Could Your Garden Be Blocking Good Energy? How to Map the Feng Shui in Your Yard for a More Harmonious Space
Discover the art of Bagua mapping to create a balanced backyard
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practise of arranging space – inside and out – to shape energy (or ‘chi’) and maintain harmony and balance. Incorporating the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, and their individual characteristics, did you know these qualities can be thoughtfully managed and positioned to create a beautiful and positive outdoor space?
Creating surroundings that are beautiful to gaze out upon as well as experience, garden Feng Shui has long been practised and highly valued by landscape designers, architects, property and wellbeing experts. They key is understanding how to plot the areas using a Bagua map, which is also known as a Feng Shui energy map.
How To Use a Bagua Grid and Map Your Garden
Mapping any space relies upon knowing your home's orientation and the use of a Bagua grid or Feng Shui energy map.
Feng Shui expert Helen Ye Plehn explains, 'The Bagua is holographic, so the whole exists within the part. In classical Feng Shui, the Bagua map is aligned to cardinal directions; North, South, East, West and the four intercardinal directions. This directional system allows you to map both your entire property and individual spaces within it.’
Helen continues, 'Stand in the center of your home, facing the front door, and use a compass (or a digital compass) to determine the garden's orientation. Whichever direction your garden occupies corresponds to a life area.'
'Once you determine the garden’s overall life theme, you can then overlay a full 9-grid Bagua within the garden space itself,' says Helen. 'Stand in your garden and use a compass (or a digital compass), pointing toward the garden front door to determine the directions for each section.'
Arranged three by three, each square corresponds to a life area and specific elements. These characteristics either support or detract from the energies of these specific life zones.
Create a Future Facing Front Porch
More than just ensuring a warm welcome, incorporating seating into your front entranceway or porch can encourage future positivity.
‘The front porch is a great place to observe opportunities coming your way. Hopefully you are lucky enough to have an open space in front that has distant views to allow for plenty of space for these opportunities to see you and coming knocking!’ says Karen Rauch Carter.
We love the classic lines of the Brunswick Teak two person conversation set from Wayfair.
Keep Lounge Areas Near to the House
The northwest section of the Bagua grid is closely associated with travel, friendship and helpful people.
With metal as its element, this is the perfect spot for a conversation set such as this from Wayfair, making plans and interacting with friends and new acquaintances.
Architect and Spatial Optimisation Expert Cliff Tan adds, ‘For social seating, areas closer to the home that receive soft natural light and are easy to access tend to work well. Feng Shui is about understanding how you want to live and arranging the space to support that.’
Guide the Eye Upwards for Good Health and New Beginnings
Associated with family, health and new beginnings, this section of the garden is often highly visible and of key importance for many homeowners. Helping to shape key views back to and from the home, the secret here is to guide the eye upwards.
‘Vertical and columnar-shaped objects work well halfway back on the left or even all the way back on the left of your garden because this area is governed by the wood element and that is the shape of wood,’ says Karen Rauch Carter. ‘This supports you’re not being stuck but rather moving forward in life and growing; especially in the finances department.’
Helen suggests that tall trees, conifers and bamboo will thrive in this sector, as ‘healthy upward-growing plants strengthen vitality and lineage energy.’
Create Space for Calm, Harmonious Relationships
The south west corner of a Bagua grid governs love and relationships. A space that requires calm, harmonious feelings, this is the spot for quiet, secluded seating, preferably in pairs.
Low maintenance evergreen shrubs and plants with rounded leaves will promote relaxation, honesty and intimacy. Just be sure to exclude any with thorns, spines or prickles.
Tall trees and strong vertical forms are thought to divert energy upwards and away from present company, so are best avoided.
Instead opt for the easiest ground cover plants in earthy tones, pinks, white and gold. Try tough Massachusetts Kinnikinnick from Nature Hills or Spilled Wine® Weigela, also from Nature Hills.
Boost Wealth and Prosperity with Abundant Planting
Feng Shui has had a long and complex association with influencing wealth and prosperity.
'When it comes to prosperity, I’m less interested in strict compass directions and more interested in visual impact. Stand where you usually admire your garden and notice which corner naturally draws your eye. The brightest, most prominent corner is usually your money corner,’ says Cliff Tan.
Layering ground cover, perennials, shrubs and trees is a great way to build a feel of richness and abundance. Include plenty of dense, evergreen foliage but Karen advises to avoid one key thing.
'Make sure there are no white flowers. White is the most challenging colour to use in this area because it signifies metal - which "chops" the wood growth thus disabling the growth of your wealth.'
In 2016, Cliff founded Dear Modern, an architectural practice rooted in spatial flow and economy, informed by Feng Shui.
Karen is the best-selling author of Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life and Make A Shift, Change Your Life. She is a professional member of the International Feng Shui Guild.
Place Water for Opportunity and Life Experiences
Within Feng Shui, water is seen to attract vitality and prosperity, so it is especially poignant to incorporate it within the north aspect of the Bagua grid, that represents our career and life path.
The way water is used within the garden can vary, and can signify different energies and intentions, from formal rills to life supporting tiny garden ponds.
Optimise this positive energy by incorporating blue and black tones into the immediate surroundings. These could be in glazed ceramic planters or plants such as gentians, steely spruce or fescue grass.
Embrace Playful Creativity
Make room for a light and fun filled spot, positioned in the west or middle right area of the garden. Set in the creativity and playful part of the Bagua grid, this is an area where everyone can be active.
Encourage positive energy with an area for yoga, children’s play equipment or even a home gym. Reflective surfaces, glistening falling water or metallic finishes will keep the energy moving. Even metal wind chimes will channel good luck and joyful sound.
Keep the Heart of the Garden Clutter Free
A pivotal space with strong Earth energy, the center of any yard plays a key role, physically and visually. Keep it welcoming yet clear of clutter for success.
‘This zone anchors the entire garden’s energy,’ says Helen. 'A perfect spot for a central seating or a stone feature, be sure to include plenty of ground-cover, stabilizing plants in warm and welcoming terracotta, yellow and earthy neutrals'.
Energise your Yard's Fame and Reputation Area
Located in southern most section of the Bagua grid, the area of Fame and Reputation has the Fire element at its heart.
Ideal for introducing outdoor lighting, reflective surfaces for glimmers of light and dynamic triangular shapes, it’s also the perfect spot for a stove, heater or fire pit, such as this one from Walmart.
‘Associated with red, coral and bright orange, use color boldly but strategically here; a red flowering focal point works beautifully,’ says Helen. ‘It’s important to avoid too much water in this area of the yard, as it will quench the fire energy.’
Helen Plehn is a Feng Shui expert and interior designer with a focus on human sensory. She is the founder of Helen Creates Beauty and author of The Aura Color Wheel. As a third-generation Feng Shui master, she can sense the energy of space before she senses the energies of people.
Intrigued by Bagua mapping, then try these best plants for positive energy inside your home.
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