Many designers use feng shui and vastu in creating restorative landscapes, often in concert with other techniques.
Vastu is “the design-architecture-sacred space tradition from ancient India that creates a healing, nourishing, supportive effect that radiates into the environment. It requires the use of natural materials, beauty, honoring of nature, and attunement with the directions and the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. It is applicable to landscape and gardens as well as architectural structures.” – Sherri Silverman, Ph.D., Transcendence Design.
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese discipline rooted in Taoism. “Feng Shui can…be seen as a creative and intuitive philosophy that blends common sense with prudent design to create a more balanced environment…The practice has developed into a system of holistic design that studies the way in which our surroundings affect our wellbeing, happiness, and success.” – Romy Rawlings, Healing Gardens.
The Feng Shui and Vastu markets have exploded in the last ten years, and we list only a few of the many resources now available. For more comprehensive lists of references, organizations, and other websites, visit some of the links to your right.
References
Barrett, Jayme (2003). Feng Shui Your Life. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
Clunas, C. (1996). Fruitful Sites: Garden Culture in Ming Dynasty China. Duke University Press.
Lip, E. (1979). Chinese Geomancy. Times Books International.
O’Connell, Kim (1999). “The Harmony of Spaces.” Landscape Architecture Magazine, Volume 89, No. 9, September, pp. 102-126 (Article on the use of Feng Shui in landscape design).
Rawlings, Romy (1998). “Feng Shui.” in Healing Gardens, Minocqua, WI: Willow Creek Press, pp. 39-63.
Rossback, S. (1983). Feng Shui: The Chinese Art of Placement. Penguin Books.
Silverman, Sherri (2007). Vastu: Transcendental Home Design in Harmony with Nature. Gibbs Smith, Publisher. You can order this book through Sherri’s Transcendence Design website
Too, L. (1996). Feng Shui: The Complete Illustrated Guide. Element Books, Ltd.
Wong, Eva (1996). Feng Shui: The Ancient Wisdom of Harmonious Living for Modern Times. Shambala Publications.
Wydra, Nancilee (1997). Feng Shui in the Garden: Simple Solutions for Creating Comforting, Life-Affirming Gardens of the Soul. Illinois: Contemporary Books.