SEPTEMBER 2003

Greetings and Feng Shui Blessings To All!

A year has passed since we left the California coast for the Heartland, the Kansas City area specifically. In October we shall secure roots here when we move into our very own home. Knowing Feng Shui can complicate the process of buying a house! One sees far more potential problems than otherwise. Especially noticeable to me were the many houses for sale at stressed locations: cul-de-sacs and T-Junctions. However, looking at local real estate provided a true education as to what people want and accept in this part of the country.

Designed To Kill, the third Feng Shui mystery has been out now since March. On September 27th, I will conclude the promotional efforts with an appearance on KCTV, Channel 5 at 8:30 a.m., followed by a Feng Shui presentation and book signing 1-3 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 8121 North West Roanridge Rd, Kansas City, MO. If you live in the Kansas City area, you may have heard of The Writer's Place. I'm delighted to announce that I will be teaching a class, Feng Shui and The Writer, from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19th at this revered institution.

Recently I signed a contract with Perseverance Press. They will publish "Evil Intentions" the fourth Feng Shui mystery, in April 2005. The manuscript is due on the editor's desk January 1, 2004, so, as you might guess, that is what I'm working on right now. Next year I will put together a Feng Shui Casebook much like the one my protagonist, Salome Waterhouse, is working on, a case of life imitating art.

Several months ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing a local woman who works as a professional organizer. That discussion will be the feature of the next newsletter. This woman's career interested me so much that I am including a professional organizer in "Evil Intentions." In this issue, I want to introduce you to Diane Masters, a local Feng Shui practitioner who kindly met with me at the Barnes & Noble in Independence, Missouri, for this interview. Diane's perception of Feng Shui jibes with the science of Quantum Physics. As she and her husband Brad write in the August 2003 issue of Wellness Magazine, "Two of the basic premises of Feng Shui are that everything is alive and everything is connected...Quantum Physics has confirmed this ancient wisdom to be true. Quantum Physics goes on to describe the Feng Shui concept of Chi as subtle energy...this subtle energy can be directed and transformed by our intentions and beliefs."

1. How did you become involved with Feng Shui?

I have always done Feng Shui. I just didn't know what it was called. I used to think it was interior design but found out real fast it wasn't when I took some college courses in Interior Design. I know when a room was "right" and when it wasn't. But I didn't want to learn about the fibers in a carpet or go through wallpaper books. I left the world of interior design and switched my college major to computers. For lack of a better word, I just called it "My Eye." In the 70's, when my children were growing up, my friends used to ask me to bring "My Eye" over and see what I thought of how they had rearranged a room or where they had put a new piece of furniture. It wasn't until 20 years later, in the 90's, that I found out that a name, Feng Shui, described my talent.

2. In which areas of Feng Shui do you devote special attention? (i.e. entrances, kitchens, gardens, etc.)

Entrances are very important, but so is energy flow and the 5 elements. I do notice the entrances first, but I also look for the "splinter." Once I enter the house, I intuitively assess the 5 elements of the room and then notice how the energy flows. After that, I inquire about the health, prosperity and relationships of the occupants and evaluate those particular guas in all rooms that need attention based on their answers.

3. Will you tell us about some common Feng Shui problems you encounter?

The most common problem is clutter. Clutter not only in the form of "stuff" under beds, in closets and drawers, etc., but also the clutter of too much furniture in a room. In yards, the most common problem is dead or dying plants or trees that need trimming badly.

4. Will you share a memorable story of a Feng Shui transformation?

Yes. This is the story of two of our friends. Jane came to me angry and frustrated. She and her husband Vincent had been married for 20 years and until recently, Jane had been supremely happy in their small but charming 1930's 2-story bungalow in the center of Kansas City. The area in which they lived was a prize location for homes in the mid-price range, close to parks, shopping and full of mature trees on a shady street. Jane and Vincent were slowly renovating their home and loved their neighbors. However, a year ago last April 2002, Vincent had been forced to resign from his job as a computer programmer for the Defense Department. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease a few years earlier and it had now advanced to the point that he was having trouble walking and operating a computer keyboard. He couldn't climb the stairs any more and had to use a cane.

They moved to their new home, a ranch-style condo in November of last year. Jane disposed of all old clutter and also much of her furniture during the move. After the move she became very despondent and frustrated. She missed her old home and did not want to move. She didn't unpack any boxes or hang any pictures for months. She had told the movers to "put the furniture anywhere you want."

I knew that health would be a main issue. When I arrived for our appointment, I noticed the walk to the front porch was clean and uncluttered. All 5 elements were represented near the front porch. The house was stucco and wood with pathway lighting, a birdbath, nice shrubbery landscaping, and a small metal sculpture on the porch of an angel. There was a welcoming wreath on the door.

As soon as I stepped into the entryway, the "welcoming feeling" ended. The Great Room was straight ahead with 2 floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of the fireplace, and both windows had pieces of furniture blocking them. A six-foot cabinet that housed the computer had been placed in front of one of the windows completely blocking it. An antique wash-stand was placed in front of the other window. As you walked further into the room, you saw the backs of 2 enormous Laz-E-Boy recliners. Directly across from the recliners was a very large cabinet without doors that housed the TV and stereo. Jane hated the recliners and TV and never sat in either recliner. Behind the recliners were stairs going downstairs and empty walls.

Further down the opposite wall was a large couch that actually was set about 6 inches into the doorway to the kitchen. The couch and the recliners were not close enough together for a conversation to take place. There was a large bookcase with mostly empty shelves that was about 6 feet tall between the TV and the recliners on the end wall. There were a few objects on the mantel but nothing on the wall above the mantel. It looked barren and unused.

I first checked out the 5 elements and the Yin/Yang balance of the room. All the elements were present and there was a Yin-Yang balance to the room, but the Chi was badly blocked. The Health and Family Gua of the Great Room was not only open and blank, but was behind the recliners, giving no stability to the back. I suggested rearranging the furniture to relieve the blocked windows and get the couch out of the kitchen doorway, which would open the Chi. We moved some excess furniture downstairs to the future TV room, such as the bookcase and one of the recliners and brought in plants and pictures.

The kitchen itself was great--wide and spacious with skylights beaming sunshine in and all 5 of the elements present with good balance. However, at the far end of the kitchen was an eating area which was extremely crowded. In a space that was 11'X11', there was a china cabinet, a buffet, a long rectangular table, 6 chairs, and a butcher block cart with a TV on it! You virtually could not pull out the chairs on one side of the table--they were pushed against the china cabinet. Across the table, the 2 chairs on that side pushed up against the door to the back yard and it could not be opened. Also, the TV was about 18" from the end of the table. All of this was in the Health and Family Gua of the kitchen! Again, the answer was rearranging furniture and removing excess pieces. Jane agreed that the 2 of them did not need or use 6 dining room chairs. The butcher block and the TV went, as did the buffet. Jane moved all the furniture that I suggested.

We energized the Health and Family Guas throughout the home. (Both of the bathrooms were in the Health and Family Gua of the condo plus the cat's litter box.)

Within a week, Vincent felt so good he began exercising. Jane began to take an interest in the house and ordered paintings and framed pictures. The doctors had given no hope for Vincent's mobility to ever improve, but Vincent said he felt more energetic and began walking in the neighborhood daily. At last report, Jane said she had joined a health club and was exercising.

5. How do you define Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is the art and science of having a healthy living and working space by purposefully arranging your living space to create harmony and balance. Feng Shui creates transformation in your life through intentional changes in your living space.

6. What sort of Feng Shui do you practice? (Compass, BTB, etc.)

I incorporate a synergistic blend of Feng Shui methods and techniques in combination with space clearing and intuitive skills. I have studied and taught Compass School as well as Western. I graduated from the Western School of Feng Shui in San Diego.

7. Of what does your practice consist? (i.e., business consultations, phone consultations, workshops, etc.)

I do consultations for the home, business, garden, and real estate as well as space clearing. I do workshops and monthly classes. I also write a question and answer column for an area magazine.

8. Do you have advice for those just starting Feng Shui?

There are a lot of books and different methods of Feng Shui which can appear very confusing and overwhelming. I recommend reading them with an open heart and see which method resonates. I also recommend going slow and not making a lot of changes at once, either to your own home or anyone else's. Take a Gua at a time or a room or two at a time and give it a week or so, then go on to another one. Then set your intentions and network, network, network.

9. Please list any publications, websites and special affiliations and where we may find more information about you and your practice.

Our website is . (Click on the "Feng Shui" link.) There is information on my services.

My husband, Brad, and I have written many articles together, the latest of which was published in the August 2003 issue of "Wellness" Magazine, entitled, "It's All Connected." I wrote a column in the August issue of "LaFemme" Magazine, "Ask the Feng Shui Masters"--a write-in with questions-type column (like Ann Landers). We also write all of our training, both courses and workshops.

Brad and I are the directors of the International Feng Shui Guild, Missouri-Kansas Heartland Chapter

I am primarily a Feng Shui consultant, although I am teaching 3 upcoming classes this Fall. Two of the classes are ongoing groups, meeting on a monthly basis.

"Ask the Feng Shui Masters", meeting at Unity Temple on The Plaza in Kansas City every 3rd Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. This program consists of an educational segment for the first hour and the last hour is a question and answer session.

"Feng Shui: A Blueprint for Your Destiny", meets monthly at the Central Exchange in Kansas City on the 4th Thursdays at lunch (11:45 p.m.).

"Happy Holidays with Feng Shui" is being offered on Saturday, November 22, from 10-12 p.m.

*** For more information about Diane Master's Feng Shui services please consult her website.

NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 2003