If there is a subject on which there is a lot of literature (especially on the web) it is the question of the feng shui room and the orientation of the bed. On the other hand, you can find everything and I sometimes wonder how journalists can sign papers stating “feng shui recommends to sleep with the head to the north” without any source and without any explanation. In short, the purpose of this article is to explain concretely how, in feng shui, we make sure that the bed in the bedroom is placed in the right direction.
Main principles of feng shui
As you will read many times on this site, there are fundamental principles that lay the foundation of the methodology. The main goal is to connect to the positive energies in our environment in order to get the most out of them.
The energy is called Chi. It is the breath, the vital force that resides in everything. For the Chinese, in us and all around us circulate energies that can greatly influence our well-being and our life in general. Feng shui allows our house to become a real support in our daily life, a true companion of life, by recognizing the different types of chi and by relying on their characteristics to exploit them at best.
This harmonization of energy is achieved by using the cycles of the 5 Chinese elements. In the North, in the South, in the West, in the East, the energy is not the same, it does not belong to the same element. The link between these elements and the types of chi is exploited in the house thanks to the different materials (ceramic for earth, solid oak for wood, brass for metal…) and colors (blue for water, grey for metal, yellow for earth…).
Finally, the notion of balance is also fundamental. Everyone has heard of yin and yang and it is that harmony is found in the balance between these two polarities. In the rooms of the house, feng shui studies the balance between the room, the furniture, the objects.
The importance of orientation in feng shui
One of the indispensable tools of the feng shui expert is the compass. Whether it’s a traditional Luopan, a hiking compass, or a phone app, it’s the indispensable means by which one will know the direction.
Of what? Of the house as a whole, first of all, but also of the bed, the sofa, the desk or the stove.
Knowing the cardinal direction in which the house is facing allows us to sectorize the house with the Pakua.
In the subject we are dealing with today, this will allow us to know in which zone of the house the room we want to arrange is located, and then to know the best direction for sleeping, the one that will favor a restful sleep. As we will see in the next paragraphs, this will depend on the year of birth of the sleeper.
Basics of a feng shui room
Before focusing on the orientation of the main furniture in the bedroom, let’s review the main feng shui principles related to this room. Without using the compass, there are already some rules to respect:
- Avoid placing the bed directly in front of a door or in the door-window flow
- If possible, choose a solid wall to place the headboard
- In this rather yin room, avoid placing elements that are too yang (a TV or bright colors for example)
- Separate the bedroom from the bathroom
- Avoid keeping objects that do not belong in a bedroom (work files, sewing machine, electric bicycle…)
- Avoid placing a mirror facing the sleeper
Avoid shar chi: beams, wifi modem…
The main rule to remember is, as for the offices, the position of domination: we want to see who is coming, that the traffic is fluid … We do not want to feel vulnerable in his room, otherwise, how to give in to sleep?
These tips may appear to some as simple common sense, but let’s not forget that feng shui is an art that was born (and continues to evolve) based on thousands of observations. Even if it is about Chinese metaphysics, some concepts remain quite pragmatic.
The importance of the date of birth in feng shui
Why is it so important to know the date of birth of an individual to determine the location of the bed that will favor his sleep? Whether it is a baby or an adult, it is an essential piece of information because it allows the calculation of the Kua number. It is also called Ming Gua because it is the life trigram of a person.
This kua, once defined, allows to determine the personal directions of the person. It can belong to the Eastern or Western group.
Thus, depending on the Ming Gua of the individual who will be sleeping in the room in question, the orientation of the bed will be decided, i.e. the direction the sleeper’s head will face once he or she is lying down.
This Kua allows to categorize the 8 houses (or 8 palaces), that is to say to define how each zone of the house influences the inhabitant.
In traditional feng shui, we talk about 4 favorable sectors/directions and 4 harmful sectors/directions. And I’m not telling you the names associated with the latter: 6 killings, 5 ghosts… For a few years, this denomination tends to evolve. And it’s great because feng shui is not supposed to be scary! Today, we rather evoke the yin sectors and the yang sectors. The “5 ghost” sector, for example, is related to the spiritual. Nowadays, the spiritual can be a help in life, and this sector, previously boycotted, is very effective when it comes to meditating or reflecting on one’s life. I use it a lot during my inspirational morning readings.
So knowing the date when an individual was born, allows to calculate his Ming Gua, which especially allows to know the sectors and directions to be exploited according to his objectives. It is not only used to define the orientation of the bed in the room, it is much more complex than that.
Calculation of the Kua number
I had written a whole detailed article but it seems interesting to me to remind it here.
First of all, it is important to know the gender of the person because the formula is not the same for men and women. I have not yet had the case of having to define the ming gua of a person who feels non-binary. I suppose in that case I would use gender (in the physical sense) to determine how it is calculated. And if this is problematic for ethical issues, it may be interesting to test both numbers in situation (bed orientation, living palate, etc) to see if the influences are different. The feelings and the results are indeed the most important.
To calculate the ming gua, add the last two digits of the year of birth.
This birth year should be read according to the Chinese solar calendar. Thus, all people born before February 3rd or 4th of a year N according to the Gregorian calendar, are in fact born in year N-1.
Then reduce the resulting number to a single digit (if not already there).
For example:
for the year 1974: 7+4 = 11 to be reduced to 1+1 = 2
for the year 2012: 1+ 2 = 3 (already reduced)
If it is a man born before the year 2000, then subtract the result obtained previously from 10.
For 1974: 10 – 2=8.
If it is a man born after 2000, then subtract the result obtained previously to 9.
For 2012: 9 – 3 = 6.
For information, if the man was born in 2009, in 2018 or in 2036 his Kua number will be equal to 9.
If it is a woman born before 2000, then add 5 to the result obtained previously.
For 1974: 5 + 2 = 7.
If it is a woman born after 2000, then add 6 to the result obtained previously.
For 2012: 6 + 3 = 9.
Oh yes, I forgot to tell you that there was no Kua number equal to 5.
So if the calculation gives 5 and you are a man, your Ming Gua will be 2.
And if you are a woman, then your Ming Gua will be 8.
Bed orientation according to year of birth
Once we have defined the Kua, how can we use this data? As I mentioned, the feng shui expert will make good use of it, in different ways, by performing his analysis. It will not only be used to find the location of the bed. The Ming Gua can also be used to determine the best direction for the desk, so if it is also in the room, both of these will have to be dealt with.
It is not always possible to orient the bed in these favorable directions. In some houses, the rooms are not large and the 9m2 regulations just allow for a bed without any possible arrangement. If this is the case in your house, you are not asked to sleep upside down or sideways to respect your Kua!
On the other hand, it may be possible to change your room if you take a closer look! If your son is from the East group and your daughter is from the West group, they have no favorable direction in common. By changing rooms, one can favor both the sector (since a room necessarily belongs to a cardinal zone of the house) and the orientation.
During one of my many analyses, I had to give my recommendations for the distribution of a sibling group of 4 children in 2 rooms. When calculating the Kua numbers, I realized that it would be beneficial to change the children’s rooms, as the current distribution was not optimal. In these cases, I am a bit afraid of the reaction of the main people concerned: it is very easy to distribute people on a sheet of paper, it is much less simple in reality! Finally, the mother explained to the children that all this little world would sleep better… and she called me a few weeks later to reassure me: they were delighted!
To place the bed, we choose preferably, among the personal directions, a “favorable” orientation. There are 4 of them:
- Fu Wei – general harmony
- Tian YI – health and well-being
- Yan Nian – love, relationships and connections
- Sheng – prosperity, creation and wealth
The direction considered most favorable, if there are no particular worries, will be Fu Wei.
If, on the other hand, one is experiencing relationship problems (single and suffering, family conflicts, etc.), it may be beneficial to seek the Yan Nian energies.
If one has health problems, then placing one’s bed according to one’s own Tian Yi direction will allow one to receive chi conducive to healing.
The Sheng direction is not particularly suitable for a bed (it is more suitable for a desk) but can be used occasionally (if it is possible to change the location of the bed at will of course) for a specific project.
Bed orientation for Kua 1
If your Kua number is 1, then you belong to the East.
Here are the preferred orientations for the placement of the headboard:
Fu Wei : NORTH
Tian YI : EAST
Yan Nian : SOUTH
Sheng : SOUTH EAST
Bed orientation for Kua 2
If your Kua number is 2, then you belong to the West.
Here are the preferred orientations for the placement of the headboard:
Fu Wei: SOUTH WEST
Tian YI : WEST
Yan Nian : NORTH WEST
Sheng : NORTH EAST
Bed orientation for Kua 3
If your Kua number is 3, then you belong to the East.
Here are the preferred orientations for the placement of the headboard:
Fu Wei : EAST
Tian YI : NORTH
Yan Nian : SOUTH EAST
Sheng : SOUTH
Bed orientation for Kua 4
If your Kua number is 4, then you belong to the East.
Here are the preferred orientations for the placement of the headboard:
Fu Wei : SOUTH EAST
Tian YI : SOUTH
Yan Nian : EAST
Sheng : NORTH
Bed orientation for Kua 6
If your Kua number is 6, then you belong to the West.
Here are the preferred orientations for the placement of the headboard:
Fu Wei : NORTH WEST
Tian YI : NORTH EAST
Yan Nian : SOUTH WEST
Sheng : WEST
Bed orientation for Kua 7
If your Kua number is 7, then you belong to the West.
Here are the preferred orientations for the placement of the headboard:
Fu Wei: WEST
Tian YI : SOUTH WEST
Yan Nian : NORTH EAST
Sheng : NORTH WEST
Bed orientation for Kua 8
If your Kua number is 8, then you belong to the West.
Here are the preferred orientations for the placement of the headboard:
Fu Wei : NORTH EAST
Tian YI : NORTH WEST
Yan Nian : WEST
Sheng : SOUTH WEST
Bed orientation for Kua 9
If your Kua number is 9, then you belong to the East.
Here are the preferred orientations for the placement of the headboard:
Fu Wei : SOUTH
Tian YI : SOUTH EAST
Yan Nian : NORTH
Sheng : EAST
Practical cases for bed placement in feng shui
Nothing better than a practical case to visualize how the bed should be positioned according to Feng Shui principles.
I remind you that what counts is the energy received by the sleeper’s head during his sleep, that is to say the direction his coronal chakra is facing, if this image speaks to you more.
It is also important to specify that we are talking about direction and not location. One can be in the North zone of the house, while facing West or South.
Here is a simplified example of positioning on the plan of a second floor with 3 bedrooms:
We can see that the bed in pink corresponds to a head facing south. This is also the case for the blue bed, even though it is a different location, a different area of the Pakua, and that the latter also has its importance.
These 3 configurations are favorable to people of East Kua since the South as well as the North are among the directions favorable to Kua 1, 3, 4 and 9.
I have chosen a very basic North/South presentation on purpose to show that there are indeed houses more favorable to some Kua than to others.
In this second example, we see that there is more latitude for the placement of the beds. The North West and North East will be favorable to the West Kua and the green bed to the East Kua, especially to the Kua 4 because the SE represents its harmony.
So, I hope this long article will allow you to understand exactly how, according to the Feng Shui principles, we decide the location of the bed in the bedroom.
As said before, it is not always possible to respect these indications. Sometimes, instead of using the orientation, one can use the location. It is also important to know that some people are not at all sensitive to this and that if they face north or south, they sleep like babies. In these cases, the best thing is… to do nothing! Feng Shui should be at the service of well-being, not generate discomfort or unnecessary complications.
As a former insomniac, I can tell you that these Feng Shui rules have literally changed my life. So if you have this concern, don’t hesitate to contact me! I wish you sweet nights.
