Finished reading Vastu Shastra, one of the books I bought from Joscephine. The Hindus, after all, were settled in the Philippines long before the Muslims arrived.

Vastu shastra is the precursor of the Chinese feng shui. It is practiced in Bali, where I visited some years ago, and where I noted and appreciated the differences between Hindu architecture and Chinese architecture.

I learned so much from this book. For instance, that housewarmings are of Hindu origin, and that the Tagalog word "kulam" derives from the Hindu word "kolam" (a ritual design placed at the front door of the house). The book is replete with guidelines for arranging all of the rooms in every house, office, classroom, and inner sanctum, and for knowing how a well-arranged house heals the body. It also provides rituals that one can perform with available ingredients.

In all, this is one book I am happy to have and to keep. It provides all the justification I need for purchasing more than a dozen metal images of the Hindu gods and goddesses in Ubud. It is also quite interesting that every house is a cosmic body, as seen in the illustration. Apparently my bedroom and Aubrey's bedroom are at the head of the cosmic body, and Angelique's bedroom falls within its right arm and hand. I really should move the studio to the area that encompasses its genitals!