Elaine Paris & Sue Ruzicka
of Feng Shui Etc.
The Chinese often use the term "Fortunate Blessings" to mean success and fortune. With over 3500 clients served since 1992, “Feng Shui Etc.” is a business guided by a gentle balance of energy with Sue Ruzicka, Ed.D. and Elaine Paris. These ladies offer a variety of services to help clients become aware of how their lives are affected by the flow or stagnation of Chi, the Life Force Energy.
In 1990 Sue went to seminary school after her mother passed away, marking a shift and transition in her life. It was in seminary school where Sue became immersed in spiritual teachings, the study of sound therapy, Feng Shui and many different healing modalities. She found the common thread among these studies to be Chi, the Life Energy Force. It became clear to her while in the seminary how important it is to follow the path being presented, and opened Feng Shui Etc.Some Feng Shui Etc. services include: Feng Shui Evaluation (on site or distance), space clearing, land selection, dowsing, new construction review, personal inner Feng Shui, and other related services.
A Feng Shui consultation is set up ahead of time. During initial contact, the importance of respect for the information to be transferred and Chi and its balance is explained. An example of Chi that may be explored during a consultation is: If the Chi is rushing too fast, it needs to be slowed down; just as the Chi is rushing by, so is your money and your energy. Is your front door opposite your back door or a stairway? Is your bedroom or office at the end of a long hallway? Do you have fast moving water near your house? These are some examples of areas that have rushing Chi. As you take steps to slow down the rushing Chi, it encourages more prosperity to support your goals by helping you to get more clarity and to release the confusion that runs with the fast pace of life.
During the consultation, Sue and Elaine walk with the client through the space and identify challenges that may be occurring in the person’s life. Recommendations are made. As Sue explains, “how the energy flows in that space affects you in an unconscious way,” and so adjustments are recommended to change the patterns in the space. Our houses are our “sacred spaces, they connect us with who we are,” says Sue and “allowing energy to flow through this space in an optimal manner will bring change into your life.”
Your surroundings and the reflections of your environment can influence everyone who enters your home in a positive or negative way. It is the client that chooses how they will adjust their environment based on the suggested recommendations. Changes made from these recommendations can change the course of your life and bring health, happiness and prosperity.
Special Thanks to Jeannette Sebes-McDonald for interview/article.
Q & A with Sue Ruzicka, Ed.D.
Where are you from originally? How long have you been in the Chattanooga area? I was originally born in Oak Ridge, TN but my family moved when I was 3 years old to North Augusta, SC where I lived until I graduated from college. This was my family's home until 1988 when my Mother passed away. I am the last surviving member of my family. This is where I learned a big lesson about clutter and the energy connected to the things we have. I have been living in Cookeville, TN for 6 years and go to Chattanooga several times a month.
If you had three wishes, what would they be in order of importance?
- For each of us to be present and conscious in the now. Loving and respecting ourselves and each other.
- To help the Feng Shui of Chattanooga & Tennessee one home and business at a time.
- For peace and respect for Planet Earth.
What is the one thing you would most like us to know about you? That we help others realize that their living space is a sacred space and that by getting in touch from that perspective, they realize the inter-connectedness between the outer and the inner space of who they are as a soul essence.
What do you do for fun? I love to sing and play my guitar. I also love to play goft, swim, and hike.
What is the most remarkable thing you’ve seen in your work thus far? We worked closely with a large organization in St. Louis, MO. for the past two years on a new facility. During that two year period we worked with the floor plan of the new facility as well has enhancing their existing facility utilizing Feng Shui to help them meet their financial and expansion goals. It was important that the business continued to function in all aspects, but particularly fund raising to have the money to pay for the new facility. We worked with them from the planning stage through the completion of a new facility. During this two year period the organization raised over three times the money needed to fund the project, completed the building of the new facility on schedule and moved all staff into the new building facility in time for their most busy time of the year. This was a $4 million dollar project of which $10 million was raised.
How has running this business and being involved with Feng Shui helped you personally? It has helped me see the energetic power of the things we have around us in our living and our work space. Everything has energy. Everything that is alive has live energy and dead things such as dried flowers have dead energy. The importance of keeping things current and in the present is very important. This keeps us all in the present. The balance between things and space is very important.
What is the one thing you want the public to understand about your services that you feel they don’t? Feng Shui is an oral tradition that is passed on from master to student. There are over 100 different schools of Feng Shui and there are now many books on Feng Shui. It is difficult for an individual to apply the principles of Feng Shui to their own space because they are too close to their own space. They see their space everyday and it impacts them energetically. We see your space with trained and experienced eyes that can help you see the reflection of things going on in your life. The great thing about Feng Shui, is once we identify your challenges, we provide solutions that will help you improve your life. We get results with the Feng Shui work that we do!