Coming to you from Peets at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon -

What the heck is Feng Shui and should I be scared?

In the real estate industry Feng Shui is hot. We have San Ramon houses, offices and landscapes being Feng Shui-ed every which way but loose. Feng Shui is one of those eastern ideas/practices/disciplines that has become popularized in the West and dumbed down like everything else for minds educated on Cliff Notes, grade curves, expediency and “like, you know.”

I’m a fan and believer in Feng Shui. You might not get that from the opening paragraph.

Consider the 3 Principles of Feng Shui:

• Everything is Alive
• Everything is Connected
• Everything Changes

Feng Shui is about energy, relationships and time. Or dynamics, placement and change. Or, Feng Shui is the story of particular people in a particular place (house,office). Or maybe… the art of placement and relationship.

 A friend of mine, Barclay Law, who practices a form of it says, “I work with the aspects of your space within the context of time. This includes form, function, geography, orientation, direction, placement, boundaries, relationship, movement, energy, dynamism, and harmonics. Using the knowledge of Feng Shui, we can bring balance into your space resulting in a deeper sense of grounding and well-being.” 

Her website is Design With Feeling.  Here's a slice of her site.

These are the elements she says she works with.

• Space – geography, orientation, direction, placement, boundaries, relationship…
• Time – movement, energy, dynamism, change, harmonics, cycles…
• Form/Function
• Patterns – perception, intuition, influence
• Chi (life-energy) – life – boundlessness

There is also the Body of the Dragon = harmony, balance, centered, grounded

For her Feng Shui is creatively exploring the study of how to arrange your environment to enhance your life. It is very unique to each person/couple/family and space/place.

I introduced some friends of mine, Greg and Holly Beck (The Balloon Man) to Barclay. They are using her to help them with their house in Walnut Creek. Holly told me that it is fascinating to watch Barclay work – “It’s like each piece is speaking to her.”

Barclay’s philosophy mirrors that of Katherine Graham –

“To love what you do and feel that it matters –

how could anything be more fun?"