Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect and Happiness

by Karen Rauch Carter

Promising health, wealth, and happiness, feng shui offers endless appeal -- at least in concept. Unfortunately, feng shui's seemingly complicated methods are often difficult to learn and apply in a meaningful way. Fortunately, Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life is written in plain and simple English for the modern Western reader. Revealing the ancient Chinese secrets that are as useful and necessary today as they have been for centuries, Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life communicates how * MEET "THE ONE" * FIND A DREAM JOB * EARN BETTER GRADES IN SCHOOL * ENJOY A BETTER SEX LIFE

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, New Age, How To, Audiobook, Spirituality, Psychology

233 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2000

About the author

Karen Rauch Carter is a professional feng shui educator,consultant, and the best- selling author of Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life and her second book, Make a Shift, Change Your Life. She coaches, trains, and empowers people to use simple and advanced feng shui techniques to enrich and improve all areas of their lives.

Karen has over 20 years of experience studying and implementing methods and modalities that produce consistent, and some say miraculous, results. The highlights of her long list of credentials include:

Best-Selling Author of Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life and Make a Shift, Change Your Life
Professional Feng Shui Consultant
Professional Member of the International Feng Shui Guild
Certified Bau-Biologie Practitioner
Certified Performance Consultant
Master Practitioner in Advanced Neurological Repatterning
Holistic Health Counselor
Licensed Landscape Architect
Founder of the Academy of Exquisite Living

For a complimentary webinar on How to Position Yourself for Success, visit www.MoveItWithKaren.com

Karen’s background is the basis for creating and developing KarenRauchCarter.com, which is a comprehensive resource to create supportive inner and outer environments that generate amazing results. Karen’s methodology integrates time-tested, researched, and newly-discovered practices for bodies, minds, spirits, and surroundings.

Simply stated, Karen is a well-studied and experienced designer of healthy homes and vibrant lifestyles. She motivates her clients and audiences to rethink their day-to-day choices by implementing simple fixes for home, health, relationships and more. In addition to her teaching and writing, Karen is a highly sought after motivational speaker. Karen has spoken at hundreds of events including:

The International Feng Shui and Sacred Geometry Conference
Learning Annex’s Real Estate and Wealth Expo
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Health

Reviews

[Creative Choices · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok this is the longest Review I have written as I am very passionate about it due to my personal experience with it - so please bare with me. If you are interested in Feng Shui it may be worth the read. Please note parts of this review are copied from other similar titles I have reviewed.

First for the actual book at hand - "Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life". This is one of the first books I read when I began reading about Feng Shui. I was very taken by the ease of use and the concept of making it easy so I wouldn't have to 'work to hard'. I found that easy isn't always better.

In theory this like the other 'western style' Feng Shui books are great. By western I mean anything that does not hold up to the Classical/Authentic Feng Shui concepts. Easy to read, easy to apply for the most part and fairly easy to incorporate into most homes.

There are a few 'universal' concepts 'these' books shared that are logical, useful and truly helpful. Such as decluttering your life/home and using plants to bring in good energy. For the sake of being fair I am quite certain there are a few more that I am neglecting to mention here.

If anyone has read different books on Feng Shui they will notice how each one seems to contradict the next. So even if you think you are 'playing by the rules for one' the next one tells you, you are way off course.

First let me say I tried so many different techniques found in these books that I thought my head would spin. Not just for a day or two but for well over two years. Some of the things seemed to have an effect but as I have realized this has more to do with the power of positive intention which most of these books work from.

When we bought our first home I used a good majority of the techniques to sway my decision as to which home to buy & where. Not to mention the placement of my furniture etc. Western Feng Shui is sort of a set it and forget it concept but they often use Asian influence chatskies as well to keep bringing the mind back to the intension. With such limiting results I had pretty much chalked it up to 'not worth too much of my effort'.

So when a Classical Feng Shui speaker was presenting at a fair I had no intention of going but since the other speaker who was to present during that time did not show I thought I would go ahead and check it out. I was pleasingly surprised but skeptical as she explained why these techniques worked a little but nothing seemed to 'stick'. She shared her experience with it and how in learning Classical (Authentic) Feng Shui vs. what we find on our book shelves, it made all the difference in the world. Also explaining how every person has to find out what their best and worst directions and that it is NOT universal. Along with the importance of understanding your 'Destiny Chart' which plays just as big of a role in the 'outcome' of how effective Feng Shui can be.

I noticed everything she was working with was in Chinese characters and she talked about how her teachers were Masters that were from China.

Everything she shared made since so for the better part of the next day her, my friend & I spent time talking more about it.

I asked her if she had any books she could recommend on the subject - then came the bomb...
She said 'there are no English books on the subject in print right now'.

That pretty much discouraged me but after I got home I started researching and found one resource that seemed legitimate. I did as much research as possible and found him to be highly reputable. Joey Yap seems very sincere in his agenda to bring Classical/Authentic Feng Shui and other Chinese arts to the western culture.

After reading his website, hundreds of his articles, watching some of his videos I applied some of his techniques and was AMAZED and the results. Then I compared my 'favorable and unfavorable' directions with the places I have lived using Google Earth to pinpoint the direction of my bed placement and found the One time in my life I was the healthiest was the ONLY time my bed had ever been in one of my favorable positions. After moving our bed within ONE DAY both my husband & my energy had increased (thankfully we both share the same favorable directions). That along with many other things has made me a believer in something that I didn't hold much weigh to before.

Needless to say I have since been slowly learning more and more about Classical Feng Shui, Bazi (Destiny) Charts, and Mian Xiang (face reading) and continue to be impressed with it's accuracy.

The most disheartening thing about 'Western' Feng Shui concepts is that most of the authors feel they what they are doing is good and helpful and for the most part the power of positive intention allows them to have some results. But unknowingly some of these Consultants don't realize that what they are teaching/sharing can actually be doing more harm than good. Since many of them use a Universal Bagua for everyone and give everyone the same positions for everything.
In closing I would like to suggest that you skip all the hype and the books suggesting that they have an 'easier way'. If you Truly want to experience what Feng Shui can offer don't mess with techniques that can sometimes do more harm than good. Check out Yap's books and/or DVD trainings and learn what Feng Shui truly is about.

[kasifrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother gave this book to me as a "Yay! You're moving out of my house!" gift about 8 years ago. I have since moved three more times and this book is always my guide. Not only is the writing friendly, casual, and entertaining, it's always relevant because every house is different. My husband (whom I met shortly after rearranging the laundry room that comprised my then-Love and Relationships gua... coincidence?) and I will be first-time homeowners in about a month (I'm sure the keys sitting in our Helpful People gua had nothing to do with the fantastic realtor/lender/inspector/sellers we found lol) and, once again, I am using this book to orchestrate our move. Things go so much more smoothly when you know exactly where each piece of furniture will go. We'll actually be able to paint this house, so I'm paying attention to the colors a little differently this time. All in all, a fun, interesting, and very informative read with simple exercises for infusing your home with positive intention. Highly recommended!

[Confident Drinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have bought this book seven times at this point, partially because it makes a great housewarming gift, but mainly because everytime I loan it out, it never makes it back to me.

This book is concise, fun to read, well-organized, and helpful. Details and anecdotes are included but it never gets too confusing or esoteric. You don't even need to read it chronologically since each chapter stands enough on its own that you can skip around to the specific issues you want to address with feng shui "tools."

I can't say that I believe there is actual magic chi circling my apt that I can manipulate to get a better life. But there is something to the concepts of positive intention and creating a comforting, harmonious environment. A lot of the tips focus on keeping your place clean, organized, and secure-feeling, which would most likely be beneficial, feng shui or no. But I'm a cynical person and I've had success just by implementing her suggestions. Seriously.

[Anna Link · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t help but love this book, even though it feels a bit self-help-ish & wishy washy. The author is quite funny, and brings just the right bit of woo-woo to the table while reminding us of autonomy in our own actions.

I read a couple other Feng Shui books before this, which were, I guess, a bit more serious and more rooted in the actual Chinese tradition. I found those books very difficult to get through. They felt more anthropological and the little that they did offer in terms of practical advice left my head spinning with the amount of visualizing, measuring, and calculating required.

Clearly, this book is very Westernized, and doesn’t give us much (if any) spiritual context (even though the author mentions she was trained in a specific school of Feng Shui). That being said, I found it much more approachable.

Interestingly, I read this book at the same time as I read a book about Ayurveda, and it made me reflect on how there are two aspects of learning from other cultural traditions. One being the spiritual, historical dimension of understanding — the background of this belief, the traditions that accompany it, its importance on a spiritual level. Essentially, the WHY it works and HOW it works, and WHAT enables it to do so. On the other hand, there is a more simple, practical level of understanding based more on a principle of treatment. What can Feng Shui do for me? How can I use it to resolve this issue?

For a Western audience lacking the requisite cultural knowledge, a treatment-based focus makes more sense. And I’m sure many of us have had the experience of having a spiritual or alternative health treatment done without understanding the context or systems of belief behind it… yet still having beneficial results. If we are trying to apply this to our own lives, rather than seeking out a healer or consultant, it’s better not to get lost in the theoretical WHYs of a modality we were not born into. Instead, we can focus on the problem we want to treat, HOW to do so, and examine critically, with our own eyes, the results that may follow.

Anyway, philosophical musings aside! I started reading this book right after I moved into my current apartment, and it was funny to observe how many of the principles of Feng Shui I had already unconsciously implemented into my own room setup — and how the messy, “I’ll deal with it later” corners reflected certain… discordances in my own life.

Above all else, I appreciate it as an interior design guide!! That’s something I struggle with, and will always be a process. It’s nice to have this book to refer back to, and create a bit of a color coded, oriented vision in my mind.

3.5 ⭐️

[Colleen Wainwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on feng shui I've found, and a heap of fun, to boot. There is a lot of corny writing, but it's so earnest, I don't mind. This is a terrific tool for unsticking yourself, relieving yourself of obsessions, and generating creative solutions—it works, and you get a groovy new living space, to boot.

[Justina Kulick · Rating 1 out of 5]

1st sentence of the book is the worst thing i have ever read. the metaphors makes no sense. the book is corny, not helpful. will instead read a Chinese authors’ work about feng shui.

[Glo Sollecito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes the subject of Feng Shui very accessible. Admittedly it’s a subject that can come across as complex and intimidating. This book is very encouraging in that even a little effort in the right direction can yield positive results.

[Selma Šljuka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and easy to ready, it's gonna be great addition to me decorating my new place 🥰

[Marta Lapczynski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently this book was a game-changer for my mom, who subsequently mailed me a copy, so I promised I’d read it. In doing so I did learn quite a bit more about this practitioner’s chosen school of feng shui (not that I’d known a great deal to begin with!), but frankly, a white westerner lecturing about an ancient Chinese tradition just doesn’t quite land right for me, in particular because while at various points she names certain symbols & practices from various Eastern traditions (not only Chinese, not only feng shui), rather than offering any amount of education or insight about them at that time, she merely indicates that they are deep & sacred, & that there’s a wealth of information available about them . . . none of which she dispels. Feels to me like such a cheapening/exploitation of sacred traditions, which are decidedly not ours (as white Westerners — as the author & I both are) to sling around so lightly, naming them then saying nothing to honor their significance. I had trouble with these moments in the book.

It’s apparent that she takes her practice seriously, & clearly it has brought great purpose to her life, & I have no doubt it’s from a place of genuine enthusiasm that she shares this information with others, but this book simply doesn’t pay adequate reverence to a tradition with such ancient roots — & that is so not ours here in the Western world.

Another problem for me is she lists lots of anecdotal evidence of feng shui changing people’s lives, but tries to pass off said anecdotal evidence as scientific proof, which it is not. The anecdotes are great, & I’m not here to question their validity, but they can’t be touted as science; calling them as much really undermines her credibility.

Throughout the book, too, she attempts to use a jovial, somewhat sarcastic tone for humor, but I find it contrived & unamusing. Perhaps in smaller doses it’d be more potent, but it seems she tries to end nearly every paragraph with some sort of joke, & the “jokes” are mostly pretty unfunny . . . I also kind of feel like the subject matter of this book isn’t really an appropriate platform for tons of jokes; it’s more something we should approach with reverence, with seriousness . . . but maybe that’s just me!

Lastly, there are several occasions in the book when she mentions a topic & says she’ll delve into that matter later . . . then never does. It’s a quick & easy read so I read it twice in two days, & in doing so verified there are a few loose ends hanging.

This book certainly does paint a picture of the author’s genuine passion & enthusiasm about feng shui, & I know it has received quite a lot of acclaim, but for me it’s just not a sufficiently reverent presentation of such a meaningful tradition that’s been around for so very much of recorded history. It skims the surface too much, feeling almost more like an informal pamphlet than a proper studious publication, in spite of being a full-length book.

I don’t at all regret having read it, although I doubt I would ever have picked it up on my own. I can definitely see how such encouragement to infuse greater intentionality into one’s life can/should yield tremendous results, so it’s no wonder this book has been meaningful for many people. It just doesn’t scratch the itch for me, personally. I’d love to learn more about the various schools of feng shui, though — and I shall, so I can also credit this book with having cracked that portal open for me. It’s not without value, by any means. It just wasn’t the right delivery for me, personally.

[Faye Glidden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to grab onto the ideas in this book and run with them. And I could...but the book lacked the background and importance of affirmations and intent. It's mentioned at the end, but by then, I was already reeling from the idea of creating a paper doll of my favorite super hero with my face on it and my company logo on the chest.

This book is quirky... (I'd like to know what a "skanky" car looks like!) and carries fun references, but the depth of it stops there.

[Lisadecorates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I bought this book in 2007 I used to so many times that the pages are falling out. I recommend it to everyone I converse about Feng Shui with. It is easy to understand and apply right away. I can relate countless stories about how I have applied this information through the years with just this one book.

[Stacey Couch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I have improved my prosperity, helped my reputation at work and so many other things over the course of the 8 years that I have had this reference as my companion. Many of the people I have recommended it to have also benefited. Such a great, humorous way to see what steps you can take to improve your life!

[Licia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. I return to it frequently. One of the best explanations of the basic principles of Black Hat Feng Shui. The title sounds like self-help fluff, but it's actually very thorough and well organized, and it works! I was drawn to practice Feng Shui because of this book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE book to get when starting out with Feng Shui. I too have bought many copies because I keep giving mine to friends. Karen makes it easy to apply these principles to your life. Don't hesitate. Get it!

[Laura Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? I applied some of the easiest cures (methods) of the book and now my car is running and I have a new job. It's written for practicality but is also highly entertaining and engaging.

[Annie (is so far behind 😬) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting, easy to read book which lays out the basics of feng shui for the curious beginner. It assures you that there are definitely ways to work with what your limitations are (room size, directions, items, etc.) and emphasises that the basis of change is intention. I've made copious notes about colour, elements, what to do/not to do, where to place things and what to do to enhance what you have if moving or changing things around simply isn't possible. Highly recommended for the curious and for those, like me, who know very little about it but would like to understand and learn more about the practice. There are plenty of other books out there, geared for different levels and focus, but this one kept my attention and I've already started making a few little changes to my room (which is my only personal space in the house I live in). I'll be keeping the book as a reference and starting a list of items I can acquire to add to my space to make it the best it can be.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time rating this book. From a feng shui perspective, it's so completely absurd, I can't take it seriously. If you followed even a small portion of the suggestions the author gives about how to feng shui your space, you'd have a ton of ridiculous crap piled up in every corner of your house and be dangerously close to being a hoarder. I'm pretty open to learning about concepts that are new to me but this was just ridiculous. Reviews talked about the content creating harmony, decluttering, balance... it was just stressful to think about the countless piles of junk the author suggested for your home.

That being said, the book was so over the top, I kept reading it for entertainment value! I really got to the point, once I stopped reading it hoping for helpful tips, and began reading it simply for the hilariousness of the insanity, it was actually a good comedy.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am by no means an expert in this realm but I do feel like taking some of these tips have helped. Even if it's just setting the intention to be different, as many of my teachers have said sometimes that's all you have to do is set a different intention. I do enjoy the style it is written in, even if I occasionally get a bit distracted by the stories woven throughout I appreciate the summaries at the end of each section. I'm making an effort to go back through it again in a new house with my husband and seeing what incorporating this does for us both as a couple and individuals.

I do get a bit confused as to how some things might get fixed but it's been a little since I read it through consistently to make sure I'm connecting everything together.

[Hanna Lupico · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and light hearted introduction to Feng Shui. Prior to reading this book I thought Feng Shui philosophy was composed of rules for how to arrange furniture and your belongings within a space. This book taught me that the foundation of Feng Shui is really about putting intention behind the placement of organization of objects in your home with in order to improve your overall well being. Although much of Feng Shui symbolism is rooted in Chinese Astrology I believe the real value of the Feng Shui practice comes through an individual choosing to express their own symbolism through objects, colors and elements that reflect the individual's spirit.

[Dustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read up on Feng Shui before, but this was the first full book I've read about it. I already agree that the placement of objects, shapes, and colors affects the energy and feeling of a room, but I don't buy into all the specific rules or ideas in this book. As with most things I've found in life, I think there is value in learning about these principles and finding truth that can be applied usefully in my life, and I did find some of that in this book.

I think the biggest takeaway I have from this book is the importance of mindfully considering the placement of every item in your home (which I already agree with on principle). :)

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As cheesy as it sounds this book changed my life. It helped me through some tough stuff, helped me let go of a ton of stuff I was holding onto, and my apartment is finally really cute. Everything has a place, it looks clean, it has a cohesive flow. This book is a great beginners guide to Feng Shui and I consult it constantly when I feel like my space needs a change. The only complaint I have is that the references are a little dated but it's an easy read and will truly help your life. It's one of my most loved books!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third time I've read this book. Every time I change houses, I feng shui them. I have more than one home (thanks, Prosperity section) and I have more than one feng shui book. This is by far the BEST of all the books. Why? It is easy to follow with her bullet points of "power tools" and covers all bases in simple to understand terms, but tackles problems common to trying to break down the feng shui sections in unique home layouts. If you want ONE feng shui book for your collection, this is it!

[Oscar Pettersson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's shallow to judge it based on title but having read 20%, it's exactly what you'd expect.

"Change your life to be in line with Feng shui principles and your life will magically coordinate itself to give you all you want".

I like the philosophy of decorating with intention and having designated spaces for different areas of your home, but beyond that it gets into the esoteric and rediculous.

Your typical non-helpful self-help book that's unfortunately also trying too hard to be funny.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first introduction to Feng Shui and I’m not really sure how this book compares to other books on the subject, however, to me this is a very practical and fun-to-follow-and-read guide. It’s very illustrative and well written in a way that can be easy and fast to read and come back to (which is something to consider since you will want to).

[Kimberly Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really easy-to-understand information. I liked that the author focused on the idea that you're setting an intention with the changes that you make, and I imagine that later when you see how you've arranged your furniture or added or removed items that it will remind you of that intention, and then you can do the mundane work you need to do in that area of your life.

[Alba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure there's much more to learn about Feng Shui but I enjoyed this little introduction to it. It's an entertaining, simple to follow guide. I do really like the concept of ordering the things around you as of course environment is really influential. I will definitely apply what I've learnt when I move out in August!

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was fascinating. What it really got me thinking about is how to consciously be aware of the stuff in my life and how it makes me feel. I think that your thoughts and intentions are far more powerful than which stuff is in which gua, but just the concept of putting things places consciously and using intention are powerful.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

January, a new year. Time to make sure your Feng Shui is set for abundance, good fortune, happiness, and all the rest of it. This book will help you get your home ready for a much better time with a few thousand years of Chinese wisdom and a modern, fresh approach guiding you. Carter is witty, fast-moving, and deft in her descriptions of why and what you need to do.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book that motivated me to get organized. There's something to be said for organizing your life in a way that makes it easier for life to happen around your stuff and bring yourself good energy.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read and re-read this a couple times over the past 10+ years. I really think Feng Shui helps with the flow of everything in a house. Even if it's not for you, it helps you organized and clear out all the extra crap and make your home life better!