About me
Biography of Raffaela Anna Marescalco
Childhood and roots
I was born in January 1971 in Enna, the highest provincial capital in Italy, at an altitude of 1,100 meters. During winter, the city is covered in snow, and from the Lombardia Castle, you can see Mount Etna, always imposing and fascinating.
In 1973, my father decided to move our family to Turin. At that time, in the most elegant areas of the city, there were signs that said ‘no rentals to southerners’. My father overcame this discrimination through his self-confidence. My mother, however, was more vulnerable, and those words deeply affected her. She was a well-educated teacher but often seemed sad. I remember she rarely laughed and sang melancholic songs, while my father preferred songs of freedom.
Both were very strict parents.
Educational journey before Feng Shui consultations.
My educational path was quite linear as I progressed through school. I was a diligent child… and while studying, to avoid wasting time and to earn some money, I started teaching swimming at a pool, working as an instructor, and spent a season at a tourist resort when I was not even 18 years old. During university, I learned to magically manage my time: I won a scholarship for a Marketing course at the Chamber of Commerce (a 6-month course, 8 hours a day), obtained a Tourist Interpreter license, and while studying and teaching swimming, I also took singing lessons… while, while, while…
Near the end of my university journey, I won an Erasmus scholarship that nobody else wanted: it involved studying American literature in a German-speaking (specifically Swiss-German) country… Most people gauge their strengths before taking on challenges, but during that period, I was moving from one challenge to another, each more daring than the last, without realizing I was starting to undermine my physical and physiological well-being.
The Initial Challenges and the Rebirth
I had the feeling that whatever success I could achieve would never be enough.
Not even a month after returning from Basel, I left for Munich, where I had found a family to live with; I would work as an au pair so I could write my thesis at the prestigious LMU (Ludwig Maximilian University)… Here too, of course, while studying, I cleaned, organized… and taught Italian to my German colleagues…
Even before graduating, I had found a job at a company in Turin. But I really didn’t want to work in a company and had no intention of staying in Turin.
I was so obedient and dutiful that I couldn’t stop the momentum… During that time, I was seeing a German guy who wanted to experience life in a warm country… Before I could even figure out how I felt about him (probably not too well, actually), more pressures began. It was time to get married… once married… it was time to have children… I felt like I was in a whirlwind and didn’t even realize it… I wasn’t even 30 yet and I was always tired.
The history of Raffaela Marescalco's logo
Discover how my logo originated from a simple drawing by my daughter.
Personal Life and Motherhood
Then, by divine grace, Sarah was born on June 13, 2002… and on that day, I was reborn with her. She provided me with the excuse to follow much more human and slower rhythms. I found myself immersed in a bubble of absolute serenity and happiness.
With this sweet little girl, I discovered the regular rhythms of sleep and wakefulness, and of calm. She taught me the pleasure of staying home to take care of her and our nest. She taught me that it’s possible to dance and sing joyfully at home. I understood how important the home was for us and for the care of our family.
She taught me to take care of her through fresh, healthy, seasonal food, produced with care and love by farmers, and cooked with the intent of caring for her, to see her grow strong, healthy, vital, and cheerful. She taught me to take care of the plants; since Sarah arrived, the plants have grown lush and flourishing, happy to live in our home.
But Sarah didn’t stop there; she and Noemi, who arrived three years later, taught me how to be a mother. A welcoming, calm, present, affectionate mother; every success was celebrated with a “big celebration” and every little fall with a kiss… But no matter how much I did as a mother, my relationship with my partner was miserably collapsing, built on shaky foundations of what was surely immature and probably unawakened love… perhaps not even supported from a karmic perspective.
The Second Rebirth
On January 8, 2008, I was reborn. I awoke from anesthesia after a surgery that I would never undergo again, which I had chosen out of a deep sense of insecurity. The anesthetist came to touch my head as I woke up because I kept vomiting… this doctor would come to my room every morning and ask how I was, while my husband looked at me with a cynical, cold, distant expression. He didn’t ask me even once how I was, what I felt… he didn’t even come close to my hospital bed to hold my hand. I was 37 years old and felt like the least loved person in the world.
During those days, I realized that our relationship had come to an end.
At this point, it was inevitable, and in March 2008, I set off a bomb in my life. Within three months, I filed for separation, found and furnished an apartment, and enrolled the children in schools near our new apartment. It was small, intimate, welcoming, and very practical for our new life.
I was alone, without a penny saved, and responsible for two little ones, aged 6 and 3.
Awareness and the Philosophy of Kintsukuroi
Kintsukuroi is the ancient Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics. When a vase shatters into a thousand pieces, kintsukuroi master craftsmen gather the fragments and bond them, filling the cracks with gold or silver paste.
They do not hide the fractures but highlight them, believing that a repaired vase shows both fragility and the strength to endure. In this lies true beauty. The encounter with this traditional Japanese practice, Zen philosophy, and Western psychology creates a new way of looking at the objects around us, as well as ourselves, respecting their fragility, scars, and marks of time. We are what we are because we have been what we have been.
I knew nothing of this art yet, but it was exactly what was happening to my soul.
I took the time to heal the wounds, to reorganize my family into our new trio while trying to restore mental order above all. What i needed was to find clarity and regain my self-esteem. Gather the shards and repair the broken vase.
The discovery of Feng Shui
I regained some energy, the certainty of being a good mother, of still being valuable as an employee, as a friend, as a daughter, and as a sister… I decided it was time to resume studying. Learning and deepening my knowledge has always been a source of great satisfaction for me. I considered Psychology, Sociology… Anthropology… then in the summer of 2011, I came across something intriguing. There was a basic level Feng Shui course (Feng Shui consultations) in Milan…
I had found my path! This ancient Chinese discipline knew how to so effectively connect my need to study. Finally, my rational and logical side could peacefully coexist with my strong physical and emotional perception.
By chance, I managed to secure the financial resources to take the Advanced Course. In a somewhat reckless and very adventurous manner, because it was a truly significant investment for me, I also completed the Professional Course, finishing the entire journey. The day of the exam was a great lesson… more than anything I was already experiencing in my awareness: “if the teacher is nervous, it’s not because of you; it’s more likely about his own mood which has nothing to do with you… so be calm, do your best, and everything will be perfect.“
I believe this is the phrase that I inscribed on the first milestone of my journey. The first knot of the tangled threads of my life was starting to loosen.
Feng Shui consultations and professional growth
I started giving lectures in Turin after graduating. I began offering Feng Shui consultations. Gradually, I became more sensitive in “reading and interpreting” my clients’ homes.
But none of this would have been possible if I hadn’t received support in my own journey. Letting go of judgment, my own experiences, being completely neutral to truly help others… this was essential! I was very happy with my path… of course, I continued to take advanced courses, read personal growth books, explore other holistic disciplines, and seek help from experts in these fields because another message had become very clear to me: “no one saves herself/himself alone.”
This gave me incredible energy! Whatever happened in my life wouldn’t bring me down anymore… I knew how to handle emotional, psychological, and of course physical challenges. Than i had started creating jewelry with semi-precious stones… I had learned to rely on Dr. Edward Bach’s flower therapy. Understanding a subtler well-being recharged me and inspired those around me.
Continuous education and new disciplines
My professional evolution
This has certainly been one of the most rewarding aspects of this long journey I embarked on. In 2018, I realized that the timing wasn’t right yet to start my own business; I was close, but not fully prepared. I felt (and my Chinese astrological theme – BA ZI or the Four Pillars of Destiny – seemed to confirm) that I needed to continue deepening my knowledge and expanding my horizons.
So, I decided to attend the Naturopathy school, the first of its kind in Italy. The subjects were very technical, grounded in solid scientific foundations but with a strong emotional impact. During the lockdown months, I intensified my efforts like never before, and in January 2021, I completed all the exams. A few months later, I also obtained the title of Iridology Counselor. In addition to Feng Shui consultations, my training now allowed me to cover multiple fields.
End of Raffaela Marescalco's biography.
Here, in this biography of mine, you will find all the dots that, starting from March 2008, have led me to become who I am today: a woman who chooses to be happy, to stay healthy, to age aware that life is a cycle, that the rhythm of the seasons of nature lives within us and we are part of it, and to understand that everything that happens in our life ultimately teaches us wisdom. This gives me a sense of total lightness. I wish each of you a wonderful journey…
Since 2015, I have had the privilege to support many people who trust in my skills…
Today, I can finally smile when looking back, and I can support your journey if you decide to embark on it.
In over 300 Feng Shui consultations that I have conducted, I have experienced the immense joy of some clients who have found love, others who have written books, many who have had children and expanded their families, and some who have completely changed their lives! And many have simply allowed themselves to be transformed by the power of color… finding wellness and serenity in their own homes!
If you visit the section ‘Feng Shuiing Your Life,’ I present all the paths I have designed for you.
With love,
Raffaela.