TEEN FENG SHUI
Design Your Space, Design Your Life
by Susan Levitt
Published by Bindu Books
232 pages
When my publisher asked me to write a feng shui book for their line of spiritual books for teens, I thought people might laugh at a book with a title like Teen Feng Shui. I anticipated criticism, especially from those who think that feng shui is a silly superstition.
Fortunately, I was able to make Teen Feng Shui part informative how-to book and part personal journal. I am so glad this book is available for teens (and adults) who want to learn about feng shui, and learn how to create peace in any environment. Teen Feng Shui has been popular with both teens and adults who appreciate the journal format and the book’s maps and lists which help make feng shui concepts easier to grasp.
From the Publisher
“Feng shui, the Chinese art of placement, has been developed for over 5,000 years to attract fame, wealth, success, and good luck. Now you can learn this ancient practice to design your space — and your life –in a way that attracts positive energy to you. TEEN FENG SHUI walks you through how to create your room design from start to finish.
TEEN FENG SHUI demonstrates how the universal principles behind the design practice of feng shui can be applied to the contemporary environments of teenagers-from school lockers to dorm rooms-in order to maximize personal power, develop harmonious relationships, and define personal space. Noting that all books on feng shui are created for adults, Susan Levitt has provided a resource geared specifically toward the needs and realities of the teenage experience, addressing how young adults can design their living spaces to transform their lives. She describes how music, posters, and incense can influence space and includes before-and-after illustrations of feng shui “fixes.” Teen Feng Shui also incorporates Chinese astrology, financial management and shopping tips for teens, insights on love and sex, personal stories, and case studies to provide a fun and comprehensive guide to this ancient art of placement.
The only feng shui book specifically for teens that:
Shows how to create balanced teen environments that promote personal development and positive self expression.
Tailors solutions to teen spaces: bedrooms, dormitories, desks, drawers, and lockers.
Shows how, when, and where to use music, incense, and posters.
Addresses real teen issues such as body image, tattoos and piercings, and cigarettes and other drugs.”
IN-DEPTH RAVE REVIEW for TEEN FENG SHUI
“I did not have high expectations when I received this book, but upon my initial perusal, I was more than pleasantly surprised. This is a work designed to feng shui the teen’s space, but it is so much more. An explanation of chi and feng shui are given at the start. In every chapter the author provides an activity or quiz. Part workbook, part text, and part exploratory journal, Levitt manages to avoid the many pitfalls of the teen genre with this contribution. No condescension is to be found here.
Flylady (www.flylady.com) would be so pleased, especially with the clutter = chaos chapter entitled “Clutter = Chaos.” I really like the encouragement to see clutter as not only a physical obstacle, but as an energy obstacle. ‘If you buy it, or pick it up from someone’s discard pile, you have to own it… store it, clean it, repair it.’ You’d better love it or be willing to be buried under it! Beyond the energy of the room and knowledge of where and how to place objects is the notion ‘rearrange your room: change your life.’
The third part of the book – ‘the eight areas of your life’ – is insightful and thought-provoking. Titles such as ‘Knowledge: Mountain’, ‘Family/Health: Thunder’ gets the reader hooked with quizzes and vignettes to help with formulating goals and keeps one’s interest with the explanation of choices. ‘Why do you think about what you do and what do you want?’
The final part, entitled ‘Elements, astrology, feng shui cures and beyond’ is a catch-all of whatever Levitt wants to add that hasn’t already been covered yet. Finding your element and identifying your personality type. The ‘Cures’ are intriguing, such as how to fix energy deficiencies through the use of mirrors, sound, living things, and movements which increase or redirect chi.
A good introduction to a wide array of topics. Lots of fun for the teen who likes quizzes, surveys and finding the keys to self exploration. A good resource/reference book as well.”
– Lori Collner, The Blessed Bee: A Pagan Family Newsletter, December 2006
RAVE REVIEW from LONDON, ENGLAND
“This book is absolutely fab. It helps you to rearrange your bedroom in line with ancient eastern magical principles called feng shui. The idea is that you must align the area you live in with the hidden energies of the world, and if you do this your life will be a whole lot easier. In Hong Kong, major office blocks are nearly all built and arranged with feng shui in mind. I tried doing it at home and it worked – things really did get better. So give it a go.”
– Mizz Magazine, A British Publication, Issue 475, July – August 2003
Excerpt from TEEN FENG SHUI
Tattoos and Piercings: Tattoos are an ancient form of body art and beautification. In Asia, tattoos have a stable cultural significance that is unlikely to change throughout one’s lifetime. But in the West, tattoos ebb and flow in popularity. If you are thinking of getting a tattoo, it is worth considering that you may feel differently about having that tattoo as you grow and change. So it is best to get a tatoo consciously and with clear intentions. Before choosing your design, ask yourself, “What image do I wish to carry with me my entire life, and what energies do I wish it to attract? How will those energies move through life with me?”
Piercing has very specific physical repercussions. When you pierce an area of your body, you are stimulating a specific acupuncture point, whether you know it or not. For example, it is common for both ears to be pierced. Piercing that body area stimulates eyesight, and was popularized by sailors who benefited from seeing land at far distances. Piercing your eyebrows? Depending on where you pierce them, that’s a point on the bladder, stomach, or small intestines meridian. Piercing your chin under your lip? That’s a point on your conception vessel that could effect you hormones. Piercing your tongue? Different locations on the tongue stimulate different points. The center of your tongue stimulates a digestion point. Nipples are traditionally an area that is not pierced. A ring in the navel can, over time, deplete your immune system. If you wish to know what points will be activated by a piercing to enhance your health and well being, go to a professional acupuncturist and have a diagnosis. Then you will know which internal organs to gently stimulate and which organs are overstimulated and need to reduce heat to balance. If you decide to pierce, change your piercings as your body heals, and change your piercings with the seasons.
Meditation from TEEN FENG SHUI
A simple meditation: Sit on the floor with your legs crossed and your back straight. Rest your palms face up on your knees. Close your eyes three quarters of the way, keeping your visual focus on the floor about one foot in front of you. Once you are in a comfortable position and your body is still, bring your attention to your breath. Feel your breath going in and out. Begin to slowly count one full count for one full breath. When you inhale, count two. Then exhale, counting four. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Focus on the inhale and the exhale will take care of itself.
Any time a thought other than your breath arises, such as “Am I doing this right?” or “What do I prepare for dinner?” notice your thought, imagine placing it into a balloon, and watch it fly away. Now start counting your breath again at one. Try doing this for a few minutes. After a while, build up your time to fifteen minutes. You’ll discover a lot about your thoughts. Within a week you will be able to focus more clearly in all your daily activities. Within a few weeks you can experience life more relaxed, more efficient, and more energetic. When you feel stress in life, you can quietly do your breathing meditation to regain balance.
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