The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui

As a professional Feng Shui consultant, teacher and moderator of an online discussion group on Feng Shui and the Four Pillars of Destiny, I am often asked to recommend the best book for beginning students on compass school FS. The "Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui" has been my choice since its publication.The authors have performed a great service to those seeking to undertake the study of the complexities of Feng Shui by providing an organized format that builds layers of understanding while keeping the information personally relevant and often entertaining. The fundamental principles of Feng Shui are covered - the nature of qi, yin/yang, the elements (phases), trigrams and form school - as well as two compass school methodologies, the East/West system and beginning 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. Learning traditional Feng Shui is initially more complex than following the generic fixes/advice offered in some books. All houses, buildings, environments and people are not the same, and do not remain static over time. CIG teaches, in the simplest possible way, Feng Shui that is authentic and effective. Superstitious and superficial practices are debunked through logical reasoning. The highly respected Master Joseph Yu wrote the chapters on the basics of the Four Pillars of Destiny (one form of Chinese astrology) - worth the price of the book alone, as other reviewers have noted. CIG is a must for anyone wanting to learn true Feng Shui.

Many are confused about feng shui. With more than 300 mass market books to choose from, it is almost impossible to distinguish between those titles written by true masters and scholars and titles written by those looking for an easy buck. Unfortunately, the latter and most prominent group of books are based on superstition and myth. Fortunately, the March 2000 issue of the London-based monthly magazine, Feng Shui For Modern Living, has compiled a list of the 'top ten feng shui titles.' They are as follows:1. Chinese Whispers by Rosalyn Dexter 2. Feng Shui by Ernest Eitel 3. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui by Elizabeth Moran and Val Biktashev 4. Feng Shui by Stephen Skinner 5. The Living Earth Manual of Feng Shui by Stephen Skinner 6. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui by Lillian Too 7. The Illustrated Encyclopedia by Lillian Too 8. Feng Shui Handbook: A Practical Guide by Derek Walters 9. Feng Shui: Perfect Placing For Your Happiness and Prosperity by Derek Walters 10. Feng Shui by Eva WongIf you want to learn about feng shui, begin your study here. Skinner's books deal mostly with terrestrial or Form School feng shui and are truly worthwhile. Derek Walters is a renowned astrologer. His books are accurate and thorough. Although I believe Lillian Too is too commercial and superficial, her books are good for those not wanting to spend the time to understand more sophisticated methods of feng shui. By far my most favorite book is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui by Moran and Biktashev. This book has it all: feng shui's origins; feng shui's scientific value; two classical methods of determining your home's auspiciousness; Chinese zodiac astrology, and the Four Pillars of Destiny (written by the world-respected Master Joseph Yu), a method of determining your luck. What's great about this book is that it is a no-nonsense, humorous guide to understanding exactly what feng shui is and isn't and how this 6,000 year old Chinese art and science can help you increase your health, wealth, and relationship. You won't be disappointed!

As the moderator of mailings lists on Chinese Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology, it is very seldom that I am able to recommend a decent book on either of these subjects. This one fills the bill. In my opinion as a professional Feng Shui consultant/practitioner, about 95% of the Feng Shui books on the market do not deliver value for those searching for the "real stuff". This one does. Get it Today!Keep in mind that this book is not intended to serve as a complete manual for becoming a professional practitioner, but it is an excellent guide and introduction to the beginner or aspiring professional. It will teach you that there is a whole lot more to Feng Shui than arranging furniture and hanging crystal balls. If you have been thinking about "getting into feng shui", this may the best place to start.

Few books on the subject of Feng Shui speak equally to the beginner and advanced student of this ancient art. This book by Moran and Biktashev is noteworthy for making a complex suject exceedingly accessible without sacrificing any of the detailed information the Feng Shui practitioner would desire. Making extensive use of well-explained charts, diagrams, and drawings, the authors ensure that every reader is enriched and informed by this book. The casual reader will find an extraordinary amount of wonderful ideas to ponder and experiment with; advanced students of Feng Shui will find this such an indispensable resource for hard-to-get information that it will immediately become a mainstay of their reference material.Because Feng Shui is so closely related to several other traditional Chinese sciences, the authors have wisely chosen to provide very strong sections on the I Ching, the Five Elements, and Chinese Astrology. The information in these sections is worthwhile in its own right; taken in context of the rest of the book, it leads the reader to a fuller understanding of the philosophy and practice of Feng Shui.The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui is a comprehensive and entertaining book to which I will turn often over the coming years. I cannot recommend its good-natured approach to traditional wisdom enough.

In todays market, this book is "one of a kind".I have read at least ten commercially produced books on Feng Shui over the last five years, and NONE of them measure up to this book in sheer quality of content. Whether you are just starting out, or have been practicing for quite a while, if you have been relying on bookstores for the bulk of your Feng Shui study, then you CANNOT afford to miss reading this book!The authors give a good overview of the fundamentals of classical Feng Shui (elemental and form-school analysis). That is as far as most of the other books on this subject seem to go, but the authors of this guide go even further by giving the reader a pretty in-depth treatment of both East/West and Flying-Star methods. The Flying-Star method is one rarely seen in western books on Feng Shui (Eva Wong's book "Feng Shui" is the only other one that comes to mind), and yet is held to be one of the most powerful traditional methods.Joseph Yu's chapters on Four-Pillar Astrology are a "must read". You will not find a better teacher, and these chapters are clear, easy to read, and (best of all) complete!All in all, if you are interested in classical/traditional Feng Shui, you will NOT be disappointed in this book.I give this book Five Stars, with an additional thumbs-up for emphasis. Good job Elizabeth, Val, and Joseph!