TAOIST FENG SHUI
The Ancient Roots of the Chinese Art of Placement
by Susan Levitt
Published by Destiny Books
148 pages with illustrations by Brian Williams
I wrote Taoist Feng Shui to connect feng shui to Chinese Medicine and five element theory. After you reread the first 36 pages of history and theory, then you can start to do feng shui, and can understand other feng shui books.
Included is practical info for the best colors for each room of your home, room-by-room furniture placement, yin and yang balance, correct lighting, outdoor landscaping, the function of hallways and entrances, and the proper use of mirrors, and crystals and other feng shui tools.
Based on the most common problems that I see in my private practice, Taoist Feng Shui is designed to help you transform your personal environment to create peace, harmony, health, wealth, and good fortune.
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
“The Chinese art of feng shui has become extremely popular in the West, but too often advice on the subject consists of overly simplified instructions for rearranging one’s house without any explanation of the profound philosophical system behind these changes.
The ancient Taoists developed feng shui from their understanding of the subtle interplay of energies that make up the universe, and no true mastery of feng shui is possible without knowledge of Taoism. Taoist Feng Shui provides step-by-step guidelines for improving your home, business, garden, property and neighborhood using this ancient system of knowledge.”
In this book you will find the same combination of insights and hands-on advice that I brought to Taoist Astrology. Taoist Feng Shui explores important elements of the practice such as:
Feng shui history
Yin and yang
Five Taoist elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood
The eight trigrams of the ba-gua
How to cast the I-Ching
Animal landscape symbols
The twelve earthly branches
The ten celestial stems
Mansions of the moon
Fixed stars and solar terms
Chinese astrology signs
Compass feng shui
Black Hat feng shui
RAVE REVIEWS for Taoist Feng Shui
“This book explains the Chinese art of placement in terms of the esoteric principles of Taoist alchemy. You will learn how to arrange your furniture, plants, and pets, and will also be able to interpret your I Ching readings more easily, since the I Ching is based on the same system of thought.
Levitt defines the five elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood, and explains how a delicate blend of these elements creates a harmonious balance. She also explains the eight tri-grams that make up the Feng Shui compass: heaven (masculine), earth (feminine), thunder, water, mountain, wind, fire, and lake.
Combining ancient Taoist wisdom with a Western sense of humor, Taoist Feng Shui is both fascinating and fun. Levitt also includes a section on Chinese astrology with information on your particular sign, and how it influences your personal Feng Shui.”
– Bohdi Tree Book Review, Issue Number 23, Summer/Fall 2000
“A wonderful guide to the Chinese practice of placement from a Taoist perspective. Offers traditional Taoist aspects of feng shui, including the Lo P’an Compass and the I Ching, as well as the relationship between feng shui and Taoist astrology. Also includes information on the Ba Gua Map and the Five Elements, including many examples of how to arrange rooms and counter negative energies in your home or office.”
– Solala Towler, publisher, The Empty Vessel: A Journal of Contemporary Taoism
“A ‘must’ for all students and practitioners of Feng Shui. Ancient Taoists developed feng shui from an understanding of universal energies, and this guide traces its history and how its knowledge has evolved in conjunction with basic Taoist beliefs. More than just a ‘how to’ guide, this examines the spiritual foundations of feng shui concepts.”
– Midwest Book Review, March 4, 2000
IN-DEPTH RAVE REVIEW
“At last, a feng shui book that a person unschooled in the art can read, understand, and apply without getting a major headache. Susan Levitt lives and practices in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a background in Chinese history as well as astrology, and shares just enough Taoist history to make her book an interesting read, but not so much that the reader is confused about the connection between the history and its application to the art of placement.
In one short chapter with an astutely chosen quotation from Lao-tzu, Levitt illuminates both the meaning and significance of yin and yang. This text offers the reader opportunities to delve into personal attributes, behaviors, likes and dislikes. There is a standard lunar calendar to determine the animal year of your birth and its significance to your personality. This book also includes information on the Taoist cosmology regarding the five elements and where an individual falls in that cosmology.
The combination of the two enables the reader to gain great personal insight. Levitt weaves the information to show how it can be applied to decorating one’s home or office. She supplies specific diagrams and descriptions to help create the most nourishing environment for family, work, and health.
Practical advice abounds in this book and much of it can be applied without expense. Clearing clutter and meticulous cleanliness are two areas Levitt stresses. Illustrative stories add emphasis to the importance of and reason for many applications. The text concludes with a short chapter on using the I Ching. Once again, the author’s deep understanding of her subject matter and concise use of words makes this chapter instantly accessible to her readers.”
– Colleen Verbeke, phenomeNEWS
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