Mystic Living

This book explains the Indian principles of Vaastu, the understanding of our environment of cosmic forces, which predates the better-known thing surely and encourages us to create a 'natural architecture' to enable us to live in harmony. The author explains the philosophy and principles, and how they apply to buildings and arrangements within the house. He gives case histories and practical examples as well as guidance about how to maximise favourable aspects and minimise unfavourable ones. The scheme is consistent, but will be unfamiliar to most Western readers. I also found it slightly deterministic, even if it is easy to recognise the influence of buildings and environment on behaviour and mood. At the same time, the spirit of the book is empowering – we ourselves create the future.