Rating: 
Summary: Great Read; Easy to Follow
Review: ... I read most of it on a recent flight and found it helpful, insightful, and easy to read/understand. I have realized that by making some subtle changes to my enviornment I can feel better about myself and hopefuly generate more positive energy flow around me. Even if you don't believe in cosmic energy forces this is a great book to fantastic decorating ideas. You will never look at your home (or that of others) again the same way...
Rating: 
Summary: Too basic and repetitive.
Review: I purchased "The Western Guide to Feng Shui,Room by Room" by Terah Kathryn Collins back in August. Since that time, my finances have gone all out of whack! I made changes that were to benefit my financial well being, but instead, by the end of each month, I have maybe $5 left in my bank account. A lot of the money has gone towards car repairs...it's been in the shop three times in the last month, and the repairs have reached the $1,000 mark.
Also, just purchasing the supplies to make the changes ... crystals,fountains, linens, paint, etc. have taken it's toll on my wallet. A friend suggested that it takes time for the energy to change for the better, however I would expect status quo, not a total reversal of fortune!What did I do wrong...
Rating: 
Summary: This book was excellent!
Review: I read 5 different Feng Shui books before I found this one. It was excellent. Very useful... we were actually able to make effective changes. I haven't read the first book by the author, but this one stands on it's own. The one item that I found confusing was the Chapter on the Bague Map. It didn't give an easy way to accurately apply to your home and I had to refer to another book. Overall, it was most helpful in making pratical changes and to help you think in Feng Shui ways.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent resource for those new to feng shui
Review: I read several books on feng shui before this one-mostly slogging through all the history and technical information that was not at all useful to me. Then I found Ms. Collins book. She presents just enough history and technical information to be useful, and offers many simple and practical ideas which can change the energy of your home and your life. The pictures were very helpful in illustrating how a few small changes can dramatically change the energy of a whole room. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource for those new to feng shui
Review: I read several books on feng shui before this one-mostly slogging through all the history and technical information that was not at all useful to me. Then I found Ms. Collins book. She presents just enough history and technical information to be useful, and offers many simple and practical ideas which can change the energy of your home and your life. The pictures were very helpful in illustrating how a few small changes can dramatically change the energy of a whole room. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant place to start
Review: I really enjoyed Feng Shui Room by Room. This was very informative, and easy to read. This was the second book I ever read about Feng Shui and it taught me allot. I would also recomend other books by Terah Kathryn Collins, she has a wonderful writing style, definatly not a boring read.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have
Review: I really enjoyed Feng Shui Room by Room. This was very informative, and easy to read. This was the second book I ever read about Feng Shui and it taught me allot. I would also recomend other books by Terah Kathryn Collins, she has a wonderful writing style, definatly not a boring read.
Rating:
Summary: Creating Soothing Environments with Essential Feng Shui
Review: It is a real act of courage to open your Feng Shui eyes and take a detailed look at what your home is saying about you. It usually leads to extraordinary insights, immediate calls to action, and deeply empowering inner and outer changes. ~Terah Kathryn Collins
Feng Shui (fung shway) is a 3,000-year-old Chinese design philosophy that encourages you to analyze and change your environment for personal growth and relaxation. As your mind starts to change, this change is reflected in your environment. You can also change your environment and adjust your viewpoint or even bring more success and peace into your life.
Terah Kathryn Collins is an internationally recognized consultant, speaker and teacher. Her writing style is highly creative and filled with positive energy. Her ideas are enlightening and comforting and they changed how I viewed my environment. Through the application of her ideas you can improve your creativity, change your health, bring positive energy into your home and create a home that reflects who you are becoming. This is a practical approach with personal flair. You can personalize the ideas to suit your goals. There are 125 black-and-white and color photographs to give you ideas and to explain the text.
After a quick introduction to this art, Terah Kathryn Collins introduces "The Bagua Map." This was great fun to draw (This just looks like a tic-tac-toe board drawn over a footprint drawing of your home.) and by the time you have your house mapped out, you can start to map your office and bedrooms. Then, you can make notes around the drawings. Additional chapters include:
Yin and Yang and the Five Elements
Romancing the Home - art, color, crystals, lighting, living things, mirrors, nature objects, sound makers, water features and wind dancers.
The Front Entry and Foyer
The Living Room
The Dining Room - Nurturing Body, Heart, and Soul
The Kitchen - Nourishment's Birthplace
The Family Room
The Home Office
Bedrooms
The Sancturary
Bathrooms
Laundry Rooms and Garages
Attics, Basements and Other Storage Areas
Hallways and Stairways
Windows and Doors
Cleansings and Blessings - Creative ideas for making a home yours, especially if you are not the first owner.
This book also explains why you can buy dried flowers, but presents the idea as a long-term arrangement instead of a permanent arrangement. There are also cautions against placing crystals in windows with direct sunlight and other cautions that can keep your home safe.
I realized the power of Feng Shui personally when I moved my desk so I could see the door and the window. The gift of a wonderful Zen fountain and the placement of a lamp on the desk also brought more serenity to my writing experience. It is amazing how much more relaxed my relationship with my husband has become just because I moved my desk. Now I can see him entering our home and even when I'm deep in a writing trance, I can acknowledge his presence and Princess Sasha cat now enjoys looking out of the window while I'm typing. Air can flow more freely into the room and the scent of flowers from the planter drifts over the desk as I type. Just one simple example of how Feng Shui changed my immediate existence. The desk on page 167 was my guide for arranging a more effective writing space.
This book would make a wonderful house warming present! Especially with a Zen fountain, plants or candles.
Personally, I'd recommend making changes over time. Moving furniture could be the first step and then you could purchase items over a few months or years. Even the author explained how she made small changes at first and planned for changes in the future when she could afford to buy a new couch, etc.
Half the fun is making changes over time and seeing wonderful energy start to flow into your life. The author promotes inner and outer work. She explains how "you" breathe "the magic" into the changes you make. When your environment is more positive and nurturing, you will feel more creative and this can lead to lasting changes.
If you love to decorate you are going to love this book! This is my favorite Feng Shui book because it has ideas that have changed my life.
~TheRebeccaReview.com
Rating:
Summary: Motivating!
Review: My son gave me this book for Xmas, what a wonderful gift! As a beginner to Feng Shui, I find many books on the subject too complex for me at this time. I needed a book that was clear and uncomplicated. I found it! Not only did I learn how to incorporate feng shui into my home but also in my attitude and way of life. Unlike many authors I have read, Terah Kathryn Collins emphasizes the importance of changing our attitudes along with our living space. Only by combining the two can we truly utilize the power of Ch'i. I look forward to incorporating the principles I have learned from this book into my home and life!
Rating:
Summary: The BEST First book to read on Feng Shui
Review: This is the first book I read about Feng Shui. I found I really enjoyed Collin's breezy style of writing, but more than that, after reading 10 other books on feng shui, I can honestly say this is the best book out there for the beginner feng shui reader. Collins goes over all the feng shui basics in this book - the bagua, enhansements, colors, the five-element theory (nourishing and destructive cycles), etc. She then goes on with the theories of each Room beyond the bagua (such as that bathrooms are watery, etc, and how to prevent them from being overly watery). I found this very helpful. I also enjoyed how Collins had affirmations for each gua and each room. The affirmations, for example, for the bathroom, involve letting go of toxic thoughts and emotions. This book is also full of photos, both black and white and color, that are really helpful in allowing you to see what the author means when she gives an example of good or bad feng shui. The photographs are really gorgeous, too, and simply make the examples stand out really well! After reading this book, I went back and read her book, "The Western Guide to Feng Shui", but didn't enjoy it nearly as much. It doesn't has the photographs, the writing is stilted, and she doesn't go into as much detail with enhansements and color theory as she does in this book. If you had to choose which book to start with, start with "The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Room by Room"! Simply the best First book to read about Feng Shui!
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