My Story and the Origin of

"Harmony by Design Essential Feng Shui®"

 

     At age 10 with my 50 cent allowance, I bought the September 1960 issue of House Beautiful magazine and raced home on my bike to read it. Paging through it and dreaming of my future, I naïvely thought that if you lived in a beautiful home, you were happy. I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to be an interior designer. Fast forward 10 years, I was in interior design school in Milwaukee and upon graduation, I was hired as an assistant to one of Milwaukee’s top interior designers. I made it! My life felt wonderful and complete. But after some years had passed, I noted certain clients who were living 'my happy dream in a beautiful home' weren’t necessarily happy! Money was tight. Relationships were strained. Some hated their jobs, and others had health issues. Often times parents complained their kids had difficulty studying, were doing poorly in school and had trouble sleeping through the night. Something important was missing. I was dismayed and left the design field.
    Sometime in the 90s I read a magazine article entitled, “Now There’s A Doctor For the House!” It was the first time I heard the concept of feng shui and how an invisible energy called Ch'i should ideally move through a structure in a harmonious way, enhancing all that it touches – including those who live there. There was the missing piece!
    I credit destiny for finding acclaimed author Terah Kathryn Collins, Founder of the Western School of Feng Shui®. She translated this beautiful Eastern art of placement into a language we could use today in the West. She named the practice Essential Feng Shui® of which I became a practitioner in 1999, and have used these design principles in my work since.

 

Here is her definition of what Essential Feng Shui® is...

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     “Feng Shui, translated as ‘Wind and Water’ observes the relationship between the seen and unseen forces of nature. Like wind and water, you and your environment are two forces of nature. Your desires, goals, talents, attitudes, and feelings—like the unseen force of wind; and the home environment you live in—like the seen force of water; are constantly interacting and influencing each other. And as you and your home blend harmoniously, the effect is friendly, comfortable, and positive. Life is replete with fair weather conditions such as abundant resources, good relations, and a steady stream of opportunities. In such harmonious circumstances, your health, prosperity, and happiness thrive.
    “On the other hand, when you and your home clash in some way, extreme conditions prevail. Your own weather pattern may include a “stagnant” job, a “stormy” marriage, a “drought” of resources, or a “flood” of health problems. The primary goal of Essential Feng Shui® is to bring you and your home into harmony, so that you are not just surviving one storm after another, but are thriving in a paradise of your own design.”

     "When individuals open their Feng Shui eyes, they can no longer view their homes as just ‘things’ or their belongings as just ‘inanimate stuff.’ Their homes, and all the possessions within them, suddenly come alive and are intimately connected to their quality of life. They see that their difficulties are not separate from, but actually held in place by their homes. As they embrace their connection with their homes, feelings of isolation and disconnection transform into personal power and creativity… This brings the seen and the unseen forces into harmony, and as a result, life changes for the better."

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It's time to call the Skipper.

It's time to Harmonize Your Home.

Contact me to schedule your in-home
or virtual consultation today!

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