How to Study

How Fast Can You Understand?
“When we read too fast or too slowly, we understand nothing.”
—Blaise Pascal
Are you worried that you read too slowly? You probably shouldn’t
be—less rapid readers are not necessarily less able. What counts 
is what you comprehend and remember. And like anything else, 
practice will probably increase your speed levels. If you must have a
ranking, read the 500-word selection below, adapted from Exploring
Feng Shui by Shawne Mitchell (New Page Books, 2004) from start 
to finish, noting the elapsed time on your watch. Score yourself as
follows:
45 seconds or less
very fast
46–60 seconds
fast
61–90 seconds
high average
91–119 seconds
average
120–150 seconds
slow
151 seconds or more
very slow
The guiding philosophy of feng shui is that everything in the
universe, including every one of us, is made of the same basic
energy. This universal energy, known as chi (pronounced chee), 
is alive and has intelligence. Because on this fundamental level
everything is in relationship with everything else, whenever 
anything changes, everything else also changes as a result.
Chapter 3 
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How to Read and Remember
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Chi constantly ebbs and flows around and through us in 
ever-shifting patterns and levels of intensity. Modern science
authenticated what the ancient Chinese art of feng shui has
recognized for more than 4,000 years through the discovery
that all matter and non-matter are composed of subatomic 
particles of energy. Quantum physicists have since done 
experiments that show that these infinitesimally small bits of
energy literally respond to thought, changing their behavior
depending on where and how researchers focus their attention.
This revelation affirms the power of feng shui.
Imagine that a bubble of energy surrounds your body and
extends 10 feet in every direction. As you move through the
world, people and objects unavoidably pass through this bubble.
Where your energy bubble intersects with the bubbles of 
others, a sort of comingling process takes place in which your
energy responds to theirs and their energy responds to yours.
Intangible thoughts and feelings can be communicated through
these fields from person to person and by entering different
spaces.
If the man sitting next to you on the bus were angry, his energy
would feel “angry.” You could read his state of being through
your energy field even though you never held a conversation. 
If you walked into a church or temple where people have been
praying for centuries, you likewise might pick up the energy 
signature of “peace” and “devotion” embedded in its walls and
altars. The presence of anger and devotion would ripple into
and through your field. You might also become angry or peace-
ful just by being exposed and responding to the energy of these
emotions and thoughts.
Perhaps your energy bubble extends farther than 10 feet. 
Perhaps it is unlimited in scope, because at the subatomic level
your personal energy is merely a drop in an entire sea of univer-
sal chi. In that case, every aspect of the world at large would
impact you to a measurable degree. Everyone and everything
on the planet in this scenario can be seen as interrelated and
interdependent.
How to Study
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Consider the potential that this vision holds: We are all con-
nected, part of the oneness of the universe. It is a point of 
orientation on which mystics and scientists, faith and logic,
can agree. Although feng shui is not actually considered a 
spiritual practice or religion, it is a subtle and intuitive art that
may ultimately enhance your spiritual beliefs. Furthermore, it
is clear that the principles of energy are operating in our lives
whether or not we are consciously attuned to them. Through
feng shui, we can purposefully regulate the flow of positive
energy in our environment and as a result enhance our lives.
What is the basic philosophy of feng shui? What is chi? Can you explain
the concept of an “energy bubble?” What is the practical application
of feng shui?
A good reader should be reading fast or very fast and have gotten at
least three of the four questions correct. (Look back at the selection
to find the answers.)