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Feng Shui Consultant Aids Natural Flow

Cheryl Bentley/SUNCOAST NEWS

Feng shui consultant Diane Gallin often recommends putting crystals in areas needing more light. Feng shui is a 4,000-year-old system from China of arranging spaces to bring areas of human life into harmony.

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By Cheryl  Bentley | The Suncoast News

Published: January 12, 2008

Give that sloping backyard a second thought.

That was feng shui consultant Diane Gallin's advice at a talk she gave on feng shui Tuesday at the Tarpon Springs Library.

In response to a question, she explained sloping yards encourage vital energy to leave the property.

But not all is lost for backyard-challenged homeowners.

Gallin recommends planting a tree or placing a flagpole as a way to stop fleeing energy.

Feng shui is a 4,000-year-old Chinese practice of arranging space to bring areas of human life into harmony.

Knowledge of feng shui has traditionally been passed down in China, where it is used to design and place buildings.

In recent years, its popularity has spread to the West through books and television programs on HGTV.

Many of the 20 library attendees knew a little about feng shui through the television shows. They were open to learning more.

"I'll change something if it says good fortune will flow," said Holiday resident Jackie Milla.

As mystical as that sounds, it makes sense, said Gallin, in an interview in her Tarpon Springs home.

Feng shui is a method of being in balance with nature, she pointed out. That makes for a harmonious life.

Historically, people previously lived from the land, she noted, and intuitively built their homes in the most advantageous areas.

"Our ancestors understood how nature should work. We've just forgotten it."

Gallin has been a feng shui consultant since 2004. She is certified by the Florida School of Feng Shui, in Tarpon Springs, and is a member of the International Feng Shui Guild.

In her work, she visits residences after working on a floor plan of the home using a bagua, a chart dividing space into nine sections. They represent areas of human life, including fame, prosperity, children/creativity, career and relationships.

She superimposes the bagua on the floor plan to determine where each area is located in the home.

Each section is associated with an element of fire, wood, metal, water or earth. Every element is identified with a color.

Most clients consult her regarding problems in some of the nine areas, often after having made changes at home such as adding new furniture or moving. Careers, finances and relationships are popular headaches for clients, she observed.

Problems indicate an imbalance, she noted. She tries to bring harmony through rearranging furniture to increase the flow of energy or toning down or adding new elements.

"My job is to look at the space and figure out what's wrong and how to fix it," Gallin explained.

Many times the solutions are simple. Bringing in objects or colors representing different elements can change energy.

As an example, Gallin pointed out, she would look for an excess of fire in the bedroom of a child with temper tantrums. To tone down the fire element, she would remove red, the element associated with fire, and add soothing blue and objects representing the water element.

Sometimes, the solutions are obvious, she observed. "Having a kitty litter box in your prosperity area is probably not the best thing."

People can put feng shui principles to work even without a consultation, she explained.

Her first tip is bad news for pack rats. "Clearing clutter is a huge one," she noted.

Clutter blocks the flow of energy. "If you are surrounded by things of the past, where is the future?"

Gallin also suggests having a clear, clean path to the front door to allow energy to enter.

The front door should also be visible and accessible. "The front door is considered ... where all the energy comes into your life," she explained.

On consultations, one of the first things she observes is how reachable is the door.

"If I have trouble finding the front door, so does energy."

To contact Gallin call 727-459-1459 or visit Gallin's href=http://www.windandwaterfengshui.com> Web site.

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