When do people consult a Feng Shui practitioner? When they feel, or know, that their surroundings, their home, their workplace is not supporting who they are and what they want to accomplish. This failure may manifest as relationship discord, arguments and poor communication. It may show up as financial problems, difficulty getting motivated or organized, or trouble eliciting help and opening doors to opportunities. It can also result in a string of illnesses and difficulty determining their cause. Sometimes clients call us because they do not feel safe in their home, or they sense unseen influences that are disrupting their lives. We have also been engaged many times to set up more productive workspaces, including offices, workshops and tradeshows. One especially fun request we get is about how to arrange a wedding. This always provides such a big help that we turned it into a chapter in our book, ‘Happiness Lessons’, from our ‘Feng Shui and the Tango’ series. We have lost count of how many times we have helped clients unstick properties that have been sitting on the market too long. While the solutions are relatively simple, the issues related to moving on from a home are sometimes more complex.
People often wonder, without asking, what Feng Shui is. It literally means ‘Wind and Water’ in Chinese, but it has become a popular, overarching title for all kinds of environmental healing systems. It came to the West from Hong Kong in the 1980’s, during the growth of the Pacific Rim economies and significantly, it made people look at their surroundings differently. Those original solutions were arcane and simple because they were created for rural Chinese houses, with a pig in the back garden and oxen in the field. It was also used for royal mansions, temples and tombs, and later, a popular segment was developed in the crowded Hong Kong neighborhoods, where entire families slept side by side on one short, but very wide bed. That’s a cultural history that never translated to the West.
Our own approach, which we have developed over the past twenty-five years, bears little resemblance to the Asian Mystery Systems. That’s because our solutions are created to work in extensively wired western homes, with numerous rooms, attached garages and indoor plumbing. While the traditional approach can address the correct positioning of a rice field, it is less effective at addressing the needs of today’s workspace, with interiors and technology that were never dreamed of in Medieval Asia.
When we first began studying Feng Shui in the early 1990’s, Ralph was already an experienced ergonomic designer with a background in anatomy, physiology, building construction and the health effects of modern materials. Lahni was an artist and designer with a career as an efficiency consultant and an extensive business background. We were also both professional astrologers, so we were conversant with the philosophical foundations of Feng Shui, Indian Vastu Shastra, Native American Medicine Wheel and Western Geomancy. Not surprisingly, ‘Feng Shui’ came naturally to us!
Over our years of consulting in homes, businesses, factories, offices, medical suites, barns, gardens, construction sites and some situations that defy description, we have consistently provided clients with practical, energetic solutions that have produced many remarkable improvements. Because we also use the client’s astrological and location charts, we enjoy insights that ninety-nine percent of practitioners lack. The biggest blunders that we see practitioners commit comes from depending on generic solutions based on traditional practices that are not tuned to the residents and the surroundings. But our clients are not generic humans, and their homes and workplaces are not cookie cutter spaces. They are unique beings in their unique surroundings which are creative expressions of themselves.
The basic premise of Astrology is that every person is unique. Even twins, born minutes apart, have different astrological charts, reflecting their individual reincarnational paths, karmic debts and dharmic goals. Recognizing a client’s essential spiritual nature is part of helping them create surroundings that support their unique self, and the paths to which they aspire. The combination of our training in related areas, our special tools, our broad knowledge and extensive experience has been key to our high percentage of success in helping clients accomplish their goals. After all, our record of getting a client’s house sold is still holding at fifteen minutes!
If you would like to consult with us, we work over the phone and via video conference (Zoom) and we record the consultation for your convenience. We find the recording is especially helpful because with two consultants pouring out a lot of information, clients normally find helpful material in their review that they missed during the live interview. Our standard rate is $200.00 per hour. We also work on-site in the Bay Area but be aware there is a charge for travel time and a three-hour on-site minimum. To contact us for a consultation please visit www.spaceandtime.com/consultation.