The phone rings and I answer it. Before I could say a word, a woman introduces herself as Vicki and begins firing a series of questions. Is it bad Feng Shui that her main door faces a stairway? What can she do about it? What happens if there is a low ceiling in her living room? Do exposed beams in the master bedroom affect her Feng Shui? How can she correct them?

    I tell her that in Feng Shui analysis, there are 60 factors involved. This should also be coordinated with each resident's birth chart and personal energies. Because even if a person has good Feng Shui - being in a low period of his/her life path, having a personality that is stubborn or weak, having bad habits, being malnourished - all these things play a part in influencing a person's success, relationships and health in life.

    When evaluating a house's Feng Shui, being on site and meeting the residents personally allows for a more accurate analysis than via telephone. It is hard to address Vicki's questions without being too general over the phone. However, as long as there is an understanding that there are other aspects involved, I will explain the general ideas and solutions.

    Having a stairway is a potentially dangerous source of energy (every step protrudes out and can be harmful) in front of your door may induce negative occurrences within the house. Generally speaking, this can result in arguments or money loss. Depending on the direction of the staircase and its association with the resident's energy, there may be other problems such as surgery, lawsuits, car accident, business failure, and so forth. If this is the case, there are several possible things, if done correctly, that have consistently improved the situation: relocate the stairs; place by the entry way, a crystal ball which energies protect; hang a wind chime to disperse the negative energy; or the most effective way is to use a charm empowered by an enlightened master of Feng Shui.

    When the ceiling is too low, for some people, it may suppress their body's chi. They will tend to feel stuffy and dizzy - their minds may be unfocused, functioning as if they are half awake. In other instances, their body simply feels uncomfortable. I ask if Vicki feels this way. She tells me that in the last three years that she has lived in her place, she has never been so ill tempered, forgetful and accident prone. She also finds herself anxious and unable to breathe deeply. I advise her to put up a large mirror on the wall to give the room a more spacious appearance and bring in more light. Doing this, along with exercise, meditation and a proper diet can help relieve her of this constriction.

    In the master bedroom, the exposed beams are a source of negative energy. In Feng Shui philosophy, everything is made of energy. Exposed ceiling beams radiate a frequency that can be suppressive. In many cases, having any body part consistently underneath the beam may cause the chi of that body part to be stagnant. For instance, if the beam hangs over your feet, you may have foot problems; if it hangs over your head, you may have headaches; if it hangs over you chest, you may have respiratory problems. However, if a person is physically strong and healthy, he/she may not be so affected.

    Vicki tells me she has one of the beams directly aligned with the length of her body. She wakes up with stiff joints and never sleeps well. I recommend that she move her bed away from the beam, use crystal balls to enhance her energies, remove the beams or cover them up. She also needs to be aware and take care of her own health.

    Vicki also tells me that she has a friend, who has not lived more than three months in his new house, and already, his wife has left him and he has been in the hospital for an operation. Yesterday, he was in a car accident and asked her for help. Vicki wants to know if this is caused by his Feng Shui?

    I tell her that whether it be good or bad things that happen to a person, it is not always necessarily the Feng Shui. It depends on the energy or aura that a person has and how their environment affects it. If your heart chakra radiates pure energies, bad things generally should not happen to you. If your heart chakra's aura is dark or weak, it could have been lowered by the energies of your house, affected by the planetary movements, your lifestyle, or enemies who channel negative vibrations to you. I need to see your friend personally in order to understand what is the cause of his bad luck.

    Depending on the source of his problem, I can either adjust his Feng Shui, suggest a vegetarian diet for purification, or teach him how to meditate and release his negative energies.