Many people know that the Pixiu is famous for bringing wealth and protecting homes. However, another object that’s equally common — and offers even broader benefits — is the gourd.
Gourds are familiar to almost everyone — those naturally grown plants with two round, bulbous sections. With their narrow necks and wide bodies, gourds symbolize a full treasury, the ability to attract wealth from all directions, and prosperity. Their round, smooth shape not only makes them ideal for storing wine but also promotes harmonious relationships, enhances social connections, and wards off negative energy.
In homes where bad energy or negative atmospheres exist, gourds are also believed to absorb sickness and dispel harmful influences. A natural gourd is filled with seeds, symbolizing fertility, abundant descendants, and thriving family lines.
The classic Feng Shui text Xue Xin Fu states:
“When a mountain resembles a gourd, it nurtures masters of metaphysics and medicine.”
This suggests that areas resembling gourds produce talented doctors, diviners, and spiritual masters.
Since ancient times, professionals in medicine, fortune-telling, Feng Shui, astrology, and face reading have liked to hang gourds in their homes or offices to boost their careers.
As an old poem describes:
“Gourds hang from beams and walls, scholars and masters thrive; every household crafts its own arts, welcoming healers, diviners, and astrologers.”
This highlights the gourd’s role in enhancing fortune, protection, and health.
Gourds also carry the auspicious meaning of “Fu Lu” — blessings and prosperity — making them a long-revered symbol for attracting wealth and happiness.
An old folk saying goes:
“Every home needs a gourd to become rich.”
In short, every household should have at least one gourd to invite prosperity.
In Feng Shui, gourds are widely recognized for their seven major benefits:
1. Neutralizing Beam Pressure (“Crossbeam Suppression”)
One of the most common negative Feng Shui situations is having a large ceiling beam pressing down directly over important living areas — like beds, sofas, dining tables, or desks.
Even subconsciously, this pressure can cause restless sleep, nightmares, anxiety, and, over time, even personality changes such as withdrawal or depression.
Solution: Hang a natural gourd directly under the beam or between two beams to dissolve the negative energy.
2. Absorbing Bathroom Pollutants
Bathrooms are a major source of yin (negative) energy.
If a bathroom is located in key areas such as the Northwest (representing the male head of the household) or Southwest (representing the female head), it can adversely affect health and career success.
Solution: Hang a natural gourd in these directions to neutralize the impact.
3. Dissolving Annual Negative Energies (Flying Stars)
Every year, specific areas in your home are influenced by negative “Flying Stars,” particularly the Five Yellow (Wu Huang) and Two Black (Er Hei) stars, which are associated with major illness and accidents.
If your bedroom, living room, or kitchen falls into these sectors, the risks increase.
Solution: Place a gourd in these zones to absorb and dissolve illness energy effectively.
4. Clearing Stagnant and Negative Indoor Energy
Older homes or second-hand houses often carry lingering negative energy, especially if previous occupants experienced deaths, illnesses, or tragedies.
Common signs include:
- Feeling uneasy or uncomfortable after moving in
- Frequent nightmares or unexplained sounds
- Health deterioration without medical cause
- Increased family arguments or marital strife
- Career or financial decline after moving in
Solution: Hang multiple gourds around the bedroom, living room, and entrance to stabilize and purify the home’s energy.
5. Preventing Energy Drain in the Home
A good Feng Shui home must “store and gather” energy.
If the front door and the balcony are aligned straight across, good energy entering the home will escape too quickly.
Likewise, too many doors and windows cause the home’s energy to leak, weakening health and making it harder to accumulate wealth.
Solution: Hang gourds near windows to capture and retain beneficial energy.
6. Improving Health
If you feel chronically unwell but can’t pinpoint the problem through normal Feng Shui analysis, there may be hidden energetic issues in the home.
Solution: Hang a consecrated (blessed) natural gourd on each side of your bed to absorb illness energy and promote healing.
7. Protecting Against External “Sha Qi” (Negative Energy)
If your home faces outward toward a hospital, cemetery, slaughterhouse, police station, jail, garbage dump, public restroom, or similar structures, it is exposed to heavy negative influences like:
- Yin Sha (heavy yin energy)
- Official Sha (conflicts with authority)
- Lonely Yin Sha (decay, sickness)
Even nearby telephone poles, sharp building corners, high-voltage wires, transmission towers, or loud highways can create harmful Sha Qi.
Over time, this can damage residents’ health, careers, finances, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.
Solution: Hang a gourd inside the window facing the source of the Sha Qi to neutralize the effects.
Throughout China’s five thousand years of history, the gourd has been revered across many cultures as a sacred object, sometimes even as a symbol of humanity’s origin.
In myths and legends, the gourd is constantly associated with immortals and heroes, bringing luck, protection, and longevity to humanity.
Many deities and legendary figures — like Iron-Crutch Liof the Eight Immortals, the Longevity Star God, and the famous Ji Gong Monk — are portrayed carrying gourds.
Thus, gourds have become enduring symbols of “Blessings, Prosperity, and Longevity” and are treasured as powerful spiritual tools for home protection, healing, and good fortune — a shining representation of Chinese cultural tradition.
