Convex and Concave Bagua Mirrors in Feng Shui

A bagua mirror combines the feng shui power of a mirror with the power of the feng shui bagua. Mirrors are sometimes called the 'aspirin' or 'antibiotic' of feng shui because they can offer protection for your home. Bagua mirrors can be very powerful—especially concave and convex mirrors—and they can do more harm than good if they are not used properly. Therefore, it is best to work with a professional feng shui consultant for help with using concave or convex bagua mirrors around your home.

Bagua Mirror Basics

A bagua mirror has an octagonal frame (usually made of wood) with a round mirror at its center. The coloring and decoration of the frame can vary, but many bagua mirrors are painted with the colors red, gold, and green, representing summer, late summer, and spring, respectively.

Each side of the octagonal frame has three lines—known as a trigram—symbolizing an aspect of life. The section at the top of the frame has three unbroken lines and represents heaven. It's important to hang a bagua mirror so that this section is at the top. For the same reason, most bagua mirrors have only a single hanger that is placed at the top of the frame.

The shape of the mirror itself is very important, as it determines how the mirror works and should be used. Bagua mirrors can be flat, concave (bowing in, like a bowl), or convex (bowing out, like a dome). Flat mirrors are considered neutral and can reflect both good and bad energy. These can be used either indoors or outdoors, much as you might use a standard decorative mirror indoors for feng shui cures. Concave and convex mirrors should be used outdoors only and can have very different applications.

Concave Bagua Mirror

A concave bagua mirror is used in feng shui applications when the negative energy, or sha chi, outside needs to be neutralized by being absorbed. Essentially, a concave mirror will 'suck in' the negative feng shui energy and neutralize it. A concave mirror often is preferable to a convex mirror because the negative energy is taken in, rather than being reflected outward, where it can affect those in the surrounding area.

One way to use a concave mirror is when the front of your home (and particularly the front door or windows) faces a road that is perpendicular to the front of the house and meets a road that is parallel to the house, forming a 'T.' Placing a concave bagua mirror above or to the side of the door or window facing the perpendicular road prevents sha chi energy from entering your home from the road.

Another common application of a concave mirror is when a home faces a large obstacle, such as a large tree, an electrical utility tower, cell tower, cliff, or mountain. These obstacles can direct negative energy toward the home, which can be absorbed by a concave bagua mirror.

If an obstacle or neighboring building or other structure has a pointed or sharp feature directed at your house, a concave mirror can absorb the sha chi from these features.

Convex Bagua Mirror

A convex bagua mirror is used when you want to reflect back the negative feng shui energy pointing at your home, be it the front door or any windows. This is the most aggressive and usually least desirable use of a bagua mirror because it promotes the endless bouncing of negative energy.

One common misuse of a convex mirror is to place the mirror with the intention of reflecting negative energy back toward the home of a problem neighbor. However, this is not an effective way to solve conflicts with the neighbor and can increase the negative energy around your own home.

Convex bagua mirrors are used for extreme cases of negative energy, such as when a home faces a prison, cemetery, or hospital. The intent is to reflect the energy back toward its source. However, because the energy is reflected—not absorbed or neutralized, as with a concave mirror—it does not go away and can actually worsen the situation. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you consult a feng shui professional before using a convex bagua mirror.