Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui, Third Edition

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Many are confused about feng shui. With more than 300 mass market books to choose from, it is almost impossible to distinguish between those titles written by true masters and scholars and titles written by those looking for an easy buck. Unfortunately, the latter and most prominent group of books are based on superstition and myth. Fortunately, the March 2000 issue of the London-based monthly magazine, Feng Shui For Modern Living, has compiled a list of the 'top ten feng shui titles.' They are as follows:

1. Chinese Whispers by Rosalyn Dexter 2. Feng Shui by Ernest Eitel 3. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui by Elizabeth Moran and Val Biktashev 4. Feng Shui by Stephen Skinner 5. The Living Earth Manual of Feng Shui by Stephen Skinner 6. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui by Lillian Too 7. The Illustrated Encyclopedia by Lillian Too 8. Feng Shui Handbook: A Practical Guide by Derek Walters 9. Feng Shui: Perfect Placing For Your Happiness and Prosperity by Derek Walters 10. Feng Shui by Eva Wong

If you want to learn about feng shui, begin your study here. Skinner's books deal mostly with terrestrial or Form School feng shui and are truly worthwhile. Derek Walters is a renowned astrologer. His books are accurate and thorough. Although I believe Lillian Too is too commercial and superficial, her books are good for those not wanting to spend the time to understand more sophisticated methods of feng shui. By far my most favorite book is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui by Moran and Biktashev. This book has it all: feng shui's origins; feng shui's scientific value; two classical methods of determining your home's auspiciousness; Chinese zodiac astrology, and the Four Pillars of Destiny (written by the world-respected Master Joseph Yu), a method of determining your luck. What's great about this book is that it is a no-nonsense, humorous guide to understanding exactly what feng shui is and isn't and how this 6,000 year old Chinese art and science can help you increase your health, wealth, and relationship. You won't be disappointed!

As a professional Feng Shui consultant, teacher and moderator of an online discussion group on Feng Shui and the Four Pillars of Destiny, I am often asked to recommend the best book for beginning students on compass school FS. The "Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui" has been my choice since its publication.

The authors have performed a great service to those seeking to undertake the study of the complexities of Feng Shui by providing an organized format that builds layers of understanding while keeping the information personally relevant and often entertaining.

The fundamental principles of Feng Shui are covered - the nature of qi, yin/yang, the elements (phases), trigrams and form school - as well as two compass school methodologies, the East/West system and beginning Flying Stars. Easy reference charts, tables and diagrams are useful tools for beginning and advanced students alike. Many chapters contain workbook pages so that the information can be readily applied to the reader's own environment.

Learning traditional Feng Shui is initially more complex than following the generic fixes/advice offered in some books. All houses, buildings, environments and people are not the same, and do not remain static over time. CIG teaches, in the simplest possible way, Feng Shui that is authentic and effective. Superstitious and superficial practices are debunked through logical reasoning.

The highly respected Master Joseph Yu wrote the chapters on the basics of the Four Pillars of Destiny (one form of Chinese astrology) - worth the price of the book alone, as other reviewers have noted.

CIG is a must for anyone wanting to learn true Feng Shui.

Few books on the subject of Feng Shui speak equally to the beginner and advanced student of this ancient art. This book by Moran and Biktashev is noteworthy for making a complex suject exceedingly accessible without sacrificing any of the detailed information the Feng Shui practitioner would desire. Making extensive use of well-explained charts, diagrams, and drawings, the authors ensure that every reader is enriched and informed by this book. The casual reader will find an extraordinary amount of wonderful ideas to ponder and experiment with; advanced students of Feng Shui will find this such an indispensable resource for hard-to-get information that it will immediately become a mainstay of their reference material.

Because Feng Shui is so closely related to several other traditional Chinese sciences, the authors have wisely chosen to provide very strong sections on the I Ching, the Five Elements, and Chinese Astrology. The information in these sections is worthwhile in its own right; taken in context of the rest of the book, it leads the reader to a fuller understanding of the philosophy and practice of Feng Shui.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui is a comprehensive and entertaining book to which I will turn often over the coming years. I cannot recommend its good-natured approach to traditional wisdom enough.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui teaches "Compass School" feng shui a much different approach than the popular "Black Hat Sect", which is probably why this book has received such mixed reviews. Those who thought all feng shui schools had similar basic guidelines - put a mirror here and a windchime there- may be confused to learn that mirrors don't even play apart in Compass School (The confusion dates back to the days when mirrors were disks of polished brass and thus were brought in if an area needed to be "balanced" with metal), and windchimes are considered to be dangerous! Also terms like "wealth area" and "relationship area" are Black Hat Sect and have no meaning in Compass School Feng Shui. The two styles both get results but Compass school is based on mathmatical computations. I don't understand how that one editor said this is a book a person could "dip into", it actually lays out a very careful system which must be fallowed step by step from beginning to end. It requires knowing the direction the house is facing, the year the house was built, the current year and the year the tenants were born. As far as it goes this is an excellent book although there are some errors which hopfully further additions will eliminate. The flaw with "The Complete Idiot's Guide" is that it does not go far enough. I also have studied with Master Sang and recognize how the authors have based their text on his "Beginner" and "Intermediate" level courses. However, in the "Advance" course Master Sang gives additional information that refines and adjusts so much of the initial teachings that to do a Compass School Feng Shui Reading based souly on the information in this book practically guarantees misunderstandings.

As the moderator of mailings lists on Chinese Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology, it is very seldom that I am able to recommend a decent book on either of these subjects. This one fills the bill. In my opinion as a professional Feng Shui consultant/practitioner, about 95% of the Feng Shui books on the market do not deliver value for those searching for the "real stuff". This one does. Get it Today!

Keep in mind that this book is not intended to serve as a complete manual for becoming a professional practitioner, but it is an excellent guide and introduction to the beginner or aspiring professional. It will teach you that there is a whole lot more to Feng Shui than arranging furniture and hanging crystal balls. If you have been thinking about "getting into feng shui", this may the best place to start.

In todays market, this book is "one of a kind".

I have read at least ten commercially produced books on Feng Shui over the last five years, and NONE of them measure up to this book in sheer quality of content. Whether you are just starting out, or have been practicing for quite a while, if you have been relying on bookstores for the bulk of your Feng Shui study, then you CANNOT afford to miss reading this book!

The authors give a good overview of the fundamentals of classical Feng Shui (elemental and form-school analysis). That is as far as most of the other books on this subject seem to go, but the authors of this guide go even further by giving the reader a pretty in-depth treatment of both East/West and Flying-Star methods. The Flying-Star method is one rarely seen in western books on Feng Shui (Eva Wong's book "Feng Shui" is the only other one that comes to mind), and yet is held to be one of the most powerful traditional methods.

Joseph Yu's chapters on Four-Pillar Astrology are a "must read". You will not find a better teacher, and these chapters are clear, easy to read, and (best of all) complete!

All in all, if you are interested in classical/traditional Feng Shui, you will NOT be disappointed in this book.

I give this book Five Stars, with an additional thumbs-up for emphasis. Good job Elizabeth, Val, and Joseph!

Feng Shui books abound and one can easily get lost finding a good self help source, since there are different forms of Feng Shui methods employed and discussed by different authors on the book front.

I already own several books on this great traditional science and stumbled upon "The Principles of Feng Shui" by Master Larry Sang, the founder of the American Feng Shui Institute. I enjoyed the book and it opened my eyes toward learning more aspects of feng shui orientation using the East/West method. However, still hungry for something much more comprehensive on this topic, I scour my local Borders bookstore and discovered that they have "An Idiot's Guide" on Feng Shui. From my personal experience, the "Idiot's Guide" series or franchise, or whatever you choose to call it, is often a respectable and good buy for the topics published.They don't normally stake their branding on writer/s who don't pack the punch between the covers. Needless to say, I was more than impressed.

This Guide really educates the reader on Feng Shui history, its process, influences and application of this science to full advantage. The language and writing style are clear, simple and concise-a real art, considering you are dealing with a topic like Feng Shui! Most Feng Shui books tell you how to move or block this and that-you know the drill; but this guide has all these and more. It makes you understand why you need to effect certain wisdom and imbues you with a discerning eye to make the right decision year after year. I felt I made an error in one reading on my own and emailed one of the authors, Ms Elizabeth Moran. She not only responded immediately twice but offered friendly and warm advice on rectifying a possible costly renovation mistake for my home. This is what I call a true professional Master and a wonderful interactive experience! My compliments to the publisher for allowing a contact to the authors via email-something that has always been lacking for published works in the market.

I understood much more having read this wonderful book than most other on feng shui and I believe that Ms Moran must have made his teacher,Master Larry Sang, very proud. In this case, I believe Ms Moran and her co-author, Mr Biktashev took great efforts to ensure that their material is first rate and this outstanding contribution scores well in all areas. This comprehensive Guide is enough to strip any self respecting idiot of his/her CROWN-->it's that powerful! However, if after having read this incredibly insightful guide and you still don't know where your East meets your West, then we usher you into a new era of unparalled majesty! All bow and say, " Hail, your Majesty!"

I laughed at the idea of Feng Shui, but my girlfriend teased me into rearranging my home and office. In the past year, my business has almost doubled and my homelife is more satisfying and peaceful than ever before. I don't know how it works, but take the word of a "doubting Thomas" that, somehow, it does. In fact, after about 8 months, I hired Val to feng shui my home, and he added a few "special" touches I had overlooked. The success continues...

At last, a text that introduces classical feng shui to the Western world in an easy to follow format. This is not just another book on the simpler, popularized versions of feng shui. The book focuses on traditional Form School, Eight House and Flying Stars feng shui. It also includes a good segment on Four Pillars of Destiny, an astrology system that compliments a feng shui analysis.

Volume Two of the "Idiot's Guide" is much improved over Volume One. The chapter on science is expanded to show a stronger link with modern physics. Feng shui's historical roots and evolution are presented in a very clear and concise manner. But what is really exciting are the numerous charts and tables scattered throughout the book. They are presented with a logical and detailed understanding of the calculations of their development, and how to use them to analyze the energy in a building. The book is written in a style that empowers feng shui students to feel confident and to understand the reasons "why" feng shui works rather than just "how." The Flying Stars section has been improved with the presentation of the more accurate three-star, versus two-star version. It also includes the analysis of Flying Stars charts, with the logic behind it. While the book does not take the place of classical master class training, it can be a great complement. I am extremely happy to have this book as a reference for my feng shui practice.

Hooray! Now here is a book that shows what Feng Shui really is! If you always thought "There must be more to Feng Shui than hanging crystal balls in the corner!" here are your answers. Don't get confused by the title, this book is for the serious student. It also can turn any idiot into an expert. Elizabeth Moran not only compiled the Feng Shui knowledge from the masters Joseph Yu and Val Biktashev, she also added a lot of scientific material to explain the origin of the concepts behind Feng Shui.
Like any "Complete Idiot's Guide" this one is well structured, you can take the long tour and read about all the backgrounds before you get to the practical applications, or you can immediately flip to the Feng Shui stuff and start practising in your own house. Wonder where your wealth corner is? In Traditional Feng Shui there are even two and there is also your personal wealth direction!
It was very brave of Elizabeth Moran to completely rewrite the book. (Make sure you get the "Second Edition!") The first edition was already better than average, but it still contained some confusing concepts. Now the Second Edition is THE book that a master can recommend to his clients if they want to know more about why he told them to move the bed.
It covers the two most common Feng Shui schools practiced throughout Asia - Eight House School and Flying Stars, it explains the backgrounds, advantages and disadvantages of both and how to combine them in reading the same house. For easy reference every possible star chart is in this book - they come in circles so the beginner can easily apply them, though it may be a little confusing at first for the advanced student.
Giving you even more at no extra cost, this book also includes an easy to read and easy to apply introduction into Chinese Astrology. All the tables are there to construct anybody's horoscope chart - and you don't have to learn a single Chinese character.
The Chinese believe that Heaven, Earth and Man must come together to create luck, that is doing the right thing in the right place at the right time. This book provides you with all the knowledge to find out when and where you can do it.
About the reviewer: Robert Schmitz is a professional Feng Shui consultant in Berlin, Germany. I am asked quite often which books I could recommend. Now I found one!