I have not written articles for some time and that’s what induces me to write an article this week. More and more often I get asked questions like “in what corner should I hang a picture with waterfall”, “what color I should paint the bathroom ” or ” what is my lucky color to wear.” These questions mainly come from new customers or people who are duped by “New Age Feng Shui”. I like to emphasize practical issues when it comes to Feng Shui consultation, which is what should you ask your Feng Shui consultant to do too. At the same time, let me remind you that Feng Shui is not an object placement art, as some people might say. Feng Shui is a science of the environment, and that includes geography and other scientific concepts. In other words, your Feng Shui consultant should talk about the surrounding area, physical objects outside of your home and spend 80% of the consultation time on the outdoors. So, here are the Five Questions you should ask your potential Feng Shui consultant before you make any decisions.

The first question you should ask is: What kind of Feng Shui School do you practice?

Classical Feng Shui consultants most likely are using a combination of following techniques:
San He Feng Shui, which is landforms and environmental analysis. This school uses a compass.
San Yuan Feng Shui, which is more commonly known as the “Three Cycles.” This is a Yang dynamic school that combines the Eight Mansions, Flying Stars Feng Shui, Dragon Gate Eight Formations (Water Formula) and Xuan Kong Da Gua – “the Secret Decree” or 64 Gua relationships methods.

Also I should mention that some other schools that include in Chinese Metaphysic are:
BaZi – or Four Pillars of Destiny-a form of hemerology- astrology.
Date Selection, which is the selection of auspicious dates and times for important events;
Qi Men Dun Jia- which are Mysterious Door Escaping Techniques;

I think you should know what kind of practice the Feng Shui consultant should use and they should be comfortable with these approaches. Are they Classical Feng Shui experts or more New Age Feng Shui experts?
New Age Schools:
Black Hat Feng Shui- these are westernized and modern methods that are not based on Classical teachings.
Symbolic Feng Shui- this new-age Feng Shui method that advocates substitution with symbolic objects.

Now it’s your choice, do you wish to get results and improve your life or do you just want to spend some money and wait, and wait for results that never happen?

The second question is: What is included in your service? BaZi and Date Selection.

Feng Shui consultants should check their client’s BaZi chart before beginning any recommendations for the property. But I want to emphasize that Feng Shui consultation does not include a full BaZi reading, but basic BaZi readings should be a part of the Feng Shui consultation and you should ask for it. Usually, basic BaZi readings are included in the price but sometimes it is a separate transaction. Also, you should ask if Date Selection is included in the price of the Feng Shui consultation (I’m not talking about any date selection from a Chinese Almanac). This is very important information, especially if renovations are required for improving or correcting the property’s Feng Shui. Choosing a good date to start renovations on is vital to ensure that the energy “Chee/Qi” is correctly activated.
What if you are not moved in and your property is still under construction? You may want to ask if the price includes a date selection for moving-in.

The third question you should ask about is: If there are follow-up sessions or a report included in the price?

Generally, most Feng Shui consultants provide written reports and have one follow-up session to discuss the consultation and recommendations are given with the consultant or a member of their staff. You may want to find out if this is the case. In addition, I want to say that it’s fine when a Feng Shui consultant does not provide a follow-up session or a written report; however, it does not mean that they are limited and less professional. This is just their method. But what you don’t want is to miss a chance to ask how much you should to pay in addition to get the follow-up session or report. Sometimes Feng Shui consultants provided some discounts or all you have to pay is a friction of price for reports or follow up sessions.

The fourth question is: How much should you pay for your Feng Shui consultation?

You should ask about price before you invite a Feng Shui consultant. You don’t want to get into an uncomfortable situation.  Normally, a skilled Feng Shui consultant will talk about the Feng Shui fee up front. The Feng Shui consultation price entirely depends on the property. If you have a small office compare to a big retail store or industrial unit, of course price and time will be different. There is no “special significance“ between Feng Shui consultants the charge. For example, let’s say the price is 888.88 and Feng Shui consultant only charges in round numbers. That does not mean that one consultant is better than another.

The fifth question is: Am I required to buy any Feng Shui items from you during or after a consultation?

You should be alerted when the answer is “yes”, especially if a Feng Shui consultant is a Classical Feng Shui practitioner. As I said above, now is your turn to choose whom you go with. Are you trying to improve your life for better, trying to achieve goals, develop your career or are you simply looking for a good relationship?
Now let me ask you this, why are you inviting a Feng Shui consultant in the first place? What result are you looking to get? Answers these simple questions and you will make the right decision. If you are comfortable with New Age Feng Shui and that is what you want, then go with this New Age practitioner. Choose who you are comfortable with. If you prefer Classical Feng Shui, then look for a Classical Feng Shui practitioner to help you achieve your goal.