What To Do When…
Your Best Sleeping Directions
Oppose Your Spouse's
by P.K. Odle, The Feng Shui Advantage
From the moment of our birth, we’re each influenced differently by the magnetic directions of Earth. That explains why… infants naturally turn the top of their heads toward the direction that’s the most restful for them as soon as they’re physically able to move on their own. They’re turning toward the direction of their personal trigram from the Yi Jing (old spelling was I Ching) according to when they were born and their gender. After all, babies aren’t concerned about the shape or position of their crib… they just want to sleep in the direction that feels best to them.
Not only does each of the 8 trigrams of the Yi Jing correspond to a direction, but it also relates to:
- a number
- a celestial symbology
- an element, including the colors that represent that element
- a familial relationship
- parts of the body and illnesses related to those body parts
Even though each trigram relates to a familial relationship, it doesn’t mean if you’re the trigram of the eldest daughter (which I am) that you’ll be the oldest daughter or even a female. The aspects of your personality are related to the familial relationship of your trigram as it was represented in the ancient Chinese culture.
Can you guess which is your personal trigram from the following descriptions of each of the 8 trigrams. To confirm your trigram… email me your date-of-birth and gender with the word “trigram” in the subject line.
- QIAN trigram
Northwest, 6, Heaven, Hard Metal (white, gray, gold, silver)
Father (husband, head-of-household, owner, president, leader)
Head & Lungs (headaches, pulmonary diseases)
QIAN people are natural born leaders and authority figures, however they can be headstrong.
- KUN trigram
Southwest, 2, Earth, Soft Earth (yellow, brown, sand, clay)
Mother (wife, female owner, older lady)
Abdomen, Stomach, Reproductive organs (digestive & reproductive disorders)
KUN people are the equivalent to Mother Earth, which makes them gracious caregivers and nurturers at heart. Sometimes they need a little push, just like when you plant something and you need to move the soil up around the plant to hold it is place.
- ZHEN trigram
East, 3, Thunder, Hard Wood (green)
Eldest Son
Legs, Feet, Throat (hysteria, convulsions, leg/feet/throat problems)
Thunder is loud and moving, which can also be said of a Zhen person. Therefore, a Zhen personal would hate a job where they had to sit still for long. They’re also enthusiastic and excitable.
- XUN trigram
Southeast, 4, Wind, Soft Wood (green)
Eldest Daughter
Hips, Thighs, Buttocks, Lower Back (colds, rheumatism, hip / thigh / buttock / back problems)
Traditionally, the eldest daughter’s marriage into a family in a nearby town… would be arranged shortly after her birth. Knowing she would move like the wind, she would tend to be restless and like variety. She would also love to travel, since when she married she would travel back and forth between her two families.
- KAN trigram
North, 1, Water (blue, black)
Middle Son (middle aged man)
Ears, Blood, Kidneys (earache, blood or kidney ailments)
KAN people are flexible, yet focused and determined like water. Water is soft, but the most powerful element on earth… since it can erode a mountain and corrodes metal.
- LI trigram
South, 9, Fire (red, purple, burgundy, maroon)
Middle Daughter (middle aged woman)
Eyes, Heart (eye & heart disease)
LI people are like the “Energizer Bunny.” They keep going & going & going… Sometimes until they burn themselves out. Most Li people only rest when they are ill. They are very passionate and occasionally their temper boils like a tea kettle.
- GEN trigram
Northeast, 8, Mountain, Hard Earth (yellow, brown, sand, clay)
Youngest Son (youth / children in general)
Small Bones: Arms, Hands, Fingers, Spine (arthritis, broken bones)
It takes forever for a mountain to show signs of aging, which is also true for a Gen person. Mountains are stable… as are Gen people, however they can be stubborn.
- DUI trigram
West, 7, Marsh, Soft Metal (white, gray, gold, silver)
Youngest Daughter (young girls)
Mouth, Teeth, Chest (mouth & chest related diseases)
DUI is the more artistic, sociable, outgoing and talkative people. Therefore, you won’t find a Dui person working as a librarian.
The 8 trigrams are divided into 2 groups, an East Four Ming and a West Four Ming. Each group consists of 4 trigrams, which each represents a 45° direction. The 4 directions of each group are the supportive directions for all the trigrams of that group and the other group’s directions are their sabotaging directions. Below is a breakdown of the trigram names and directions of the East and West 4 Ming groups of the Yi Jing.
East Ming Trigrams
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West Ming Trigrams
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If you want to sleep like a baby, you want to position the head of your bed against a wall…to prevent too much movement of Qi above your head… toward the direction of your personal trigram. However, you want to avoid placing your bed where it’s angled toward a corner, even if it’s your best sleeping direction. When you’re unable to position your bed toward a wall in the direction of your personal trigram, because it’s an unusable wall or corner… position it toward one of your 3 other supportive directions. Remember, each trigram has 4 supportive and 4 sabotaging 45˚ directions.
It’s also important that your entire bed is in only one energy section of your house. Every house, condo or apartment is divided into 9 equal energy sections… much like a tic-tac-toe grid. To locate these sections in your home, you’ll need a floor plan drawn exactly to scale. Divide the width and depth of your floor plan by 3 to determine where each grid line divides your house. If your body crosses one of the energy grid lines while you’re sleeping, you’ll have health problems in that section of your body. That’s why it’s crucial to keep your bed entirely in one section of the energy grid.
When an East group person shares a bed with West group person, they’ll need to compromise when it comes to their bed direction, since their supportive sleeping directions oppose each other. It’s only fair to position the bed so it supports the partner who isn’t supported by the house’s Sitting direction, since your house’s Sitting orientation is stationary. The darker, private and heavier side of the house is its Sitting direction. To determine the wall directions of your house use a magnetic compass outside, because metal within the house can cause a false compass reading.
For instance, if a Gen person shares a bed with a Li person in an East Sitting house… the Li / East Group person is supported by the East Sitting house, but the Gen person isn’t. In this case, the headboard of the bed would go against the West wall of the bedroom to support the Gen / West Group person. However, if it’s impossible to position the bed toward the West wall, position the bed toward the Gen person’s least bad direction, because in an East Sitting house all the other West Group directions are corners.
Please note… your 45° trigram directions can be over-ridden by your more powerful 15° directions, including your ‘Lonely Pillow’ direction which causes you to sleep separately from your spouse or keeps you from having a spouse / significant other. Have you ever wondered if … ‘You're Suffering From Lonely Pillow Syndrome?’ If so, you can read more about it by clicking here.
© 2003 P.K. Odle. All rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
P.K. Odle is a celebrated classical Yi Jing Feng Shui consultant and the Executive Director of the world-renowned American Feng Shui Institute®, where she has taught since 1998. She created The Feng Shui Advantage's "Lifetime Keys Personal Directions Self-Mastery Toolbox." To learn more about using the ancient Chinese science of Yi Jing Feng Shui to improve your Health, Relationships and Finances... through 16 weeks of FREE TIPS subscribe to her award-winning eNewsletter, The Feng Shui Advantage MONTHLY, at http://www.FengShuiAdvantage.com. The next issue could change your life!
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