An Encounter with Feng Shui

It was a warm evening in a crowded shopping district on Hong Kong Island.

Sophia and I were waiting for a gentleman and his wife who she described as her "mentor."

They were in Hong Kong on business and Sophia did not want to miss the opportunity to meet with them.

Having met a lot of her friends soon after our recent wedding, I did not think this encounter would be any different. Suddenly, Sophia motioned to me that Lawrence was coming with his wife Salina. I saw a slightly built Chinese man and his wife making their way down a street, and he was smiling as they came towards us. Sophia then introduced Lawrence and Salina Sang to me.

We went to a small, typical Hong Kong restaurant with about four or five tables. We sat and discussed our wedding and new life. I found out that Sophia had been previously studying Feng Shui with Lawrence. Not knowing what Feng Shui was, I did not pay too much attention. We enjoyed our dinner and little did I know the impact that this man would have on my career and life.

About four months later, Sophia and I returned to the US, where she resumed classes with Lawrence. After about a year of watching Sophia go off to classes seemingly every weekend, I decided I ought to take the classes to see what this Feng Shui subject was and why she was so fascinated by it. I enrolled at the American Feng Shui Institute and met Lawrence again. At this time, he was being called Larry. So in 1995, I took my first Feng Shui class. I was immediately hooked! Being a computer consultant, I loved systems and logical methods. It completely blew away my preconceived notion I was going to learn "fluff and nonsense." It made complete sense to me. I had no idea when I was sitting at dinner that night in Hong Kong, I was eating with a world-famous Feng Shui Master.

Sophia and I continued to study at the Institute and soon opened our consulting business, 168 Feng Shui Advisors. We began slowly at first, consulting for friends and people around us. Then we expanded our business to others. Now after years of Feng Shui teaching and consulting, for countless families, businesses, and individuals, I still have wonderment about this fascinating art and science. I have taught, consulted for, and met, people from all around the world. I have helped simple families and powerful people, all seeking a balance and prosperity in their lives. It really has been a rewarding journey.

Being knowledgeable in computers, I set up two websites, one for our business and the other one for the Institute. In 1996, the Internet was just getting going and I did not realize the impact these websites would have in the future. In 2000, Master Sang asked me about the concept of online classes. I did not know if it would work, but I sat down and developed them with him. Now, the Institute's website (www.amfengshui.com) is a top Feng Shui virtual campus with a bookstore, online classes, and interactive Feng Shui discussions.

From 1996 on, I was teaching many of the classes at the Institute. It was not long before I realized that Master Larry Sang was my "Sifu." Sifu is a Chinese term meaning "father and teacher." Over the years, he truly has been a father figure to me, guiding and mentoring Sophia and I in our lives. I may be old-fashioned in my thinking, but I took on the Asian philosophy of Master and Student. I would not choose to learn from any other Master, as there is so much knowledge and depth to Master Sang.

When you know Feng Shui, you really begin to enjoy and appreciate life more. Learning balance in the environment also helped me to learn balance in my life. Learning to give to people through Feng Shui has helped me to learn to give to others all around. Feng Shui is a lifelong study. No matter what the topic, I feel that people should spend their lives learning and realize life's lessons are all around us.

After seven years of practicing Feng Shui, my life is completely different. Sophia and I have new friends, a career which is flexible and fulfilling, and a deep respect for the laws of nature. To this day, I think back to the innocent meeting and am very appreciative, somewhere in my Chinese astrology chart, I was destined to find a wife who is a true friend and partner; and a mentor who would show me what life and the universe are all about.

By Chris Shaul