12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Breath of Fresh Air!, April 18, 2003
This review is from: Teen Feng Shui: Design Your Space, Design your life (Paperback)
I've read dozens of books on feng shui, but this was the clearest, easiest to follow, and most heartfelt of them all. You don't have to be a teen to appreciate the wisdom and guidance contained within these pages. The depth of the author's knowledge of her subject is evident throughout. I was especially intrigued by the chapter that integrates Chinese astrology with feng shui applications. Everyone should read this new approach, regardless of age. Highly recommended!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Introduction to the "Black Hat" Style of Feng Shui, September 22, 2006
This review is from: Teen Feng Shui: Design Your Space, Design your life (Paperback)
Feng shui (which means "wind-water" in Chinese) is the art of placement. It concerns not only the placement of furniture, but also the arrangement of the environment as a whole (where land forms are, houses, towns, and so forth). The purpose of feng shui is to maximize the potential of the space within your environment, through lighting, color, types of objects, and a variety of other factors. The two major types of feng shui are the Black Hat style and Compass style. You're probably more familiar with the Compass style, which generally requires a feng shui consultation and someone using a traditional Chinese compass to determine factors in feng shui. However, the Black Hat style (which is what this book focuses on) is much more accessible for people who are not feng shui practitioners!
Feng shui is about how "chi" moves throughout the environment. The philosophy is that chi is everywhere and that feng shui helps chi become as balanced as possible; problems result when chi becomes too positive or too negative. Chi is the energy or "life force" moving through all things and it is Yin (dark/feminine) and yang (light/masculine) are the two types of chi. Together, yin and yang form Tao. From yin and yang, eight "trigrams" are derived; these are the stacked lines, which are the same as are used in the I Ching for divination. In the Black Hat style of feng shui, they correspond to different sections of a room. Yang's trigrams are Heaven (Helpful People/Travel), Lake (Creativity/Children), Fire (Fame/Reputation), and Thunder (Family/Health). Yin's trigrams are Wind (Wealth), Water (Career), Mountain (Knowledge), and Earth (Relationships/Romance). These eight are referred to as the Ba Gua. The grid used in the book shows the locations of these sections, which could be applied to any room in your house.
The book goes on to explain the steps of using feng shui for your room, beginning with removing clutter and then focusing on the specific sections of the room. Important objects (such as beds, computers, TVs, and stereos) are given special consideration for placement. Not only does each section that follow focus on the particular section of the Ba Gua and what to put in it, but also discusses the topic involved. For example, not only is the Mountain/Knowledge section described a favorable place for reading, meditation, placing bookcases, religious/divinatory materials, and objects related to hobbies, but the book goes on to explain the importance of mediation, keeping a journal, and understanding more about yourself.
After the Ba Gua is covered, the relationship of the five elements (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood) is discussed. Each element corresponds to a different color, shape, and material in feng shui. In Chinese astrology, your birth year determines your zodiac animal as well as your element (lists of years for both are given in this book). The only problem that I have with this section is that it incorrectly lists the yin/yang polarity of the elements; Teen Feng Shui states: Fire/Yang, Earth/Yin, Metal/Yin, Water/Yin, and Wood/Yang. From what I have learned in the past about Chinese astrology is that Fire is Yang, Earth is both Yin and Yang, Metal is Yang, Water is Yin, and Wood is Yin. This latter arrangement makes a lot more sense to me, being that it leaves you with two entirely Yang elements, two entirely Yin elements, and one balanced element. It is rather important to consider that Earth is the element that is supposed to represent the duality of the Tao; Yin and Yang. Aside from this discrepancy, I haven't noticed any other problems. A section on Chinese zodiac animals follows, with personality descriptions for each of the 12 signs.
Though this book is geared towards teenagers, it is a fine introduction for someone of any age interested in feng shui. It explains everything clearly and has plenty of exercises for determining what you think about your room, house, and areas of your life in general.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
wow, June 4, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Teen Feng Shui: Design Your Space, Design your life (Paperback)
Great book! Unlike a ton of feng shui books, this one you can actually read and understand. Very good, for teens and adults. Very thorough explanations.
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