Energy Flow Is the key to Good Qi

“My wife is into all kinds of ‘new-age’ stuff,” says Joe Furie, owner of the Michael Joseph Furie Salon in Tarzana, Calif. So it was with an open mind that Furie watched feng shui practitioner Janne Trealoff bring her art to bear first on one of his stylists’ workstations then on the retail area he leases out. The results were so phenomenal, he says, that he had no hesitation about inviting her to work her magic on the whole salon. “After performing various calculations, Joannne changed the stylist’s position from the west side of the building, facing west, to the east side, facing north, and suddenly she was the busiest she’s ever been. I told my wife and we decided to hire Joanne to ‘feng shui’ the whole salon. Since then, nothing but good things have happened. We’ve got five new stylists, and the increase in positive energy is unmistakable. Even the client’s remark on it,” he says.

Feng shui, as just about everyone knows by now, is an ancient Chinese art designed to balance the energy flow in our living and working environments. Traditional feng shui uses the natural elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water to create harmony—remedying unfavourable energy patterns and enhancing favourable ones. The goal: to increase success, health, wealth, and well-being.

Trealoff, owner of Riverside, Calif. Based Results. By Design, stresses that there are no generic, one-size-fits-all solutions in feng shui and that the remedy that works for one space won’t necessarily work for another. “There is a possibility of 216 energy types of buildings and within a rectangular floor plan, there are nine girds of energy patterns. To do a correct analysis, it is vital to consider a large number of factors, including the orientation of the building and the date it was built,” she explains.

Trealoff began her consultation with Furie, as she begins all consultations, with a walk along the exterior, looking at things that affect the energy flow around the building, such as landscaping, shade and sun, and traffic patterns. Next, she goes indoors and uses a special compass, called a to pan, to read magnetic fields. She notes the sitting position and facing direction of the building and uses a complex mathematical system derived from the I Ching to gain an in-depth view of the building’s energy. “This determines which elements, in the form of natural objects, can be introduced to enhance beneficial energy,” she says. Finally, a person’s individual energy is considered.

After performing her analysis of Furie’s salon, Trealoff made a series of very specific recommendations. Outside, by the entrance, she suggested placing a metal or earthen pot about three feet high and a fan-like plant to soften the energy of the cars entering the parking lot nearby. Recommendations for the interior included a strategically placed metal water fountain to enhance prospects for prosperity, as well several metal containers with 30-lb, weights and a plant to benefit health. In addition, she advised that the sharp edges of the supporting beams throughout the salon should be rounded or softened with silk plant vines to allow energy (or qi) to flow.

Furie has made many of the recommended changes, including installing a water fall and rounding the columns, and, given the results, he says he plans to make the rest in the near future. As for the cost, Furie is philosophical, saying “I believe it all comes back and it has.”

Joanne Trealoff may be reached at (909) 780-0575, via e-mail at resultsbydesign@penet, or through her website, fengshiresults.com.