It has recently been brought to my attention that a competing Feng Shui business published my name, photograph, company information and professional profile on its website without my knowledge, consent or authorisation.
The page did not simply mention me in passing. It listed me among a number of Feng Shui practitioners while also promoting the website owner’s own Feng Shui and BaZi consultation services and Feng Shui-related products.
What concerned me further was that the practitioners listed on the page were not merely introduced. Commentary was included about their respective practices, and in my case, statements were made about my business operations, professional approach and the way I practise Feng Shui which I considered inaccurate, misleading and damaging to my professional reputation.
I therefore felt it was important to address the matter formally.
My lawyers contacted the business concerned, and the listing involving my name, photograph and professional information has since been taken down.
I am sharing this publicly to make my position clear and to protect the professional reputation that I have built over almost 30 years.
I Did Not Authorise the Listing
At no time did I give this business permission to use my name, photograph, biography, company details or professional credentials on its website.
Neither I nor Adelina Pang Fengshui Consultancy Pte Ltd has any affiliation, partnership, endorsement or professional association with this business.
When a commercial website features another practitioner’s photograph, professional credentials and company information, readers may naturally assume that permission has been given or that some form of professional relationship exists.
In this instance, there was no such relationship and no permission was granted.
Using Fellow Practitioners to Promote One’s Own Business
What was particularly concerning was the manner in which fellow practitioners were presented.
A number of practitioners appeared to be listed and discussed on the website while the same website was promoting its own consultation services and products.
The accompanying commentary appeared, in several instances, to focus on perceived shortcomings, differences or weaknesses in those practitioners’ approaches.
In my view, this creates an unfortunate impression.
A commercial website should be able to explain the benefits of its own services without needing to diminish fellow practitioners in order to make its own business appear more favourable.
There is nothing wrong with practitioners having different approaches, philosophies or methodologies. The Feng Shui industry is broad, and consumers should have the freedom to decide for themselves which practitioner they feel comfortable engaging.
However, using another practitioner’s name, photograph and professional reputation to attract website traffic while simultaneously publishing commentary that may cause readers to view that practitioner less favourably is something I do not consider appropriate professional conduct.
I believe professionals should compete through the quality of their knowledge, experience, service and work — not by belittling one another.
Statements About My Practice Were Not Accurate
The publication also included commentary concerning the way I operate my consultancy and the way I advise my clients.
That is not an accurate representation of how I practise.
My consultations are personally assessed according to the individual property, its external environment, orientation, energy structure, timing and the occupants who live or work within the space.
My recommendations are not generic.
They are based on the actual Feng Shui requirements of each property and client.
Feng Shui Is Not a Religion or Spiritual Practice
One point raised by the publication was the fact that I do not incorporate prayers, blessings or consecration rituals into my Feng Shui consultations.
I would like to be very clear about this.
Classical Feng Shui is not a religion.
It does not require a practitioner to conduct prayers, spiritual ceremonies, blessings or consecration rituals in order to be considered a proper Feng Shui practitioner.
Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese metaphysical system concerned with the relationship between people, their environment, direction, timing and the flow of Qi.
A professional Feng Shui assessment may involve factors such as the external environment, property orientation, main entrance, bedrooms, bed placement, stove placement, working directions, annual influences and the appropriate application of the Five Elements.
These are very different from religious or spiritual practices.
Some practitioners may personally choose to incorporate rituals or spiritual practices into their services. That is entirely their choice, and clients who believe in those practices are free to engage them.
However, such practices should not be presented as a compulsory part of Feng Shui or used to imply that practitioners who do not perform them are somehow less qualified or incomplete.
My practice does not incorporate religious or spiritual rituals because that is not how I practise classical Feng Shui.
Feng Shui Should Not Depend on Expensive “Good Luck” Products
The incident also highlights another issue that I have spoken about for many years: the increasing commercialisation of Feng Shui.
Today, the public is exposed to many products marketed as wealth enhancers, prosperity objects, protection items, auspicious products or “good luck” items.
There is nothing wrong with purchasing a decorative object that you enjoy.
But I do not believe clients should be made to feel that they must purchase expensive Feng Shui merchandise in order for Feng Shui to work.
My clients are not required to buy costly “good luck” products from me.
Where an elemental enhancement is genuinely required, it can often be achieved through practical means already found within a home or office, such as plants, water, lighting, metal or appropriate placement and use of space.
The effectiveness of Feng Shui should not depend on the price of an ornament.
Nor should fear be used as a sales technique.
A client should not first be made anxious about wealth, health, relationships or family circumstances and then be told that purchasing an expensive item is necessary to correct the problem.
My role as a consultant is to assess the environment and provide appropriate professional recommendations — not to create fear and then sell a product as the solution.
Different Practitioners Can Have Different Approaches
There are many schools and approaches within the Feng Shui profession.
Practitioners will naturally disagree from time to time.
That is normal.
I respect the right of every practitioner to explain his or her own methodology and to promote their services.
What I do not agree with is using another professional’s identity, photograph, company information or reputation as part of one’s own commercial marketing while publishing commentary that may diminish that individual’s credibility.
If a practitioner believes strongly in his own methodology, then that methodology should be able to stand on its own merits.
There should be no need to make another practitioner look smaller in order to make oneself appear bigger.
The Listing Has Been Removed
Because my professional name, photograph, business and reputation were involved, I referred the matter to my lawyers.
My lawyers subsequently contacted the business concerned.
The listing involving me has now been removed from the website.
I appreciate that the unauthorised material has been taken down.
However, I believe it is still important to make this public clarification because information published online can easily be shared, copied or misunderstood, even after the original page has been removed.
For the avoidance of doubt, no third-party Feng Shui company has permission to use my name, photograph, biography, company details or professional credentials for promotional articles, comparative marketing, rankings, advertisements or the promotion of its own services or products without my prior written consent.
Please Refer to My Official Channels
If you wish to know more about my professional background, philosophy, services or approach to Feng Shui, please refer directly to the official website and communication channels of Adelina Pang Fengshui Consultancy Pte Ltd.
Information about me appearing on another Feng Shui practitioner’s website should not automatically be assumed to have been supplied, approved or endorsed by me.
If you come across any website, advertisement, social-media account or publication using my name, photograph or business information in connection with another Feng Shui company, I would appreciate being informed.
My Position Remains the Same
After almost 30 years in this profession, my philosophy remains straightforward.
Feng Shui should help people understand and work with their environment. It should not rely on fear, superstition, spiritual pressure or the compulsory purchase of expensive “good luck” products.
Every practitioner is entitled to his or her own approach.
Likewise, every practitioner deserves to have his or her professional identity and reputation treated with respect.
We should allow our work, knowledge, experience and service to speak for themselves.
Thank you to my clients, students, corporate partners and members of the public who have supported and trusted my work over the years.
Adelina Pang
CEO & Principal Consultant
Adelina Pang Fengshui Consultancy Pte Ltd
It’s You We Care About.
