Feng Shui For Skeptics

Rating:
Summary: Harmony and Balance
Review:
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


Rating:
Summary: Informative and Enjoyable
Review: Feng Shui for Skeptics is beyond doubt the best book I found on Feng Shui (and I have read a few!). The book is straightforward, easy to read and understand, and full of wonderful visuals that clearly illustrate the topics Kartar Diamond writes about. She openly discusses fake Feng Shui, myths, superstition, and the misconceptions most of us have about Feng Shui. Through specific case studies Ms. Diamond demonstrates the various "kinds" of Feng Shui the "experts" practice in the US today, and she shows how they differ in their beliefs and practices (a real eye opener!). The Feng Shui she writes about is not the "one-direction-fits-all". Instead, she explains why it is important to understand the full picture before making any changes in one's house or business, and why - because we all are different with unique needs - different solutions are needed. And as a bonus - Kartar Diamond has good sense of humor!

Rating:
Summary: Feng Shui for Skeptics
Review: 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.----<Marjorie Hope Rothstein,
Home2Haven Design

Rating:
Summary: Feng Shui for Skeptics
Review: 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 Design

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Informative and Enjoyable
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Diamond has written with clarity, knowledge and a sense of humor that is a breath of fresh air for this subject. Reliable books written in English about traditional Feng Shui are few and far between. I have some that are tattered from reading so many times. This one will be too before long.

I would recommend this book for beginners and enthusiasts alike. I hope that she will follow this with one containing even more information. I'll be the first in line to purchase!

Rating:
Summary: I Absolutely Love This Book!
Review: The confusion is gone! Diamond's book is the most realistic, simplistic and accurate teaching of the true art of feng shui. Kudos to Kartar!