When looking at house numbers and Bagua numerology, keep in mind that it’s not that some numbers are good and others are bad. More importantly, it really doesn’t make or break the feng shui; rather, look at it as a way to learn more about the energetic potential of your home and how you can harness the qi in your environment to benefit your life.
Numerology Basics
Before looking at each number and its Bagua meaning, let’s review some numerology basics. First, there are many different numerology traditions. With each school of approach, the meanings and interpretations of numbers may vary considerably. Sometimes, there are feng shui practitioners with expertise in numerology as a separate modality who layer those methods into their practice. If you’re curious about using Bagua numbers to learn about your house number, consider using the common practice of reduction. With this practice, you simply reduce your house and/or apartment number to a single digit. For example, if your house number is 1986:
Add: 1+9+8+6 = 24Reduce to a single digit: 2+4 = 6
In another example, if your house number is 36019:
Add: 3+6+0+1+9 = 19Reduce to a single digit: 1+9 = 10Reduce to a single digit: 1+0 = 1
Bagua for House Numbers
The Bagua is the feng shui energy map. There are eight areas, or guas, around a center. Each area connects to a life aspect as well as an array of other characteristics including a number. Each gua has a corresponding number. This also connects to the numerology of the Nine Star Ki as well as the I Ching. The word for “four” in Chinese and Japanese languages sounds the same as the word for “death.” Therefore, in East Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea, there is an aversion to the number four showing up anywhere in a house or apartment number. It’s similar to the uneasiness an English speaker would feel living on a street called “Dead Man’s Alley." Another example that we’re familiar with in the global west is the number 13. While “four” sounds just fine to us, we avoid number 13 because it is connected to bad luck. Many buildings in the United States avoid naming a 13th floor. So, in the elevator, you’ll see buttons go from floor 12 to floor 14. This is useful to know depending on your situation. If you’re buying a home and looking to resell it in the future in an area with many Asian families, then maybe a house number that contains four is not the best investment. However, if you’re already living there, or apartment #4 on the fourth floor is perfect for you to move into—go for it. It’s not bad feng shui.
