The one truly auspicious gift that I want to talk about this year is this pair of exquisitely carved rosewood vases that were presented to me by a very dear friend whose knowledge of Chinese traditions and everything auspicious observed by our grandmothers and forefathers truly has no match. I want to talk about my friend Emillie Lee who is probably my closest confidante on all things spiritual and auspicious.
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| Auspicious Gifts |
Each time we chat, and we do so very often indeed, something new emerges from our discussions. I talk with her about many aspects of symbolic feng shui; and about the power of the special decorative items I design each year to help everyone live harmoniously with the changing energies of each new year.
Each time we chat, Emillie would come out with some truly amazing knowledge her grandmother used to tell her; for me, it has been a real treat having someone like her to bounce ideas off and to share aspects of my own interpretations of the charts that we generate each year to keep our feng shui up to date.
Emillie's family has been in the lucky things business for many generations, and she herself goes regularly to China. She travels by herself dressed very low-key, traveling by bus, train and any means necessary going deep into the villages and small towns - what I call "small factory territory" - to look for master craftsmen and skilled carvers to help me source for remedies and cures, and occasionally finding some exceptional works of art. Sometimes, the quality of the things she finds quite take my breath away.
I am very lucky to count her as one of my closest and dearest friends, and over the years, she has shared a great deal of knowledge with me. Emillie is also a close Dharma pal, so we also spend long hours discussing many dimensions of the spiritual and cosmic worlds of Buddhist celestial, and even Buddhist magic.
I realize that over the past many years, our regular chats investigating the meanings of the decorative items and celestial guardians that feature prominently in feng shui enhancements must be a continuation of some past karmic link we have with each other. Maybe that's why I enjoy her company so much. And why she enjoys mine too. Our past life connection!
This year, Emillie and her dad gave me this pair of rosewood vases... and they are not just auspicious but also very timely. She filled them with "ingots" carved from semi-precious stones, because this year Earth signifies prosperity!
FIRSTLY, the wood element in 2013 signifies the power of growth energy. Wood is also my self element and it is very good for me. So giving me something made of rosewood is most auspicious.
SECONDLY, a gift of vases is always auspicious. In addition to signifying peace and love, vases also indicate wealth and continued blessings. So when you are at a loss what to get for someone, a pair of vases will always mean something positive.
THIRDLY and most importantly, each of the vases have very powerfully lucky images carved onto the outside, which were then gold leafed, making the vase so visually beautiful. On one vase, there is the golden phoenix bringing me the lineage texts that contain the "secrets" of the Universe. So auspicious, because this year the phoenix rises. And there is nothing more auspicious than symbols that signify increasing knowledge. Then she places a single beautiful red peony flower signifying the blossoming of good fortune.
On the other vase is the Tortoise from the River Lo carrying on its back yet more "secrets" of the magic square that feature so strongly in compass formula feng shui. It is believed that when one receives such a gift of the tortoise, that is when it is time to reveal yet more "secrets" of the magic square to the world. Like the other vase, this one too is filled with Earth element "ingots". And inside, she placed a powerful ruyi, signifying a continuation of success in the work I do... incredibly thoughtful and also very auspicious. The best gifts are always well thought out gifts that also have lucky significance! To find out more, you can check out Auspicious Gifts.