Feng Shui For Skeptics (Paperback)

by Kartar Diamond (Author) "The world is definitely flat..." (more)
Key Phrases: sitting quadrant, major house types, facing quadrant, Black Hat School, Flying Star School, Form School (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Feng Shui For Skeptics accomplishes three major things that no other feng shui books offer: 1) it boldly addresses the skepticism surrounding this subject and dispels the many perpetuated myths, 2) it delivers advanced information not found elsewhere and 3) it helps readers prioritize the big problems from the little problems, which other authors have seriously failed to do.

About the Author
Kartar Diamond began her formal feng shui studies with Master Sang in 1992. She established her consulting company, Feng Shui Solutions in 1993 and has advised thousands of clients since. Kartar works on both residential and commercial properties, as well as design phase projects. Her book, Feng Shui For Skeptics, is a natural result of having studied every branch of feng shui and seeing how feng shui applications really work in her own life, as well as for clients.

Kartar knew that the only book she could write would be one which helps readers sift through the mountain of misinformation and help people prioritize the most important things to consider. In her own consulting and teaching experience, she found that many people panic over minor flaws in their surroundings, while still totally unaware of what really matters most in a feng shui evaluation. She also felt it was important to reveal advanced secrets which both beginners and seasoned feng shui enthusiasts could add to their body of knowledge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Four Pillars Publishing (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967193788
• ISBN-13: 978-0967193786
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #507,579 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Harmony and Balance, October 10, 2004

By	Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

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

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars BE SKEPTICAL, August 25, 2005

By	Fusha - See all my reviews

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.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feng Shui For Skeptics, January 2, 2004

By	The Wongs (Renton, WA United States) - See all my reviews

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!