Karen Rauch Carter Sets Us Straight About the Art of Feng Shui

Karen Rauch Carter, a renowned feng shui expert, author, and consultant living in Mérida, has dedicated her career to helping people create harmony between themselves and their environments. Her approach to this ancient art is both practical and profound, focusing on energy patterns that impact daily life.

Karen will lead a luncheon conversation, sponsored by Yucatán Magazine, at Hotel CIGNO on Tuesday, April 29. (Buy tickets here.) Ahead of that, we asked her some questions to prepare us for the interactive learning event.

Karen Rauch Carter’s books have been in print for years and are published in many languages. Photo: Courtesy

Yucatán Magazine and Hotel CIGNO are hosting a luncheon presentation by Karen Rauch Carter, feng shui expert.

Karen Rauch Carter. Photo: Courtesy

Hotel CIGNO, where Yucatán Magazine’s lunch-and-learn event features feng shui expert Karen Rauch Carter

“Everything is energy,” Karen explains. “Chi is just another word for energy. Working with quantum physics and the basic laws of energy and its patterns is what feng shui is all about.”

Karen describes feng shui as creating “not-too-this, not-too-that but just right” patterns, similar to those in the Goldilocks tale. When you experience “just right,” she says, “you feel empowered and in the flow.”

Her journey to becoming a leading voice in contemporary feng shui began unexpectedly in her twenties after a near-death experience that fundamentally altered her perception of reality. “I popped out of the space and time illusions of the 3-D world,” she recalls. This experience shaped her understanding that “things can change and can change immediately. Life is all an illusion anyway, so why not make it a good one?”

Karen’s practice extends beyond traditional feng shui, including baubiologie, or building biology. She addresses modern concerns like electromagnetic fields, vapor emissions, VOCs, radon, and radio frequencies. She often recommends practical steps like removing microwave ovens, hard-wiring internet connections, or at least shielding or turning off wifi routers at night.

As the author of Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life and Make a Shift, Change Your Life, Karen emphasizes that effective feng shui doesn’t require oriental decorations.

“You don’t have to have your house look like a Chinese trinket shop to have good feng shui,” she notes. Her second book expands beyond physical environments to include tools like neuro-linguistic repatterning, hypnosis, and deep meditation work.

Karen’s practical approach has yielded remarkable results. She recalls a client who had suffered from “frozen” shoulders for three years, resistant to all therapies. After Karen’s visit, which addressed just three simple issues—an energy leak from front to back, a bed in a “weak position” under a sloping ceiling, and a knife in a nightstand drawer—the woman experienced dramatic improvement within two months.

Her methodical process begins with listening carefully to clients’ language.

“People often complain in architectural terms,” she observes. “‘It’s like I’m running into a brick wall with everything I do!’ These complaints hold valuable clues.”

She tailors solutions based on these linguistic patterns, noting that ” ‘I always burn through my money’ is a different issue than ‘money never comes my way.’ ” The former might indicate a fireplace in the wealth area of the home, while the latter could suggest a blockage near the front door.

One misconception Karen aims to dispel is that feng shui is tied to religion.

“In reality, it’s more like a nutrition guide for your home and workplace—a ‘do this and not that for the highest-yielding life’ manual,” she explains.

Karen sees exciting convergences between feng shui and contemporary manifestation practices.

“I help people dress their environment for the life they want, not the life they have,” she says, comparing this to the advice of “dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”

Through her consultations, books, and teachings, Karen continues demonstrating that feng shui is about creating environments supporting one’s authentic self and aspirations. She tells her students, “With the right intention, you can hardly go wrong.”

About the luncheon

Feng shui can help you transform any area of your life. Here’s your chance to consult with a renowned expert who lives right here in Mérida. Yucatán Magazine is pleased to start our lunch-and-learning series with feng shui expert and author Karen Rauch Carter.

Come with a specific issue or goal, and leave with clear, actionable steps to create positive change and restore balance in your life. No matter where in the world you maintain a home, feng shui’s guiding principles are highly relevant. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how this timeless art can work for you.

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