As I mentioned in a previous article, Yin and Yang are the two forces or types of energy that cannot exist without each other, the two opposites that attract: day and night, black and white, sound and silence, movement and stillness, male and female.

Everything that exist can be interpreted under the theory of Yin and Yang, which also applies to the human body, food items and the study of BaZi.

In terms of the human body, the upper half is considered Yang while the lower half is considered Yin. The external parts are considered Yang while the internal parts are considered Yin. The entrails (gallbladder, small intestine, stomach, colon, bladder) are considered Yang, while the viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys) are considered Yin. Among the viscera, the heart and the lungs are considered Yang while the liver, spleen and kidneys are considered Yin. Within the Yang organs there are Yin components and within the Yin organs there are Yang components.

In terms of food, Yin food is cool and expanding while Yang food is warm and contracting. Most animal proteins are considered Yang, especially red meat; white meat is also considered Yang but at a lower scale. Most vegetables are considered Yin but there are different levels of Yin and all root vegetables are considered Yang. Whole grains are moderately Yang and beans and lentils are moderately Yin. Ideally we should eat more Yin foods in summer to cool down and more Yang foods in winter to warm up, but eating too much Yin or Yang upsets the body balance.

In terms of your BaZi chart, if you plot the chart through my BaZi calculator at www.vivianaestrada.com you will notice that you have some pillars that are Yin and some pillars that are Yang. Focusing on the four basic pillars (year, month, day and hour) if you have more Yin pillars you tend to be an idea person, if you have more Yang pillars you tend to be an execution person. If the luck pillar that you are going through is Yang, the universe is promoting your execution skills at this time. If the luck pillar is Yin, the universe is promoting your thinking skills.

There are endless applications of the theory of Yin and Yang but probably the most important is health.

Traditional Chinese medicine uses the theory of Yin and Yang because health is only obtained when Yin and Yang interact and complement each other harmoniously obtaining balance. When Yin and Yang stop interacting with each other, the flow of energy stops and life ceases. Any form of disease, no matter how complex it is, can be identified and treated in accordance with the concept of Yin and Yang and the most basic but powerful ways to treat or avoid disease are:

1. Triggering the movement of Qi within the body through practices like Qigong and Yoga

2. Eating a nourishing diet with Yin and Yang food items.

What if you don’t like animal protein in your diet? Cooking Yin foods increases their Yang energy so sautéing some vegetables and tossing them into your raw salad makes the trick for a more Yin and Yang balanced meal. Roasting is the top Yang cooking method so eating roasted root vegetables instead of boiled root vegetables is an additional alternative to balance your energy intake. The possibilities are endless.

Generally speaking a business success is measured by its capacity to generate continuous wealth. To reach that estate it is necessary to count with support from the environment, otherwise it might never take place.

Some are born very lucky and are able to get support from their surroundings without even knowing it exists. Some others are not so lucky and have to intentionally go and look for it.

To get support from our surroundings we follow the principles of feng shui, the ancient practice developed in China through thousands of years of empirical research.

Nowadays we are exposed to several feng shui systems and school of thoughts but classical feng shui is divided into just two major systems, the oldest one which focuses on the observation of forms and environmental features and the youngest one which adds a time dimension to the study of forms and is primarily based on formulas.

The study of forms must always come before the application of formulas because if the forms do not allow the correct collection of Qi (energy) and/or foster unfavorable Qi, the corrections based on formulas have reduced positive impact.

In any case classical feng shui is based on location and direction, for this reason when applying it, it is necessary to use a compass to determine the orientation of the property and to establish the cardinal and ordinal directions.

When evaluating the forms and environmental features, some of the most basic but powerful recommendations to be successful in business and in life are as follows. Apply them at home, where you spend most of your time, and at your place of business:

1. Make sure that any visible bodies of water from the property (lakes, ponds, pools) are only located north, east, southeast or southwest in reference to its center.

2. Make sure that the main entrance to the property is free of obstructions on the outside and on the inside.

3. Make sure that the main entrance to the property has an open space right outside where the Qi settles before coming in. This space is known as Ming Tang or Bright Hall in feng shui terminology and if it is recessed, it pulls in favorable Qi.

Within the application of formulas, the most basic but powerful recommendations to be successful deal with the BaGua that literally translates eight trigrams. Each trigram is symbolized by three parallel broken or solid lines and each trigram represents an element, a number, a family member, a color and much more.

When using the BaGua we superimpose a 3x3 grid on the property based on its orientation, so we divide it into 8 equally sized sectors and the center. Each sector houses a trigram and according to Chinese metaphysics, the mother of feng shui, the eight trigrams represent everything that exists so one trigram also represents you.

To find out your trigram look for your Life Star or Gua number at www.vivianaestrada.com clicking on the BaZi Calculator page. It comes out under your name, on the top right side of the page when you plot your BaZi chart.

To superimpose the BaGua on the property, divide the floor plan into nine boxes and measure its orientation with a compass: go to the center of the property, hold the compass in your hands pointing towards any direction and stay still until the compass stops moving. Mark that direction on the corresponding box and then label the other boxes accordingly.

The box, or better said the sector, that houses your trigram is your life palace and it governs your capacity of achievements.

If the property doesn't have your sector or the sector is afflicted by negative features like a column in the middle or a staircase or a storage room or a bathroom, then the property doesn't promote your wealth capacity. But don’t panic, there are additional ways to succeed.

If the sector exists and additionally it is an active place, used by you and/or your family members or employees like a meeting room or the main door, your capacity increases.

Opposite to your life palace is your opportunity palace. For instance, if your life star is number 4, your life palace is Southeast and your opportunity palace is Northwest. All life stars have an opportunity palace except number 5.

The life palace talks about your capacity as an individual, how much you can do by yourself. The opportunity palace tells you what comes to you along the way, like people, business deals, investment opportunities, to name some. Maybe your life palace doesn’t exist or it is afflicted but your opportunity palace is very good so you can still do good because powerful people, good opportunities, profitable deals, and so on are always coming your way.  

Generally speaking when we talk about a business we own the business so we work for ourselves or we work for others that own the business or we partner with others to jointly own the business or at least to jointly get things done so the third sector that needs to be assessed in a property is the partnership palace.

Partnerships can be one of the fastest ways to succeed in business because they are synergy, so check out your partnership palace. The trigram that represents that palace is determined through a mathematical model that is beyond the scope of this article but the table below summarizes the results.

If you have two of the three previously mentioned sectors in the property and they are not afflicted, you are in very good shape to succeed. To increase your chances, use those sectors, spend time there and keep them free of clutter allowing Qi to flow.

Once you make an assessment of the three sectors that are directly related to you, go and look for the sector that represents what your business and you actually do.

To do so you first have to identify the true purpose of the business or your true role within the business if you are an employee and you are applying this formula to look for your individual success. Then use the following guideline to determine the sector:

Once you define the sector(s) that represent the true purpose of the business look for them within the property. Do they contain any unfavorable features? or are they spacious and bright allowing Qi to flow? If the sector(s) are afflicted or don’t exist think about moving or reinvent the business to focus on a different purpose that is represented by one of the non-afflicted and better kept sectors in the place.