Q&A Sunday: BTB and Flying Star Bagua Layouts

Anjie Cho November 21, 2021

Is it possible to feng shui my home using the bagua as well as flying stars? For example, my living room’s bagua Wealth corner is in the SE, but for 2016 flying stars says the Wealth is in the SW. Is it correct to use the feng shui wealth cures in two directions?

Fahriye S., Nilüfer, Bursa,Turkey

Hi Fahriye,

Thanks for writing in about how to use the feng shui bagua map on your home. To clarify, I believe you are asking if you can use the BTB school bagua layout with a Flying Star school bagua layout.

There are dozens of schools of feng shui, such as BTB, Flying Star, Compass, Form, etc. There are similarities and differences in each school, all varied. This is one of the most important reasons why it’s best to use a consultant rather than try to practice feng shui on your own - because the average person will get very confused and often mix up the schools, which may conflict. And it sounds like this is what’s happened to you!

Another clarification, I practice BTB feng shui and am not a Flying Star practitioner. However, I do work with flying stars a bit in my personal feng shui (not with clients) and use their activations with success. So for myself, I may work on a wealth cure using the BTB bagua layout but also use a wealth activation in my home based on the Flying Star school. And there are practitioners who practice from both schools with their clients. But in Flying Star it can be very dangerous if you activate the wrong sector. For instance, maybe it’s really in the south and you activate something very negative. Therefore I highly discourage you from trying anything on your own.

BTB and Flying Star use a similar feng shui bagua map. BTB locates the bagua map based on the “mouth of qi,” which is generally the formal entrance (front door) to a space. The Flying Star school locates the bagua map based on the compass direction among other things. With both schools, but especially Flying Star, there is skillfulness required to locate bagua areas in a space.

Finally, my BTB teachers have always, always, always taught that all schools of feng shui are valid. You can find success with whatever school you resonate with, or whichever school(s) your consultant practices. However, I would again caution against attempting to use Flying Star on your own. It may produce something undesirable. And also I believe it’s best to do something simply with the correct intention, and do it well, rather than spread yourself thin and do too much. Things can get muddled and confused, and therefore ineffective.

If you decide to go with the BTB bagua layout, you will find plenty of guidance in this free guide or you can schedule a call with me for help! If you're certain you want to opt for the Flying Star school, I would strongly urge you to find a consultant to guide your adjustments for positive results. Please let us know how it goes and if you have specific questions regarding BTB bagua adjustments!

by Anjie Cho

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

Q&A Sunday: The Best Feng Shui Bedroom Color

Guest User November 14, 2021

What’s the best feng shui color for a bedroom?

I get asked some version of this question a lot, and I’m going to let you in on a feng shui secret: there’s no perfect feng shui color for a bedroom, or any room for that matter. The best color for you depends on what you want to manifest, your unique energy, and what colors you like. For me to recommend a color for your bedroom, I would need to know what elements you need more of, where you need more support, and what you’d like to work on.

For example, if you want to invite in a partner, pink or peach could be a supportive color for you. If you want to feel more grounded, an earthy brown or yellow might be the most nourishing. We can look at feng shui color theory, but I can’t give you a cookie cutter answer. If that was how feng shui worked, it would be really easy to just say that all bedrooms should be blue. However, not everyone wants a blue bedroom, and it might not be the best fit for everyone energetically either.

When choosing a color for your bedroom, first think about what it is that you want. Then, you can start looking at different colors and the connections you have to them. You can look at the feng shui meaning behind colors, but also pay attention to what you like and what resonates with you. If you read somewhere that orange is the best color for a certain room but you hate orange, it will be bad feng shui for you to paint your room orange.

What colors do you gravitate towards? What colors do you not like as much? I have a lot of metal element naturally and I love metal element colors, like whites and off-whites. I also really like black, which is connected to the water element. Those tend to be good colors for me to work with because I enjoy being around them.

Another thing to note is that there are many ways to bring color into your life besides painting the walls. Once you’ve figured out what kind of energy you want to create and which colors resonate with you, you can start by bringing in that color in small ways. It’s often a good idea to play around with accessories before committing to a new wall color. You can even start wearing a color, and see how it makes you feel.

by Anjie Cho

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

Feng Shui for Better Sleep

Guest User November 3, 2021

Photo and design by Anjie Cho Architect PLLC

Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep? If so, you’re not alone. As our lives get busier and more stressful, our sleep tends to be affected. One of the tools that you can use to improve your quality of sleep is feng shui. Feng shui is an Asian art that recognizes that our homes are connected to us and our wellbeing, which includes how we are able to sleep and rest.

In this post I wanted to share a few feng shui tips for better sleep. These are also all great tips that can benefit anyone, even if you don’t have trouble sleeping.

Optimize your bed position

First, make sure your bed is in the command position. This means you are able to see the door while lying in bed, while not being directly in line with the door. You want your bed to be placed in such a way that you can see the doorway, because that means that you are in control of what’s happening in your space and you won’t be caught off guard. When your back is facing the door, your stress levels are elevated because your subconscious mind recognizes that it can no longer see things that are coming towards you. This can increase your stress levels and affect your ability to sleep restfully. Ideally, you want to set up your bed for the best sleep possible by putting yourself in the command position.

Evaluate storage under the bed

Second, take a look under your bed. A lot of people find this area to be a convenient storage space, however in feng shui we recommend that you have absolutely nothing under the bed if at all possible. You spend at least a third of your life lying over those objects, and storing your clutter underneath you can affect your quality of sleep. If you do have items stored under the bed, think about what those mean. For instance, do you have shoes under the bed? Shoes can represent movement. Do you keep luggage there? That could also represent movement, as well as travel and instability. Are you storing divorce papers or other things that are emotionally charged? Items related to an ex, for example, can correspond to subconscious blocks in a relationship, because you’re sleeping over that energy every night.

When you’re sleeping, you’re in a passive yin state where you’re susceptible to all the energy around you, so it’s especially important to have a supportive feng shui setup for your bedroom. If you do need to store things under the bed, stick to softer, sleep-related items like extra blankets or pillows. If possible, however, you really want the space under your bed to be open so that qi can flow freely around you.

Lighting and electronics

Third, I would recommend paying attention to any lighting and electronic devices in the bedroom. In feng shui we use the principles of yin and yang. This can be applied in a really practical way, in terms of making sure that there is enough yin energy and darkness in the area where you sleep. For example, phones or other devices in your bedroom can give off blue light, which is very cool and related to yang energy. Yang is the energy of the sun, which is not as restful as yin energy. You want to have warmer-toned lights around you. Think of the warm glow of candlelight or a pink salt lamp. (If you do have candles in the bedroom, make sure to snuff them out before you start falling asleep!) Try to improve the yin quality of your bedroom and allow your body to have a cycle of yin time each night by enhancing the darkness in this space.

I hope these suggestions help you create a relaxing space where you can drift off easily!

by Anjie Cho