A Book Review by Kartar Diamond

Published in 2010, this book came out after dozens of popular feng shui books had hit the market. Loretta smartly chose to write from a completely original and modern angle on feng shui.

The author states his goal early to enlighten and inspire readers with how Feng Shui works within a logical and scientific context. He doesn’t ignore the mystical and unexplainable, but he succeeds in piquing even more interest in feng shui with his clever examples and parallels with quantum physics and Chinese medicine, fleshed out in layman’s terms.

Loretta was an English teacher, so no surprise that his writing style is an asset.  He also offers insight into how the modern educational system has done a good job in creating people who are reluctant to think for themselves and instead tend to just memorize and spit out the status quo. This is really an eye-opener, to hear someone who was part of the educational system, confirming that children, for decades, have been indoctrinated more than they have been shown how to investigate, contemplate and come to their own conclusions (and it’s gotten worse since he wrote this book). He states, “A good skeptic is actually an open-minded person rather than a dogmatic thinker.”

Loretta discusses the most plausible explanations for how our minds create our reality and how we exist in a unified magnetic field, where actually we have the ability to control our surroundings as much as they control or interact with us.  It reminded me of my own past musings: about how absolutely every physical object ever created started as a thought in someone’s mind.  And in fact, inventions often come into existence after more than one person on the planet is working furiously to create (in sync with others through the world-wide matrix of collective minds).  We function in parallel universes, sometimes aware of it, usually not. Like moving the dial on a radio, the slightest turn reveals one frequency over another. And once in a while we get an overlap of two different radio frequencies coming through together.

As I long suspected myself, the hidden energies we refer to as feng shui can be like a bridge between dimensions.  If we can believe the late psychic Sylvia Browne, she used to say that “the Other side” was similar to life on Earth, but much, much more vivid and beautiful.  We reincarnate on this planet and then go about trying to replicate the glorious architecture and surroundings, which also exist on the Other Side. Our memories from not just past lives, but other dimensions, carry over with our souls.

Loretta challenges us to stretch our minds, to conceive and ponder how these hidden energies work. His background in Chinese metaphysics, Chinese medicine, Qi Gong and martial arts allowed him to utilize and appreciate these subtle energies from varied experiences and training.

He moves into a solid section on Yin Yang theory, with more unique examples, the Five Elements as they relate to the internal organs associated with them and how our porous skin is a receptor for sunlight and all the amazing things which come from photosynthesis. This dovetails nicely into a section on color as different frequencies of light.  When we intentionally place objects made of certain elements and colors with their own vibrational influence, naturally it will affect our bodies and minds.   Not wishful thinking, but rather science.

Health experts like to say that all disease begins in the digestive tract from poor nutrition, which I don’t disagree with.  But in other ways, all these various frequencies (hidden energies) which we interact with affect our organs. And in Chinese medicine, one vital principle is that organs produce emotions. Emotions can fall into Yin and Yang categories as well as the organs, such as the lungs related to sadness and grief, while the liver is associated with anger.  He explains how acupressure points on the body, meridian points, may not exist like a physical organ, but they consistently register as higher points of electrical charge throughout the body. Truly, each sentence is densely packed with information which bears repeating.

Loretta also takes a moment to distinguish between “sha qi” and “si qi,” which usually get lumped together as “bad’ or all as “sha qi” in feng shui literature.  Instead, we can sub-group sha qi as more active or threatening like poison arrows pointing at your door or fast-moving traffic whipping by a property.  Si Qi is low, decaying energy which influences us more slowly, such as living near a cemetery, causing sickness or depression over time.

Loretta’s book functions more as validation for Feng Shui than step-by-step instruction, reminding me of an article in Scientific American from years ago. Without mentioning the words “feng shui” in the article, the author dubbed the phrase “environmental psychology,” with impressive examples of classic Feng Shui theories in how much our interior surroundings influence us and how reliably predictable the tests became. And like Loretta in his own practice, some of the Scientific American tests were done with children in a school setting, noting what can make children have a harder or easier time learning and other behavioral observations.

In Chinese metaphysics there is a term called “Heaven Luck” and it refers to the destiny we are gifted before birth. In a chapter on light and sound frequencies, Loretta gives us a quote from Dr. Percy Seymour, a British astrophysicist who also believes in Heaven Luck, and describes it this way:

“…the planets raise tides in the gases of the Sun, creating sunspots and particle emissions, which then travel across interplanetary space to strike the Earth’s magnetosphere, ringing like a bell. These planetary signals are then perceived by the neural network of the fetus inside the mother’s womb, heralding the child’s birth.”   Dr. Seymour, who authored The Scientific Basis for Astrology,  affirms that at the moment of birth, a destiny imprint is solidified, coming from enormous cosmic forces and zeroing in on each unique soul. This cosmic bar code continues to influence us throughout our lives, through certain events and environments, awakening a dormant energy imprint.

Normally, I might be annoyed with a feng shui book that draws in so many other topics besides traditional, foundational information. In fact, I’ve seen this frequently by authors who did not know much feng shui, but added pages by venturing into other areas, such as organizing or space clearing.

With this author, it is obvious that he wants to communicate feng shui on a deeper level and he succeeds in explaining why topics such as DNA, the aura, the 50 hertz of a cat’s purr, applied kinesiology and other healing modalities are very much related to the whole premise of feng shui.

One of my favorite chapters discusses how the Earth energies have been explored and harnessed for eons. With mention that Earth as “Gaia,” a living organism, the parallels with the human body’s electrical and circulatory systems are stunning.  Loretta highlights an understanding of the world by ancient societies which is not often discussed in Feng Shui. Classical instructors and books tend to focus on how a built structure absorbs energy from the Earth below and the Sun above. That energy then impacts humans and animals dwelling in those spaces.

However, the structures themselves, including the pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge, and thousands of monuments and places of worship around the world are all energetically aligned to each other through ley lines and what he calls “geo-puncture.”  The structures themselves are sending each other energy! In contrast, geopathic stress lines identified by experienced dowsers have convincingly tied lines of geopathic stress to human diseases, including cancer.

As a natural continuation from discussing planet Earth as a living organism, Loretta moves into fascinating information about plants.  Plants are not just objects we use in Feng Shui to block or re-direct air currents (Qi). Plants are sentient beings and may give pause to any vegan. They communicate and collaborate with humans when it comes to their health and healing powers. We have studied the way plants respond to the human voice, music, and a variety of sounds conventionally considered threatening or nurturing.

Plants are often selfless servants, purifying our air. In one quote from the book: “NASA studies found that the spider plant, the philodendron and the golden pothos are best at removing formaldehyde from the air.” Plants like the Peace Lilly remove benzene from the air. The author continues revealing the hidden energies behind feng shui: featuring the connection between plants, Bach Flower Remedies, the formation and residual influence of crop circles, the origins of Kirlian photography, homeopathy, plant “shamanism,” aromatherapy and folk medicine.

To my surprise, Loretta notes that many plants and herbs have healing properties which cannot be explained directly by their molecular interactions, (such as a pain killer like aspirin coming from willow bark); rather, the plant kingdom and the human’s unconscious mind engage in a bond where the plant “fairies” understand there has been a request to heal. This is not the same premise at all as the Placebo effect. Mushrooms, as well, like to clean up the environment and treat the human body and mind.

Farmers from ancient tales, Old England and Scotland and tribes like the Hopi Indians would chant or sing over their crops, highlighting the magical history and relationship between plants and people.  In modern times: put a leafy plant near your electronic devices and the plant will help dismantle the harmful electromagnetic fields.

In the final sections of the book, the author transitions from plants and flowers into the vibrational influence of our food (and how we destroy nutrients with microwaving), as well as vibrational healing through aromatherapy. His examples through research are fascinating. Our sense of smell has diminished, but use to be one of our superpowers, and he noted, “Greek physicians, including Hippocrates, came to Egypt to study oil.”  He also mentions that in ancient China, @ 2000 B.C., the qualities of aromatics were recorded, continuing with the Bible’s numerous mentions of oils. Frankincense, gifted to baby Jesus, has now been found to contain high immuno-stimulating benefits.  Mixed floral scents infused into a classroom can increase learning speed by over 200%.  Maybe we can eventually put all the condescension about essential oils, herbology and subtle feng shui influences to rest.

In summation, Loretta shares with us the scientific principles behind the Five “Agents” in Feng Shui: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal, in vivid and appreciated examples. We are not just placing items around out of superstition or ritual.  Nor are we just letting these elements interact amongst themselves in the environment. Rather, we humans also participate in this wholly organic exchange. Unfortunately, a brief search on-line indicates that this book is out of print, with used copies hard to find. A few expensive copies are available from a handful of booksellers including Amazon. It’s worth the price of admission.

Because of the scarcity of this book, I conclude with a list of just SOME of books he’s included in his bibliography. I have not read these books, but they are all available on Amazon and some of the authors have done a reprint of their original edition.

Hidden Nature by Alick Bartholomew

Hands of Light by Barbara Brennan

Ancient Mysteries, Modern Visions by Philip S. Callahan

Paramagnetism by Philip S. Callahan

Tuning Into Nature by Philip S. Callahan

The Bridge to Infinity-Harmonic by Bruce L. Cathie

Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy by Suzanne Catty

Food and Healing by Annemarie Colbin

Safe as Houses by David Cowan

Your Body Doesn’t Lie by John Diamond, M.D.

Let There Be Light by Darjus Dinshah

The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto

Healing Sounds by Jonathan Goldman

Lightning In His Hands-The Life of Nikola Tesla by Inez Hunt

Cymatics by Jenny Hans

Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith

The Web That Has No Weaver by Ted Kaptchuk

Light Medicine of the Future by Jacob Liberman, O.D., PhD.

Aroma Science by Maria Lis-Balchin

Shamanic Healing by Marie-Lu Lorler

The Field by Lynne McTaggart

Coyote Medicine by Lewis Mehl-Madrona, M.D.

The New View Over Atlantis by John Mitchell

The Biology of Transcendence by Joseph Chilton Pearce

Universal Laws Never Before Revealed: Keely’s Secrets by Dale Pond

The Etheric Double by A. E. Powell

PI In the Sky by Michael Poynder

Edgar Cayce’s Story of the Origin and Destiny of Man by Lytle W. Robinson

Bach Flower Therapy by Mechthild Scheffer

Souls, Mind, Body Medicine by Dr. Zhi Gang Sha

The Findhorn Garden by The Findhorn Community

Science and Human Transformation by Willian A. Tiller, PhD

Secrets of the Soil by Peters Tompkins

The Real World of Faeries by Dora van Gelder

Serpent In the Sky by John Anthony West

The Fragrant Mind by Valerie Ann Worwood

 

Author: Kartar Diamond

Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®

From the Book Review Blog Series