Bagua
In classical Feng Shui each of the eight compass directions and the centre stands for its own themes, an element and a family member.
The five elements in Feng Shui
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water are more accurately called phases of change, or Wu Xing in Chinese, because they describe a process rather than substances. They appear in people, nature and rooms. In Feng Shui, each element has a compass direction, colours, forms and materials of its own, and each is strengthened or held in check by another.
- Wu Xing5 phaseschange rather than substance
- Cyclestwonourishing and controlling
- Your elementlast digitof your birth year
What are the five elements?
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water describe archetypal patterns of behaviour in people and nature. The name “five elements” has become established; the correct term is Wu Xing, the “five phases of change”. These are not rigid pigeonholes. The phases depend on one another and pass into one another. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) works with them, organising the body’s meridians and acupuncture points according to the five elements. Bazi, Chinese astrology, also uses them, closely linked to TCM and Feng Shui. This is neither better nor worse than other systems. Each offers an analysis of potential through its own method, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of a person or situation.
Each element also has a planet, Jupiter for Wood, for example. But this has little or nothing to do with Western astrology.
Five Chinese elements or four Western ones?
Broadly speaking, Western teaching recognises four elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth, understood as fundamental substances. Chinese teaching recognises five phases, without Air but with Wood and Metal, describing change rather than substance. Wood stands for growth, Metal for concentration and clarity.
The five elements at a glance
This is the order of the cycle. Each element nourishes the next and holds the one after that in check.
WoodI can and I do
Wood belongs to the east, spring and early morning. It is growth, the idea reaching upwards. Wood people make decisions quickly and like to lead the way.
FireI give and I take
Fire belongs to the south and high summer. It brings to completion what Wood has grown. Fire types inspire others, have charisma and love the grand gesture, often with more appearance than substance.
EarthI preserve and I transform
Earth is the centre and the time of late summer and harvest. It stands for calm, care and stability. Earth people make you feel safe.
MetalI reduce and I analyse
Metal belongs to the west and late autumn. It orders, analyses and cuts away what is unnecessary. What has it achieved? What is essential?
WaterI am and I feel
Water is the north, winter and night. From all the experiences of the cycle, it draws the essence, the information, and passes it to Wood as a seed.
How do the elements strengthen and weaken one another?
Two cycles connect the elements: the nourishing and controlling cycles. In the nourishing cycle, Wood produces Fire; Fire produces ash and thus Earth; Metal is extracted from Earth; Metal melts into Water; and Water lets Wood grow. In the controlling cycle, each element holds another in check.
| Element | strengthened by | weakened by | checked by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | strengthened byWater | weakened byFire | checked byMetal |
| Fire | strengthened byWood | weakened byEarth | checked byWater |
| Earth | strengthened byFire | weakened byMetal | checked byWood |
| Metal | strengthened byEarth | weakened byWater | checked byFire |
| Water | strengthened byMetal | weakened byWood | checked byEarth |
I saw the controlling cycle in Oman. Tree roots there show an astonishing will to live. They grow from the barren ground and split the rock apart: Wood controls Earth.
Which colours belong to each element?
I describe how I bring colours together in a room under Feng Shui colours. The colourful wooden houses in Istanbul show how strongly colour shapes the mood of a place. Their colours feel harmonious, cheerful and sunny.
| Element | Compass direction | Colours | Forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | Compass directionEast | ColoursGreen, green-blue, bright blue, turquoise | Formsrising, upright, rectangular |
| Fire | Compass directionSouth | ColoursPink, red, light blue, golden yellow, sunny yellow | Formspointed, flame-like |
| Earth | Compass directionCentre | ColoursDark orange, dark yellow, terracotta, ochre, brown | Formsbox-shaped, square, flat |
| Metal | Compass directionWest | ColoursMetallic, white, light grey | Formsround, semicircular, spherical |
| Water | Compass directionNorth | ColoursDark blue and black | Formsamorphous, flowing |
Symbols and forms of the five elements
This is how I recognise the five forms:
- Wood is tall and column-shaped.
- Fire is pointed and triangular.
- Earth is flat and square.
- Metal is round and domed.
- Water is amorphous and flowing.
The water supply company in Thun, Switzerland, uses our five elements from Feng Shui and TCM as its logo, seen here on the gate of the sewage treatment works.
Which element am I?
The element of your birth year depends on its final digit. Years ending in 0 or 1 belong to Metal, 2 or 3 to Water, 4 or 5 to Wood, 6 or 7 to Fire, and 8 or 9 to Earth. Even digits are Yang, odd digits Yin. The year changes at the winter solstice, as it does for the Kua number.
Each animal sign also has a fixed element, which may differ from the year’s element. Only the Bazi chart of year, month, day and hour gives the whole picture. You will find a table and calculator for all years under Chinese zodiac signs and their elements.
The elements in buildings
Erfurt Cathedral shows the elements in architecture. The horizontal, rectangular body of the church stands for Earth. The round church windows are Metal, gathering light, often onto an important point such as the altar or font. The pointed towers are Fire, the connection to Heaven. Fire nourishes Earth, as the cycle prescribes, which is why the whole feels harmonious.
A wall colour can also serve as Metal, gold for example. The golden wall in a Hanover restaurant shows what that looks like.
Elements and Qi in your own home
If you want to strengthen the Qi in your home, start by putting things in order. Then come the elements. Plants and green tend to suit the east, metallic colours the west, Water the north, while the centre stays clear. Exactly what belongs where depends on the alignment of the house and its residents. It depends.
Further reading
The Bagua shows how the compass directions relate to the elements. I describe the interplay of opposites under Yin and Yang. You will find more topics among all Feng Shui guides.
Yin and Yang
Yang stands for sun, day, brightness and movement, Yin for moon, night, darkness and stillness, and nothing is only one or the other.
Feng Shui colours and their meaning
In Feng Shui, colours belong to the five elements, and each compass direction has its own, such as red in the south and green in the east.
Bazi
For me, Bazi is an analysis of potential, and I prepare one for the occupants in every Feng Shui consultation.
Is an element missing?
Which elements your rooms need depends on their alignment, floor plan and residents. I examine this on site throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, grouping my visits into tours. I explain the process under Feng Shui consultation.