Princess Lim Fernandez used to be a skeptic about feng shui. In fact, she admitted not understanding what the items were for her mom, Baby, used to put in their house.
But things changed when she saw the good things that have happened to them with the help of revered late feng shui master Paul Lau Tak Lun.
“We used to go to Paul to consult him for our family business. He’d go to the house, fix everything and after that, things will really change. So I kinda got curious,” Princess shared with Manila Standard.
She related how she would meet master Paul and talk to him because she felt that “there was something in him.”
“I talked to him and he really indulged me and explained to me. [That was when I realized] there was some sense to it.”
It was during those conversations that Princess learned more about feng shui and Master Paul eventually offered her to be his master apprentice. She related that the heir-less feng shui master looked at her chart and told her that he did intend to pass on his knowledge to her.
“I was resisting at that time because I planned to be a banker and move to New York,” Princess recalled.
Princess graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Engineering. She is also a member of Mensa, an international society of individuals with high IQ.
But a deal was offered: Paul would teach her and when the time came that he passed on, and she still wanted to be banker she could go ahead.
“Suffice it to say, I never became a banker.”
Princess started her career in Geomancy in 1997 and today she has emerged and established herself as an inimitable feng shui expert.
In 1998, master Paul, Princess and her mother founded the Yin & Yang Shop of Harmony at Makati Shangri-La Hotel. It has since moved to Mandarin Oriental Hotel in 2001 and to its current home at New World Makati Hotel.
Harmony, because according to the Filipino-Chinese feng shui consultant, attaining for harmony is the way to get lucky.
Princess said feng shui’s general basis is balance and harmony. As she puts it, “when things are balanced, everything goes smoothly. When things are harmonious, everything goes smoothly. And that’s luck.”
The shop offers select feng shui items and other related objects. According to its website, many of items are unique to the shop since they were specially made and handcrafted based on original designs using only the finest, authentic and traditional materials.
This also where Princess meets with her clients.
Much like her master, Princess makes the practice of feng shui more accessible. In the age where self-diagnosis has become the norm, she’s aware that anybody can read a book and apply that knowledge, regardless if it’s right or otherwise.
“My role is I interpret it. (The important thing is) how you get the message across that would help them,” she said.
When she was younger, she never thought that this would be something she’d be doing.
“As you grow older, you think of how you can make a little spot, leave a mark in the world. To have a purpose in life,” mused Princess.
Back when she was starting, Princess helped a distraught widow who had little money to spend on feng shui items. When she came back a year later, Princess recalled, the woman was better and happier.
“It was then when I thought that this is how I can leave a mark.”
Part of Princess’s effort to support the feng shui community is through her feng shui lucky diary, which she publishes annually. The book serves as an infallible daily guide for practitioners.
Watch out for Manila Standard’s Chinese New Year special featuring tips from feng shui expert Princess Lim Fernandez.
Photos by Sonny Espiritu