Do you know how to benefit from Feng Shui?

Being so close to my subject, sometimes I need to step back and see things from a beginner’s perspective and understand that it is not at all obvious how to fully benefit from Feng Shui expertise. Clients come to me from many different sources and while I do try my best to ascertain how much they understand about Feng Shui, inevitably, I am focussing more on solving the property problems than coaching them through the process.

Some people are recommended by friends or happy clients and they don’t know an awful lot about Feng Shui. Others have just found us online and might have read a few confusing books on the subject. Some clients are already engaging with and benefiting from energy aware disciplines such as yoga or acupuncture and want to take the next step to optimise their space and align better with the time-sensitive aspect of Feng Shui.

There are 5 common misconceptions about Feng Shui consultations:

i. The consultant will focus on the interiors and maybe move a few pot plants and mirrors around. It is OK to think like this, and I can well understand how this preconception became widespread, because many journalists write about Feng Shui from their own limited perspective, so they can’t offer anything particularly in-depth. Many books published are about “Pop” Feng Shui and quick fixes. So, when people see me wandering up and down the streets surrounding their property, they are surprised to learn that approx. 60 % influence is from outside and that removing or screening ugly features from certain areas of your garden, will have a really positive effect. Apartment dwellers can benefit from different Feng Shui techniques, as they have no exterior space to play with, but even with apartments, we also notice and respond to exterior influences.

ii. The consultant carries with them a magic wand and does all the changes for you on the day itself
I prepare my clients to understand that the consultation is very much a two-way process. There are a few changes I might make on the day, but most of it will fall to the client and this is where some people give up as they don’t really truly value what I have told them. This has nothing to do with my delivery, as I take care to explain my reasonings in sufficient detail and why one single fence in the back garden will help to resolve financial difficulties, even though it sounds incredible. At the time of consultation, the client will nod sagely and agree (out of politeness perhaps) and I look forward to hearing about their progress.
Then a few weeks pass and I discover some clients don’t want to do what I proposed as they can’t see it working. Well, here’s the thing, if you don’t take the advice you paid for, how on earth can your life change positively? It is madness to keep doing the same thing and expect to get different results.

iii. Feng Shui is restricted to space
Actually, Feng Shui is also very much to do with timing. If we make physical changes to our space on a day full of disharmony, then we risk establishing that energy into our lives. Whereas when we make these changes on an auspicious day, we are welcoming and galvanising good energy into our lives.

iv. The cures work overnight, or the consultant isn’t any good…
In the grand scheme of things, we are tiny ants when compared to universal chi patterns, so it is folly to expect changes to happen overnight. (I can hear NLP practitioners screaming that I hold self-limiting beliefs…). Sometimes positive change is achieved very quickly, but more often than not a full cycle of the moon is required for the Earth energy to change and sometimes up to 6 months is required because the cure is very subtle, but long lasting. The quick changes can be shortlived and tend (in general) to involve our Human Chi (intention) which some practitioners rely upon exclusively, then claim all the credit! You were ripe for change and they just helped you along!
v. Only positive things happen after a consultation
Actually, sometimes a situation has to get worse before it gets better, so that the poison can be revealed. A rotten situation needs to be lanced just like a boil. If a relationship is rotten and you are trying to salvage it, then it is a blessing in disguise if the Feng Shui changes bring matters to a head. It can be upsetting of course, and it is my least favourite of situations with clients and friends, and happily it very rarely happens, but it can happen and actually accelerates positive change by revealing a situation for what it truly is in the cold light of day.

People don’t know they need Feng Shui skill
Many people are too busy in life to keep updating themselves with my service offers, so they would not necessarily think of calling me in when their niece gets married or when planning a holiday…Isn’t Feng Shui simply to do with houses?
We can choose auspicious dates for key events like marriage or opening a business and can even advise on the best time and location to go on a holiday. We can use the Ba Zi Horoscope to advise on the best type of career for you, the best times for finding true love as opposed to a lover, and insights into your health, supportive foods and colours.

We can even provide philosophical guidance on life situations via I Ching readings, which encourage new ways of thinking about any problems you might be experiencing.
So, you see Feng Shui really is a vast subject, currently massively misunderstood by the vast majority of people (even in the Far East…).
I hope you find all my various resources like the blog and newsletters of interest and of educational value. I try to strike a balance between offering information of worth and introducing my valuable services to you.

Everyone needs Feng Shui – they just don’t know it….yet….!
All the best, Sarah