What is a Ba-Gua?
Other names & spellings - bagwa, pakua, pa kua, & baqua
The Ba-Gua's nine fields are positioned upon the octagon and utilized by a Feng Shui master to epitomize your destiny. Divided into 8 trigram, each trigram signifies 8 areas of your life, which are individual, yet intertwined; i.e. career, children, knowledge, helpful friends, family, wealth, fame, and relationship. The ninth (9th) position on the octagon is the center; you, life, vitality (Tai Chi). With the use of a
Luo Pan (feng shui compass), these trigrams are adjusted around the center of the Bagua, which represents you. Once the trigrams are adjust you more easily gain attainments about yourself and your destiny.
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"Ba" means eight (8). "Gua" means trigram. The BaGua is divided into 8 Gua (trigrams/sections) consisting of the most original and basic binary form of "Yin" (female - two short hyphens) and/or "Yang" (male - one long hyphen). You should to know one important fact: the Chinese character for number one, is exactly the same as the Yang (male) symbol, one continuous hyphen like line. I do not know if all the historians will agree the ancient Chinese use the Yin (female) symbol to represents 'zero'. It is definitely appropriate and academically accepted to call it zero today. When the ancient symbols were first put into computer, Yin (female) was represented by zero and one represented Yang (male).
Ba-Gua or eight-Gua is the result of the ancient Chinese binary system. Each of the Gua is consists of three little Yao symbols, which is equivalent to a bit in today's binary language. Each Yao (section) represents either Yin (0), female or Yang (1), male force of nature. Yin (0), female, is two short little hyphens with a gap in between. Yang, male, is one continuous hyphen-like line. Use some graphic imagination to help you remember the female and male symbols or you can fashionably call them "zero (Yin)" and "one (Yang)".
Ba-Gua contains eight Gua (from 0 to 7) total. Each Gua contains three bit positions. Read from the bottom to top. This sequence represents the Change occurs from the hidden bottom location. The symbolic meaning of Ba-Gua is not limited to individual Yao (bits). The shape of the entire Gua also plays a strong symbolic role.
If you are graphic oriented, you might be happy to know that certain historians believe the ancient human being noticed the first difference between female (Yin) and male (Yang) from the most direct and important areas of our body. This is supported in many I-ching related ancient literatures and the mating of yin (female) and Yang (male) is related to balance and harmony.
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