Feng Shui - Debunking The Myth and Legend of The Wealth God

[Maryann Fox]

According to Chinese culture, every lunar Chinese New Year ushers in
the God of Wealth who is prayed upon to bring prosperity and monetary
rewards to residents celebrating its arrival at their door steps on
the eve of Chinese New Year. Prayers and offerings were made to the
God of Wealth with an assortment of vegetables, meats and beverages
hoping that the ritual will bestow upon the faithful good tidings for
the coming year. This cultural practice gains significance in Chinese
custom and tradition during the olden days when Feng Shui found its
way into the life of the peasants and rural folks in ancient China.
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese Art of Geomancy which studies the
movement of energy in the form of wind and water. This art originated
with the Chinese scholars over 3,000 years ago and was mostly used by
the emperors and intellectuals to amass wealth and power. However, the
common folks had inadvertently associated the art with the religious
practice of praying to a deity or god, rather than tapping into a body
of energy known to the Chinese as Qi. This ritual slowly took root
among the masses and later turned into a mythical and religious
fascination with the God of Wealth. Thus was born the practice of
praying to and receiving the God of Wealth on the eve of Chinese New
Year. Fire crackers will be released at the end of the prayer session
to welcome his arrival with joy and merriment.
The God of Wealth is no legend at all. In Feng Shui, the body of
energy renews itself every year and change directions and locations
within a dwelling. This body of energy is influenced by the planetary
movement in the constellation and it wax and wane over time, day,
month and year. This body of energy or auxiliary star is given a name
based on its auspiciousness or misfortune such as the Star of Wealth
(a.k.a God of Wealth), Star of Death, Star of Happiness, Star of
Nobility etc. It is this Star of Wealth that the Chinese equate it
with the God of Wealth and look forward to for an auspicious start to
the year. The trick is to tap into the energy of this auspicious star
in its right direction and location when it arrives on the eve of
Chinese New Year. The Lunar Chinese New Year for 2008 starts on
February 7th and the Star of Wealth comes from the West direction and
settles in the west sector of a dwelling. Unfortunately, the Star of
Death happens to be located in the same sector this year. As such, it
is not advisable to receive the God of Wealth this year.
However, there are other auspicious stars such as the Star of Nobility
which resides in the Northwest and the Star of Happiness in the South.
Try tapping into these stars in their respective locations for better
luck. Timing of tapping into these stars is also crucial. The correct
time is at the Rat hour of 11.00 pm - 1.00 am or to be precise at
12.30 am on February 7th, 2008. How do you tap into these stars? You
can let off fire crackers, play loud music or simply make some noise
and be there at the right hour to activate the stars!
Whichever the stars you tapped, these are only auxiliary stars
meaning, the effect only last for the day in question and not the
entire year. Notwithstanding, it is always better to start the year
with the blessing of the veritable God of Wealth for a want of
optimisms and mirth. For more of such articles, please visit www.proactive-qi.com