Feng Shui California style

Growing up as a French-style-educated, scientifically-minded Catholic school girl in Hong Kong, I rejected all forms of Chinese tradition that smacked of superstition and backwardness. Never mind that my dad was a Tai Chi and Feng Shui master.

So it's oddly predictable that, as an adult living in San Francisco, I have embraced my roots and overhauled my home to Feng Shui principles!

While some die-hards will argue that Feng Shui in America is inauthentic and superficially lite, I'd argue that it is in many ways closer to the origins of what Feng Shui is all about—creating an environment that feels good and supportive to our goals, and that energizes and uplifts our spirit. Feng Shui here feels more like thoughtful and mindful home decor, than the black-box, alchemic school of Feng Shui I grew up with.

This feels much more empowering than the "traditional" Feng Shui of fear and anxiety of my youth. In Hong Kong, people become slaves to commercial Feng Shui gurus who often focus on the negatives, charging fortunes to advise folks on costly and inconvenient ways to correct "unlucky" layouts in their homes and offices.

Now that I'm more open to the true spirit of Feng Shui, I begin to understand the wisdom in my father's advice. That the most important principle in Feng Shui is being aware, and feeling and listening with our heart, mind and soul to what feels right and good to us. Paying Feng Shui masters to "trick" the universe is just a waste of money and energy.