How does a feng shui consultation work?

I often get asked about how a feng shui consultation usually works. One thing to remember is that a feng shui consultant is not necessarily an architect or interior designer, although they could be both. I’m also an architect, for example! Many people assume that feng shui consultations include design, and it might if your consultant has those qualifications and skills - but that’s not always the case.

Another thing to know is that every practitioner is different, and there are also dozens of feng shui schools that are all equally correct. Think about how many types of bread recipes there are. Just because there are many doesn’t mean that one is right or wrong, but it also depends on the experience and the skillfulness of the person making the bread, and the taste and needs of the person who’s going to eat the bread.

That said, I’ll share a bit about what I do and what I teach my students at Mindful Design Feng Shui School. In general, the client first reaches out, and then we ask for a floor plan of the home. This is one of the most important pieces of information to provide to a consultant, because it’s a map of your home, and it represents you. Even if the consultant is coming in person to your home, we still would really like to see the floor plan. Sometimes if a client really has a stumbling block to providing the floor plan, you can hire someone (sometimes the consultant) to do it. However, there’s a lot of information that can be conveyed through a floor plan created by the client. Also, the energy and effort you put into the floor plan will reflect upon how accurate your feng shui consultation is.

Next, I usually ask for three wishes the client wants to work with. I also have an optional intake form to get more information. We’ll also need your address, either to know how get there if we’re going in person, or to look up details of your home’s location online. If your consultant is using astrology, they’ll also need your birth date. Not all consultants use astrology, so it depends who you work with.

I start working before the meeting. I lay the bagua on the client’s home, and I consider any red flags in the floor plan, as well as what is coming up for the client. Next, one of the most important things I do before meeting with a client is a meditation to make sure that I’m not coming in with my own energy, but instead I’m a conduit for what is required for the client. I do this because I don’t want to go into the consultation with my own baggage and my own ego. By doing a meditation beforehand, I open myself to what it is a client needs.

Finally, I actually meet with the client! For more about what the actual meeting looks like, stay tuned for part 2 next week!

by Anjie Cho