Q&A Sunday: Front Doors and the Bagua

You did a wonderful, artful creation! I received my copy of “Holistic Spaces: 108 Ways to Create a Mindful and Peaceful Home” yesterday. I don’t think we have met, but I am a member of Bon Shen Ling. 

If you don’t mind, I have a question about your bagua map. Do you consider the front door to be the front door as the house was designed? Or is it the door that you use the most? Because those are two different doors for me. Kinda important for the whole system to work, I think 

David D., Milford, PA

Hi David, 

Thanks so much for your question, and thank you for purchasing the book. It’s nice to meet you! That’s great you’re a member of Bon Shen Ling; Chongtul Rinpoche is very kind man. 

For the readers, Bön Shen Ling, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization in the U.S., is dedicated to supporting the global Bon community through its programs that support refugees and educate western societies about this unique group of people and their way of life. Bon is the indigenous religion of Tibet and is closely tied to BTB feng shui as well as Tibetan Buddhism. Chongtul Rinpoche blessed me at my BTB feng shui ceremony. In addition, 10% of the proceeds from each Holistic Spaces Mandala is donated to support Tibetan refugee children at Bon Shen Ling's Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India.

Ok, now onto your question! In BTB feng shui, when we refer to the front door, we mean the formal front door to the space as was intended when the house was built. There are many people (especially in the US) with the situation that you have, where you have a formal front door but then have a secondary door that you use more frequently. Either way, you would lay the official house bagua on your home using the formal front door. You align the bottom of the bagua map so that the front door is in Gen (Knowledge), Kan (Path in Life/Career) or Qian (Benefactors and Travel).

In your case, if you don’t use the front door very often, I recommend you open it every day, if possible, to activate the energy. If the official front door stays dormant, it may affect how qi comes into your life and home. 

Another interesting thing of note, once I had a client where the official front door was converted into a window, and the side door then became their official front door. In this case, we had to open up the closed door. Doors represent the mouth of qi, and the mouth/voices of the inhabitants. When a door is removed or closed up, this may impact the voice of the people and the voice of the house.

Thanks so much for the wonderful question. Doors are really key in feng shui, as is the bagua, so this is a good question for everyone! Again thank you for purchasing the book and feel free to reach out with any other questions!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design feng shui cerfication program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. Check us out at www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

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!

Q&A Sunday: Black Tourmaline for Protection

Could you talk a little more about using black tourmaline for protection (tip 19 from your book)? Not sure where exactly to place them.

Izabela F., Roseville, CA

Hi Izabela,

Thanks so much for your question from the book. For the readers who don’t have the book, here is the excerpt from tip 19 from Holistic Spaces: 108 Ways to Create a Mindful and Peaceful Home.

“In feng shui, black is related to wisdom and knowledge… Black can be contemplative, too… Because black absorbs, black tourmaline is excellent for protection from negative energy, including electromagnetic smog. Use four pieces to create a grid under your bed, in your bedroom, or for your entire home. Place one piece in each corner (of the bed, bedroom, or entire home). This generates an energetic grid of security and absorbs most types of harmful energy.”


Black tourmaline is a natural crystal that’s pretty popular! It can absorb negative energies and provide protection. I love the idea of incorporating it into your home so it’s part of the design of your space. The black tourmaline can be small tumbled pieces, around 1/2”-2” diameter. The rough pieces, larger and smaller, also work. See what you’re drawn to and what is available for you.

Black Tourmaline for Protection - Grid.jpg

I’ve created a diagram that I hope will be helpful for you, Izabela. The red stars indicate where you can place the crystals if they would go under your bed. They can also go between your box spring and mattress, or fastened to the bottom of your bed frame. Sometimes that’s easier if you have pets, children or a cleaning person who may move them around. Similarly, the blue stars indicate where you would place them in the bedroom, and the yellow stars would indicate where they would be located if the grid is created for the entire home.

You may be wondering which option to choose: bed, bedroom, or entire home. Usually it’s best to start with your personal energy, so I would suggest you do this for your bed first. It’s also worth noting it’s probably overkill to do all three areas (bed, bedroom and home) unless you have a very unique situation.

Check out our black tourmaline and crystal set for protection on the Holistic Spaces store website. I have included in the set a pointed clear quartz crystal that can be placed in the center of the grid. Clear quartz provides clarity and it can be programmed for your intention. Check it out!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design feng shui cerfication program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. Check us out at www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

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!

Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui and Mindfulness in Art

I wanted to send a picture that I have hanging in my bedroom to get your opinion of the Feng Shui as you suggested in one of your posts. The  online form did not allow me to input it. I hope this is ok! Thanks!

Lucretia B., Austin, TX

Hi Lucretia,

Thanks for your email and for sending in your question. This is a lovely piece of art. May I assume that it’s one that you care for, since you’ve not only hung it in your bedroom, but you’ve also taken the time to ask me about it? Take a moment to touch into how you feel about this artwork. Where did it come from? What do you sense from it? How does it feel in your body when you gaze upon it?

It still surprises me that sometimes I receive questions about feng shui and art where the asker has a neutral position on the piece. Sometimes they can take it or leave it. I think we have the tendency to try to fill up space and just put something up ‘just because’. Often they have no idea why they wanted to put it up in the first place, besides that there was a empty space they wanted filled.

Sound familiar? We do the same with food, television, any sort of entertainment so we don’t feel the empty, bored, sad...etc. It’s not ‘bad’; however it’s interesting to notice this and see that if it comes from mindless conditioning. Is this coming from a helpful place? This is true mindfulness, contemplation and paying attention to the details even for a few moments.

I also encourage my clients to wait for the art that they love. You don’t need to rush and hurry to finish up your home. In fact, it’s kind of fun to have your eye open for something that you love. Alternatively you can find something to put up that’s not perfect but is trendy and fun for now, without a lot of investment. Or...why not just keep the space open?!

There is, of course, also the aspect of the location of this art. In your case, this art is up in your bedroom. If you’re a single woman ready and actively desiring a relationship with a partner, this isn’t exactly the best imagery. But the colors are soothing; the cool hues are okay for a bedroom otherwise. The angles are rather metal-like, so precise and orthogonal. And it can certainly go in another area of your home.

Be sure to check out our other posts about art!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design feng shui cerfication program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. Check us out at www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

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!