Simon Brown’s Principles of Feng Shui promises on the cover to be “the only introduction you’ll ever need.”  Published in 1996, Brown’s offering clocks in at 125 pages and briskly covers some of the fundamentals of Feng Shui theory.

Brown uses a lot of analogies, such as describing chi flow as similar to the body’s circulation system. He describes the demeanor of people as possessing ‘yin” or “yang” qualities, and how we can transfer this concept to living spaces.  One of my own mentors cautioned against using too many analogies or metaphors as a substitute for definitions. I have to admit, however, that my own  students and clients appreciate analogies to better understand foreign concepts.  One memorable day I was describing how chi (aka Qi) can flow through walls. My client had a tech background and by the look on his face, I could tell he was somewhat doubtful. But when I compared the ability of qi to flow through walls like wi-fi, he identified with the analogy and his attention level improved after that.

Simon Brown almost immediately mentions Nine Star Ki, which most feng shui books do not refer to and most feng shui practitioners today still do not know about or practice it. He alludes to Nine Star Ki as a complementary system for determining when to move and when to do other activities in good timing.  While this is true, Nine Star Ki is the least known method, ironically, in feng shui circles.

Feng Shui, in and of itself, can help determine through annual and monthly cycles, the best time to move, put a house up for sale, attempt to get a new job, try to conceive, and other important goals. The best time to do something can also be gleaned through two different forms of Chinese Astrology, practiced in conjunction with Feng Shui. 

Brown also defines what he thinks are four different styles of Feng Shui.  The only point in mentioning this, for the benefit of students reading the review, is to make sure that students don’t wonder if they are missing something.

He describes one style as “The Eight Directions, or The Compass Method.”  He notes that this method requires a compass to determine the location of the eight basic directions and how various architectural features are influenced by the direction in which they exist (doors, windows, stairs, etc). This is true, but only a tiny part of what the Eight Directions “style” or ‘school” can reveal or what the Compass Method reveals.

In fact, the various compass methods are not limited to eight directions.  In this same category he refers again to Nine Star Ki as a way to pick an ideal time to move, when Nine Star Ki is mostly NOT about literal directions.  I assumed he trained in Nine Star Ki when he mentions George Ohsawa and Michio Kushi, although I have no idea what kind of curriculum they offered. I just wish he had delineated the scope or boundaries of each of these separate practices and not lump them together.

Next, he lists the “The Eight House Method.”  Usually, this wording alludes to the Eight Mansion (Ba Zhai) School of Feng Shui. He says this method combines the position of the front of the building with the occupant’s birth date and “Nine Star Ki information” to determine the suitability of the house type for the occupant.  With scanty descriptions, Brown fails to distinguish what is so different from the Eight Directions style vs. the Eight House Method.   He may also be suggesting that Nine Star Ki pre-dates the Ba Zhai School for personal directionology, but he does not say that outright.

The Ba Zhai School has its own Eight Trigram system where each person has their own “gua” or personal trigram based on year of birth.  People are relegated as either East Group or West Group for suitability with certain house types.  Nine Star Ki has no such mandate over one’s living space. As well, it is the back (sitting side) of the building and not the front, which determines the building type.   The Eight House system has become very distinct from the personal information we gather using Year of Birth in Nine Star Ki. In fact, a female can be two different “gua” when comparing the systems.

Thirdly, Brown lists the “Flying Star Method,” again specifying the front of the building (instead of the sitting side) with the date of construction. He correctly states that with this method, the features of the building and the surrounding landscape are examined. But he also adds that at the “beginning of each year, the Nine Star Ki chart can be superimposed over the building to provide insights.”  This is where it can get very confusing for the student of Flying Star Feng Shui.  We don’t superimpose a Nine Star Ki chart over a floor plan.  We may do that with Feng Shui Annual and Monthly Stars, but those are not the same as Nine Star Ki stars.

In the Flying Star School (Xuan Kong Fei Xing), a house has permanent energy based on year built and compass reading. There are also annual influences which commence on or around February 4th.  There are also monthly cycles to take note of and sometimes act on. It sure seems like Brown is indicating that the yearly and monthly stars used in Feng Shui are the same as Nine Star Ki stars, but that is considered a major blunder when feng shui practitioners assume that.  This may be why some Feng Shui practitioners think they know Nine Star Ki off the cuff, when they actually do not.

To be clear: Nine Star Ki deals with the person, not the place. Nine Ki Divination deals with global events and trends which can affect many. In Nine Star Ki, there are star attributes which can be quite distinct from how we relate to the Feng Shui stars.  Let me give you an example: if the annual 4 star resides in your bedroom one year, it could indicate that you may have more romantic encounters. It may allude to a job promotion or involvement with creative pursuits like art or music.  Now, if the 4 star in Nine Star Ki is paired up with your own personal year of Birth star, (nothing to do with where you live), you may find your year includes more travel, dealing with documents and written forms of communication, and perhaps interacting with “wood” type activities such as a repairing a wooden structure or digging a garden.  So, you see with this small example, they are NOT interpreted the same in both systems.

Brown then notes the fourth style of Feng Shui as “The Form School.”  He writes that a major difference here is that Form School does not have anything to do with compass directions. This is not true, and he further contradicts himself by stating that Form School utilizes a Ba Gua grid. The Ba Gua grid alludes to the Eight Basic Directions. Don’t we need a compass to determine what those directions are?  In actuality, Form School deals with the shape and form of all things and how those shapes conduct Qi flow. This could include big spaces like the shape of a parcel of land or down to the details of the shape of your living room couch.

Compass directions can also be employed within the Form School.  Here is one example: An ugly mountain that one is forced to look at is “sha qi” or bad feng shui in a general sense.  Initially, we don’t care about the direction of the mountain.  Like trash, it can smell no matter where it is located.  Now, if that ugly mountain happens to be to the west of a house, it may have a different negative effect than the same ugly mountain to the south of the house.  Here, directions reveal even more about a natural environment.  This is an inevitable blending of Compass School and Form School. It is really not much different from Brown stating that within the Compass School, we compare the internal layout (which is a smaller application of Form School.) In other words, Brown’s Four Feng Shui styles are redundant and misleading.

Brown’s other descriptions elsewhere are straight forward and helpful, such as noting yin and yang environments and how most people respond similarly to extremes.  We agree that the ideal bedroom should have soft, relaxing colors and lean towards being more “yin” for optimal sleep and recharging. In contrast, a very “loud” and overly-stimulating yang bedroom would not be conducive to sound sleep or good health long term.

In the chapter on Chi, Brown gives many associations in nature, but very few examples of good or bad chi in the built or internal environment.  Feng Shui philosophy is welcome, but most readers are also looking for easy tips. With the chapter on the personal trigram (based on year of birth), he can’t resist adding more Nine Star Ki commentary. This is supposed to be an introduction to Feng Shui, but the references to Nine Star Ki could be a distraction for the reader.

The chapter on the Eight Directions is interesting, but he also assigns different colors to the trigrams than what other authors almost universally agree on.  For example, he notes that the direction of southwest is related to the color black. I happen to know that he is referencing the planetary influence of the 2 Kun trigram. However, this is supposed to be an introduction to the practical aspects of feng shui. If we note that southwest is related to the earth element, someone may want to use earthen colors (brown or yellow) where they may not be able to use the real element of earth. Yet from his list, a reader may conclude they should be using black color!  He also lists water as related to an off-white color. In Feng Shui, when we can’t use real water, we use blue or black instead, not white (which is the color of metal).

Chapters on how to use a compass and how to sketch a floor plan are well and good, although he divides up the eight directions according to Nine Star Ki boundaries, which are not the same as the division points used in Feng Shui.  This difference can have “real world” implications.  For example, Brown uses the narrow 15-degree increment of the Rabbit sector to delineate the entire direction of East (taken from Nine Star Ki).  If someone were attempting to remedy the east sector of their house for Feng Shui purposes, they might not know that they have 30 more degrees of east (twice as much physical space) to work with!

On a higher level of Feng Shui, every few degrees matter in determining the sitting sector of the house or building.  Flying star calculations are based on 24 directional zones. Brown mentions the Flying Star School and the luo pan, so he must at least be  familiar with it, even if he does not use it himself.

Like author Raphael T. Simons, who interjects Nine Star Ki concepts into his Feng Shui book, Brown has chapters on the influence of deficient or extended directional sectors as well as main door locations. My problem with this portion of the book is that he blends Feng Shui definitions with Nine Star Ki definitions. They are not the same and this risks misdiagnosis and improper follow-through.

Feng Shui is often accused of being a superstition and without more explanation, it’s easy to wonder who came to these conclusions. Understanding that this book is only meant to be an introduction, it still would have been nice to have a few more sentences about the symbolism for each of the eight basic directions.  For example, Brown states that an extended North sector, or a North entrance could manifest with an occupant having a sexual disease or sexual scandal.  Why?

Neither passage on the extended direction of North or the North door reiterates that North is related to the water element. The Water Element controls the kidneys, blood, circulation and ears. (That is the part for public consumption.) Behind closed doors, in the classroom, we also teach that the North Kan Water star is related to the penis and secretions like semen.  If one knows that from the beginning, then the various extrapolations of a sexual nature will make more sense.  Now, when I spend a lot of time in my north sector, I get very creative and write more!

In Chapter 9, we get instructions on good and bad directions for moving and travel. This would be expected in a primer on Nine Star Ki, but the book title promises an introduction to Feng Shui. Why waste pages on a different predictive art?  As a feng shui practitioner who also uses Nine Star Ki, I would relish a book which explains how to use both systems in a complementary way as well as priorities, but this does not. It implies that they are interchangeable in ways they cannot be.

After the Nine Star Ki detour, I’m equally disappointed to find Brown all of a sudden dispensing Black Hat beliefs and practices. This is one of the biggest surprises since his exposure to Feng Shui through the Ohsawa/Kushi macrobiotic group appears to precede the New Age Black Hat craze of the 1990’s.  With his awareness of authentic and ancient Feng Shui schools, why would he diminish his credentials with the silliness of the BTB style, their dumbing-down of the Post-Heaven Luo Shu, and their over-zealous use of mirrors and lead crystals?  Even on his Recommended Reading List, there are no Black Hat authors. It’s a mystery.

One of the challenges for all authors comes in delivering general (or beginner’s) advice, knowing that there could easily be circumstances which require something different and contradict the recommendations made.  I noticed contradictions which any reader might as well, but at least I understand the complexity of the topic.  For instance, Simon Brown alerts readers (in a Nine Star Ki context) that the 5 star is a trouble-maker and he suggests people avoid moving in the direction wherever the 5 star lands for the year.  As stated earlier, he appears to relate to the Nine Ki stars as if they were Feng Shui Flying Stars, one and the same.

And yet, in another portion of his book he recommends adorning the (earthy) northeast sector with the fire element (because Fire produces Earth in the Productive cycle of the Elements). In spite of his awareness of yearly influences, he has given out advice that could be dangerous every nine years if not more often, such as in 2025 when the annual 5 star (feng shui context) visits the direction of northeast.  Using the fire element here could activate the feng shui annual 5 star in a very negative way for the occupants.  Elsewhere, generic advice is sprinkled around which may or may not support the house type’s needs when we factor in the date of construction or the yearly influences.

He closes with a list of questions to ask of any potential consultant the reader may want to work with professionally. It’s a thoughtful list and eerily similar to the Feng Shui Consumer Tip Guide that I composed decades ago.  Throughout the book I feel his sympathetic approach and earnest desire to educate the reader. My dissatisfaction is with so much contradictory information without explanation. This creates the possibility that the reader will not be able to trust the source and abandon their quest to learn Feng Shui.

Author: Kartar Diamond

Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®

From the Book Review Blog Series