We were lucky to catch up with Kartar Diamond recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kartar, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

To become a Feng Shui consultant in the early 1990’s was, for me, taking a big risk. Hardly anyone in the United States had heard of Feng Shui and I didn’t even bother with a business card for a long time. “Feng Shui” sounded more like an exotic Chinese dish than a metaphysical discipline which studies the influence of man-made and natural surroundings.

My teaching and consulting began before the Internet became a must for every household, and to that extent, I had many large audiences whenever I set up a speaking engagements. People “in the know” were hungry for this information. There were hardly any books in English on the topic, hardly anyone teaching or consulting in Feng Shui, so I really made my mark, with ease, throughout Southern California.

It still felt like a risk, as I did not know if I could make a living practicing an ancient Chinese art form. But it all worked out and I have never looked back.

Kartar, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have lived in Southern California starting from the age of six. Many know that Californians are often on the cutting edge and forefront of all things trendy. But I was a serious, cerebral person, even as a child. I started studying metaphysics in earnest as a teenager, so my approach and and appreciation for Feng Shui has always been on the deeper levels and not just the superficial or generic way in which other practitioners relate to Feng Shui. Feng Shui made sense to me immediately, but I knew that I had to study with highly regarded, authentic masters and gain a lot of experience before making any claims.

Feng Shui interprets how we are affected by the design and decor of our homes and businesses, in both obvious and non-obvious ways. Energy can be calculated based on a number of features, including when a structure has been built (Time) and how it is oriented (Space). The natural exterior environment has a big impact on us as well. This special manifestation of Space-Time theory has universal qualities to it which have influenced people similarly regardless of their ethnic background or beliefs. I use my skill set for evaluating existing residences and commercial properties, as well as offering advice in the design phase and in property searches.

To date, I have authored three trade paperback books, 6 ebooks, and 37 case study lesson plans, all available on my website for beginners to advanced students, or those just interested in Feng Shui for their own knowledge. My private mentoring school has attracted students from all over the world with internship and certification opportunities.

Even though Feng Shui is esoteric by definition, we deal with very mundane issues and I help people make changes to their personal or professional environment which can help them attract more success, better health and more satisfying relationships. We even get into very specific concerns, such as fertility, legal problems, infidelity, and illnesses which are the direct result of poor Feng Shui. I have been told countless times that what sets me apart from other practitioners is my ability to explain why a space has certain Feng Shui flaws, how to fix the problems inconspicuously, and how to prioritize the big problems from the little problems. Clients appreciate my professionalism in documenting the evaluation in a comprehensive written report and I always return calls and answering follow up questions. Any client of mine has the opportunity to be a client for life and I also provide annual update reports so that people can fine-tune their homes and businesses for the changing yearly cycles that all structures go through.

I am actually most proud of the fact that I have been in business since 1992, supporting myself and family through my Feng Shui business, and by providing affordable consultations for thousands of people world-wide. I am honored to be recognized as a sincere and easy-to-understand author and teacher, who can back up all the Feng Shui concepts I discuss with actual experience. And I love that I have helped so many people reach their greater potential through the medium of Feng Shui.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

When asked what helped build my reputation, I could sum it all up in one word: results. But that is really only part of the equation. Clients have gotten great results from following through with the Feng Shui recommendations I have made to them, but I can also take a step back, be a little more humble, and say that in reality Feng Shui is only one of five major influences in our life, two of which we have no control over (Destiny and Luck). I cannot personally take credit for all the good things that happen with my clients after implementing the changes.

In truth, I have built my reputation within the field of Feng Shui, by the same best practices that people in other careers have used for theirs. I always explain the reason or rationale for why I make a recommendation, instead of leaving things unnecessarily mysterious. I have studied my field so thoroughly that I can also explain why I do things differently than other practitioners and I have built trust and good will by being generous with my time.

As the author of Feng Shui for Skeptics: Real Solutions Without Superstition, I was one of the first practitioners brave enough to point out what is real Feng Shui versus what is Fake Feng Shui, even when it offended some of the big Feng Shui celebrities (or their students) who were using, and continue to use, marketing gimmicks over genuine historical practices.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I gave birth to my son in 1991, just as I was also learning Feng Shui. As the years passed, I thought I was raising either the next Robin Williams or the next Eric Clapton. My son was hysterically funny and also emerging as a fantastic musician. However, my hopes and dreams for him came crashing down when he was 15 years old. To make a long story shorter, he was diagnosed in his later teens with schizophrenia.

There was a lot of drama in my otherwise charmed life as a Feng Shui consultant. There was heartache, fear, outrageous experiences and tremendous disillusion in what constitutes our nation’s broken mental healthcare system. And here was something going on in our lives that Feng Shui could not cure.

Because my son is my first priority, I had to abandon making career goals in some years, knowing that I would have to attend to his needs first. Sitting in hospitals or searching for my son on the streets of Los Angeles, yes there were times when Feng Shui had to take a backseat. That being said, I have always had a spiritual orientation toward life. Years before I had ever heard of Feng Shui, I was a yoga and meditation practitioner. Even the spiritual concepts in Feng Shui, borrowed from Taoism, helped me get through those tough times. I called upon a higher power to help my son first and my sanity second.

I came to find out, that by becoming a mental illness advocate and researcher, that it only brought even more meaning to my chosen career path. The house is a mirror of self in more ways than one and for all good reasons I have since been able to speak more freely with clients when it comes to their own mental health issues or a family member’s fragility. In 2020, during the lock down, I was blessed with a good amount of remote clients who I worked with over the internet, but I also took time out to write a memoir I never expected to write, about my reaction to my son’s brain disorder. It’s called Noah’s Schizophrenia: A Mother’s Search for Truth. I mention this also, in case some people assume that I live and breathe Feng Shui 24/7. No, there are other parts to my life beyond work, as with everyone.

I am happy to say that for several years now, my son has been stable and on a steady path towards greater insight and healing. And mom has been able to get back to Feng Shui, with a fuller heart and with even more compassion than when I started 32 years ago.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.FengShuiSolutions.net