Potential buyers and sellers of homes are turning to spiritual consultants to help them make the right choices
Natalie Sutton
Estate agents say the property market is about “location, location, location”. Business people may be concerned with the commuting distance between work and home. Young families consider schools. But for some people, ethereal influences and divination the art of discovering future or unknown events are seen as major forces when making decisions to buy or sell a home, even though such practices are less than rational.
Spiritual consultants are available in person, by telephone and now online to give readings and charts that are then interpreted as advice or guidance. Feng shui, the Chinese belief in the importance of where things are placed, has become very popular over the past few years. It involves choosing and altering your environment to maximise your “chi”, or wellbeing.
According to leading consultant and author of Quick Feng Shui Cures, Sarah Shurety, there are many ways of establishing whether a property and its immediate vicinity are conducive to an individual’s harmony and this has to do with the vibration of an area supporting their particular “chi”.
You should start by exploring the feel of a neighbourhood, looking out for negative signs such as dead animals on the road or people being less than friendly when asked for directions. On entering a house, the estate agent’s key should turn smoothly in the lock and the lavatory should never be positioned opposite the front door.
It is apparently not only the way in which the house is designed and decorated that can affect your future happiness but also fundamental issues such as the property’s history, its position in relation to the sun and the wind, the amount of greenery surrounding it, its proximity to water as well as the time and geographical direction of your actual move. The list of dos and don’ts is long and a good place to start is at www.fengshuisite.com followed by a consultation relating specifically to you and your property.
Panchang is the Indian alternative with origins from 4000 BC. This system uses the exact position of the Moon, the planets and zodiac signs at the time and place of birth to formulate a chart.
Panchang is a way for the individual to use timing to their advantage by, for example, calculating the best time to buy and sell property. Sam Chaffey consulted Michael Geary, a Panchang astrologer, about her move.
Sam explained: “The property had slipped into negative equity and was proving impossible to sell. I was distraught at the prospect of not being able to move. However, Michael suggested an auspicious time to put the house on the market, and within the week we had found a buyer at the original asking price.”
The sale went without a hitch.
According to Geary, timing is the key to success. “For example,” he said, “I advised one person on her house move recently. Her consultation suggested that she postpone putting the house on the market for a few weeks. She did so and the sale finalised at 40% above the original asking price.”
But so too have a lot of house sales in the past year or so. This particular divination is available at www.panchang.com, where it claims to be able to “ease the stress” of a house move.
The origins of tarot are uncertain, although it seems to have started as a card game handed down by gypsies travelling through Europe in the thirteenth century. Tarot readings are a selection of picture cards picked from a pack of 72 which allude to the fortune of the person asking a specific question.
Kathryn was considering a move out of the city to a cottage in the country. The reasons for moving included an easy commute, good schools and the benefits of country living. The property seemed perfect. “It had loads of character, was beautifully decorated and backed on to open fields,” she said. But it was more than their budget allowed so they put in an offer, which was turned down.
Kathryn first consulted her tarot reader on whether the move was auspicious. The reader used a three-card spread as follows: the Three of Cups showed a happy group, seen as Kathryn and her family. The second revealed the Hierophant, a card with strong religious overtones and therefore relevant to the town they wished to move to. The third card represented the answer to the question asked, and in this case was the Hermit interpreted as Kathryn’s isolation if she left the city.
The process was repeated asking whether Kathryn should move to the country. The Hermit came up again as the first card that reinforced the tarot reader’s concerns. The Ace of Pentacles related to the area and the outcome was the Five of Cups, a card of regret that pictured three cups having fallen down. In view of the previous reading, the tarot reader felt that this was very worrying and advised caution.
Meanwhile, the property was under offer twice from other buyers, but these potential deals fell through before Kathryn spotted it advertised at a lower price. The cards were consulted again, this time with the actual cottage in mind to decide on whether Kathryn should put in another offer.
The third tarot card in the reading showed the King of Cups whose throne is floating on water, which greatly troubled the reader; a definite sign of unstable foundations. Kathryn pressed the estate agent for further details on why the house sale appeared to be so problematic. It was revealed that a property developer had bought the land behind the cottage and, rather than surrounding themselves with open fields, Kathryn and her family could have found themselves on a housing estate. They decided to stay in the city. “I will always consult the tarot,” says Kathryn. “But it’s only relevant if you are going to act on it.”
The tarot reader explained that often the symbolism depicted on the card only served to strengthen convictions you had already. “It’s all about interpretation and often it can make you feel as though fortune is smiling on you.”
There are other divinations you can consult when considering a move. Like Panchang, astrology, or the zodiac as we see it in horoscopes, usually relates to the time and place of your birth. An astrological chart is drawn up focusing on birth as the most important symbolic time of life. From this, natal astrology dictates whether it is the right time to buy, sell or move, according to your individual chart. Horary astrology depends on the time at which a particular decision is made on whether it is fortuitous. For example, an offer has been made on my flat, should I accept it?
Electional astrology makes it possible to elect a specific time to do something. For instance, completing on a certain date at a certain time, although you would have to find an understanding solicitor to comply with this. Obviously, a combination of all three types of astrology is used to give a more detailed response to various questions and dilemmas.
Patricia, an astrologer, advised her client who was considering a move from a flat to a larger property in a more affordable area to wait as something much closer to home seemed to be symbolised in her chart. Soon afterwards, the flat below came up for sale offering the possibility of a cheap conversion and a less costly move while staying in the same area.
Numerology gives individuals a life path number which is reached by a calculation involving date of birth. House numbers come into play by suggesting a mood for the house that is or is not compatible with the life path number of its occupant. Vaastu shastra is similar to feng shui and concentrates on the flow of energy through your body and your surroundings.
So next time you are gazing through an estate agent’s window and you think you might fancy a change, think about where the house is positioned with regard to the elements and consider the time at which your birth dictates you should move.
Consult the tarot cards and beware the unlucky Hanged Man, and finally, if your life path number is four, don’t even think of moving into number 57 because, among other things, you’d have to paint it violet to restore the karma and secure happy, fruitful relationships.
ENDS