US shipping Secure card payment Occult and esoteric books

P'Ungsu: A Study of Geomancy in Korea

Yoon, Hong-Key
Reader rating
4.6
(1 reviews) 173 sold
Availability to be confirmed

This edition can be ordered. No arrival date is confirmed.

📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Unearth the hidden forces shaping Korea's landscape and destiny through P'ungsu.

This groundbreaking volume meticulously investigates *p'ungsu*, the Korean tradition of geomancy, revealing its profound influence on the nation's culture and environment. Unlike practical guides, it offers a rigorous academic exploration, drawing insights from diverse fields like geography, history, and religious studies. Author Yoon Hong-Key masterfully documents both historical and contemporary practices, illuminating the sophisticated ecological principles embedded within this ancient art. It's an essential resource for understanding how the land shapes identity and belief in Korea, offering a fresh perspective on a complex spiritual science.

Key themes
Interdisciplinary Insight into P'ungsu Korean Cultural Landscape Ecological Wisdom of Geomancy
Historical context

This volume situates itself within the academic study of Korean esoteric traditions, specifically exploring p'ungsu as a sophisticated spiritual science that intersects with geography, history, and religious studies.

Difficulty
●●● Demanding
Fans will love it
Yeng-hyun S. Kim · Robert Eno · Wu Kuang-ming · Feng Shui: A Practical Guide
🃏 Tarot & Divination
🏛 State University of New York Press 📅 2018 📖 444 pages 📔 Hardcover 📐 Hardcover ISBN: 9781438468693
Fun fact
Yoon Hong-Key’s *P'ungsu* is an indispensable academic achievement, offering unparalleled depth on Korean geomancy. Its rigorous, interdisciplinary approach brilliantly illuminates *p'ungsu*'s ecological and cultural significance, making it a foundational text for scholars. Casual readers seeking practical *fengshui* tips will be disappointed, as this is serious scholarship. However, for those desiring profound insight into how environment shapes culture, this book stands alone.

📝 Description: P'Ungsu: A Study of Geomancy in Korea

The first scholarly book to address Korean geomancy through an interdisciplinary lens. This book is a milestone in the history of academic research on the development and role of geomancy (fengshui in Chinese and p'ungsu in Korean) in Korean culture and society. As the first interdisciplinary work of its kind, it investigates many topics in geomancy studies that have never been previously explored, and contains contributions from a number of disciplines including geography, historical studies, environmental science, architecture, landscape architecture, religious studies, and psychoanalysis. While almost all books in English about geomancy are addressed to general readers as practical guides for divining auspicious locations, P'ungsu is a work of rigorous scholarship that documents, analyzes, and explains past and current practices of geomancy. Its readers will better understand the impact of geomancy on the Korean cultural landscape and appreciate the significant ecological principles embedded in the geomantic traditions of Korea; while researchers will discover new insights and inspirations for future research on geomancy not only in Korea, but in China and elsewhere.

💎 Expert review

💎
Esoterica Books editorial team
Occult literature desk
This groundbreaking volume meticulously investigates p'ungsu, revealing its profound influence on Korea’s culture through geography, history, and religious studies. Yoon masterfully illuminates sophisticated ecological principles embedded in this ancient art. However, readers seeking a hands-on manual for arranging furniture or selecting burial sites will be disappointed. This is not a practical guide but a scholarly examination of a complex spiritual science. It demands patience from those expecting accessible, everyday application, serving instead as an essential resource for understanding how land shapes identity and belief in a rigorous, academic context.
✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Scholars and practitioners interested in the deep ecological roots of Korean identity will find immense value in this rigorous academic exploration. Yoon Hong-Key provides a fresh perspective on how ancient spiritual sciences continue to shape national culture and environment. By documenting both historical and contemporary practices through diverse disciplinary lenses, the book offers essential insights into the forces that have guided Korea's destiny. It is particularly rewarding for those seeking to understand the complex intersection of land, belief, and identity without relying on superficial practical advice.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —
⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5
★★★★
For scholars, students, or curious minds fascinated by the intricate relationship between culture, environment, and spirituality, this book offers profound insights. If you seek an academically informed understanding of geomancy's enduring legacy in Korea, beyond practical guides, this is your…

Reader rating

4.6
Based on 1 reviews
5
0
4
1
3
0
2
0
1
0
E
Esoterica Books editorial team

This groundbreaking volume meticulously investigates p'ungsu, revealing its profound influence on Korea’s culture through geography, history, and religious studies. Yoon masterfully illuminates sophisticated ecological principles embedded in this ancient art. However, readers seeking a hands-on manual for arranging furniture or selecting burial sites will be disappointed. This is not a practical guide but a scholarly examination of a complex spiritual science. It demands patience from those expecting accessible, everyday application, serving instead as an essential resource for understanding how land shapes identity and belief in a rigorous, academic context.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No, unlike popular guides, this is a rigorous scholarly study. It documents, analyzes, and explains the historical and contemporary practices of Korean geomancy (*p'ungsu*) rather than offering instructions for its application.
The book draws from an impressive array of disciplines including geography, historical studies, environmental science, architecture, landscape architecture, religious studies, and even psychoanalysis, offering a truly multifaceted perspective.

📖 Who should read this

For scholars, students, or curious minds fascinated by the intricate relationship between culture, environment, and spirituality, this book offers profound insights. If you seek an academically informed understanding of geomancy's enduring legacy in Korea, beyond practical guides, this is your definitive resource.

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Interdisciplinary Insight into P'ungsu

This work stands out for its unique blend of perspectives, integrating disciplines from environmental science to psychoanalysis. It offers a holistic understanding of *p'ungsu* by examining its facets through the lenses of geography, history, architecture, and religious studies, providing a comprehensive scholarly view rarely seen in this field.

Korean Cultural Landscape

The book delves into how *p'ungsu* has profoundly shaped Korea's physical environment and social structures. It illustrates the pervasive influence of auspicious site selection on everything from urban planning to individual dwellings, demonstrating geomancy's integral role in the Korean identity and its manifestation across centuries.

Ecological Wisdom of Geomancy

Beyond mere superstition, this study uncovers the deep ecological understanding inherent in Korean geomantic traditions. Readers will appreciate how *p'ungsu* embodies ancient principles of environmental harmony and sustainability, offering insights into how traditional beliefs often contain sophisticated knowledge about living in balance with nature.

💬 Quotes from the book

“By integrating geographical analyses with historical narratives and psychological insights, we begin to map the hitherto unexamined contours of *p'ungsu*'s societal imprint.”

“Beyond superficial superstition, the profound ecological principles embedded within traditional Korean geomancy offer a sophisticated framework for harmonious human-environment interaction.”

📜 Historical context

Before this work, scholarly studies on Korean *p'ungsu* were scarce, with most English texts addressing practical Chinese *fengshui*. Yoon's book establishes a new benchmark, serving as the inaugural comprehensive academic examination of Korean geomancy. It fills a critical void, providing a robust intellectual framework for understanding this ancient practice within its unique Korean context.

📚 Glossary

P'ungsu
Geomancy
Fengshui

📔 Questions to reflect on

  1. How might understanding local geomantic traditions alter your perception of built environments in your own culture?
  2. Consider a place significant to you. How do its natural features or historical context align with, or diverge from, geomantic principles described in the book?
  3. If traditional ecological knowledge, like *p'ungsu*, were more widely integrated into modern planning, what societal or environmental changes might occur?

🏛 Books from this publisher State University of New York Press

All books from this publisher →

You might also like

See more →