It finally struck me that THIS should have been my very first Blog.  I receive an ever increasing number of emails about Feng Shui, I don't think I ever provided the basics for anyone!   While many of you on here know what Feng Shui is (and isn't), I have found there are at least as many misconceptions of it, what it is and why we do it. Not to mention why you would find a Feng Shui Consultant on a site for Real Estate!  We are in homes all the time.  I get an ever increasing number of personal emails with questions and thought I would try to address some of them.  Feng Shui principles MAKE SENSE.  And living a Feng Shui life is more of a lifestyle.

Let me start at the beginning.  Feng Shui is NOT a Science or Religion.  Feng Shui is simply thought of the "Mindful Art of Placement" in a space.  That space could be a home, an office, a corporation.  Feng Shui works with the Energy in your surroundings, just as Acupuncture works with the Energy in your body.  There are many different methods of Feng Shui but most of us use a Bagua which is thought of as a life map and addresses all major areas of your life.

It covers things such as Health, Wealth, Relationships (business and personal), Careers, Children, an area known as "Helpful People" (and where would we be without them?), your Fame, Family and Knowledge.  Feng Shui is estimated to be between three to five THOUSAND years old, so it's not a "new age" belief.  We believe you can enhance ALL these areas.  So how does all this relate to Real Estate, Homes, Staging, Redesign? 

Many Feng Shui consultants work with Real Estate agents to help promote the sale of a home and to attract listings.  Prospective buyers call us for a house they are thinking of purchasing, builders call for their diverse clients and what they DO and DON'T want in their new homes, we advise Real Estate Agents on what can help them with to sell a home or what might discourage a buyer from another culture from buying one, we arrange, rearrange or stage homes for sale seeking beauty and a good energy flow. 

A while ago I read a post that was relating to the feeling in a home.  THAT'S what we work with, creating good energy in a home through a variety of methods to make prospective buyers FEEL good in a home---and WANT it!  If you are a Real Estate Agent and working with an ever changing diverse market, there are some things people from different cultures do not want to see, even as they are pulling up to the house.  Feng Shui consultants work with homes in all aspects, just with different perspectives.

Whether you are staging, selling, building or renovating, having a knowledge of these principles can be very important to your clientele.  Having some knowledge of this gives you an edge when you come across those clients.  As it has gained in popularity tremendously over the years, it is likely that it will just keep growing-and growing.

Some people have asked me about the Blessings associated with Feng Shui.  These blessings I believe, ARE very powerful but are nondenominational and do NOT at all interfere with a person's religious beliefs. We use rice as a symbol of abundance...and rice (or birdseed, the newer, "greener" option) is also used at Weddings.  We also use Sage, something that Native Americans have known and used for thousands of years. They do not go against ANY religious beliefs.

 Others have expressed an interest in the "online" courses offered by some Consultants.  Since Energy is an intangible, I can't imagine how it gets transmitted online.  One on One Phone Consultations are effective to gain the knowledge you might be looking for to assist not only YOU but your buyers as well.  Individualized conversations cover Feng Shui Topics, Principles, learning how to use the Bagua so you can apply them to another space and actually giving the client a consultation to apply it to their OWN homes along with special advice and information for Real Estate Agents with an interest in the every changing market and to give themselves an edge.  At a fraction of the cost of an online course.  These are going to be offered soon as a ONE on ONE on the phone and a limited basis because they are time consuming....but you will learn and be able to apply the knowledge anywhere!

So why do OTHER people call consultants?  Believe it or not, there are Feng Shui emergencies!  We get calls from someone who wants to put a bid on a home, from someone beginning or in the middle of renovations, for new businesses and new construction and many calls from clients who are "uncomfortable" in their homes either because they see something, they hear noises or they have unusual electrical energy and believe they have spirits.  Some of these calls are from psychologists and therapists who actually think "out of the box."  They are educated, intelligent people and they can't ALL be imagining things.

There is no difficult mystery to Feng Shui, it's not difficult to understand (though if you've read the books it sure sounds like it) and you certainly don't have to believe in it to have it work.  Having an understanding of it in these changing times is going to become more and more essential. 

I think back to ten years ago when absolutely NO ONE knew what it was and look at the popularity it's gaining all the time.  I have always found it amazing that some people relate it only to one culture, particularly Chinese.  People from India use it and there it's called Vastu.  Native Americans were very mindful of their surroundings, the land, and even built into it so as not to disrupt it. People from Taiwan, Tibet, Japan and many other places all have the same principles and beliefs.  We just have a different perspective on a home or building then some others.

I wish I had written this earlier so some of you would know more about what we do and don't do.  What it is and what it isn't.  And how it relates so much to everything YOU do in selling. So I'm one of those people incorporating those "silly" crystals, wind chimes and plants into staging and redesigning, but trust me, they're there for a reason!  Working with Energy is very powerful.  And it honestly helps many people.

If you've tried to read the books and have just gotten confused, know that even I get confused by them!  There are many different methods to practice Feng Shui and some are very strict.  Years ago they had a handful of mentors to apply practical approaches to a "Feng Shui Problem."  What if the bathroom is located in the wealth corner?  Does it REALLY mean all your money is going to go down the drain?  If you're trained in a Black Sect method only, you will be told it IS and not to buy the home.  (The number one complaint I've heard from Realtors over the years is that at least one person in every office has someone who's heard of a home being turned down due to a Feng Shui Consultant).....They don't want to work with us, and I don't blame them a bit! But when you've also been trained using Western methods, there are such simple, easy things that can be done to turn the energy around! 

A key principle to remember is that it is not so much the actual changes that you make, it is the Intention put into those changes of what you'd like to create.  That's infusing it with Energy---positive Energy!  And if you believe in the law of attraction, there you have it.  Or even believe on focusing on the positive aspects of things. 

So give it a try!  You have nothing to lose and might just gain some valuable information along the way.  If  you think it's confusing, again, by the books it IS.  But the basic principles aren't at all; some are listed on my site and if you have any questions, please feel free to post them or email me.