Reunion with the Riches with Feng Shui

Often, people who contact me are concerned about their privacy. Their concern is justified. What they reveal to me, during consultation, is an extremely sensitive part of their life. Before they open up, they worry about being mentioned by name in my articles, till I assure them about my very strict policy of privacy.

Privacy assured

All the information provided by you, whether you take professional consultation or just consider taking professional consultation, is treated as confidential. Except for me, no one reads your e-mails / letters / faxes. When I write about the Feng Shui success stories in my columns and articles, I take utmost care to avoid identifying my clients. Their names and locations are changed to avoid any possible social embarrassment to anyone. I do need the background information, floor plans or photographs, along with the dates of birth of all the inmates of the premises. All the information sent in this connection too is treated as totally confidential. For the same reasons, I am extremely careful when I write about people in their community papers.

The story I am going to recount below is very sensitive and interesting, but I will neither mention the identity of the people concerned nor their location. This family could be in San Francisco or a Jewish family in Mumbai or, for that matter, a Sindhi family in Mumbai. This is a second generation rich family which had a successful business. The business was started from scratch by John Smith and his wife. They had two sons and a daughter. They behaved like they `belonged` to the rich jet set and they figured in the society pages, also described as Page 3. The problem started with the marriage of their daughter Maria. Hers was a love marriage, against the wishes of her family in what her father and brothers considered it beneath their status.
Maria, along with her husband James, consulted me. 

Social rejection of the son-in-law

As a facade, they attended the marriage and blessed the couple but almost severed the relationship. Even seven years down the line, her family (specially, her father and brothers who were totally against her marriage with this boy) were not willing to accept them. The only link between Maria and her family was her mother. She would urge the couple to come home for a visit. James wasn't exactly a pauper but it was difficult for him and his family to match the riches of Maria's family. Maria and her mother were unhappy about the situation.

"It is so tough. The friends and relatives who once hovered around me, urging me to attend their parties and family functions, have virtually disappeared. Occasionally, when we are invited to such a do, they cold-shoulder us. Sometime back a very good friend of mine and her husband avoided even eye contact with me during a party. I felt humiliated as I had described them to James as close friends. We are being shunned socially and I am afraid that my children, who study in the same school, will suffer too." Maria told me. She didn't want to fight about her share in the property. "There are several legal loopholes. I will end up with virtually nothing. If my father doesn't want to give in, he will resist till the last drop of his blood. Besides, I want my status back in the family. I want them to respect my husband for whatever he is. He may not be in the same bracket but he is a reasonably successful entrepreneur. Okay, we may not have a posh bungalow and a farm house, but our 3-bedroom apartment has been bought made with our hard-earned money and we are proud of it. My in-laws may not be sophisticated enough for my parents, but they aren't illiterates, either. My mother-in-law is a professor of physics! And my father-in-law retired as the editor of a well-known publication."

Everything James and his parents did was considered down-market. If they invited Maria’s parents and brothers for a function, only her mother would attend giving feeble excuse for the absence of the others. "Sir, can Feng Shui change our luck?" Maria asked me. Promising her the moon would have been easier. What she wanted was not only a change of heart in her father and brothers, but though it was unsaid, also their backing, clout and support. "Frankly, this will be a test case. I have always believed in free will," I told Maria. But everything fell in place once I saw their apartment.

The apartment was a real bad Feng Shui. One of the first things I noticed was that `you stepped down` as you entered it. The Helpful Friends & Patronage corner was marred with a fireplace. The Fame and Marriage corners were ruined with a Water element. I suggested removing the fireplace as well as the water element from their `incorrect position` and strengthening these corners with my paintings of Metal in the Helpful Friends & Patronage corner and Earth in the Marriage & Relationship corner, blending them with elements that further enhanced them as a productive cycle of elements. Most important, to nullify the negative effects of going down few steps as you entered their apartment I suggested the painting of the Peak to them.
"But what are you suggesting about the social acceptance and glory?" Maria asked.

Change of heart

I knew what she wanted. It had to be Phoenix, my ancient Phoenix. The total corrections were more than a dozen and I added half-a-dozen other enhancements. And I prayed for Maria and James, like she was my own daughter. Would there be a change in her life? Would her father have a change of heart? The change started with what was perceived as `bad news`. The old man had a heart attack and had to opt for by-pass surgery. During this phase, perhaps because he was staring at death from close quarters, he had a change of heart. A little before the surgery he called Maria into the ICU, and apologized to her with tears in his eyes. "It must have been very difficult for a man like him." Maria emotionally told me later. After the private apology, against the advice of his doctor, he called every other member of his family to his bedside.

"I have not called you because of my surgery. A by-pass surgery is routine. I have been told that it will add 20 years to my life. But I want to set right the wrong I have done to Maria and James. From now onwards, whether I survive or not, both are family. I have already apologized to Maria and now I am apologizing to James. I have set aside Rs 50 million for James’ software business and we will back all his ventures like our own," he said, before being taken to the operation theatre.

This changed the attitude of Maria’s brothers too.

Today, Maria and James are a part of high society and James runs a much bigger business, dealing with clients in seven different countries. And he has even bigger plans in the booming economy. He sought Feng Shui consultation when he recently bought a new house and he never fails to similarly consult me whenever he acquires a new premise for his business.