In the last article in this Feng Shui Myths series, we have discussed the use of lucky color to boost luck. This time, we shall examine another popular topic in Feng Shui, i.e. the use of Feng Shui products. Do you really believe that these stuff could bring better energy?
Most of the time when you seek help from a Feng Shui master, he would suggest that you place some Feng Shui accessories at home or in the workplace. There are a large variety of Feng Shui accessories used by Feng Shui practitioners, the most commonly used ones include water fountain (this one is extremely popular), water column, wealth ship, wealth fog, Ba Gua, Feng Shui coins and Wu Lou. Let me explain their effects.
Water Fountain / Water Column
These two are perhaps the most commonly used Feng Shui accessories. Whenever we talk about using Feng Shui to bring wealth, we inevitably talk about the use of a water feature.
The logic behind using water fountain / water column is that water represents wealth. So once we identified the direction where the”wealth star” locates, we should place a water feature there to enhance the power of the “wealth star”. Both water fountain and water column are features with running water, so they are considered bring a dynamic stream of wealth.
Is this true? Yes. Water features, if placed correctly, could bring better luck in wealth growth. According to the Five-element Theory, the “wealth star” has a “water” characteristic, so placing water in that star’s direction could strengthen the power of that star.
There is one thing you need to remember when using water features. If you find leakage, please fix it or replace it immediately. If the direction of the “wealth star” is your wallet, the water feature is your wallet. It is good to have a thick wallet, but if the water feature leaks, it is the same as money running out of your wallet.
Wealth Ship / Wealth Fog
These are two different types of accessories but they are both considered as bringing wealth. Wealth ship is considered lucky because it looks like a ship moving wealth to your home. And the shape of a ship does not look bad, so wealth ship is usually placed at prominent places in the house.
On the other hand, wealth fog does not look good. It usually has three legs only. Sometimes people call it “money toad” or “three-legged toad”. There is a story associated with it. Once upon a time there was a fog monster. It sucks all money in from all houses it passes through, bringing trouble to all households. One day, an immortal Taoist priest beat this monster to force it to release all the money it ate. Besides, he broke a leg this monster to prevent it from going away. So this monster is still capable to suck money in but could never escape. People think that it is good for wealth generation because, putting it in a house is like having a money-sucking machine, the best of all, it does not run away so the money it got would only be left in your house.
As you can see both wealth ship and wealth fog do not relate to any Feng Shui calculations. They are merely stories that people associate with wealth generation. Most Feng Shui masters believe that they are good but for me I would stick to the use of water features. It doesn’t mean that they are useless, it is just my own preference. And I have heard many cases where these features worked very well.
Ba Gua
Ba Gua is a sign with all eight Gua symbols engraved or printed on it. It is very commonly used to alleviate the bad effects of “Sha”.
What is Sha? In the context of Feng Shui, Sha means a shape or occurrence inside or outside your place that could constitute bad effects to you. For example, a shape angle pointing to a window of your house is a Sha. A construction site right outside your door is also a Sha.
Ba Gua is believed to be a good working solution to reduce the bad effects of a Sha because it contains all Guas. Each Gua represents a kind of energy and everything on earth belongs any one of the eight Guas. So no matter what kind of Sha it is, there must be a Gua that can reduce it’s effects.
The simplest way to use a Ba Gua is to hang it on a wall with the Gua symbols facing the Sha.
Feng Shui Coins
Feng Shui coins are commonly found in Feng Shui accessory stores. They are usually inexpensive yet said to be powerful.
There are two reasons people use Feng Shui coins. Firstly, coins belong to the “metal” element. Whenever there is a need to use “metal” according to the Five-element Theory, Feng Shui coins are perfect tools. A typical use is to reduce the bad effects of Flying Stars that bring sickness. These Flying Stars all belong to the “earth” element, “metal” is good at overcoming the bad effects. We usually use six (6) coins because the quantity six also belongs to “metal”.
The second reason of using Feng Shui coins is the energy they carry. Old coins were passed from hand to hand and absorbed the energy of many people. They are therefore considered as lucky items. Usually people in Chinese societies place them underneath the kerb of the entrance door so as to bring good energy to home.
Wu Lou
Wu Lou is the Chinese pronunciation of calabash or gourd. It is used to treat negative energy. It is believed that since the neck of the Wu Lou is narrow but the bottle is wide, it can absorb the Sha or bad energy from unlucky Flying Stars without allowing the bad thing to escape. I commonly use Wu Lou because it is a handy, cheap but effective tool.
There is one thing about Wu Lou that must be noted. If you use Wu Lou to treat bad Feng shui, make sure the mouth of the Wu Lou is open. Some people place natural Wu Lou in the house without cutting open the neck. This is like having a vacuum cleaner but blocking the tube. In this case the Wu Lou cannot realize its magical power.
Are Feng Shui Accessories Necessary?
The answer to this question depends on the situation you face. If your house has good Feng Shui, you don’t actually need to use any Feng Shui accessory. If there are Sha or bad Flying Stars in unsuitable locations, Feng Shui accessories could help. The rationale is similar to the use of seasoning when cooking. If you have fresh ingredients in hand, why bother adding MSG?
Most Feng Shui theories are found on the Five-element theory. In most cases, the use of an appropriate element is sufficient to overcome the bad effects brought by a Flying Star or a Sha. Expensive accessories are not necessary because ordinary household items could provide the same effect. For example, instead of using ancient Feng Shui coins, you can use ordinary metal coins you use day to day. A aquarium with real fish is far more useful than a water fountain.
If you really need to use Feng Shui accessories, you can try Amazon.com where you can find them selling at much cheaper price than most Feng Shui stores. Simply search for “Feng Shui products” in Amazon, you will find a lot of products with positive customer reviews.