Feng shui sectors on a vision board: the bagua map

The nine sectors are what set a yearly board apart from a simple set of pictures. Here’s what the bagua map is, which zones it has and what usually goes in each one.

What the bagua map is

The bagua is a feng shui map that divides a space into nine zones: eight around the edges and one in the center. Each zone corresponds to its own area of life. The map is laid over an apartment’s floor plan, over a desk — and, in our case, over a vision board.

In the tradition, the zones have fixed positions, so the yearly board follows the same layout: the sectors can’t be swapped around.

The nine sectors and their themes

• Wealth — money, income, material well-being.
• Fame and recognition — reputation, how others see you.
• Relationships, love, marriage — partnership and closeness.
• Home and family — where you live, everyday life, the people close to you.
• Center — you, your health, your state of being.
• Children and creativity — what you create and nurture.
• Knowledge and education — learning, skills, understanding.
• Career — your work, your path, your profession.
• Travel — trips, being on the move, new places.

On the yearly board, each outer sector gets six cells and the center gets one. Forty-nine in total.

What goes in each sector

The general principle: an image should relate to the zone’s theme and be specific at the same time. Here are a few examples of what that looks like in practice.

Wealth. Not a stack of bills, but what money gives you: an apartment with a specific floor plan, a course that’s already paid for, a relaxed vacation.

Relationships. Not an abstract couple from a stock photo site, but a scene you want to live: a shared dinner, a road trip for two, a quiet, everyday evening together.

Career. Not a company logo, but the work you want to be doing: a workspace, a tool, a result.

Travel. This is where other people’s photos actually make sense — you haven’t been there yet. Pick a specific spot, not “the sea in general.”

How the sectors are arranged on the board

The bagua map is a three-by-three square. On the vision board it’s laid out the same way as in the classic diagram: the center in the middle, eight zones around it.

The top row holds wealth, fame and recognition, and relationships. The middle row holds home and family, the center, and children and creativity. The bottom row holds knowledge and education, career, and travel.

Each outer zone is split into six cells — three rows by two columns. That lets you put several different wishes under one theme without mixing them up with the neighboring one.

The layout can’t be changed, and that’s intentional: the whole point of the grid is that the zones are always in the same places. After a month you no longer read the labels — you just know where “travel” is, and your eye notices when it’s empty.

Why your photo goes in the center

The center of the bagua is the zone of the person themselves, their health and state of being. That’s why it’s the only cell on the board reserved for your own photo, and the only one that isn’t split into six.

The practical reason is simple: all the other sectors are arranged around you, not in place of you. A board with someone else’s face or an abstract picture in the center loses its point of reference.

If feng shui isn’t your thing

The grid is still useful — as a set of categories. Nine themes beat one long list for one reason: they show an imbalance instantly.

Build a yearly board and look at where it’s crowded and where it’s empty. Thirty images in career and wealth while “home” and “health” sit empty isn’t mysticism — it’s a diagnosis: you see how you actually divided your attention for the year.

How to sort your goals into these nine themes in practice is covered in the article on the yearly vision board. And if all that structure is more than you need right now, start with a monthly board: it has eight cells and no sectors at all.