Office Feng Shui Guidelines

Office feng shui is an important consideration assuming you create and operate your income
streams from your workplace.
Asian businessmen have been successfully utilizing workplace feng shui for centuries and in
recent years their counterparts around the world have taken up the practice with enthusiasm.
This topic is divided into business office guidelines and home office guidelines because you'll
generally have more control over a
home office than you will at work.
Additional considerations apply to owning your own company if you are in the position of
choosing the location of your business premises.
The first step in understanding the principles of office feng shui is to become familiar with the
bagua (or pakua, as it is sometimes spelled in books on the subject).
The Bagua
The feng shui bagua is an octagonal grid divided into nine sections.
For the sake of convenience, it is often represented in the shape of a rectangle, which is what we
are using on this page.
If you imagine cutting each corner off the rectangle, you will see the underlying octagonal shape.
Each section of the bagua relates to a key aspect of life, as seen on the diagram below:

The nine sections are defined as follows:

1. The Blessings (wealth) area relates to your financial situation.
2. The Illuminations (fame) area relates to your reputation and position in the world.
3. The Relationships area relates to your personal and business relationships.
4. The Elders area relates to your mentors and older family members.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

The Unity area is the center of the room and is generally kept free of encumbrances.
The Creativity area relates to your sources of inspiration.
The Contemplation area relates to relaxation and meditation.
The Journey area relates to your destiny or path through life.
The Friends area relates to both mentors and your contribution to others.

When the bagua pattern is placed over the floor plan of a building, it pinpoints the specific areas
that influence these nine key aspects. You can then place symbolic items in the relevant locations
to enhance those areas of your life.
There are two schools of thought with regard to the placement of the bagua:
1. One school asserts that since the bagua is based on the Chinese compass, in which the
top section faces due south, the bagua should be oriented with the southern (fame)
aspect aligned against the south wall of the building.

South Wall

2. The second approach aligns the lower aspect of the bagua with the wall containing the
front door. This can result in a placement in exact opposition to the first system.

Front Door

We favor the second approach with one modification: we create an additional fame area against
the south wall and an additional wealth area beside it.

Office Feng Shui In Your Own Company

The exterior aspects of any building where your business is located are as important as the
internal office feng shui.
1. When first setting up your business premises, choose an office or work space in a
prosperous neighborhood.
2. Make sure the entrance to your building or premises looks inviting rather than
nondescript. You may need to make some simple cosmetic changes to achieve this
effect.
3. Avoid renting premises at the end of a T intersection. If you do, research the feng shui
cures that counteract the resulting negative energy flow.
4. The best site for a building is on a corner, with the entrance on a diagonal to the corner
itself.
5. Use the feng shui bagua to organize the interior layout of the premises. Then use the
guidelines in the next section for each individual room as well.

Office Feng Shui In A Workplace Office

Whether you are an employee or a business owner with his or her own office, your first step is to
stand at the doorway of your office or work space and map out the areas according to the bagua.
Your main focus will be your wealth and fame areas, although you should also pay attention to the
other six areas and decorate them accordingly.
Here are some tips to keep the energy flowing in your office:
1. According to office feng shui guidelines, your desk should be placed at a diagonal to the
doorway or directly facing it, rather than with your back to it.
2. If there's more than one desk, place two on a diagonal facing towards the door and any
others on a diagonal facing into the center of the room. They should not be placed in
rows in a traditional classroom layout or back to back.
3. If the doorways of offices that face each other across a hallway are not exactly aligned,
place a mirror on the front of each door.
4. If you face a partial wall or partition when entering an office, place a mirror on the
partition.
5. Soften jutting walls with plants.
6. Break up dull walls with mirrors or paintings.
The feng shui elements that are easiest to blend into an office decor are pictures and
photographs. Look for pictures that represent the various aspects and dispay them in the

appropriate areas. Very obvious feng shui symbols might invite unwelcome questions from
visitors or co-workers.

Office Feng Shui In A Home Office

Use office feng shui if you're working from home to maintain a professional approach to your
business.
1. Use a separate entrance to your office if at all possible.
2. Otherwise, choose a room near the front or back door of the house or apartment.
3. Separate your office from living areas to keep your business and personal lives separate.
4. If your office space is part of another room, divide it from the rest of the room with a
screen or large plants.
5. Take a short walk before entering your office to work each day and another one at the
end of your working day. This separates the business and personal aspects of your life.
6. Place your desk on the corner diagonally opposite to the doorway.
7. Don't place your desk under a window, but let the light reflect on it from the side. Some
people prefer to have their desks facing east.
8. Leave space between your furniture (bookshelves etc.) and the walls. Feng shui experts
suggest leaving a 7-9 inch gap.
9. An important aspect of office feng shui is to keep your work space tidy to allow a free flow
of energy throughout the room.
10. Differentiate between clutter and storage. Stored items don't have to be catalogued and
labeled but they should be stacked neatly in a cupboard or in binders so as not to impede
energy flow.

Your Wealth Area In Office Feng Shui

Using the first bagua placement system, stand in the doorway to your office and locate your
wealth area in the upper left hand corner of the room.
Here are some traditional feng shui aids you can use to enhance your wealth area:
1. Place a picture of a lake, waterfall or any other water scene on one of the walls in your
wealth corner. Water represents energy flow.
2. Use an aquarium or small fountain if you prefer.
3. Place a green, smooth-leafed plant (e.g., a jade plant) on a shelf in this corner. You can
substitute an artificial plant if you tend to neglect live ones. The allusion to growing wealth
is obvious.
4. Place other symbols of wealth in the corner. They can include:

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

red eggs symbolizing wealth creation

a red envelope containing several coins
a crystal on a red ribbon near the window
three Chinese coins tied with a red ribbon
a pearl or anything spherical (to curb unbridled ambition)
a wheel or bell representing power
a symbol or picture of red fish symbolizing wealth
a lotus flower symbolizing great achievements from humble beginnings
In addition, you can place a decorative jar of water near the entrance to your
office.

5. Make sure all items in your feng shui wealth areas pertain to wealth. In term of office feng
shui, they might include a bookshelf with all your business or wealth creation books, your
business computer, your diplomas and business awards.
6. Add any inspirational pictures, quotes, affirmations, etc. to your area, in other words,
anything that moves you to take action.
7. Use the bagua to determine the wealth area of your desk, your bookshelves and so on.
Then place additional symbols there as well.
8. If fame is a component of your drive to success, you can add some additional items to
the fame area of your office:
o any item that's red (representing fire)
o any item made of wood
o a conch shell representing a prosperous voyage
o a wheel or bell representing power
o a phoenix, rooster or peacock symbolizing good fortune

If you want to incorporate the second system of bagua placement, you can add some fame
symbols to your south wall and place a plant and a photograph of water to the second wealth
area located in the left hand corner of the south wall.

Office Feng Shui Benefits

Regardless of whether you see feng shui as a valid way of influencing events or as another form
of superstition, there are a number of benefits in experimenting with both office feng shui and
feng shui in general:

Feng shui makes you more conscious of how your environment influences your state of
mind. An uncluttered work space with sufficient room to move will help you think more
clearly and productively.

Utilizing the office feng shui guidelines will help you stay organized. Any form of
simplification will also reduce stress.
Office feng shui helps you focus on the task at hand. If you remove all uncompleted
projects and potential future ones to a separate storage area (where you won't see them
from your work space), you'll eliminate a key source of distraction.

When you've finished decorating your work space, take a walk through it and note your
first impressions:
o Is it uncluttered?
o Does it suggest flow? Are your tools placed logically and within easy reach?
o Is it aesthetically pleasing? Do you enjoy being in this space?
o Does it suggest focus? Power? Efficiency?
o Is it inspiring? Motivating?

Beyond Office Feng Shui

Obviously there is far more to feng shui than this basic introduction.
For an in-depth look at the subject, there are many good books available in bookstores or your
local library:

Accountant Suzan Hilton takes her readers on a magical journey through the psychology
of feng shui in her excellent book, The Feng Shui of Abundance.

William Spear's book, Feng Shui Made Easy is another well-written book that offers a
comprehensive guide to the subject.
For a more traditional Chinese approach, any book by Lillian Too will teach you how to
apply the principles of feng shui in your daily life.

Your Next Step:

You can achieve all this for your business with feng shui.

Ancient laws for living today

Feng shui is the art of analysing and influencing the interaction between people, buildings
and the environment, in order to enhance quality of life. It has been practised for at least
3,000 years. It works on the principle that, when the 'chi', the life energy force, is flowing
appropriately around your health, wealth and happiness can be significantly improved.
The art lies in influencing this energy to maximise the good fortune it gives.
The words feng shui (pronounced 'foong shway') mean 'wind and
water', the two most powerful forces of nature. By harmonising your
surroundings in this way, you flow with the tide; not against it. The
benefits can be considerable. For many clients, balancing their work
environment to support them, rather than obstruct, results in very
positive changes. Opportunities for good fortune are then more likely
to open up, leading to improvements with every aspect of your

business.

How feng shui works for business

Creating an environment for a health business involves
considering and giving advice on the:

Eradicating the negative

A feng shui consultation is partly aimed at detecting and removing the effects of
geopathic stress on the business. This is caused by some kind of disruption to, or
distortion of, the earth's natural energy field, causing harmful radiation to emanate from
the earth's surface. Scientific research* has shown that if geopathic stress is not removed,
it can cause chronic fatigue, lack of concentration, lethargy, headaches, and other
symptoms which are synonymous with 'sick office syndrome'. If it is present it can affect
staff morale and productivity, and may have more serious, long-term implications.
*This was led by Dr Otto Bergsmann of the University of Vienna, 1990

A favoured solution
Feng shui is part of everyday life for millions of people throughout the world. Many of
the country's top companies use it, such as: Virgin, HSBC, Orange, British Airways,
BUPA and Marks & Spencer. They believe it has brought business success, or helped to
create a sense of balance and order.**
**Feng Shui for Modern Living magazine

The path to harmony

All you have to do is complete a simple tick-box questionnaire, which will
establish your priorities, and include scale plans of your workplace. It is important
to ensure that the 'relative' proportions of the rooms are correct. The more accurate
the plan, the more effective will be the result. If you find it difficult to acquire plans for

the premises, the local fire officer will have copies. This is needed ten days before the
consultation.
I will clarify your priorities at the start of the visit, then quickly tour the site to note
specific activities in each area. After that, I usually work on my own; both inside and
outside. When I have finished, we can discuss my main recommendations for
improvement. I will then send you a comprehensive, written report.
It is always best to carry out the recommended changes a few at a time. By introducing
them slowly, you can wait and see the effects of each. If you don't follow the advice, you
can't expect the benefits. Do not expect instant miracles; time has a part to play.

In complete confidence
Discretion is assured as your consultation with TLC can be totally confidential. If you
prefer, however, it can be
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Date
Period
Element
Fate

1864 - 1883
1
Water
Upper
1884 - 1903
2
Earth

Upper
1904 - 1923
3
Wood
Upper

1924 - 1943
4
Wood
Middle
1944 - 1963
5
Earth
Middle
1964 - 1983
6
Metal
Middle

1984 - 2003
7
Metal
Lower

2004 - 2023
8
Earth
Lower
2024 - 2043
9
Fire
Lower