Customer Reviews

Feng Shui For Skeptics

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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.

~The Rebecca Review

This book basically proports "Flying Star" Feng Shui. However do not be fooled into thinking that a few pages of any book is really translating or teaching you the hills and valleys of Feng Shui.

The strong points of this book are (1) illustrations; the shapes of various living spaces; floorplans, drawings, charts and so forth are generously given, bold, visible, and clear to understand thoughout the book. (2) The book stays consistant on the subject matter once it starts. (3) It keeps a consistant focus on the effect of various number/element combinations of a living space. (4) The book offers a few years look into the Flying Star auspicious and inauspicious years. (5) It explores basically various "house types" as per the Flying Star perspective that might be of interest to some readers. (6) It is not full of ridiculously overly repetitious "cures".

However, the title of the book, designed to attract the reader, this time using the lure of the "superstitions" (vs "real solutons") angle. We are sneakily drawn into "Flying Star" Feng Shui without any mention of it in the titles...in fact the words "Flying Star" are even absent from both chapter and subchapter titles of the table of contents...and even avoided in the back of the bookcover!.

The author states that there are about 600 "schools". She should leave it at that. The so called "schools" are a vast subject matter to themselves..the cheap mention of a few as if no other book will say it..gets old. It would be wiser to just stick to the school of Feng Shui that is being presented in the book.

After a brief introduction, the first chapter "Ground Rules" very briefly mentions six "schools" of Feng Shui : Form School, Yin Yang Theory, Five Element Theory (this has more explained..making up most of the chapter), The Flying Star School, The East-West School, and finally Black Hat Tantric Buddhism Sect. The author can't seem to decide for or against the Black Hat school in this chapter, although onwards into the book its clearly thumbs down.

"This is not to say that Black Hat practioners do not attain good results. Many of them achieve positive results, in spite of their not always understanding why".

Does the author even understand why?...if so she doesn't elaborate.

"This is not Feng Shui, rather a board game version. It works for several reasons, including the fact that a good percentage of the population is easily influenced and will respond to the dreaded placebo effect".

I would love to know the several reasons..but we are never really given such.

The authors arguements against Black Hat and Compass are weak, vacilitating, and unneccesary. The book's scope not provide space for proper comparison. Also the author remains back on 18th century mainland china sexist based feng shui perpsective. She needs to get with it and stop brown-nosing in this book.

This book would have been truly amazing had it spent its time on delienating the more basic points of Flying Star Feng Shui and its deeper rational behind its theory and practice.

The author confronts many commonplace Feng Shui dos/don'ts and superstitions that one often hears or reads about. However, when she states that "The year of the Horse" means such and such, the number 5 means this or "a crack on the west ceiling could effect the youngest daughters health"...What makes the author think that that is not taken as superstition as well?. If it were another school of Feng Shui saying these things...the author would have a fields day not solutions.

Towards the end of the book the author admonishes people who take quickie courses and become overnight "masters". The same author also mentions about people having to take extensive courses in Feng Shui and needing to use software due to the complexity of it all.

Yet, in the "About the Author" page. It says that in 1992 the author began formal study in Feng Shui. It also says that in 1993 the author launched her own consulting business...in Feng Shui. I'm sure you can count, but just for the record,..thats ONE YEAR!.

If you're curious waste your time for the stronger apsects of this book abovementioned then...move on.

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!

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

The author covers how the author uses the Flying Star School, the 8 and the five element theory to assess a house. Apartment dwellers are left out. She spends much of her time "debunking" the Black Hat School (bagua and use of colors). Seems like a good "starter"/overview book. Less confusing than others, may clear up some confusion for some readers. However, I would have liked to see more info on apartment buildings. (I have taken off points for cost - 13 bucks for this?? it's so short! - as well as lack of info on apartments). I suggest borrowing this book from the library, as it's a quick read.

I've also read The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui (second edition), it seems to cover what Karter covers in more detail (second edition).

A while back I read Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life, by Karen Rauch Carter. It's one of the "new age" books that Kartar Diamond is skeptical. It does sound new-agey, but it's a fun read, and helped me clear up clutter. I had happened across that book when attempting to organize myself. I had found another helpful book, but have forgotten the title...

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.

I had often skimmed through the Feng Shui titles but been put off for one reason or another. I am a skeptic, and I don't think a house with bad feng-shui elements will bring anyone's demise. But since I'd rather have an auspicious home environment that works for rather than against me, I decided to spend a few dollars on this one.

One thing I like about this book is that it gives example houses, showing striking differences in the different schools of thought and how these differences will result in very different recommendations for remedies for the very same house.

In fact I liked this book so much that I contacted the author and hired her to analyze my home (even though her book is thorough enough I could have followed the steps and done my own analysis). Her report was clear and thorough and easy to follow, just like her book. The remedies that she suggested were pleasing aesthetically to me and easy to implement, so I followed them. That's about the highest recommendation one can give, I think.

Over the years, I have read several books on Fengshui and Vaastu, out of pure interest. And I think 'Fengshui for Skeptics' is a true gem amongst all the other 'one size fits all' FS books on the shelves. Kartar does a very good job of separating the actual science from plain superstition. For anyone seeking to genuinely understand this subject and apply it in a very practical fashion, this book is a must read. Highly Recommended!

This book helps you understand feng shui. It was very easy to apply feng shui to my home and workspace using this book. Thanks to Kartar Diamond for explaining feng shui in layman' terms.

We have been studying Feng Shui informally for over 10 years. This book is fun and easy to read and understand. Kartar cuts right through all the fake Feng Shui nonsense that is flooding the field - using concrete examples of why some very popular Feng Shui myths and urban legends may actually be harmful. We learned a lot - and re-learned a lot of critical information that we had forgotten. This book is a great resource both for readers who already know something about Feng Shui - and for those who want to learn.