I was recently chatting about building design trends with a realtor friend of mine. I was interested to hear him say that Feng Shui is increasingly influencing the buying preferences of homeowners in his area – great news!
However, he also told me that many of these same people are spending big money for North facing homes and citing Feng Shui as the reason for their preference. This had me both perplexed and a bit concerned because a North facing home is not necessarily better than a home facing another direction. It is one of many important considerations in selecting an appropriate place to live, but I almost never find it to be a make-or-break piece of the puzzle in making the decision to live in a home or not. There are many other factors besides facing direction that can and should be considered.
The conversation highlighted an important consideration for Feng Shui practitioners and clients alike, particularly in today’s environment of increasing awareness and acceptance: where does the balance lie between do-it-yourself and hiring a professional?
Feng Shui’s increasing popularity in the West is paving the way for more and more people to recognize and recall at least one or two basic ideas that they have picked up here or there. Books addressing Feng Shui are very popular and the number of titles published on the subject increases every year. References to feng shui are now made in home improvement television shows, in design magazines, and elsewhere in popular media. As a result of this increased awareness, many people are learning some of feng shui’s basic tenants and experimenting with these concepts in their own spaces.
I am always one for experimentation. My passion for design was borne from experimenting with my own living spaces starting from an early age. We are curious and creative beings by nature; it is only natural for people to take interest in something and start tinkering with it. So it is encouraging to a certain extent to see that people are eager to learn and put into practice the principles underlying Feng Shui.
But as any do-it-yourself enthusiast knows, such eagerness without experience and perspective can come with a cost. The combination of a little information and a penchant for DIY can create situations where people know ‘just enough to be dangerous’. As my colleague would say there is a lot of “Barnes and Noble Feng Shui” happening out there.
It is important that those who involve themselves with Feng Shui to keep in mind that the effects of well-employed feng shui are potentially powerful, profound and positive, while the effects of misinformed feng shui are potentially problematic. For the DIY Feng Shui enthusiast, this may mean that it is simply better to hire a professional when the situation calls for it.
It’s really no different than hiring an electrician to fix your interior lights or an auto mechanic to align your vehicle’s tires. There are some things that just make sense to let others do for you.
I am glad that Feng Shui is better understood and appreciated and that valuable information is reaching more and more people. However, most are seeing only a few pieces of the puzzle and by no fault of their own the do-it-yourself is not adequately prepared to handle the project with the efficacy that it requires. For better or for worse, there is a great deal of misinformation and misunderstanding floating around, and feng shui practitioners are the most well qualified to recognize the difference.
While some rules of Feng Shui are hard and fast, like avoiding T-Junctions or beams over beds, many are not and there are often exceptions. As Joey Yap says, a practitioner knows the rules but the master knows when to break them. Feng Shui, like acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, is deeply complex. Like any other complex discipline, reading a book or watching a television special is just not enough to jump in and get it right.
So how do you know when to Do-It-Yourself or to hire a consultant?
A good rule of thumb is that if you intend to invest a significant amount of time and money into a project, it is best to consult with a Feng Shui professional. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is always better to get it right the first time rather than spending even more money and time to correct a problem later on…or worse yet investing too much and being stuck with a problematic property.
The following are instances where I would advise NOT trying to do it yourself:
- Property selection
- Buying a new home
- Building a house
- Putting on an addition
- Adding a swimming pool
- Master bedroom remodeling
- Kitchen remodeling
- Changing your front door/entryway
If you want to use Feng Shui for yourself, and there are endless opportunities to do so, then by all means do read up and study the basic principles to practice in your life! Feng Shui is knowledge that is meant to put into action for the betterment of our lives. Just make sure to keep it small and manageable.
But if you are planning to spend a great deal of your time and hard earned money to create something of great importance and value, be sure to call a professional first. Good advice from a Feng Shui consultant can help you make the most of your investment!