Feng Shui For Dummies [Paperback]

David Daniel Kennedy (Author), Grandmaster Lin Yun (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 22, 2000

Take a look around you. What do you see? Whether or not you’re aware of it, your environment profoundly affects your health, wealth, family life, relationships, and yes, even your destiny. Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway), which means wind water, is the ancient Chinese study of harmony and energy flow between you and your physical surroundings. You can enrich every aspect of your life by applying Feng Shui principles to your home (inside and out) and workplace (from window office to cubicle).

Feng Shui For Dummies is for anyone who seeks a better life. This clearly written, concise, and easy-to-understand guide can help anyone to

• Create harmony and happiness in your relationships
• Increase your prosperity
• Eliminate chronic patterns of failure, difficulty, and stress
• Energize your home or workplace
• Enjoy better health

This book shows you how to feel and access the energy of your environment (it’s easier than you may think!). Find out how your environment influences your life right now. Use the solutions in this book to overcome obstacles and enhance the positive. You'll be sure to feel the before-and-after differences.

Feng Shui For Dummies also covers the following topics and more:

• The meaning and history of Feng Shui
• Making the most of the space in your home, both inside and outside
• Tapping into the power of the five elements
• Boosting your career
• Jazzing up your bedroom for increased health, energy, and romance
• Performing blessing ceremonies
• Cleansing and curing with meditation

Within the past 10 years, Feng Shui has gained widespread popularity in the West. Today, more and more people from all walks of life are practicing Feng Shui and experiencing the positive benefits of auspicious placement. This book shows you everything you need to know to help improve the flow of harmony, creativity, and abundance in your life.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Praises for Fen Shui For Dummies
"If you've ever wanted to know anything about Feng Shui, this IS the book to read." —Deborah Rachel Kagan, President, Sacred Interiors

"David Kennedy has certainly come up with a gem with Feng Shui for Dummies. I highly recommend this read." —James Moser, CEO, Feng Shui Warehouse

"David has a unique way of organizing the increadible amounts of Feng Shui information into clear, concise, easy to understand principles..." —Ileen Nelson, Director of the Feng Shui Studies Department, The Metropolitan Institute of Interior Design

Energize your home or workplace and watch your life improve!

The ancient Chinese art of harmonious design —demystified at last
Feng Shui can help bring positive energy into all areas of your life, from family and relationships to money and work. But how do you get a handle on this complex Chinese art? Relax! Packed with ready-to-use Feng Shui tips and remedies, this friendly guide features over 100 illustrations and diagrams so you can arrange your home or office for maximum energy — beginning today!

Discover how to:

• Apply pratical Feng Shui principles
• Improve your home's energy flow
• Use color and everyday objects to promote harmony
• Boost your career by repositioning your desk
• Enhance your health, wealth, and sex life

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About the Author

David Daniel Kennedy (Berkeley, CA) is a professional Feng Shui consultant, teacher, and speaker, as well as a columnist for Feng Shui, a journal devoted to the art, and a contributor to Natural Health magazine. He is the author of the best-selling book, Feng Shui Tips for a BetterLife, and has had considerable experience translating Eastern concepts for mass consumption.

His Holiness Grandmaster Lin Yun is highly regarded as the leading authority on Feng Shui. His Feng Shui theories, also known as the Black Sect Tantric Buddhist Feng Shui School, are the most widely practiced Feng Shui school in the United States. For the past forty years, Grandmaster Lin Yun has lectured extensively on the subject of Feng Shui at many distinguished universities, businesses, and professional organizations throughout the world. Due to his introduction,transmission, and continuous promotion, Feng Shui has drawn tremendous interest; its popularity continues to grow worldwide. Numerous Feng Shui authors, teachers, and consultants are his disciples and/or students. Grandmaster Lin Yun's pioneering contribution to spreading theknowledge of Feng Shui has earned him the reputation as the father of Feng Shui in the West. In 1997, he received an honorary Ph.D. in Human Psychology from Northern California Graduate University. In 1998, he was enthroned as His Holiness of Black Sect Tantric Buddhism in its currentand fourth stage of development.

Product Details

• Paperback: 430 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (November 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764552953
• ISBN-13: 978-0764552953
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #89 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Stress > Feng Shui

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

126 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not Great, July 28, 2001

By 

Amber McCann "Future Author" (Modesto, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Feng Shui For Dummies (Paperback)

I am a little mixed about the book. One on hand it is excellent for giving down-to-earth, easy to understand Feng Shui principles. On the other hand, it fails to mention many important aspects about Feng Shui itself, such as the Elements. The book talks about what to do when the energy for a certain room is negative because of certain placements like the kitchen or the bathroom. But it fails to talk about the elements of each room and how to balance them. In fact the book recommends bamboo for nearly every "treatment", but that is really impractical because it doesn't even explain the elements. The elements of water is briefly discusses, but the others: fire, air, metal, and wood arent even mentioned. I was very discouraged when I read the book and found this out. Please if you are looking for a book on Feng Shui, find another one.

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This may not be the best book out there, but..., October 1, 2004

By 

R. S. Tonder (uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Feng Shui For Dummies (Paperback)

Why are some reviewers here so hostile that they almost seem to be venting their anger here? Feng Shui is a philosophy... it may not be a religion, but it is a philosophy, so it requires a certain amount of belief from you if you want to make use of what it has to offer. If you don't believe in it, fine... just sell your book secondhand through Amazon Marketplace.. why get frustrated??

Personally I think this book is not the best out there on Feng Shui. Hanging crystals everywhere is plain silly-looking and hanging baguas around the house give me a creepy feeling, not to mention that guests might feel the same, etc.

With over 300 Feng Shui titles sold in the market, it can be very tricky deciding which book to buy. Some people buy them for the beautiful colours and pictures of the examples in the books, others for the knowledge. If you're like me wanting to really get into the subject and apply it to your interior designing, there are much better Feng Shui books sold out there which give a much more proper treatment of the subject - you won't feel silly after reading them. They are "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Feng Shui" by Elizabeth Moran and "A Master Course In Feng Shui" by Eva Wong. And if you want to know more, "Flying Star Feng Shui Made Easy" by David Twicken is good and so is "The Living Earth Manual of Feng Shui : Chinese Geomancy" by Stephen Skinner are really great books geared to the Western reader with authentic Oriental knowledge.

I am agnostic (I don't believe the existence of God can be proven although I don't rule it out either) but I found Feng Shui to be a deeply spiritual subject with close links to form and functionality of objects and space, and aesthetics. I have a great deal of interest in design... so I was drawn to Feng Shui initially for its value in interior design. I believe that every man's home is his temple and sacred space. Feng Shui incorporated with interior design has helped me make my modest home into a shelter which not only looks and feels aesthetically pleasing, it has a beneficial effect on my well-being as well. Its a bit common-sensical. When you walk into a house and something doesn't feel right, trust your instincts and leave. Don't buy the house. But if you already own it, you can make it a nicer place to live in. Feng Shui doesn't demand that you surround yourself with gold and expensive items in the home. You can always adapt it to suit your budget and needs. Read some good Feng Shui books, and get yourself a compass from the hiking shop... and have fun designing!

52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners and practitioners alike., January 11, 2001

By 

Rebecca Price (San Rafael, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Feng Shui For Dummies (Paperback)

I've worked with David Kennedy on three houses over two years. Each house was bigger and better than the last, a testament to the feng shui advice I received. I've learned a lot from David, studied with Profess Lin Yun, David's teacher, and have read many feng shui books. This is the best resource I've found. I use it to refresh my memory of details on cures I know. It reminds me of cures I forgot . And it has taught me new cures and principles. Anyone can benefit from the knowledge generously given in this book. Many thanks for a truly worthwhile effort.