The Sacred Wu Lou in Chinese Culture and Feng Shui – How to use it.

The Sacred Wu Lou in Chinese Culture and Feng Shui - How to use it.

The Wu Lou (葫蘆) is also known as Hulu, bottle gourd, calabash, or wu luo. It’s sometimes referred to as a calabash since the gourds grow from a calabash tree. It is a fruit in its natural state, and when dried, it was historically used to store medicine or water, hence the title “giver of life.”

A hollowed-out Wu Lou was utilized in ancient Chinese culture as a water container and was essential for surviving on lengthy voyages. Chinese doctors used the Wu Lou to carry medications safely as they traveled from place to place. These historical applications have given rise to the Wu Lou symbol as a healing talisman.

Then there’s Wu Lou’s legendary past. This object was frequently depicted as a tool employed by Taoist deities and monks to entrap malevolent spirits. As a result, it became an iconic Feng Shui symbol that collects and keeps bad energy from creating havoc. 

The gourd can now be constructed of metal, jade, or brass. It comes in a variety of colors, including red, green, black, pink, and gold.

It is frequently used as an offering in Chinese temples because it represents longevity and good health. Certain deities, most notably Ji Gong Huo Fo ( 濟公活佛)  and Tie Guai Li (鐵拐李) are shown holding the wu lou.

It may be used in a variety of ways to attract positive feng shui. But first, let’s look at the symbolism and meaning.

Wu Lou: Symbolism and Meanings in Feng Shui

In feng shui, longevity and protection are highly valued. There are a few symbols that provide both, such as the famous Wu Lou. The Wu Lou is seen as a sign of long life and good health by both Buddhists and Taoists.

Wu Lou’s form represents the union of heaven and earth. The top half of the calabash stands for the heavens, the bottom half for the earth, and when a person uses it, it stands for harmony between all three. Its figure eight form is thought to bring wealth and success. The gourd is sometimes seen as magical, with the ability to transmute issues and overcome challenges.

When utilized appropriately, the Wu Lou may also be employed as a highly potent manifestation wish enhancer. So it’s a good idea to have a list of all your wishes inside the chest, representing all you hope to accomplish in life. To boost its energy, you can tie a red string around its neck.

As previously stated, Taoist monks utilized the calabash to trap bad spirits. This is where Wu Lou acquired the idea of absorbing bad chi from your environment. As a result, it is a potent feng shui treatment that may be used to treat a variety of feng shui issues. You can use the Wu Lou feng shui cure when you find a place in your home or office that doesn’t have good feng shui. 

Wu Lou is usually shown as a metal figurine or as the wooden gourd itself. However, you can commonly buy ceramic vases and lamps in the classic Wu Luo design at today’s home stores. Adding these to your home’s decor is both classic and timeless, and it’s good for everyone who lives there.

Wu Lou: Symbolism and Meanings in Feng Shui
Sake bottle gourd – Food and Agriculture Museum – Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan (public domain)

The Wu Lou’s Sacred Character

The Wu Lou symbol is linked to Sau, the deity of longevity. Ancient Asian legends say that he is the one who carries the container for the elixir of immortality.

Other deities, such as Buddha and Kwan Yin, have also been shown wearing the Wu Lou, which represents the divine grace of healing, which is freely given to all sentient beings.

Monks and healers employed it to deliver remedies across great distances, thinking that the liquid’s permanence in the vessel boosted its potency.

This notion was supported by the fact that the amulet’s shape, represented the union of heaven and earth (the divine and the human), which were divided by the course of sentient creatures’ evolution.

How to Use Wu Lou as Feng Shui Symbol

In the world of feng shui, the Wu Lou symbol is considered to be among the most potent of all traditional symbols. Its unusual shape and construction are said to aid in healing and the storage of negative energy. A Wu Lou or two in your house is said to help with a range of issues and is an important aspect of any feng shui setup.

Because of its fame, this emblem may be found in many Asian houses and businesses. The Wu Lou can also be found as a bracelet, pendant, or earring in modern feng shui practices.

Before you choose a Wu Lou product, make sure you understand what the different Chinese characters or images mean.

According to feng shui principles, the Wu Lou amulet can help in the following ways:

Enhancing Well-being and Health

Putting Wu Lou next to or above your bed is thought to strengthen your health and speed up your recuperation. If you have chronic or recurring health problems, you should keep Wu Lou in the room where you rest and recover. One beside your bed, or potentially one on each side, is a good location. Another location is the “health corner,” also known as the Tien Yi, which is based on Feng Shui Kua.

You can put a Wu Lou on the east side of the primary gathering space, such as the family room if you follow the feng shui Bagua formula. This is the “health luck corner,” which is thought to improve both your family’s health and constitution.

  • Keeping one with you as a charm also helps keep sickness energies at bay.
  • Preventing mishaps and accidents
  • When used as a cure, it is said that the sacred gourd will protect against accidents, disasters, and violence.
  • Placing it in your house is thought to create a secure and serene environment while placing it on your desk is meant to deflect bad energy away from your job.
  • A gourd might also be left in your car. Many people are afraid of road accidents, so why not reduce your risks and develop positive energy in your vehicle? This can help you avoid collisions with other cars, motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians; however, make sure you drive safely.
How to Use Wu Lou as Feng Shui Symbol
Image by David Rasp from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Attracting Good Fortune and Luck

The “fortune-bringing gourd” is another name for Wu Lou. Because it is one of the eight Feng shui treasures, it is an excellent wealth symbol.

Its form is also thought to be ideal for attracting wealth. The broad top is great for bringing in money, and the broad bottom is used to hold on to it. The bottle gourd’s top and bottom also signify heaven and earth.

Some Wu Lou products have tops that are open to allow you to insert real or symbolic items, such as money, ingots, and other wealth symbols.

A jade Wu Lou is frequently advised as a financial cure. You can keep it in your handbag or car, or use it as a keychain, bracelet charm, or necklace to attract good fortune.

Related reading: “Chinese Good Luck Charms To Bring Good Fortune”Opens in new tab

Defending Against Malicious Intent

You can employ an obsidian Wu Lou to fend against evil or anyone who wishes you harm. Anyone intending to bring you damage, whether through gossip, job sabotage, or other bad purposes, will take a double hit from this combination of stone and symbol.

Putting a Wu Lou made of black obsidian on your desk can help keep away people with bad intentions or energies that aren’t good for you. Alternatively, you may always wear or carry any obsidian jewelry in the shape of a Hu Lu.

Wu Lou for Personal Development

While rose quartz Wu Lou is frequently used to treat romantic love relationships, it may also be utilized to promote personal growth. Wearing a rose quartz Wu Lou pendant or other jewelry can help you be more empathetic toward others and sympathetic to their emotional states.

Healing of the Heart Chakra

This strong feng shui Wu Lou opens up your heart chakra. This is especially beneficial if you are experiencing emotional pain or wounding. The Wu Lou, made of rose quartz, can help heal a broken heart.

Repel Negative Entities

Another approach is to place a Wu Lou (with the lid open) at the house’s front entrance. According to an ancient tale, the container will capture demons (bad spirits) that attempt to enter the house.

Check out some “Wu Lou” designs – Opens in new tab.

Placement of Wu Lou According to your Intention

A Wu Lou can be used and displayed in your house or business to promote positive Feng Shui. However, it all depends on your life goals. Choose the sector you want to activate and make sure you use the right element for the best results.

Relationships and Love

Southwest is the area of love and relationships. If you want to bring these energies into your life, you can use the earth element that rules the southwest. You might select a Wu Lou made of stone, such as rose quartz, which is associated with passion and love energies. The rose quartz Wu Lou can be placed in the southwest sector of your house or in the southwest corner of your bedroom.

Bring Good Luck to Your Children

The metal element rules your ancestors’ luck area in the west. To activate auspicious chi energy for your children’s luck, place a brass or other metal Wu Lou in the west sector of your home.

Attract Good Luck

Your mentor’s luck is in the northwest, which is ruled by the metal element. You can activate this region by placing a brass or other metal Wu Lou in this sector of your house or the northwest corner of your office.

Enhance Your Career

The water element rules your career luck sector in the north. Because metal draws water, place a brass or other metal Wu Lou in the north sector of your house or the north corner of your office to attract an abundance of professional luck. (Related reading: Simple Guide to Feng Shui Your Workspace)

Feng Shui Front Door Color Chart

Better Results in Educational Efforts

The northeast represents your luck in education and is controlled by the earth element. You may activate the earth element while drawing an abundance of good luck for the northwest sector of your house or workplace by using a jade or other stone Wu Lou. If you are a student, you can bring a stone Wu Lou to class and keep it with you while you study. Wu Lou is available as charms, amulets, jewelry, and keychain fobs for personal usage. 

Improve and Protect Your Health

The east sector governs your health luck, while the wood element governs the east sector. You can get a lot of health luck by putting a real Wu Lou gourd or one made of wood in the east part of your home or office. For personal feng shui, you can also wear a wooden charm or carry a Wu Lou keychain made of wood.

Wealth and Abundance

The southeast sector governs your money luck and is ruled by the wood element. You can draw an abundance of prosperity by activating the wood element with a wood Wu Lou.

Recognition and Fame

The south sector governs your recognition and fame luck and is regulated by the fire element. You could place a wood Wu Lou here because wood fuels the fire element in the productive cycle. You can put the Wu Lou in the south section of your home or office. You may activate your wealth sector by placing a wooden Wu Lou at the southeast corner of your workplace.

Types of Wu Lou Gourds

Before you buy Wu Lou gourds, you need to be familiar with the many sorts of gourds. They are available in metal, brass, jade, calabash, wood, and glass. Tassels, emblems, and engravings can also be added to them. Choose carefully which ones you buy from a Chinese store that knows which ones will work best for your needs and goals.

Types of Wu Lou Gourds
Photo by Benjwong from Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Black Wu Lou for Health 

The Wu Lou is often associated with the Gods, especially the God of Longevity (Sau), and it is a symbol of health. If you are sick, place this Wu Lou in the area that corresponds to health. This Wu Lou will also bless the family and help the patriarch of the family live a long life. Also, put a Wu Lou on each side of your bed to keep you from getting sick.

Application of the Black Obsidian Wu Lou:

  • Putting on the black obsidian Wu Lou has the power to transform bad luck into good. It can protect you against all kinds of poison arrows directed at your body and mind. Only by touching your body can the Wu Lou be effective.
  • Suspend the black obsidian Wu Lou in your car might help you avoid accidents and enjoy a safe ride when traveling long distances.
  • Suspend the black obsidian Wu Lou in the four corners of your bed can protect you from harmful “Chi” and evil spirits.
  • Set seven black obsidian Wu Lou in a straight line beneath your bed, parallel to your body. This will strengthen your body’s defenses against sickness and help older people live longer.
  • Using the black obsidian wu lu to remove bad luck. If you are experiencing a run of bad luck, take a little black obsidian gourd with you to absorb negative energy from the environment. After absorbing toxic qi, obsidian must be washed regularly with running water. Display a black obsidian gourd in the area where you spend most of your time. You may keep this feng shui gourd at your desk to absorb bad chi from the workplace.

Check out some “Wu Lou” designs – Opens in new tab.

Brass Wu Lou with the Eight Immortals

The Eight Immortals are legendary figures in Taoism. They lived in different times and learned the secrets of nature so they could live forever.

They arrived on Earth to serve humans, and they return on a regular basis to assist families by providing them with health, luck, riches, longevity, and good children. Each of them carries a particular object (such as the Wu Lou feng shui gourd, the fan, the flute, the sword, and so on), and each makes a unique contribution.

Displaying this one-of-a-kind brass Wu Lo with eight immortal figurines in your home will bring you a lot of good fortune. You may display this Wu Lou at your workplace, home, or even your bedroom. It would also make an excellent present for any older person.

Related Reading: The Eight Immortals in Chinese Mythology (Origin, Powers, who they are) Opens in new tab

Obsidian Wu Lou bracelet

Wear an obsidian Wu Lou bracelet in your working hand. There are a few guidelines to follow when wearing it. 

  • You shouldn’t wear it while you sleep; instead, keep it separate in a tidy box.
  • Avoid wearing this in the bathroom or while showering.
  • Allow no one to touch it but yourself, but if someone has accidentally touched it, clean it with clean water.
  • Last but not least, when wearing a Wu Lou bracelet, you must respect and believe.

What If Your Wu Lou Breaks?

Anything damaged in the house can never offer good luck; we must discard it in order to promote wealth and luck. But broken things need to be treated with care and not just thrown away. A clutter-free environment around you is always good Feng Shui. (Related reading: Common Things you Should NOT Keep at Home According to Feng Shui)

Final Thoughts

The Wu Lou is an exceptionally potent Feng Shui amulet that can be used in a variety of ways. It is a great choice if you want to improve your health, bring in good luck, or keep bad energy away.

Therefore, why are you still waiting? Start utilizing this effective feng shui sign right away!

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Featured Image by sunchangzhong from Pixabay

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