Interview with a Feng Shui Consultant

Carmelita Garcia-Konrad is a Feng Shui consultant. She currently lives in Denver, but is soon moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. Feng Shui is largely mysterious or misunderstood to those outside of China and Japan. I interviewed Carmelita to help explain more about the ancient art of Feng Shui.
For more information on her business, visit http://www.Manifest-fengshui.com/

Define feng shui

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art or philosophy of creating balance and harmony in living spaces through the proper placement of furniture as well as using the Five Elements: water, earth, wood, fire and metal. The literal translation of Feng Shui is Wind and Water. It's all about the flow of energy.

When did you first become aware of feng shui?

I first became aware of Feng Shui about 14 years ago while watching a morning talk show. From there I began to read books and articles and then practice the techniques in my own home as well as with family and friends.

What is important about feng shui?

When you have a feeling of harmony and sense of well being in your home or workplace, the Chi or energy that is generated through this balance helps you to operate at your highest level and allows a more open channel for creativity to flow. This is a law of nature.

How did you get into the business of Feng Shui consulations?

After working with friends and family for so many years, they encouraged me to do the work professionally because of my love of the process. I have a dear friend and mentor who has been a professional for years and she encouraged me to enroll in her six month mentorship program. That was an easy decision to make. I also had the honor and privilege of attending a workshop with Grand Master Professor Lin-Yun. He is probably the greatest teacher in this country and abroad in the art of Feng Shui. Receiving his blessing as a consultant was the highlight of my education.

Are there a couple of basic principles of feng shui for people to consider?

I would say that the number one thing that we can do to start creating positive Chi in our living spaces is to REMOVE THE CLUTTER. We are a nation that is overloaded with stuff. If we all got rid of half of everything we own, we would still probably only use a third of what's left in our everyday living. We live too much for someday. Someday I might need this, etc. Clearing the clutter is step one to getting the energy flowing. Since everything on this planet is made up of energy, those things that are clogging up our home that we don't use or that have a negative memory or person attached to them, drain us and our home of all things positive.

What specific rooms or areas do most of your clients hope to make feng shui improvements, or is it typically the entire house?

My process is to take a look at the entire house. Incorporating the methods of the Black Sect Tantric Buddhist philosophy of Feng Shui, I use the Bagua map, which is a template that is placed over the clients floor plan in order to map out the different areas of the home or workspace. This is the guideline used in order to identify the nine areas such as Career, Wealth and Prosperity, Reputation and so on. I would say that typically most clients want to focus on Career or Marriage and Relationship, but once we take a look at the home, often there are issues in other areas that they haven't even considered, but that actually have a residual effect on where they have concerns. My goal is always to point out the positive areas of the home first and to remove the fear and apprehension that so many people have about Feng Shui. Nothing could be more natural than creating peace and balance in our homes. Often my clients find that they have done so many things correctly before they even see me. It's an instinct that we all have if we would just pay attention.

Does Feng Shui only work in certain types of buildings?

China and Japan incorporate Feng Shui in all there buildings and businesses as a normal part of there construction and architecture. It would be wonderful if we started to incorporate those philosophies into our Western culture. I have had business clients in Denver who were surprised at how easily Feng Shui can be applied in their settings. It is a creative and ever evolving art. You don't have to have Asian décor in order to use these principles either. I have worked with everything from a Western B-B-Q restaurant to a small town business complex and made it work.

For a more specific example of feng shui work, what would you do to improve the feng shui of the "Simpsons" house?

According to the Bagua map, the Simpson home is missing the area of Wealth and Prosperity. That is the upper left back corner. It looks as though it might be an outdoor patio area. I think this probably explains a lot about their predicaments. There are simple cures that would first require them to create and identify the area through placement of potted plants, possibly a framed structure on the patio such as a pergola. That would be a great help because "wood" is the element for that area. They could also plant a prosperity tree and hang a bamboo chime in it to attract prosperity chi. Of course most importantly, they would have to apply these cures with purpose and intention to grow their prosperity. I'm not just talking about wealth though. I'm talking about the full richness of life.
I will leave you with one of my most favorite quotes by Kahlil Gibran "Your house is your larger body. It grows in the sun and sleeps in the stillness of the night; and it is not dreamless."