When I look back and consider all that has happened in the relatively short time since my first Feng Shui consultation, it is absolutely astounding. First of all, I had the good fortune to meet a true master, Melanie Adrienne Hill of Living Space Feng Shui Design. Circumstances led us to meet one another, we hit it off instantly, and I couldn’t wait to work with her!
My prior experience with Feng Shui
I’d read a lot of books on Feng Shui and made some changes on my own with little to no success. Having worked as a professional organizer, I knew clutter was the enemy of energy – not that I had any real issues with this, but living with a husband, teenage son and 4 pets, things can accumulate if you don’t have a process to keep only what you need where you need it! And as an owner of an interior design firm, having a home and office space reflecting our design styles was practically a given! (I was blessed with an extremely talented business partner / principal designer who excels at those finishing touches).
So, both our home and work environments looked and felt great. Something just wasn’t right though – but what was it? Enter Melanie, who immediately identified missing areas and more importantly, cures aligned with our intentions for these spaces.
Working with a Feng Shui Master
When first sitting down to write this post, I began this part of my story with our business consultation. As it could really help other entrepreneurs and small business owners who may be handling similar challenges as those we faced with our design center, I’ve written a separate article you can find here.
My first home consultation with Melanie was in mid-March 2008. I won’t go into all the details of preparing for our consultation, as I’m sure each Feng Shui consultant has their own process and way of communicating. The point is, an experienced consultant and Master will have a process, articulate clearly what it is, and discuss how you can best be prepared for a meaningful, fun, interesting and effective consultation.
Feng Shui Home Consultation
The home consultation with Melanie included a floor plan assessment, a 3-hour home visit and coaching time. As Melanie puts it, this is “designed to help you to make the inner and outer shifts needed to fulfill your dreams.” So what were my dreams?
- Financial stability and wellness
- Since moving into this house, it’s felt at times like the money pit with all the upgrades and remodeling needed (electrical, plumbing – you name it, we’ve done it).
- I’d left a lucrative career as an independent consultant to pursue my dreams and became part-owner of a design firm. Unfortunately, I sent the wrong message to the universe with the belief that I couldn’t make as much money doing something I loved (yikes! I got rid of that old belief as soon as I realized it was there).
- My husband is a retail business owner continuously investing in the future of their stores (and they’re doing something right … they’ve been in business over 25 years!).
- We had rental property we couldn’t rent.
- My stepson moved in with us, adding to our household expenses while not receiving support for his needs.
- Improved and positive relationships
- See ‘my stepson moved in with us’ above! ;>)
- Improved health
- I had allergy issues (when you’re allergic to all your pets, this can sometimes be a challenge!), frequent headaches and my husband’s blood glucose level was all over the place.
My Feng Shui Verdict
What Melanie shared was so fascinating and revealing. The first thing that was a surprise to me … I’d been reading the Bagua all wrong. What’s the Bagua? It’s a diagnostic and solution locating tool, noting life areas in 8 different sections plus 1 in the center. I had it oriented for the exterior door used most often, as one of the books had told me to do! But Melanie shared that the floor plan assessment is based on the entrance, the main mouth of chi, which is the front door. Uh oh. So the news?
- Our home is missing the Wealth area. Okay, I think we’re onto something …
- We’re missing a large portion of the Family area. I’m starting to see a pattern here …
- We had not 1, but 2 bathrooms in the Partnership area which could have a draining effect. Definitely a pattern here!
- The placement of our kitchen in relation to the rest of the house could be impacting our health.
- Without a real path to our front door, we weren’t allowing in chi – which impacts good fortune.
- Predecessor energy associated with past events was impacting the Partnership and Fame & Reputation areas.
- The shape of our house lot was also affecting our Wealth area. Double whammy!
Fear Not, There is a Feng Shui Cure
Some people might be tempted to run screaming from this place, call a Realtor as soon as possible, and move immediately! This is where working with a Feng Shui consultant is key, because every challenge identified is really an opportunity to improve the Feng Shui of a space. There are many minor cures, including many you may be familiar with such as crystals, mirrors, wind chimes, plants and fountains. Melanie made many suggestions, and we worked together to determine exactly what to do based on my intentions and priorities. We made adjustments in the Wealth area of the lot, our house and every room in our home. We welcomed chi in with open arms and a new curved path. We balanced health issues and cleared out energy that shouldn’t be here.
Fast Forward to Today
I’ll state at this point that while things don’t work out as you expect, they often turn out better than you could have imagined.
- Yes, we’re still living in the same house! This in itself is a miracle for me – I was joking with my sister that this was probably the first time she could write my address in pen since I moved out of my parent’s house.
- Our house is a home and doesn’t feel like a money pit; repairs are mostly minor (if you ignore the landscaping needed in the backyard!)
- My life path has completely changed. I discovered that while I love design, I love helping designers build a business even more. This happened at about the same time that my business partner decided to retire from design. Perfect timing! I am now a solo-entrepreneur, helping interior designers, decorators & stagers start a design business or grow an existing business. I absolutely love how things have worked out – discovering such a wonderful way to blend all my previous experiences and live my life on purpose and in service.
- My husband’s business is alive and well. In a time we’ve seen many retailers go under, it’s exciting to see them reinvent, create and grow.
- We no longer own the rental properties, and life is much simpler.
- Our health is much improved; I coexist in harmony with our pets and require the occasional allergy pill during pollen season.
- Our relationship is stronger than ever … and if you can thrive through your children’s teenage years you can make it through anything!