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Energy expert for life

A feng shui consultant does what it takes to rearrange her clients' chi, or energy, even if it means a little ghost busting.

BEACH PARK - Before she goes to meet a ghost, Kathy Mann puts on necklaces from a Buddhist temple. She meditates and prays to Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Buddha and Kuan Yin, Buddhist goddess of mercy.

For the ghost, she brings treats: uncooked rice, herbs and libations. She chants and tries to coax the spirit from its nest, where it is usually an unwanted presence in someone's home.

That may all sound a bit odd to the uninitiated. For Mann, a feng shui expert whose work often ranges from the mundane to the mystical, ghost busting is part of the job.

"I'm not doing battle like the Exorcist," said Mann, 45. "I'm going in there with a big heart. I'm saying to them, "You need my help, and I want to help you. I'm giving you a lift.' "

Mann says she has ghost-busted only five times. Most of her clients call her to help adjust the chi, or energy, in their homes, at a cost of $300 to $600 per consultation.

Many times she suggests rearranging furniture, adding plants or artwork and ridding rooms of clutter. She also offers opinions on wall and fabric colors and scours blueprints to make sure homes are built according to feng shui principles.

Marilu Wilson Pena credits Mann with helping to put the finishing touches on her new life. Mann did "energy work" inside and outside of Pena's Lutz home.

"It's not that we had ghosts or bad things hanging around," said Pena, a spiritual counselor and Reiki instructor. "It's sort of like getting in your closet and just clearing things out. It just felt very fresh and clean and light, like springtime."

A month after Mann's consultation, Pena met her future husband. Marital bliss reigns.

Need more references? Mann has plenty.

Eight years ago, Michelle Deemer asked Mann to feng shui her cubicle at a Tampa company.

"Within three weeks, I made the largest sale that company had made in five years," Deemer said. "Magic or not, something happened there, and it gave me confidence."

Now Deemer, 40, consults Mann whenever she buys new property or moves to a new office or home.

Mann, who has a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing has been a feng shui consultant since 1995. She left her job as a claims processor in 1998 to pursue feng shui full time.

Mann specializes in the Black Sect Tradition of feng shui, which incorporates teachings from several belief systems, including Confucianism, Taoism, Yin-Yang philosophy, Buddhism and holistic healing.

By her count, she's helped more than 2,000 clients.

Once, Mann helped clear misfortune from a plot of vacant land that would later become a school campus.

She also helped an insomniac find rest by suggesting removal of intricately patterned wallpaper.

A Redington Beach woman commissioned Mann to help her find harmony. It was a big job. The woman had six children, six dogs, three cats and a bird. Mann suggested artwork, tai chi, plants and putting color on white-washed walls.

Mann also teaches feng shui classes and gives lectures.

For some, her passion is a little too Far East. Once, a woman approached Mann as she lectured in a local bookstore and tried to lay hands on her, presumably to save her.

Mann, raised Catholic, no longer attends church but sees herself as spiritual and open to all people of all faiths.

Inside her home, crystals designed to direct energy hang from her ceiling fans. Statues of Buddha and St. Francis sit outside her front door.

She refuses to proselytize about feng shui. It's not about converts, she said. It's about peace.

"It's about you finding a place to be comfortable in your space with your things," Mann said. "It's not about crazy control. The people who get the most out of it are the people who will do what I suggest with a sincere heart."

Mann surmises that several bay area spaces could use her help. Tropicana Field tops her list.

"I would feng shui it if they wanted it," Mann said. "The chi is so flat there. They need to generate some kind of game or marketing so people enjoy being there."

- Sherri Day can be reached at sday@sptimes.com or 226-3405.

WORKS AS: Owner and founder, Abundant Feng Shui Creations.

LIVES IN: Beach Park.

BORN IN: Rutherford, N.J. Moved to Tampa after graduating from the University of Central Florida in 1982.

PRACTICES: Black Sect Tantric tradition of feng shui.

HAS TAKEN: More than 50 feng shui courses; studies with His Holiness Grandmaster Professor Lin-Yun.

ENJOYS: Yoga and art festivals.

READING: The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller.

LOVES: Harry Potter.

CAVEAT: "I don't guarantee anything," Mann said. "If I'm going to help you sell your house, you have to market it. This is not like a spell."