Oppressive debt, rocky relationships and poor health all could be attributed to bad luck, bad communication and bad habits. Diana Garber would offer another explanation.
Garber is an expert in the Chinese art of
Feng Shui, the arranging of one's environment to be in tune with the natural harmony of nature's energy. Feng Shui is a complex Chinese science using ancient wisdom to glean peace and balance with chi, or life force. It
uses divination by geographical features, figures and lines to increase health, wealth and prosperity.
There is really nothing comparable in Western nations, but it is catching on fast, Garber said. "Feng Shui
deals with the environment and energy and uses them to complement each other," said Garber, a Sunbury resident.
Before turning to Feng Shui as a full-time occupation, Garber worked in the corporate world. Though
successful, she said the work did not fulfill her, so she started her firm, Intuitive Concepts. But Garber didn't just throw up a shingle and proclaim herself a Feng Shui expert. While many interior designers claim they
use Feng Shui principles, Garber points to more than 20 years of studying the science.
Quest for Harmony
Feng Shui's popularity speaks to people's desire to slow down life, said Garber. She notes that today
people are seeking to be present in the moment and just do one thing at a time. "Feng Shui is a commitment to bring back harmony and balance (to life) and to help people get in touch with that in the
environment," she said.
This yearning to get back to harmony with nature and oneself could be why Garber's business has taken off. Though she doesn't advertise, Garber said she has more work than she knows what
to do with. She receives more than 200 e-mails a day and currently has 17 active clients she is working with, including an entire Cleveland-area planned community development based on Feng Shui tenants.
The Consultation
For a typical Feng Shui home treatment Garber will visit the home, take measurements with Feng Shui tools and check the house's alignment with ancient and time-tested formulas. Garber then
prepares a thick tome that details everything that is good or needs to be changed at a location to bring it into harmony with nature's forces.
An example of Feng Shui success is when one of her clients reported having
Grand Mal seizures. Garber told him even though he had just spent thousands of dollars on a new bedroom, the energy was not right for him. She suggested he move to another room. Shortly after he stopped having the Grand
Mal seizures and has not for several years, Garber said. Other clients have been in the advanced stages of cancer and after Feng Shui consultations have made full recoveries, she said.
Garber has dozens of stories
like this, whereby increasing an environment's energy flow, a person's health, financial state and by extension very life is improved. The Chinese belief in it is so strong that structures from family homes to
multimillion dollar skyscrapers are designed with Feng Shui principled in mind.
"It is not about decorating, but about finding the good and bad energy centers," she said.
