Earl Williams wasn’t seeking spiritual guidance. He was just
tired of showing houses
– beautiful, multi-million dollar houses – to couples who would
simply grimace and say no.
The Saratoga broker wasn’t used to having such duds. In looking
at his portfolio, the 36-year industry veteran saw a trend: his
Asian clients, who made up a considerable portion of the business,
were unhappy.
Earl Williams wasn’t seeking spiritual guidance. He was just tired of showing houses – beautiful, multi-million dollar houses – to couples who would simply grimace and say no.
The Saratoga broker wasn’t used to having such duds. In looking at his portfolio, the 36-year industry veteran saw a trend: his Asian clients, who made up a considerable portion of the business, were unhappy.
“I wanted to be able to know which houses they’d like, or at least be able to rule out the ones I knew they wouldn’t like,” said Williams. “If it was fixable, what I could do to make a home more appealing?”
Williams, like a growing number of realtors state-wide, turned to the ancient art of feng shui, the art of energy movement. Now he knows better than to show select clients a home with a creek behind it or one that is below street level.
The foundation for feng shui is the idea that an invisible energy called chi, the same thing that animates the body and that acupuncturists study, is all around us. In order to attract good fortune, happiness and wealth, you need good chi, but chi’s attraction to a person’s home or office space can be stifled by the property’s direction, the building’s layout, the selected furniture or a lack of window light.
“There’s what’s called the macro feng shui – say of Hollister or a city block or the entire country or just your house,” said Christine Montana, a certified feng shui consultant based out of Hollister. Montana runs her own company, Dragonhorse Design. “If you’re in a cubicle in some office building, you may not be able to change the direction of the building or the layout of the floor you work on, but you can break down your own space and work with that.”
Oxygen and sunlight are said to attract chi, which is why, Montana said, oceanfront property is some of the most expensive in the world.
Janet Groen, a Gilroy feng shui consultant, said it really boils down to two elements: harmony and balance.
“Feng shui is not a religion as much as a philosophy,” said Groen. “It’s principle is that we achieve balance with our environment as well as spiritually, emotionally.”
Groen prefers to start with the home of a prospective client since it is the place that most of us go for relaxation and rejuvenation (“From there you take off out into the world.”). Her services are part feng shui balancing act, part clutter control.
“I tell people to live with what you love,” said Groen. “If you don’t like it, get rid of it. We get caught up in these guilt trips.”
As an example, Groen related the story of a client, once a collector of clowns, who had grown tired of her pursuit. People who knew her were still giving her clowns, though, and she felt duty-bound to display these gifts.
“If you don’t like those any more, it’s going to be a drain,” said Groen. “We become numb to our environment, numb to the things that don’t support us in our daily lives. Feng shui is really about coming into the now. What do I need right now?”
Rearranging furniture isn’t the sole purpose of feng shui, though, said Montana. It’s about successfully blending the spiritual elements of your environment: fire, water, earth, wood and metal.
“It’s based upon quantum physics,” said Montana. “That’s how the human body works in many ways.”
Pamela Ticoulat, a Santa Cruz feng shui expert felt that it was more than science. Rather, she said, feng shui is a connection to the psychic and intuitive power you may not even know you possess.
“It’s the power to see the unseen, the yin (feminine) world as opposed to the world of the yang (masculine),” said Ticoulat. “When children see imaginary things, there comes a time when we tell them it’s not real. Our culture does not support this viewpoint that there is more than meets the eye.”
Feng shui itself is an elusive concept, wherein years of study can be poured into the most basic concepts to attain the title of master. In the United States, many courses are four-year compressions, but practitioners say that success comes with years of practice, despite the fact that many people already practice some of feng shui’s concepts unwittingly.
“There are some people who are just more attuned to the yin world naturally, whether they realize it or not,” said Ticoulat.
Consultants offer to help their prospective clients rearrange everything from their relationships to work productivity, adjusting chi for ambiance or to produce fame – a trendy option among the Hollywood set.
Ticoulat charges $200 per hour, while Groen’s initial consultation will run locals $250 to $500. Pro bono services are sometimes offered to those whose circumstances are dire.
To contact Montana, call (831) 630-9198 or (408) 206-2356. Groen can be reached at (408) 506-9111 and Ticoulat is available on the Web at www.ShelterForTheSoul.com or by calling (831) 459-0153.
