Three-Legged Money Frog: Origin, Meaning, and Feng Shui Applications

13 January 2024
Feng Shui
Gifts

The three-legged money frog statue is one of the most popular Feng Shui cures or enhancers that is especially associated with fortune and wealth.

The statue is based on a mythical three-legged frog that, according to Chinese folklore, appears every full moon near houses or businesses that will soon receive good fortune.

Here, we will discuss all you need to know about the three-legged money frog Feng Shui charm from its origin and meaning, to ideal placements, and other tips you may need to know.

Let us begin.

Feng Shui Three-Legged Frog: Origin and Meaning

As briefly discussed above, the money frog’s origin comes from Chinese folklore. The mythical frog is pictured either with one hind leg or a tail of a tadpole as the hind leg and is said to appear at the front door of homes and businesses whose owners are about to get the good news of incoming wealth.

According to the legend, the wife of one of the fabled eight immortals who happens to be wicked and greedy stole and drink the gods’ elixir of immortality.

The gods then punished her into a toad with the tail of a tadpole instead of a pair of hind legs and banished her to the moon. Another version said that her immortal husband shot her with an arrow that severed her leg.

The mythical toad is said to be so greedy so that money actually sticks to it as it travels the heavens, and this is why the three-legged money statues are often depicted with a coin in its mouth and/or surrounded by gold and money.

With these legends, the three-legged money frog is now a Feng Shui charm that is believed to be a magnet for wealth luck, and fortune in general. It is often associated with the element water, which in Feng Shui, is also believed to be an element of wealth.

Check out some “Three-Legged Money Frog” designs – Opens in new tab.

Where Do I Place The Three-Legged Money Frog?

With any Feng Shui charm, it’s important to remember that placement is essential in activating its positive benefits. In fact, if you can’t find an ideal placement for the charm at your house, it’s best to avoid placing it altogether not only because it might not bring any of the desired effects, but a bad/wrong placement may attract bad luck instead.

Below we will discuss some important principles in placing the three-legged money frog as a Feng Shui cure:

The most ideal placement for the three-legged fortune frog is the wealth position, which is the corner at 45 degrees opposite the room’s main door. The corner on the opposite side is considered the secondary wealth position, which can be used when the primary wealth position isn’t available because:
It doesn’t have a wall backing support
The corner has windows or doors
You can place two money frogs on both corners (primary and secondary wealth positions). Alternatively, you can place one near your front door facing inside your house, and another one facing outward collecting’ money from outside the house.
An alternative is to get a three-legged money frog statue that has a rotating base. You can rotate the frog to face outside when you are out working to enhance your workplace, and then return it back to face inwards after you’re home to accumulate the wealth back home.
You should NOT place the money frog in your bedroom, toilet/bathroom, or kitchen since it is considered to bring bad luck. Your living room is the most ideal placement in your house, as well as your work area.
Always place the three-legged frog on a high enough table, do not place it on the floor.
You can place it near or on the table in your workplace’s office to help enhance your career. You can also place it in the north (career zone) of your living room if you want further enhancements in career-related fortune.
Make sure the area where the frog is placed is well-lit and clean without any clutter nearby. This is to symbolize and help attract a brighter future.

Activating the Three-Legged Money Toad

Activating the three-legged wealth frog is a very simple ritual, but very important to ensure you can get its benefits as a Feng Shui cure. If the charm is not properly activated, it might not attract wealth and fortune for you.

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Here is how you can activate the money toad:

The simplest way is to simply tie a red ribbon around it. If the frog is biting a Chinese lucky coin, you can tie the red ribbon around the coin’s hole.
You can also place the toad on bright red paper or clothing.
If the charm you’ve bought already has a red ribbon tied to it, you don’t need to activate it again.

If the three-legged toad charm doesn’t come with a coin in its mouth, then you should buy a separate lucky coin from the vendor. You typically can choose between coins with Chinese symbols and writings with a hole in the middle (where you can tie the ribbon), or the coin might come with a red ruby at the center.

If the coin comes with a ruby, then make sure the ruby is pointing upwards and not downwards when you place it in the toad’s mouth. If the coin comes with Chinese writings and symbols, make sure the symbol’s side is facing upwards.

How Many Toads Should I Get?

In general, a single three-legged toad measuring 3 inches long and 3 inches wide should be enough for a home or office. However, if you have enough space and an available budget, you can place nine money frogs in the given area for maximum wealth energy flow to attract wealth fortune.

For a nine-frog setup, you should place them separately around the living room or garden facing the center of the living room/garden. This represents the flow of money coming from all directions toward you. If nine are too many for your available space, try placing three or six for optimal results.

Check out some “Three-Legged Money Frog” designs – Opens in new tab.