The gourd bottle is an ancient item that has been made timeless by the practice of feng shui.
Because when we take into account the modern era, the gourd really does not do anything better than what we have today.
These days we have vacuum flasks and water bottles to keep our drinks sealed, medicine bottles with screw caps enable us to store tablets and capsules prescribed by the Doctor, and we have learned that the best way to store wine is with glass bottles with a cork.
Sometimes known as the wu lou and sometimes called the hu lu (葫芦) in mandarin, the gourd is certain to make it’s appearance in any movie based on ancient China.
While the gourd, or calabash, is associated with good fortune and fertility in Taoism and Buddhism due to it’s winding vines and huge seeds, it is mostly associated with healing and longevity in feng shui.
It is also recognized as a good omen and has an ability to magnify good fortune.
Before we go on, let’s just state clearly that we are talking about the bottle gourd as a container of sorts, not the vegetable. This is even though the authentic gourd container originates from dried vegetable.
Legend of the gourd
The god of longevity in Chinese mythology is known to have a hulu attached to the end of his staff said to contain the elusive elixir of immortality inside. Which is why this it is linked to the symbolism of longevity.
In the infamous classic novel of the 8 immortals, the gourd is an emblem of Li Tie Guai.
Even today, certain places have a feast on the 5th day of the 5th month and hang a dried gourd at the entrance to the house to pay respect to Li.
The Goddes of Mercy, which is one of the most popular figures in Chinese culture is often depicted carrying a vial shaped like a wu luo.
The gourd is also known as a miniature version of heaven and earth with the top as the former and bottom as the latter.
Kind of odd for a pear-shaped bottle.
In superstition, the item is also believed to have the ability to trap evil inside.
When a bottle-gourd is embellished with arabesques and roses, it represents a wish for ten thousand years of spring time.
This association is due to trailing gourd vines being referred to as man (蔓) which sounds like wan (万) which means 10,000.
When painted with children, it symbolizes 10,000 generations of male descendants. This is a popular motif designed onto household items.
With bats, it represents good luck and good fortune.
Paired with butterflies, it carries the meaning of recurring. So this duo is sometimes found on the background of artwork depicting auspicious symbols.
When decorated with symbols of longevity and peaches, it signifies ten thousand generations of patriarchs.
It is sometimes also used as a fertility symbol due to the huge number of seeds.
Gourd placement
For enhancement of good luck, the gourd can be place in the common spaces of a house like the living room and study.
However, do take that in this way, it is meant as a multiplier of good luck. So there must already be the presence of that luck in order to multiply it.
Such prosperity and auspicious luck can be activated with the use of flying stars or 8 mansions feng shui.
On it’s own, the gourd should come with designs and motifs that signify certain aspects of life in order to do it’s job in magnifying them.
For example, a gourd with the double happiness symbol would multiply the bliss and longevity of a marriage.
As mentioned earlier, the hu lu’s most common use for feng shui purposes is for healing.
In particular, for “curing” poison arrows and sha chi that are present in a home’s interior.
This is partly because it is the carrier of choice for storing medicine and transporting it from place to place.
The wu lou is actually the remedy of choice for many feng shui masters when encountering beams above the bed, exposed pillars, conflict between stove and sink in the kitchen.
They should be placed close to the source of sha chi and in between the source and the place you are trying to protect.
For example, if the intention is to dispel the harmful effects of a beam positioned directly above a sofa set, it should be hung just under the beam, not above it.
The regular classic type of gourd in earth color should be used.
These days gourd made of metal are flooding the market. When metal hulus are used, they need to be enhanced with crystals before being effective in countering sha chi.
So I suggest that if you are getting one, only buy those that have the authentic appearance.
Saying that, these days we can find the calabash in all types of materials including those carved from jade, ivory, glass, and even ceramic. This show how popular this symbolic item is.
Miniature versions of it are carried by many as a person emblem for protection
Finally, be mindful that the gourd is not strong enough to handle powerful sha chi originating from exterior form like the sky axe or angled roof tops.
In such cases, you need more fire power than a gourd to protect the house from negative energy.