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How To Invite God Of Happiness Into Your Home

An important Chinese tradition especially amongst practicing Taoists is to invite the God of Wealth into homes on the First Day of the New Year unless in that year the facing direction of the God of Wealth is afflicted. This is exactly the case for the 23rd January 2012. Feng shui calculations indicate that this coming CNY, the facing direction of the God of Wealth on the first day of the Year of the Dragon 2012 coincides with the DEATH DOOR! So the advice this coming year is that we should NOT invite the God of Wealth on the first day as this would force him to come through the Death Door, thereby triggering financial misfortune instead of new wealth!

How To Invite God Of Happiness Into Your Home

The recommendation for the First Day is to instead invite the GOD OF HAPPINESS as his direction on this day is particularly auspicious! The first day of the lunar year falls on the Western Calendar date of 23rd January 2012.

The God of Happiness brings everything that connotes a happy life - this includes wealth luck, good health, marital bliss and excellent descendants to your household. Those of you potential grandmothers and grandfathers hankering after a Dragon born grandchild should definitely welcome in the God of Happiness into your home!

In 2012, Year of the Water Dragon, the direction of the God of Happiness is Southeast. Some of you might worry that by receiving the God of Happiness in the Southeast, you might inadvertently also activate the afflictive energies of the Five Yellow (which is also in the Southeast). But not to worry, the Five Yellow afflicts a location, not a direction - so it is perfectly safe and very propitious to receive the God of Happiness from the Southeast direction.

Further to this, our charts reveal that the WHITE FLYING STAR number 1 rules the Southeast sector of the house on the first day. Hence, receiving the God of Happiness on the 23rd also activates career opportunities and success luck, making it doubly auspicious to invite him through the Southeast on this auspicious day, the day of the first new moon of the year. It is believed that those whose entrances face Southeast can enjoy excellent prospects of prosperity, career advancement and happiness in Year 2012 if they respectfully welcome and pay homage to the God of Happiness!

RITUAL for RECEIVING the GOD OF HAPPINESS 

The most important thing to get right, when inviting the God of Happiness is to select the correct hour of the new day to invite him and to make offerings to him. The best hour is the hour of your animal sign of birth. For this we generally follow the Patriarch's animal hour unless the house is without a Patriarch.

The table below summarizes the hourly guides for performing this special welcoming ritual. Those born in the year of Monkey are advised not to receive the God of Happiness, as this day is your conflict animal sign day. If you have a Monkey born in the house, it is advisable that he/she should not be present at the ritual.

Auspicious Time
12am to 1am - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Dog & Boar
3am to 5am - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Horse, Sheep, Rooster, Dog & Boar
5am to 7am - Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Snake, Sheep, Dog, Boat

Inauspicious Time
12am to 1am - Rabbit, Horse, Sheep, Rooster
3am to 5am - Snake, Monkey
5am to 7am - Rat, Dragon, Horse, Rooster

SETTING UP YOUR OFFERINGS TO THE GOD OF HAPPINESS 

Set up an offering table about waist height that you will use to receive the God of Happiness. Arrange this table outside your home, facing Southeast (use a compass to determine this). Position a statue or printed image of the God of Happiness sitting on a Tiger on this table and in front of him, prepare the following offerings. With the exception of incense, candles and the teacups, it is preferable that all offerings are arranged on red-colored plates:
  • Three large incense sticks 
  • Pack of medium-length incense sticks.
  • Three porcelain teacups filled with Chinese tea 
  • Three porcelain teacups filled with Chinese white wine 
  • One set of red candles 
FOOD OFFERINGS 
  • One "Fatt Gou" cake
  • One "Fatt Choi" vegetable
  • Five types of Fruits
  • Chinese Mushrooms
  • One large Pineapple 
  • An assortment of Sweets
  • "Lian Kou" or sticky cake/ pudding 
PROSPERITY OFFERINGS
  • A Pot filled with faux gold bars and ingots.
  • A bowl filled with I-Ching coins (to symbolize money)
The food offerings listed here are traditional offerings favored by Taoist practitioners, but if you are unable to obtain these items, you can use other food offerings - just make sure they look auspicious. Delicious cakes, cookies, and fruit are acceptable offerings. Position your incense burner in front of the God of Happiness.

In front of the incense burner (closer to you), place two rows of three teacups. The first row of teacups has tea and the second row is filled with Chinese white wine.
 
Those of you who have other altars in your house and especially if you have Buddhist altars with Buddhas and Kuan Yin images please ensure you also simultaneously set up five types of food offerings to your Buddhas. The five kinds of offerings are:
  1. Candles which should be lit at start of new year just after midnight and kept burning for 24 hours - scented candles are excellent. You can also use Christmas lights if you wish although fragrant candles are to be preferred.
  2. Seven (or more) bowls of water on new crystal bowls.
  3. Seven kinds of fresh fruits and seven kinds of new year biscuits/ sweets. 
  4. Incense - easy way is to burn fragrant sandalwood or other incense joss sticks. 
  5. Flowers - as many as possible. 
When you make these offerings, it strengthens the GOD of WEALTH rituals. These five kinds of offerings made on the first day of the New Year also bring wealth, wisdom, health, success and beauty. After you have set up these offerings at your own altar (which needless to say must have been carefully wiped clean) you can start your ritual to welcome in the God of Happiness.
 
The God of Happiness Ritual

Gather your whole family for this ritual during the auspicious hour chosen from the table. If you have an existing altar in your house, first pay homage to the Deities on your altar by making three prostrations and offering them incense, water, food, flowers and lit up candles.

Next, proceed to the table you have set up outside. The Patriarch of the family should lead this ritual.
  • First, he lights the large incense sticks and candles,
  • Second, he pays homage to the God of Happiness by making three prostrations as he holds the incense between his palms.
  • Third, he kneels down and makes a short prayer. In his prayer he sincerely invites the God of Happiness into the house, and thinks that he is making this humble request on behalf of all his family members. 
  • When all this is done, he places the large incense sticks onto the incense burner. 
  • He lights a whole set of medium length incense sticks and distributes them to each family member present. Everyone kneels down in reverence and makes the prayer to invite the God of Happiness into the home. 
When incense sticks have burnt for some time, it is believed that the God of Happiness has arrived! On his arrival, it it customary to make a toast of tea, and then wine. First, pour the 3 cups of tea (about 80%) to the floor. Then, make the second toast of the wine by pouring 80% of the wine onto the floor.
 
When this is done, the Patriarch lights three incense sticks and holds them in between his palms. As he does so, he visualizes the God of Happiness walking in front of him and enters his house, bringing with him all types of happiness luck, prosperity and good fortune.

 
It is important to visualize that the God of Happiness has entered the house before anyone is allowed to step foot into the home again.
 
Once the God of Happiness has entered your home, the Patriarch should go directly to his altar and light three fresh incense sticks. Here the Patriarch duly informs the Deities on his altar that the God of Happiness has entered the home. Place the statue or image of the God of Happiness in the wealth corner of the home which is very auspicious. To find out more, you can check out How To Invite God Of Happiness Into Your Home.