ritual 10: welcoming the wealth gods

may I introduce a ritual my family and I do every year – sometime between January 1st and the Lunar New Year?

WELCOMING THE WEALTH GODS

all you need is a stick of incense! (we usually each carry one, but one is all you need.)

we tend to do this late in the evening, so if you follow suit, turn on as many lights as possible in your home.

then…

light the incense and hold (and carry) it in between your hands (prayer position).

open the door (leaving it open – unless you have pets / kids that need to stay inside) – and walk out of your house 100 steps. the direction you go doesn’t matter.

at 100 steps, face the east and visualize that wealth and abundance gods of every direction are appearing in the sky.

say your name and your address and sincerely recite: “I respectfully welcome all the gods of wealth from all directions into my home to accept my offering.”

turn toward each of the three remaining directions and use the same visualization, chanting (at each direction) to welcome gods of wealth and abundance.

as you turn to go home, visualize that you’re leading a large group of wealth gods home with you. (this is why all the lights should be lit and the front door wide open – as if you’re expecting guests and the house is prepared to welcome them!)

lead your guests into each room and invite the wealth gods to make themselves comfortable in your home. for our ritual, we usually state our intentions in each room based on its life area (according to the bagua) and our goals for the year.

finally, if you have an altar in your home, you may request that they accept the offerings you’ve placed there. offerings can be sweets, oranges / tangerines / clementine, money or I-Ching coins, loose leaf tea, fresh flowers – anything that resonates with you!

and with that…

my wish for you this year is the champagne (or celebratory fizz) will always be cold; your gratitude finds itself wide-eyed and beaming; and the year ahead has YOU loving every breath you take! xo