Each feng shui practitioner has their own style, process, and methods for transmitting information to the client.  When I first started out in the early 1990’s, I brought with me a simple one-page checklist, to remind myself of all the areas to review and it came with a carbon copy page which I kept for my own records and the client got the original page of notes.

For instance, I had one bullet point that said “Ceiling.”  It was a literal reminder for me to look up at the ceilings to note if they were flat, slanted or had exposed beams. For a new consultant, there can be many distractions and having a check-list is a must, at the bare minimum.

In no time at all, I felt like I wanted to document much more on behalf of my client and neither expect them to take comprehensive notes or record the consultation. I had a background in writing narrative style reports for the doctor I worked for in my twenties and writing comes naturally to me, so this transition was easy.  And yet, it’s not how some feng shui practitioners like to spend their time and some only write reports begrudgingly.

Early on, there were memorable situations where a client insisted that I made a recommendation, which I did not, and the written report was my proof to counter the claim. Additionally, once you’ve seen a few hundred clients, it becomes imperative for a consultant to document an audit so they can continue to update the client and remember the space.  This is another reason why working with to-scale floor plans has an enduring benefit.

A written report also helps the client digest these intangible concepts and energies in a more organized format and a report can help establish priorities for what to do first, why, and for how long.

Once the internet really took hold, it also became preferable to email the reports and include helpful live links. The live links actually saved me from having to write or collate a 50+ page report and instead keep it to a more manageable 10-20 pages.

A written report is also a convenient way to share the information with other family members or co-workers, along with all the auxiliary explanations, charts, and photos.  It’s one thing to say, “my feng shui consultant told me some great stuff,” versus “look at this report!”

Did the Feng Shui masters from centuries ago provide their client with a written report? That is very hard to say, as I have never read anything in English or translated from Chinese about exactly how a feng shui “reading” was performed.  Modern-day consultants have had to figure this out on their own, taking cues from related professions such as from architects or various other home-inspection type reports. Some approach the consultation more like a doctor-patient relationship.

I do know that I have been hired as a second opinion for some Chinese clients who initially worked with a Chinese master that did not write reports, nor explain much during the visit. Perhaps that is a conscious choice, to maintain an aura of “mystery.” But for an American, we want explanations for everything.   I was told by the Chinese clients, “we like your style better and the way you explain things.” Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed when I became aware that the previous master was one of my teachers.

In his defense, Feng Shui had always been a very secretive discipline, where the ability to even study it was highly selective. Masters from centuries past most likely did not feel like they owed their patrons a crash course in feng shui theory. To that extent, some western practitioners unintentionally overwhelm their clients with too much information. This may be in response to misconceptions people still have about feng shui being superstitious, too subjective, or contradictory from one consultant to the next.

For westerners in the design field, I have been asked to present a report, like a written bid, for what I even intend to reveal in a consultation, what the client will receive in exchange for my fee, with signed contracts and sometimes non-disclosure agreements.  This is the world we live in and professional Feng Shui consultants can certainly accommodate these expectations.

Author: Kartar Diamond

Company: Feng Shui Solutions

From the Frequent Client Questions Blog Series