Every home has an energy map. It does not change with the seasons. It is fixed from the moment the house is built.
This map is called Ba Zhai — Eight Mansions. It divides your home into eight sectors. Each sector has a quality — good or bad — depending on two things: the facing direction of your house, and your personal number.
This is not about decoration. It is about which part of your home works for you and which part works against you.
What is Ba Zhai?
Ba Zhai means "eight houses" in Chinese. The word "house" here does not mean a building. It means a type of energy configuration.
The system places every home into one of two groups: East Group or West Group. Every person also belongs to one of these groups. The group is determined by your Kua number.
The Kua Number
Your Kua number is a single number between 1 and 9. It is calculated from your birth year and gender. It tells you which group you belong to.
East Group Kua numbers: 1, 3, 4, 9
West Group Kua numbers: 2, 6, 7, 8
(Kua 5 becomes 2 for men and 8 for women.)
When your group matches the house group, the energy flows naturally. When they do not match, you need to be more deliberate about where you sleep, where you sit, and which door you use most.
Your Four Good Sectors
Every person has four personal auspicious directions. They have specific names in classical Feng Shui.
Sheng Chi — your best direction. This is used for the main door, your desk position, or the direction you sleep when possible. It supports wealth and career.
Tian Yi — your health direction. This is good for bedroom placement or positioning when recovering from illness. It brings physical support.
Nian Yi — your relationship direction. This supports harmony, partnership, and family stability. Good for the main door or the bed headboard direction.
Fu Wei — your personal development direction. This is quiet, stable energy. Good for a study, a meditation space, or any place where you need to focus.
Your Four Sectors to Avoid
The four inauspicious directions are equally specific.
Ho Hai — mild bad luck. Brings minor obstacles, small accidents, frustration. Not dangerous, but tiring.
Wu Gui — Five Ghosts. Associated with backstabbing, theft, and sudden unexpected loss. Avoid using this sector for important activities.
Lui Sha — Six Killings. Associated with legal problems, health issues, and broken relationships. More serious than Ho Hai.
Chueh Ming — Total Loss. The most unfavourable direction. Sleeping with your head toward this direction or facing it at your desk drains your energy over time. This sector is best left unused or used only for storage.
How to Apply This in Your Home
Step 1: Calculate your Kua number. You need your birth year and gender. The app does this automatically.
Step 2: Find your four good and four bad directions based on your Kua number.
Step 3: Stand in the centre of your home with a compass. Identify which rooms and doors fall in which direction.
Step 4: Make adjustments. The most important positions are: where you sleep (bed headboard direction), where you sit at your desk (facing direction), and which door you use most (facing direction as you exit).
East vs West Group — What Happens When They Do Not Match
If you are an East Group person living in a West Group house, your main door is likely facing one of your bad directions. Your bedroom may be in a sector that drains you.
This does not mean you need to move. It means you need to be deliberate. The bedroom position and desk direction become more important than the front door. Work with what you have.
Many people live in houses that do not match their group. The ones who do well are the ones who optimise what they can control — especially the sleeping direction and the desk position.
Ba Zhai and Flying Stars Together
Ba Zhai gives you a fixed personal map. Flying Stars gives you an annual map that changes every year.
The two systems work together. A sector that is good for you in Ba Zhai terms may have a difficult Flying Star visiting it this year — or a very auspicious one. When both systems agree that a sector is good, that is a truly powerful position. When they conflict, you use judgement about which one to prioritise.
The IV Sanctuary app calculates your Kua number, identifies your four good and four bad directions, and overlays the current year's Flying Stars chart on your specific home layout. You get a complete picture in a few minutes — not a generic recommendation.