Feng-Shui

Rating:
Summary: a feng shui approach to the naturalistic landscape
Review: Eva Wong's book has much in its favor. Historically, the selection of a grave site was one of the most important commissions a feng shui master would receive. You had to be at peace with nature for a long time, and this was no snap question.

Mistress Wong introduces you to this ancient Chinese landscape of the mind. I would never have come to appreciate the red raven formation in front of my Seattle home were it not for this informative book.

I do not pretend to be expert in these arts. Westerners used to consider all of this 'black magic.' This is fusion culture for those who like fusion cuisine. Bon appetit!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reference on Form School & Flying Star Feng Shui
Review: For readers who are primarily interested in feng shui guidelines for arranging furniture and enhancing good luck sectors of their home, this book will probably prove to be a big disappointment. There is only minimal attention paid to house interiors in this book. However, for anyone with at least an intermediate knowledge of feng shui basics and an interest in pursuing an in depth study of the history of feng shui and the practice of Form School and Flying Star feng shui, this book is a wonderful source of information.

In this book the author provides a detailed history of the development of feng shui and its ties to Taoist philosophy. She also includes a short but informative explanation of the Chinese calendar. She then moves on to a brief description of aspects of the geomantic compass (i.e., the Lo Pan) that are salient to her particular practice of feng shui. A considerable portion of the book is devoted to Form School feng shui; that is, evaluating the landscape, both rural and urban, for auspicious locations. Some of this material is, admittedly, difficult to follow. I found the graphic representations of landforms to be somewhat esoteric and hard to understand. However, if you want to gain a thorough understanding of the basics of Form School feng shui as practiced by the Chinese masters, this is a terrific source of information. Trying to comprehend the material left me with an appreciation for why the Chinese require aspiring practitioners to be apprenticed to feng shui masters in order to learn the art of feng shui.

The author also teaches her readers how to apply Flying Star feng shui, which she calls the Nine Palaces. The flying stars refer to nine stars (five of which make up the Big Dipper) which are believed to exert an influence on one's feng shui. The author explains how to set up a natal chart for your home based on the directions faced by the front and back of the house and the cycle (according to the Chinese calendar) in which the home was built. From the natal chart you can determine the configuration of the nine stars and whether they portend benevolence or malevolence for each room of your home and its occupants. You also learn how to apply the flying star formulas on a monthly and yearly basis to see how the passage of time affects the feng shui of your home. The author includes many examples for you to follow in order to learn the technique. She also shows you how to assign bedrooms based on the occupant's year of birth and how to set up countermeasures to lessen the impact of destructive stars. Setting up and interpreting the charts requires some very detailed work, and you need to be comfortable working with numbers to really enjoy this approach to feng shui.

I have found it utterly fascinating to learn Flying Star feng shui. One begins to contemplate the idea that every house has its own life cycle and that some cycles are more auspicious than others in which to build new homes. (For example, the upcoming cycle from 2004-2023 will be a particularly good time to build since houses built during this cycle will have energy that is either "high", "good", or "rising" for 160 out of the next 180 years!) I have also found the book to be a very useful reference work for understanding Nine Ki (Nine Star) astrology as well as references to Flying Star feng shui made by other authors.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, a clear understanding and a practical guide.
Review: I had been searching for a good feng shui book for months when I found this one. This books is both beautifully written and a very easy read, which is quite rare for an instructional book. The layout of this book is a mastery in itself, and the cross references between chapters are great. Although I had originally planned to skim - or yes maybe skip - some of the chapters, I quickly found myself engrossed. The background information gave me a much clearer understanding of the art of feng shui and a strong foundation for its practice. Often I find teachers of Chinese art forms caught in a trap between a desire to make the art form easier for the Western world to adopt/understand and a desire to stay true to the art form as it should be practiced. In my opinion, Ms. Wong did a masterful job of avoiding this trap. It is at once a very practical, very beautiful guide. Thank you for a wonderful book!!

Rating:
Summary: Very good presented, but which F.S. school?
Review: It is very good text to learn about traditional Feng Shui, but is dificult to understand how to make the read of the house for make the magic square. And between the author Lilian Too and Eva Wong you find many diferences. Are they teach diferent schools?

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reference on Form School & Flying Star Feng Shui
Review: It would be difficult to overestimate the value of this book. Although Feng Shui is a subject which has attracted more than its share of charlatans, the beginner can approach Ms. Wong's work with the confidence that she doesn't promise more than she delivers. In a well-written Introduction (which itself is worth the price of the book) she cautions the reader against assuming that this ancient art can be mastered by reading any book, even this one. More than a "how-to" manual, the book places Feng Shui in the religious and cultural context in which it developed, and without which it can neither be practiced nor understood. The reader coming to Feng Shui for the first time has to start somewhere, and I know of no better place than in these pages. Justin Thacker, Los Angeles

Rating:
Summary: Unsurpassed, the definitive introduction to the subject
Review: It would be difficult to overestimate the value of this book. Although Feng Shui is a subject which has attracted more than its share of charlatans, the beginner can approach Ms. Wong's work with the confidence that she doesn't promise more than she delivers. In a well-written Introduction (which itself is worth the price of the book) she cautions the reader against assuming that this ancient art can be mastered by reading any book, even this one. More than a "how-to" manual, the book places Feng Shui in the religious and cultural context in which it developed, and without which it can neither be practiced nor understood. The reader coming to Feng Shui for the first time has to start somewhere, and I know of no better place than in these pages. Justin Thacker, Los Angeles

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Source for Traditional Feng Shui
Review: When I started to become interested in Feng Shui, I didn't know where to look. So many books are out there, but which ones are for real? And which ones are just jumping on the new fad band-wagon? At some point I came across some information on Eva Wong and decided to purchase this book. It was a great decision.

With Feng Shui, you have to realize that it is an ancient art that is so much bigger than what you read in a book. This volume is an excellent step in the right direction if you are desiring to learn about the tradional Chinese practice. It covers everything from the history of Feng Shui to taking readings of your home. It is simply amazing the time and knowledge that goes into this practice and Ms. Wong breaks it down chapter by chapter.

Taking time to really sit down and study Ms. Wong's book has been rewarding...and has me asking to learn more. One great piece of advice she does mention is to learn one or two books well...no need to ready everything everyone has written on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Source for Traditional Feng Shui
Review: When I started to become interested in Feng Shui, I didn't know where to look. So many books are out there, but which ones are for real? And which ones are just jumping on the new fad band-wagon? At some point I came across some information on Eva Wong and decided to purchase this book. It was a great decision.

With Feng Shui, you have to realize that it is an ancient art that is so much bigger than what you read in a book. This volume is an excellent step in the right direction if you are desiring to learn about the tradional Chinese practice. It covers everything from the history of Feng Shui to taking readings of your home. It is simply amazing the time and knowledge that goes into this practice and Ms. Wong breaks it down chapter by chapter.

Taking time to really sit down and study Ms. Wong's book has been rewarding...and has me asking to learn more. One great piece of advice she does mention is to learn one or two books well...no need to ready everything everyone has written on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Best I've seen!
Review: Wish I'd seen this book before I had read other books on the subject - I could have taken the author's advice to read a couple of them thoroughly than try to read a library's worth on this harmonious way of living and designing your environment.

Feng-shui has shed the image of "some Easern mumbo-jumbo that has no impact on modern life," as people have increasingly realized and accepted its benefits and become more aware of the need to live in harmony with the environment.

This is a great book on the subject - easy to read but full in addressing its subject. It should be required reading, not just for any urban or other planner, but for anyone interested in living a better life.