What do you think?
Rate this book
Bedroom Feng Shui
A guide to bringing harmony into the bedroom uses the ancient Chinese art of feng shui to help readers arrange their beds, linens, and color schemes. Original.
170 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2001
11 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 8, 2022
I'm not particularly knowledgable about feng shui; I've attended some classes in a professional setting and I've read several books, but my eyes tend to glaze over. I can't evaluate this book from a perspective of accuracy (even if I were a full-on believer) but from the point of view of readability, this book is clear, comprehensive, and easy to understand.
Engelbert practices form (vs. compass) feng shui. As someone who almost never innately knows when I'm facing north or any other direction without a highway sign, I appreciated the focus being on more immediately understandable concepts — color, (relative) size, heaviness, darkness, angularity, etc. This just felt more intuitive.
I also appreciated that this had (relatively) little sense of woo to it. I don't mean to offend anyone who believes deeply in the practice of feng shui by saying that; rather, I see "woo" as anything unproven by science. I definitely believe (and use, in my professional organizing practice) the equivalent of chi or energy clearing in the way I help my clients eliminate clutter. Relatively little clutter is a problem because someone is physically tripping over it or because it is about to fall on your head; it's more subtle than that. I see clutter as representing unrealized mental distraction, similar to how you can't see pollution or even always sense it, but it's there. So in that way, I obviously am aligned with some elements of the undergirding concepts of feng shui, even if I'm puzzled by some of the explanations.
This is why Engelbert's book was so pleasing. Step by step, bedroom space by bedroom space, he addressed concepts related to the practice of Form School feng shui in the bedroom. I'm not sure I believe some of his statements regarding electromagnetic dangers (re: the non-ionizing sort), but that's beside the point.
You don't necessarily have to believe in the undergirding reason if there's also a psychological basis in the approach. I have clients who will tell me a particular piece of furniture or a room makes them uncomfortable. Whether these "poison arrows" are "woo" dangers to one's relationships or just sharp corners that lead one to unconsciously fear getting bruised is immaterial; Engelbert's advice allows me to recognize and be more responsive to clients' concerns and offer suggestions for ameliorating them.
So, if you live by a noisy street or have a nasty downstairs neighbor, I'm not sure putting a tiny mirror on your window or floor is going to dissipate and reflect the bad energy back to them. But if it makes you feel more emotionally empowered to cope, why not?
If you have a headboard that's more like spindles than a solid frame, it might unconsciously make you feel unsupported; modifying it to be more complete may give you a sense of security.
Exercise machines or computers in the bedroom? If they're a must, who cares if they're distracting because they distract and remind you of what you should be doing when you aren't supposed to be sleeping or if they're yang energy, covering them when you're not using them is still good advice.
So, if you're interested in feng shui, this is the most readable book on the topic I've found, as it feels practical and useful, and it doesn't require you to be a full-on believer.
I should note that the original was written two decades ago and updated about a decade ago, and is probably in need of another update to take into account things like smart phones and so many of the other newer concepts in home technology and home building. The resources section, with books and supplies, is not self-serving; he's not using affiliate links and with one except, Engelbert is unrelated to any of the recommended books or products. However, because the book is older, a refresh of the resources would be helpful.
[NOTE: I read a digital copy via Hoopla, not the paperback version selected above, as no digital edition is listed. It was hard to view the illustrations when reading the book in dark mode; I had to switch to traditional black text on a white background in order to see the illustrations clearly. FYI.]
Engelbert practices form (vs. compass) feng shui. As someone who almost never innately knows when I'm facing north or any other direction without a highway sign, I appreciated the focus being on more immediately understandable concepts — color, (relative) size, heaviness, darkness, angularity, etc. This just felt more intuitive.
I also appreciated that this had (relatively) little sense of woo to it. I don't mean to offend anyone who believes deeply in the practice of feng shui by saying that; rather, I see "woo" as anything unproven by science. I definitely believe (and use, in my professional organizing practice) the equivalent of chi or energy clearing in the way I help my clients eliminate clutter. Relatively little clutter is a problem because someone is physically tripping over it or because it is about to fall on your head; it's more subtle than that. I see clutter as representing unrealized mental distraction, similar to how you can't see pollution or even always sense it, but it's there. So in that way, I obviously am aligned with some elements of the undergirding concepts of feng shui, even if I'm puzzled by some of the explanations.
This is why Engelbert's book was so pleasing. Step by step, bedroom space by bedroom space, he addressed concepts related to the practice of Form School feng shui in the bedroom. I'm not sure I believe some of his statements regarding electromagnetic dangers (re: the non-ionizing sort), but that's beside the point.
You don't necessarily have to believe in the undergirding reason if there's also a psychological basis in the approach. I have clients who will tell me a particular piece of furniture or a room makes them uncomfortable. Whether these "poison arrows" are "woo" dangers to one's relationships or just sharp corners that lead one to unconsciously fear getting bruised is immaterial; Engelbert's advice allows me to recognize and be more responsive to clients' concerns and offer suggestions for ameliorating them.
So, if you live by a noisy street or have a nasty downstairs neighbor, I'm not sure putting a tiny mirror on your window or floor is going to dissipate and reflect the bad energy back to them. But if it makes you feel more emotionally empowered to cope, why not?
If you have a headboard that's more like spindles than a solid frame, it might unconsciously make you feel unsupported; modifying it to be more complete may give you a sense of security.
Exercise machines or computers in the bedroom? If they're a must, who cares if they're distracting because they distract and remind you of what you should be doing when you aren't supposed to be sleeping or if they're yang energy, covering them when you're not using them is still good advice.
So, if you're interested in feng shui, this is the most readable book on the topic I've found, as it feels practical and useful, and it doesn't require you to be a full-on believer.
I should note that the original was written two decades ago and updated about a decade ago, and is probably in need of another update to take into account things like smart phones and so many of the other newer concepts in home technology and home building. The resources section, with books and supplies, is not self-serving; he's not using affiliate links and with one except, Engelbert is unrelated to any of the recommended books or products. However, because the book is older, a refresh of the resources would be helpful.
[NOTE: I read a digital copy via Hoopla, not the paperback version selected above, as no digital edition is listed. It was hard to view the illustrations when reading the book in dark mode; I had to switch to traditional black text on a white background in order to see the illustrations clearly. FYI.]
October 6, 2008
great information to use in your bedroom, especially if the bedroom is located in the love & marriage part of the house.
March 12, 2010
Made more sense and just felt better to me than some other feng shui books I've read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews