Prosperity/ WEALTH Bowl: Background and How to Prepare One

Prosperity bowls, Wealth bowls, or Money Jars are basically containers that are filled with items or charms that are associated with attracting material abundance into one's life. Although this practice is commonly found in Buddhist households and establishments, it is not exclusive to only one Asian religion and culture; the practice of preparing wealth bowls is actually one tied to metaphysical principles (Feng Shui) and cultural superstitious beliefs on positive manifestations. 

Estimated Reading time: 7-8 min

CONTENTS:

I. Common Forms of Wealth Bowl
    1.1 Fruit Bowl
        1.1.2 Unlucky numbers
    1.2. Ingot Bowl
    1.3. Classic Wealth Bowl

II. How to Prepare Your Own Bowl
    2.1 Items to be put in the bowl
    2.1.2 Additional items for customizing your bowl
    2.2 Choosing and Preparing the bowl

III. Where to Place Your Wealth Bowls

IV. Blogger's take (Actual Example from Recycled Jar)


I. COMMON FORMS OF WEALTH BOWL

1.1 FRUIT BOWL:

Here's something that is considered a "wealth bowl" in a figurative sense, but is technically NOT one: The Celebratory Fruit Bowl table centerpiece. For many Asians who practice Feng Shui, preparing a fruit bowl isn't just about putting together your favorite fruits in the middle of the dining table as an edible and healthy centerpiece. It is also done to invite abundance into the home. Especially during special occasions-- New Year, birthdays, festivals, a certain number and type of fruits are put together in one bowl or basket to bring luck into the celebration, and hopefully, for the whole year, starting the day of the occasion.  Round fruits are generally considered lucky. Thus, oranges are usually staples in the lucky fruit bowl. 

The quantity for each type of fruit placed in one bowl are commonly 1,2,3,8, and 10. Some households who are not fixed on following traditional Feng Shui will overlook the numbers and fit in as many fruits as they can based on their preference, but the numbers 4 and 13 are still often avoided. 

The Unlucky numbers:

• Four: 四 (four) and 死 (radical for "death") are both pronounced as "si" in Chinese and many Chinese-influenced languages, so the number is often avoided in establishments and households  that are heavy on observing Chinese superstitions. 
• Thirteen: Not all Asian cultures see 13 as an unlucky number. However, countries that are heavy on Western superstitions and religious influences tend to avoid it. This may be because of the biblical association with the "Last Supper"; "In the Bible, Judas Iscariot, the 13th guest to arrive at the Last Supper, is the person who betrays Jesus. Meanwhile ancient Norse lore holds that evil and turmoil were first introduced in the world by the appearance of the treacherous and mischievous god Loki at a dinner party in Valhalla. He was the 13th guest, upsetting the balance of the 12 gods already in attendance." (History.com, Maranzani, 2021)

As a child, I have heard the elderly avoid both 4 and 13. They never really explained to me why the two numbers were considered unlucky. And whenever I asked, they will just tell me that it's a superstitious belief passed down to them by their own elders. Many of them, regardless of religion, observed the practice of dreading and avoiding the numbers like a plague.

As I grew up, I have noticed both numbers be avoided in different building floors in both Asian and Western establishments. Elevator buttons would skip on either 4 or 13. I remember a hotel in HongKong avoiding both. Their building could have a total of 23 floors, but have 1-25 on the buttons with 4 and 13 being absent on the dial pad. 

1.2. INGOT BOWL:

Have you seen those boat-looking gold pieces in Oriental-themed houses and Buddhist temples? These Chinese ingot called "yuan bao" (元宝) was once used as an actual currency until the Qing Dynasty in China. Over the years, the imagery of the boat-shaped Chinese nuggets remained, and was passed down for generations as a symbol of prosperity. The shape would be printed on stickers, carved out from crystals, manufactured from plastic, or cut out on colored papers for decoration during New Year celebrations to invite money to come in. It would also often be placed by an altar, a designated "wealth" corner, or by the cashier section in some business establishments.

More time has passed and FengShui item shops and ingot decoration manufacturers became more creative; they started making ingot-shaped containers with a lid on them (even I don't know when this became a trend). Just like the decorative imitations, the ingot bowls are commonly made of plastic (and painted in gold or silver), or of brass, while others are made from carved quartz crystals such as citrine. People would buy it, fill it with items associated with abundance, and then place it in the "wealth" corner of their homes and buildings.

1.3. Classic Prosperity Bowl:

A prosperity bowl can be made of wood, glass, clay, or porcelain. It often does not have lid, and is just any type of bowl  that has coins and sometimes rice grains in it.

II. HOW TO PREPARE YOUR OWN WEALTH BOWL

2.1 Prepare items you would like to place in your prosperity/wealth bowl:

• Rice Grains- Associated with bountiful harvest and being well-fed. A spoonful of rice grains is fine (UNCOOKED, okay? Don't go fermenting cooked rice in that bowl. This isn't a blog post on mold/bacteria-culturing or sake-making). 

*Note: Please don't feel obliged to include this ingredient in your prosperity bowl if you don't feel comfortable about it (I understand that in some households, this may be seen as an act of wasting food). Only do this if you can afford to spare some grains and are fine with incorporating food into your craft/ manifestation tools.

• Coins- It doesn't have to be old Chinese coins; you can use loose change or old coins of whatever currency is available to you. 
• Crystals/Gemstones- I recommend putting in once that are associated with abundance and business, such as jade, pyrite, garnet, tiger's eye, aventurine, and/or citrine.

2.1.2 Additional items to further personalize your Wealth Bowl:

• Charms associated with Prosperity and Abundance- this can be those little charms in the shape of coins, currency symbols, or even little, loose pieces of beads (such as pearls or random crystals you no longer use) from your trinket stash which you associate with looking and feeling more "luxurious".
• Image or little icon of deity or guardian associated with wealth- You can include a small picture or carved amulet piece of any deity, guardian, or saint which your religion or craft associates with wealth. 
• A wealth mantra- you can write a mantra inviting abundance into your life on a piece of paper and fold it.

2.2 Prepare your bowl/jar:

• You can use a bowl/jar made of plastic, porcelain, brass, or whatever material you have in mind. But remember that the more durable and weather-proof it is, the better. The container symbolizes what holds and will catch your wealth. It has to be able to withstand different environmental conditions.
• You can buy or use any available bowl or jar to your liking. If you have the time and money to spare, you can even find traditional wealth bowls with zodiac animal prints or mantra carvings on them. If you're feeling crafty, you can get a jar or a bowl and redecorate it as you see fit.
• Make sure the bowl or jar is completely empty and clean. If you decide to recycle old product containers, remove any sticker labels. You can also repaint it with your favorite color or any lucky color associated with money and riches (gold, silver, or green).

***Recommended but not mandatory: 

• Use a container with a lid. Closing the bowl/jar secures its contents from spilling or being grabbed by someone else-- both in a literal and figurative sense.
• Smudge or smoke-cleanse your jar before filling it.

III. WHERE TO PLACE YOUR WEALTH BOWLS

3.1 General rules

• Place in a well-lit area
• Avoid placing in spots next to doors or windows; you don't want your wealth "escaping" or getting sucked out by these big holes.
• Make sure there's a wall or a fence protecting one side of the bowl if you can't avoid placing it in open spaces next to large windows.
• Keep the are clutter-free at all times; treat it like a sacred space for gathering "Wealth energy"

3.2 "Feng Shui" Placements

• Simple placement: You may place your wealth bowl in the "Wealth Corner"; find the farthest left corner of the room across where the entrance door is located-- that's the simplified way of locating it. 
• Specific placement: For a more specific directional guidance, you may try referring to "Bagua maps" online (I'm in no way associated with this website, but I do find this guide very simple and helpful).

IV. My own take: 

I emptied a jar of expired moisturizer. I washed it three times, and made sure no oily residue was left. I removed the label and repainted it in five layers of metallic gold acrylic paint (both inside and outside, as seen on the photo above). I was feeling a little fancy, so once the final coat of gold paint had dried, I decided to get my little decorative stamping roller, coated it in white acrylic, and then rolled it on the sides of the jar. I painted on the lid as well, just because.

I then placed a handful of old rice grains into the jar (had to make sure it was free from weevil 😖). I grabbed a few loose coins from my travels and placed it on top of the rice grains. And then on top of that, I took out bits of crystals I no longer use: Lapis lazuli and clear quartz for making intuitive and clear decision-making, turquoise for calmness, and garnet and jade for attracting material abundance. Lastly, I added a red string as a form of protection from negative energies, as well as to attract the right connections in my business pursuits.

I prayed over it, closed the lid tightly, and then I placed it in my designated altar/wealth corner. Here's what my jar looks like up close :)

I recommend looking up different ways of decorating wealth bowls online (and your nearest Asian lucky charms store if you have one available in your area). If you've never seen or tried making a Wealth bowl before, you'd be surprised how creative you can get with it :) 

A Little Babbling on Asian Religions, Schools of Thought, Metaphysical Practices and Culturally Passed Superstitious Beliefs

Background:

Someone (a seemingly concerned Western viewer) from my tumblr account went on a comment rampage about "cultural appropriation" when I posted about 红包 'hong bao' or red envelopes as a custom and as an evolving lucky charm in the local and international market. He complained about how I was openly sharing "sacred rituals" for Asians for random people to merely turn into "lucky charms". I don't think he even read the whole post (there's a difference between a ritual and a common, non-mandatory practice borne from cultural superstitions & traditions). I had to give a brief explanation at the end of that post about the availability and global inclusivity of the practice of Feng Shui and Asian Practices on the Laws of Attraction  as well (which, by the way, has existed for centuries). The "concerned" citizen's account was deactivated for whatever reason, so his rants was removed from my tumblr post's comment section. However, I think you can still find his "concerns" on cultural appropriation somewhere in the reblogs history of the post itself.

A half-assed differentiation on Asian Religions, Schools of Thought, Metaphysical Practices, and Culturally Passed Down Superstitious Beliefs:

While a part of me feels grateful over the fact that there are people from other nationalities concerned about protecting our culture(s), I feel the need to make some things clear for those who are interested (but are not yet quite familiar) in the topics mentioned in the title of this post.

That being said, although Religions, Schools of Thought, and Metaphysical Beliefs & Practices are related to each other by roots and influences, there are still  fine lines drawn between all of them. The three are seen as separate entities that intertwine by scholars, believers, and practitioners alike. 

To give some quick examples, I can come from a family who observes Shintoism or Taoism, but that doesn't mean I will follow every traditional rule of FengShui-- the former two are religions, while the latter is a form of geomancy; 

likewise, I can practice and even apply the principles of "ZEN" into my daily life without being a Buddhist-- the former is seen more as a Philosophy, while the latter is directly referring to the religion itself;

my ultra Asian uncle can attend my wedding and not bring a "red envelope" as a present (he can give me cash or a new car and it won't decrease his "Asian-ness"), while his American friend can give my niece a red envelope for her birthday and we will consider it a great gesture of generosity and not someone "ruining" our culture; 

a Christian man from Los Angeles can enroll in Yoga Classes opened by their Hindu neighbors without him being Hindu-- the former is considered an ideology beyond a physical set of exercises while the latter is a religion; 

a woman of Mexican decent who wants to study how divination is done in different parts of the world is allowed to find Eastern mentors who can teach them about I Ching- because again, it is a form of geomancy and is not exclusive to only a specific culture, nationality or religion... 

--These are just some basic examples that I hope can give those who are not familiar with the topic an idea on the differences between Religion, Cultural Practices, and Schools of Thought. For those who may be interested in this topic or wish for a more scholarly explained set of examples and definitions, I always encourage you to do a little reading during your free time. Who knows what new doors it might open for you :)

So yeah, no matter your nationality, religion, or color, if you are interested in learning common Feng Shui practices AND you have the confidence that it doesn't go against your religion and/or personal values, you're always free to learn more about it. The whole point of Feng Shui is to work with the flow of energy in order to bring balance and harmony into one's life. Official publications both online and in print, as well as  guidance from self-professed "Masters" are available to all the "seekers" and "learners" in this day and age of globalization. Oh, but just be extra careful and do your research should you decide to hire or consult one of the so-called "masters" and "experts"-- some of them are seriously "sus". I suggest studying the basics first so you get a feel on whether or not you're getting sincere and legitimate service. 😖

*Note: I may continue to add more references and definitions for the convenience of this blog's future readers when I have the time . Feel free to check back or send me academic definitions and sources that will add more clarity to the content for people who are interested in this topic :)