Average Rating:
Rating:
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Excellent guide
I highly recomend this book to
anyone who is struggling with feng shui and who want a
no nonsense approach to learning it. Kartar's book is a
good multifaceted guide that shows her readers how apply
traditional FS in their lives. There are interesting
stories of celebrities (O.J. Simpson, Menendez murders,
more) and telling details of their houses.
If you
are serious but new to Feng Shui and want to stop the
confusion, this may be the book you are looking.
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Harmony and Balance
Of all the things we
have at our disposal in these modern times, feng shui is
just one more feature to help us live to our potential.
For instance, if you are trying to be healthy, not only
will you want to eat nutritious food, but you will
recognize how your physical surroundings affect your
health. ~Kartar Diamond
When my husband worked
as a real estate agent, he encountered Feng Shui at full
force. Not only would clients shy away from certain
styles of homes, they loved the number 8 in a price.
Can a house truly affect your wealth and health?
Well, in my case it seems that the last location was
detrimental to my financial health and the new location
has encouraged not only a more healthy financial
situation (even though it costs more to live here), it
has in fact improved my marriage and has increased my
creativity. How does this work? Is there a reason Feng
Shui (pronounced fung shway) works and why does this
3,000-year-old Chinese design philosophy change lives?
Not only will a simple change in the placement
of a desk improve your mood, it could also make you more
productive, increase your income and encourage a
healthier work environment. By changing the position of
my desk in my work area, I not only created a calmer
environment (no more startling experiences with someone
walking in my room from behind), I also can now open a
window (therefore increasing the shen-chi/good energy)
and Princess Sasha (living Ch'i enhancement) enjoys the
view and she also seems to be enjoying my new interest
in this topic. So, not only can a study of Feng Shui
improve your life, it can improve the life of everyone
living in your home, pets included.
In fact,
Kartar Diamond even goes as far as to show how certain
types of homes can promote infertility or increase the
likelihood of crime. Why do some houses attract ghosts
and should you take down that wind chime? How can you
separate the superstition from the life-changing
principles?
Kartar Diamond addresses Western
Skepticism with her own skepticism. First, she explains
scams, shows how incorrect information can be harmful
and even includes a touch of humor where you would never
expect it to appear. She is just as skeptical when it
comes to companies that are not teaching the correct
principles (there are apparently more than 100 different
schools) and exposes a variety of scams where Feng Shui
experts took advantage of people who were truly seeking
good in their lives. So, even if you hire a Feng Shui
expert, I'd highly recommend reading this book.
Before reading this book I wondered why you
could have wood furniture (see page 13) and not dead
plants in the form of potpourri (you can still have
dried flowers - page 118). You might also be wondering
if you have to use all of the five elements in each
room. Kartar Diamond says you don't have to include all
the elements in each room and explains how you should
not try to decorate each room with equal does of the
five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal. I
didn't actually realize I even had significant metal
items until I realized how many tables and bookshelves I
have that are made of metal. So, after reading this
book, I now understand which element to increase. I have
enough wood, but need to increase the "water" and "fire"
elements.
Should you paint a front door red?
Should you place a mirror behind a kitchen stove?
Is it harmful to store things under your bed?
Can books in your bedroom cause insomnia?
This book will be especially helpful for
designers, interior decorators or anyone considering the
purchase of a new home. There is a detailed chapter on
using a compass. You may want to hire a professional if
you are serious about an extremely accurate reading. The
"Actual Case Study House Types" shows how specific house
types can contribute to romance or even divorce.
If you enjoy this book and are looking for
pictures of Feng Shui furniture placement , I think you
will also enjoy The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Room By
Room. I have arranged my desk like the picture on page
167 and found the book to be especially helpful in
setting up my desk space and living room. After reading
a few books on this subject, I've started to realize
that you may even be currently practicing a form of
intuitive Feng Shui without even reading a book on the
subject. Many decisions about furniture placement, just
feel right.
~TheRebeccaReview.com
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Feng Shui for Skeptics
I have been a
professional interior designer in the Los Angeles area
for many years. Yet lately , there have been many
requests from my clients to comment on their Feng Shui .
I have read Feng Shui books over the years, both to
satisfy my clients' desire that I incorporate the
principles into a project and also out of my own
curiosity. Since it is assumed by many in my field that
good interior design is also automatically good Feng
Shui, I have learned that this is not necessarily so. In
fact, the more I read, the more confused I became
because of all the different 'schools and philosophical
principles."
"Feng Shui For Skeptics" advanced my whole
understanding of the topic. It was a real eye-opener.
What I thought was universally accepted as Feng Shui,
Kartar Diamond reveals to be a newly re-constituted
version that is very generic and not nearly as
sophisticated as the traditional methods practiced for
centuries. In every chapter, Diamond educates and
re-educates. As an example, before reading Feng Shui For
Skeptics, I never knew that houses have energy which
changes from year to year. Nor did I know that the
colors or furnishings in a room could affect someone's
long term health in a specific way, and not just their
mood or energy level. I also appreciated her chapter on
how feng shui is implemented in a commercial setting. It
totally made sense that you wouldn't treat each place
the same way and that you can tailor the feng shui
corrections to the type of business you are evaluating.
I became more aware about the personal aspect to a feng
shui audit. Prior to reading this in Feng Shui For
Skeptics, I was confused as to why the positioning of a
bed or desk could be disputed. Another section that was
fascinating to read was her explanation of how certain
areas of a house can be accident-prone from year to year
and how much that can affect a remodel or construction
project. While I am involved with building and
landscaping projects on a regular basis, I am going to
pay more attention to this important cycle, for the
safety of all concerned! However, after years of
training as a designer, I feel that I will definitely
refer an expert when it comes to getting an accurate
reading for my clients and leave the calculations and
complicated diagnostics to a Feng Shui master. I have
enough to do just to create a harmonious design concept
and satisfy my clients lifestyle and aesthetic needs!
Kartar Diamond's book is an important contribution to
the body of literature about feng shui and Chinese
metaphysics. It was easy reading, and yet the concepts
and remedies were clearly more advanced and specific
than anything I had ever encountered before in a feng
shui book. I can recommend Feng Shui For Skeptics to
fellow designers, architects, building professionals of
any kind, as well as the lay person.----Home2Haven
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