The correct application of classical feng shui bagua in the Southern Hemisphere is a complex topic that needs to be approached logically and intelligently. It is important to know that there is no consensus in the world of feng shui as to how to apply the classical, also called traditional bagua, in the Southern hemisphere.
If you are reading this article, you probably know that there are two baguas in feng shui – the classical bagua that uses the compass and takes into consideration the energy of directions, and the mistakenly called Western bagua (it comes from a Tibetan Buddhist School (BTB) and has nothing to do with the West).
Both baguas are powerful, but have distinctly different ways of defining the energy in your home. If you want to create harmony and clarity, it is important to choose one bagua style and use it as a foundation for all your feng shui work. At more advanced stages the two can be combined, but early in your work this can get confusing.
I have many questions from readers in the Southern hemisphere about the correct application of the classical bagua, so I will share with you my insights based on many years of practice and research. We will not look into the BTB bagua since it does not take into consideration the compass directions; this makes it a really easy template to apply and work with.
So let’s start.
We know that feng shui was developed in the Northern hemisphere. Ancient masters were studying the complex and intricate patterns of the language of the land, its mountains and valleys, the clouds and water formations, the movement of wind, the interplay and expression of 5 elements, the connection to celestial bodies, etc. All details were looked into when establishing the energy of any specific area for any specific purpose, be they houses for the living or for the dead. (Note that the initial application of feng shui was in discovering the most auspicious burial sites, based on the cultural belief that if the ancestors are buried in a location with most appropriate Chi, the whole family lineage will prosper.)
It is important to understand that authentic feng shui is deeply and directly connected to the energy of the land, to its voice and unique identity, because only in harmony with the land, prosperous and healthy feng shui can be created. Yes, there are also feng shui schools that take into consideration the time factor, and some have complex (and often misguided) calculations, but without the land on which the building stands, how can we talk about a good feng shui home?
So let’s start with one very important factor. In the Northern Hemisphere we receive the strongest Fire element energy from the South direction. This is why the South feng shui bagua area in your home needs a strong expression of Fire element in its decor, so as to be in harmony with the language of its environment. However, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, the strongest Fire energy is coming to you from the North, not from the South.
Looking at this basic fact, wouldn’t it be logical to deduct that the classical feng shui bagua, being deeply connected to the energies of compass directions, might not work in the Southern Hemisphere the same way it works in the Northern? Shouldn’t one reverse the bagua, then, so that it correctly reflects and aligns with the energies of compass directions?
As I mentioned earlier, there is no consensus in the world of feng shui about this complex topic, so we have to apply clear reasoning and logic by looking at various data. Let’s add to our example above a simple explanation as to why it is wise to reverse the traditional bagua when applying classical feng shui in the Southern hemisphere.
We know that no matter where on earth one is located, the sun always rises in the East and sets in the West. However, in the Southern hemisphere, the Sun moves through the Northern skies to set in the West, while in the Northern hemisphere the Sun’s route is through the Southern skies.
Here is info from Wikipedia: “The shadow of a sun dial moves clockwise in the northern hemisphere (opposite of the southern hemisphere). During the day the sun tends to raise to its maximum at a southerly position, whereas in the southern hemisphere it raises to a maximum that is northerly in position (as it tends towards the direction of the equator)”.
In the Southern hemisphere the strongest, most fiery energy of the Sun – the midday Sun – is in the Northern skies, opposite to the strongest Sun energy being in the Southern skies in the Northern hemisphere. It is a reverse, mirror-like expression. (You can also look into the Coriolis effect; as it all, of course, depends on your point of reference.)
If you live in Australia or New Zealand, the strongest, Yang/Sun/Fire element energy comes to you from the North, not from the South, as compared to China where feng shui originated from. It is wise – and excellent feng shui – to always respect and listen to your own immediate environment, and to align your energetic work with it.
Feng shui evolved as a study of one’s immediate environment, a study of human’s place and connection to universal energies – the land, the sea, the sky, the whole Cosmos. The immediate environment, though, always come first, because it has the strongest influence on you, being closest to your physical body.
The Southern hemisphere obviously has different rhythms as compared to the Northern hemisphere; this needs to be acknowledged and properly applied in our feng shui work. Logic should always take precedence over fear and superstition, especially when it comes to such a powerful, but also easily misinterpreted (sometimes intentionally) ancient body of knowledge.
Feng shui is all based on complex ancient studies of natural and universal rhythms, and its best application has to be both in tune with your immediate environment and land, meaning being able to read/intuit the energetic patterns unfolding in front of you, as well as apply logic and clear reasoning, questioning things that do not make sense, and standing up for what feels right and true to you.
Know that a lot in what is presented as advanced feng shui formulas is either outdated or misinterpreted, while very well-suited to feed many practitioners’ fragile egos. It is common knowledge that for many years feng shui was forbidden to practice in China, it is also common knowledge that some ancient feng shui texts and formulas were intentionally falsified. Remember, feng shui was a practice for the elite, it was employed by the high nobility, most people had no access to it.
Trinkets to put here and there is what feng shui is known for at lower/diluted levels, but the actual power is in the deeper knowledge of working with universal energy. Observation, research, proper deductions, and direct connection to energy is how feng shui wisdom is developed and applied for best resuts.
I trust this give you more confidence in using the ancient knowledge of feng shui by honouring both the wisdom of the ancients, as well as your very own unique heart and mind wisdom.
Now, how do you actually apply the bagua in the Southern Hemisphere?
