Feng shui by elements is more powerful than blackhat fengshui.

Some things don't make a lot of sense to me...but the idea makes total sense to me. I think the black hat is pretty easy to follow. but why do many people say this is not real feng shui? Do you use feng shui?
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serious answers please!! Black hat is the Feng Shui used in the west without all the bhuddist influences..they don't use all the triagrams they use the bagua..
I actually have feng shui for dummies...lol it's the best feng shui book I have. very easy to understand. I bought Lillian too, it's not too easy to understand.
I can understand the birth charts..and yin and yang and following nature. i don't understand for example... one thing...why the chinese guard dogs couldn't couldn't be substituted with say dobermins or rotweilers..I believe that what we see affects us..I just don't see why some things can't be replaced with a western theme.. and western tradition..I have read that it is best if chinese. I have nothing against chinese tradition, but I am not from there.

the difference between black hat and chinese fengshui is the fact that in chinese fengshui (techniques/concepts), the concepts of yin and yang, trigrams, hexagrams, iching, etc. are all interconnected, and the relationships of these make up the techniques or concepts. i know that most western people understand their concepts, but not in the sense how they are related to one another.
i also have read fengshui for dummies. but everything in this book is all elementary. it's too simple, that it is not even powerful to tie my shoe laces! it lacks umph, which chinese fengshui has.
in chinese fengshui, the more powerful a technique, the more fatal it can be when used by mistake to a half a degree. fatal how? up to 3 generation (both ways, ascendants and descendants) from where it started, it is like a curse. can black hat fengshui do this? i doubt it, if it cannot even tie my shoe laces. on the other hand, when used correctly, opportunity knocks on your door.
regarding the fu dogs, i don't use them. i use metal dragon, metal chiling, metal tortoise, and the ceramic or jade elephant around the house.
fengshui by elements is more powerful than blackhat fengshui. but you need to know the secret in this, to use its power. it is really very simple. (fengshui by elements is also part of chinese fengshui, but it is too simple, that most people do not talk about it.)

It depends on peoples taste and color. I feel probably that the feng do not believe in a black hat because of the color.take care. Maybe try a different color or a scarf on your head. read some books on feng is all about energy and the true flow and direction. It might be that the hat is too sharp and cuts off the energy flow. a scarf might be more soothing and easier, wrap that around your head and a different color. Read up on it before if you believe in it fully.

Western versions of eastern practices are not eastern practices, but more like 'inspired by.'
I understand that to 'know' feng shui, as an eastern practitioner would, you must also be somewhat knowledgeable in Chinese geomancy and astrology (or so I have been told).
For my own experience, what people commonly call 'bonsai' is rarely what the Japanese call bonsai. To truly practice bonsai, you must also know ikebana. Of course, most westerners think that a potted juniper is a 'bonsai.'
Any source that professes to teach you any of these disciplines from a single book or one 'definitive' source is probably more like 'feng shui for dummies.'
But that isn't to say it isn't worthwhile. I got my introductions to Asian ideas in that way, then sought out tutelage in those arts. Also, one of the strengths of western culture is that we are 'learn as we go' people, and we are also simplifiers: We grab things bit by bit and incorporate them in our worldview, leaving off the fluff.
The downside of that is that there are still many upon many westerners with funny ideas, such as 'Chinese' being a language. It isn't. There is no language called Chinese. If your book says there is, throw it out.
EDIT: Bagua means 'eight trigrams,' and is intrinsic to Taoism, and the I Ching. If you are 'using Bagua,' you are incorporating the trigrams.
Now I'm not saying that is good or bad, I'm just saying that we really have to understand the inner workings of something before we profess to be disciples of of a particular way.
I've read a few books on Feng Shui, relating to interior design, and try to use some of those principles in my decorating. Still, I do not say My home is Feng Shui, it is decorated with Asian influence. I am not a fully educated Feng Shui practitioner, by any stretch. Much like seeing a very rich businessman saying he is a strict Buddhist... reading a book and making an effort to be nice to people is not Buddhism. I suppose you could say I'm splitting hairs, but, just as you cannot be a doctor without years of education (and approval from your educators) you should not profess to be or follow any particular thing, when you have 'heard of' something or read a book, and it sounds superficially attractive.
I'm just saying your question sounds similar to, 'I don't understand Surrendering to Christ, but it sure sounds good. I read a pamphlet, wear a cross, so I'm a Christian now.'

The reason many people are drawn to Black Tantric Hat (BTH) Feng Shui is for its simplicity. BTH Feng Shui was invented by professor Lin Yun, who himself is a Buddhist. It was invented only within the last 20 - 30 years.
Since BTH Feng Shui is such a novel discipline in the realm of Feng Shui, many traditional Feng Shui practitioners has not and have not validated its effectiveness. Keep in mind, classic or traditional Feng Shui has been around for over 4,000 years. Through these 4,000 years it has been improved upon and fine tuned. Therefore, its formulas and calculations are harder to comprehend and master.
BTH Feng Shui adopted the use of the Five Element of classic Feng Shui and the Ba Gua, two foundation factors of classic Feng Shui. However, BTH Feng Shui has simplified and distilled the essence of Feng Shui so much that it proves to be ineffective. It is like taking a bottle of wine and then pouring water in the bottle. The wine of course is diluated, it still looks like wine and it has some of the properties of wine, but it is clearly not the same wine. Sometimes when you take short cuts or the easy way, you might get lost or end up missing things along the way.
With BTH Feng Shui, every home and every property is treated the same. Just superimpose the Ba Gua map over the floor plan of the home or property using the door as the postion point. What BTH Feng Shui is basically saying is that every home is the same. If you live in a tract type of home development, this implies every home in that development should share the same luck. Since every home is designed the same, should every residence share the same luck?
In classic Feng Shui, things aren't as black and white. Classic Feng Shui is subjective, tailoring to not only the residences who occupy the home but also the different energy that flows through the home based on the homes facing and sitting compass direction.
If you, however, are seeing the result you wanted from BTH Feng Shui then you should stick with it. If it is working for you, why should anyone ask you to change methods? There is more than one way to get to the same location. As long as you are comfortable traveling the road, then go for it. Just pay close attention to how things are going and not just blindly apply the method.