Meet Vicky Iskandar | Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vicky Iskandar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vicky, how does your business help the community?
One of the services I offer to clients besides a traditional Feng Shui assessment is a strategic reading based on the five element theory of Chinese Metaphysics and a rare ancient art of war called Qi Men Dun Jia. There’s been a high demand for the reading in the past year, and I’m grateful to have the expertise to share this useful and timely knowledge. The reading offers my clients not only hopes for a brighter future, but they can also use the information as a lifelong tool to help bring clarity to their intentions and transform their mindset to a more optimistic and compassionate view of the world.

Chinese Metaphysics is an art that brings awareness and understanding of our external environment and inner nature. When we’ve gained a broader perspective of who we are and what we’re truly capable of, we can change the world, one mindset at a time, starting with one’s self. The reading is especially helpful to small business owners and those in the creative fields as it gives them a blueprint of what to anticipate in their business, which helps them manage their expectations and guide them into doing the right thing at the right time. Personally, witnessing a client’s growth always brings me great joy.

I also publish a general monthly Chinese Astrology and Feng Shui update on my website at FunctionalFengShui.com and a daily astrology update on Instagram and Twitter @goldriverastro. I may not have hundreds of thousands of followers on these platforms, but over the years I’ve built an engaged, highly-conscious community who’d check in daily and use my insights as guidance. I think that those who read my writing find it impactful, and if I can change even just one person’s life through the writing, then it’s found its purpose.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Functional Feng Shui offers classical Feng Shui assessments and strategic consulting based on Chinese Metaphysics. Our Feng Shui assessment incorporates the Flying Stars school of Feng Shui to identify and activate positive sectors in one’s environment, and the 8 Mansions for the best sleeping and working positions according to the occupants’ personal directions, while a strategic reading combines BaZi (a form of Chinese Astrology) with Qi Men Dun Jia (a form of divination employed by war strategists in ancient China). These schools of Chinese Metaphysics have been used for decades by savvy business owners in Asian countries to not only help generate revenues but also encourage a positive working environment.

My well-rounded background and skill sets are what set me apart from others in my field. I’ve been writing, editing, and blogging since the early 2000s after getting an MBA in Marketing. I also started studying Western astrology around then, but it wasn’t until I got certified in Chinese Astrology and Feng Shui that I felt the push to integrate my knowledge in metaphysics with my strategic skills. After working with clients who may be skilled in what they do but aren’t too familiar with the art of selecting the right timing, my business training further convinced me that we need to work with the energy of the environment, because Feng Shui at its purest is a study of the environment and how to be in harmony with nature.

I named my business Functional Feng Shui because with Feng Shui we can recommend the best use for a particular space based on its energetic signatures. I also strive to recommend cures that ideally serve a function. A house visitor should never know that the beautiful metal accent table in the living room is actually a remedy. Or that an art work or a plant is in a specific corner for a reason.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA is so vast that I usually stick to one area per day when I have friends and family visiting me. I’m very fond of Malibu as I used to work and live there. A day in Malibu would include a BYOB lunch at Malibu Seafood, followed by whale watching at Point Dume. We’d end the day watching the sunset. Another happy place in LA is Descanso Gardens – it’s so easy to leave my worries behind when I’m wandering around their Oak Forest and admiring their camellia collection. I can experience the Chinese Five Elements in harmony at the gardens. As a Feng Shui consultant, I also love observing and showing friends the landscape that makes LA a creative and prosperous place to settle in. Nancy Hoover Pohl Overlook at Fryman Canyon and Barbara A. Fine Overlook at the Summit on Mulholland Drive are great visual representations of the Feng Shui of LA.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have so many teachers, guides, and mentors over the years who’ve inspired me to become who I am today, whose presence in my life have been a gift. My deepest gratitude goes to my great ancestors for passing their knowledge and Taoist wisdom through lessons learned from my teachers, and for their encouragement from the spiritual realm.

Website: http://functionalfengshui.com

Instagram: instagram.com/functionalfengshui

Twitter: twitter.com/goldriverastro

Facebook: facebook.com/functionalfengshui