out of the desire to wish for everyone to have access to fantastic essential oils, GC/MS tested, at a fraction of the price typically found elsewhere. 

You can read Andrea's AromatheraChi blog here!

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: Improving and Starting Careers

We bought crystals from the Holistic Spaces Store recently to hang one each above main entrance door, study and bedroom (as my bed in line with the door). I want to move up in my career with higher education, and my husband needs to start his training/career/job. I feel like for the seven years we've lived in our current house, things have been stressful, creating anxiety and stagnant. Any feng shui help or suggestions are appreciated!

Arjun S., Muncie, IN

Hi Arjun

I hope the first part of your question that we answered last week was helpful, when you asked about pregnancy losses and feng shui. Thanks for your patience for part two of this question.

Your second question is in regards to improving careers for both you and your husband. You also noted that your last seven years have been stressful, anxiety ridden and you’ve felt stagnant. It sounds like you're seeking insight as to what the next steps are in your career, and you also suggested that you need to continue your education. Sometimes our career is not doing well or is stuck because we need to gain more skills, so going back to school or taking additional courses can be very helpful in kickstarting a positive change. Skillfulness in this case is associated with the Knowledge area of the feng shui bagua. I recommend that you study in this area of your home, and if this space is neglected, direct some attention there. Can you spend time there regularly or move nine items around to stir the energy in this area?

For your husband, you noted that he needs to start his career, so maybe he can also work on this same Knowledge area. If he has trouble getting started, he can also look to activate the New Beginnings area. You can do this by adding a new green plant, for instance. Our recent post on How to Grow Fresh Air suggests several options for welcoming new energy, promoting growth and cleaning the air in your space all at once. If your husband needs more clarity, he can also place a new feng shui crystal ball, available here in the Holistic Spaces store, in this area. 

Overall if you feel that your life has been challenging with stress, anxiety and stagnation, it may help to assess the condition of the trees and greenery around your home. Are they in good shape and healthy? Give some attention to the vitality of the natural landscaping around your house, because it can also affect your health, both physically and mentally.

It sounds like the past few years have been very taxing for you. I recommend trying a few of these feng shui adjustments. Be sure to note your intention when you make these changes and practice patience. Feng shui is not a magic pill, and you must do the mundane work as well!

by Anjie Cho 

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!