I've been studying and practicing Feng Shui since 1994, and have designed hundreds of homes & businesses in the U. S. and Europe. If you're interested in my background, see:
http://fengshuistyle.us
One of my latest blogs is here:
http://www.squidoo.com/fengshuistaging/
Feng Shui has been around for thousands of years, so in that sense, we are all beginners. To aid you in your quest, I heartily recommend the following books. HOWEVER! I urge you to HIRE A PROFESSIONAL to do your home. I cannot stress this enough. Reading these books will enable you to participate in the dialogue with your consultant, and understand what's happening and why.
Be sure to choose a consultant who has studied under a Chinese Master. I follow and willingly endorse the Form School and Compass School, the two oldest forms of Feng Shui. They have been used for thousands of years, because they work. I also use the Eight Mansion Theory to determine people's auspicious and inauspicious areas. Remember, Feng Shui is NOT a religion - it is an art - and there is a reason why Feng Shui practitioners charge good money - they earn it!
GENERAL/INTRODUCTORY BOOKS The Principles of Feng Shui Founder of the American Feng Shui Institute in California, Master Sang is widely recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on Feng Shui. Raised in Hong Kong, he began practicing Feng Shui more than 25 years ago and has hosted many radio programs and taught many courses at universities. When he first came to the U.S. in 1980, he was shocked by the rampant use of so many mirrors, "magical flutes", incense and rituals. Feng Shui had been stripped of much of its dignity and was being marketed in the arena of the occult! To reestablish its importance as a legitimate, teachable, scientific discipline, Master Sang established The American Feng Shui Institute in 1991. This is a fabulous "first book". Feng Shui: Discover Money, Health and Love : Master Larry Sang's System Another great overview of Feng Shui. Not a lot of pretty pictures, but highly accurate and useful text. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Feng Shui Lillian Too mixes some Western Feng Shui with Eastern (traditional) to provide an extensive look at "everything that has worked for her" after years of consultations. I respect her for this, even though I don't "agree" with the Western style of Feng Shui. Keeping that in mind, this book is certainly worth a read. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui: How to Apply the Secrets of Chinese Wisdom for Health, Wealth and Happiness Another Lillian Too favorite. This one is a very thorough overview, with super illustrations. The Complete Idiot's Guide To Feng Shui This guide is certainly not aimed at idiots. The fundamental principles of Feng Shui are covered - the nature of Chi, Yin/Yang, the 5 Elements, Personal Trigrams, the Compass, Form School, the Eight Mansion system and a beginning look at 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. The Art & Science of Feng Shui: The Ancient Chinese Tradition of Shaping Fate The author, a native of China, combines insight into the background of Feng Shui with practical advice, and a guide to show the reader how to find the right property. He then explains how to counteract any irregularities or deficiencies.
Form School The oldest form of Feng Shui, the Form School has to do with the shapes and forms of the surrounding landscape and waterways and how they affect people living or working in a structure. The four cardinal compass directions are represented by four animals: The Green Dragon ofthe East, the White Tiger of the West, the Red Phoenix of the South and the Black Turtle of the North.
Compass School "Compass School" is a kind of humorous term developed by Westerners for classic Feng Shui. Any true form of Feng Shui requires a compass, hence the ironic title. Chinese history books describe how around 2005 BC, a turtle emerged from the River Lo with 9 numbers arranged in a grid on his back. The numbers were arranged in such a way that when they were added vertically, horizontally or diagonally, they always added up to fifteen. This "magic square" is part of the Bagua, a tool used to do Feng Shui.
Compass School superimposes the Bagua onto a floor plan of the dwelling. Each of the 8 outer squares relate to compass directions, and the center square represents the center of your life (or house). Each compass direction has an element & colors associated with it: water, wood, earth, metal, or fire. These elements (and colors) are used to balance and harmonize the space.
Eight Mansion/Eight House proposes that each of the eight cardinal directions hold a different kind of chi (energy), which affects different people in different ways. Eight House is used to determine your four lucky and four unlucky directions or areas in your home. In this way, we can ascertain the compatibility between the person and their dwelling. Each person is either in the “East Group” or “West Group”. East Group people have four lucky locations that are opposite to West Group people’s lucky locations. Consequently, it is tricky to Feng Shui a house that contains East Group and West Group people.
Flying Star Flying Star is the most advanced level of Feng Shui and adds the time dimension to a building's energy. A Luo pan compass is used to calculate the facing and sitting degrees of the structure. The date of construction and facing/sitting degree is used to determine energy patterns within. If you're interested in learning more, check out: A Master Course in Feng-Shui
Western/BTB (Black Hat Sect Tibetan Buddhist)/Pyramid IMPORTANT! I do not condone the "Black Hat School" of Feng Shui. It was invented to "make Feng Shui easy", which is ironic, because 1) It only makes it more difficult and 2) I have tried it, and it never worked for me. Many times my clients hired me after having a "Black Hat" consultation, because they needed to be "straightened out".
It was developed in the mid-1980s and is a combination of Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, Psychology and Traditional Feng Shui. It is more spiritual than scientific. The dwelling is divided into eight sections and a Bagua map is aligned with the entry door, rather than actual compass directions. Again, I do NOT recommend this school of Feng Shui. Living Color: Master Lin Yuns Guide to Feng Shui and the Art of Color This book is an EXCELLENT reference for color work, HOWEVER, Sarah Rossbach & Master Lin Yun practice Black Hat Feng Shui, which I don't recommend. If you skip over parts that directly refer to the Bagua (they orient rooms based on the door, not the compass directions) you should be ok. I would skip pages 121 --> onwards. Just use the book for color information; it's superb.
IN CLOSING As for "Feng Shui for Dummies" - I believe this book is based on the "Black Hat" School, and therefore, largely ineffective.
Study Chinese doctrine, preferably the Form School and/or the Compass School. Hire someone who has studied with a Chinese Master, and uses these schools. Send me an email (preservation@usa.com) if you have questions. Enjoy!
The following 8 items are not able to be added to your cart through this feature. See their product page to buy or learn more.
Feng Shui: Discover Money, Health and Love : Master Larry Sang's System by Mark D. Marfori
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Feng Shui by Lillian Too
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui: How to Apply the Secrets of Chinese Wisdom for Health, Wealth and Happiness by Lillian Too
The Complete Idiot's Guide To Feng Shui by Elizabeth; Biktashev, Val Moran
The Art & Science of Feng Shui: The Ancient Chinese Tradition of Shaping Fate by Henry Lin
Feng Shui For Gardeners: Complete Illustrated Guide by Lillian Too
Lillian Too's Easy-To-Use Feng Shui For Love: 168 Ways To Happiness--Enhance Your Relationships Energize Your Friendships, Maximize Your Love Potential by Lillian Too
The Old Way of Seeing: How Architecture Lost Its Magic - And How to Get It Back by Jonathan Hale
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