What do figurines mean in Feng Shui and how to use them?

The modern world is developing at a very fast pace, providing humanity with more and more new technical solutions to implement the most incredible tasks. Such a stream of innovations fills a person’s living space with a huge number of household items, randomly located in all corners of the home. But not all people know that many objects, located in one or another part of the house, have not only a practical, but also an energetic impact on our lives.

The eastern wisdom of Feng Shui has been teaching humanity for several thousand years to live in harmony with nature and the subtle world, despite the level of technological development. And a properly equipped home plays a fundamental role in this, because a harmonious environment can create a favorable energetic background for the realization of any set goals. Otherwise, if there is energetic disorder in the house, a person encounters a lot of obstacles and obstacles on the path of life.

Figurines that help achieve certain goals when used correctly deserve special attention in Feng Shui.

Rules for using figurines in Feng Shui

It is important to understand that any figurine is a real magical attribute, so when choosing it you must adhere to the established rules:

Carefully study the meaning of the figurine. In a subtle sense, each figurine represents a lens that enhances and focuses a person’s will, which helps bring about the changes you need in your life. This means that without specific intention and action on your part, the figurine will only be a beautiful attribute. For example, sitting at home and wanting to meet your soulmate, you are unlikely to succeed.
The figurine must be kept clean and with due respect. If you do not remove dust from it, periodically work with it, or even throw it into a distant drawer, then the figurine may become offended and begin to create obstacles in the area of a person’s life that is under its control.
Choose a figurine for a specific purpose and work with them. Each figurine conducts specific flows of energy: love, wealth, strength, health, etc. Therefore, you should not try to buy as many figures as possible, otherwise the energy in your home will turn into a real vinaigrette, which is unlikely to help in solving any problems, but rather will create obstacles.
A good energy flow is provided by figurines made from natural materials: wood, stone or metal. Wood helps improve the health of the human body. Stone or porcelain - a reflection of the elements of the earth - helps in protecting the home and preserving wealth.

Carefully choose the figurine you need. At the time of purchase, try to look closely at the figurine and imagine the purpose for which you are purchasing it, feel the energetic response. If it matches your intention, then this figurine will really help you in solving the desired problem.

Living archetype of the black mother goddess

The veneration of the Black Madonna is still alive, less widespread than in earlier times, but still alive. And as a living force, for me personally the archetype of the Black Madonna played a huge role.

When an energy unknown to me began to come to me, which we later called Mother energy, the first thing my attempts to understand energy led me to was the Black Madonna - one of the few archetypes of black mother goddesses alive to this day.

The Black Mother Goddess was known in many cultures that have declined in our patriarchal times. And blackness has become a symbol of something terrible and disgusting - a great evil that must be avoided at all costs.

I, too, when I first came across this concept - the Black Madonna, was confused, the blackness of the image was completely unexpected and incomprehensible.

But after a while, its meaning was revealed and, strange as it may be to talk about blackness, it shed light on the denied and hidden half of my life and personality.

What kind of figurines help and in what ways?

Deity figurines can provide you with excellent help:

Hottei - depicted in an open kimono, showing a large belly, which symbolizes well-being, happiness and prosperity. Accordingly, to attract these qualities into your home, you need to place the figurine in accordance with the rules and from time to time ask the deity for what you want. At the same time, you need to rub his stomach with your finger.
Ebisu - patronizes merchants and artisans, helps to achieve success in any transactions. The figurine is depicted as a fisherman with a fishing rod and the Tai fish, which symbolizes good luck.
Daikou - helps in fulfilling desires and acquiring wealth; the figurine is depicted with a mallet and a bag of rice on its back. It is believed that with each blow of the mallet, someone's wish is realized, and a bag of rice symbolizes prosperity. On some figurines, there is a hole in the bag of rice, which indicates that in order to acquire wealth one must become generous and learn to give to those in need.
Jurojina is the patron saint of wanderers, capable of endowing a person with vitality and longevity.
Bishamonten is the patron saint of warriors and helps in mastering martial arts. Able to endow a person with physical and spiritual gifts.
Fukurokuju - patronizes all those who comprehend: students, students and workers in the scientific field. Helps to gain wisdom and gives the gift of foresight. The figurine is depicted with a staff and a scroll in its hands.
Benzaiten - patronizes all creative people, endows a person with oratory abilities and gives inspiration. For household members, it gives protection and helps with household chores, and bestows longevity.
Guan Yin is the goddess of wisdom and compassion, granting people healing and superpowers. Depicted as a young girl.

Here are the most popular of the gods who are depicted with figurines, but in fact there are many more of them, and you can also meet various saints, sages, warriors, etc. Very popular are the figures of the three star elders:

Fu-hsing - brings prosperity and depicts an old man among coins or gold bars;
Lu-sin - gives prosperity and protection from all kinds of adversity, the figurine of an old man is depicted surrounded by children or with a child in his arms;
Shou-shin – gives the owner good health and longevity, depicted as an old man with a staff and a peach in his hands.

In addition to gods and saints, figures of various animals are often used in Feng Shui. It should be noted that in the Eastern tradition, all these animals bring a positive aspect to the human environment, unlike Western culture.

The dragon is a universal symbol, since such a figure allows you to attract good luck, acquire and increase wealth, protect your home from negativity, etc. The figurine may or may not be depicted with a pearl in its paws, but in most cases the dragon is depicted with its mouth open.
Snake - symbolizes wisdom, cunning, intuition, the figurine helps to preserve feminine beauty and masculine strength for its owner, and has healing properties.
Toad - depicted with three legs, sitting on a mountain of coins with a coin in its mouth, and helps to attract money and other material benefits into a person’s life. When placing, be sure to keep in mind that the figurine should not look towards the front door, as this may contribute to the outflow of funds.
Turtle - symbolizes longevity, helps improve health and calm turbulent relationships within the family. However, you should be careful when choosing the installation location. For example, in a couple's bedroom, a figurine of a turtle can lead to a cooling of feelings.
Elephant - helps to attract financial well-being, gives a person wisdom; in the Eastern tradition, this image is correlated with the god Ganesha. If you place an elephant with its trunk raised on the windowsill, it will bring material benefits to the house.
Phoenix - helps to achieve success in any endeavor, brings happiness and prosperity to the home. A figurine with spread wings helps married couples conceive a child.
The stork is a symbol of renewal and good changes in life; a figurine installed in the house will protect the family hearth from various adversities and negativity, and will help bring novelty to the established rhythm of life.
Ducks - these figures must be purchased in pairs for those girls who want to find their soulmate. By installing them in your home, you bring sincerity, mutual understanding and love into your living space.
Cat - symbolizes grace and lunar energy, helps women increase their own attractiveness, enhance intuition and charm. A figurine with a raised paw brings good luck in all matters, especially in trading, so it must be installed in the wealth sector or in the place where you are directly selling something.
Lion - symbolizes protection; a figurine in the form of a lion is placed in those places where it is necessary to protect yourself from any possible negativity: the front door, windows, from troubled neighbors, etc. A lion figurine helps a person gain fearlessness and self-confidence.
Tiger - symbolizes self-confidence, strength and authority among others. Perfect for anyone involved in business, as the figurine gives the owner the ability to confidently occupy the niche he needs and keep competitors at a respectful distance from the leader.
The monkey is a symbol of mobility and ingenuity; it helps in the creative field as a generator of new ideas. For businessmen and people involved in trade, such a figure will help to become more cunning and agile. Of all animals, the monkey is distinguished by its unpredictability, which allows its owner to find sudden solutions to seemingly insoluble problems.
A dog symbolizes protection, strength and devotion, despite the presence of horns on the head, you should not associate these animals with dark forces - they help protect your home from negativity and evil.
The horse is a symbol of indestructible aspiration, willpower and endurance. Great for those people who strive to achieve high goals with a lot of obstacles on the way: athletes, businessmen, scientists, etc. To acquire such strong-willed qualities, you should choose a figurine that runs or stands on its hind legs.
Pisces are the calmest representatives of the water element, helping to calm and direct the flow of disordered thoughts in the right direction. They are an excellent talisman for students and those studying any science, for people engaged in the intellectual field of activity. Also, figurines depicting fish help in attracting financial well-being.

Energy of things

There are many items that spoil the energy background in your home. Absolutely every thing has its own purpose.

Some things can act like magnets, but they attract not positive Qi energy, but negativity. It is about them that will be discussed further. Energy vampirism is inherent in many household items with which you can connect your life every day. You can use something all the time, but it may actually be a big mistake.

Over time, bad things only become stronger, worsening your mood and sometimes your well-being. In 99 percent of cases, people simply don’t understand why they don’t get enough sleep, why they don’t feel well, why they have a headache, why they are plagued by failures. Negative things can even cause discord between lovers, between parents and children, brothers and sisters.

Here are some practical tips that will help make your life safer, better, more joyful.

Basic principles of placing Feng Shui figurines

As you know, in Feng Shui, the placement of figures is carried out in accordance with energy zones. The sector of the house where the figurine needs to be installed depends on the area in which help is needed. There are eight of them in total, and each of them corresponds to a specific trigram in accordance with the cardinal directions:

South - this sector is responsible for recognition among others and gaining fame.
Southwest - responsible for matters of the heart, marriage ties and the sphere of love relationships.
West - responsible for the creative sphere, self-expression and children.
The North-West is a sector of travelers and people whose lives are in constant motion.
North - responsible for career advancement.
Northeast is the sector responsible for gaining knowledge and gaining wisdom.
The East is the sector responsible for relationships within the family.
The southeast is the sector of financial well-being, gaining wealth and money.

The central part of the home is responsible for the health sector, so everyone who wants to improve their own well-being should install appropriate figurines in this area.
But, it should be understood that not all rooms comply with the principles of Feng Shui, which necessitates the installation of figurines in those rooms that correspond to the real sphere. For example, at work, to attract money, place a frog figurine on the safe, to attract love, place ducks in your bedroom, etc.

Do not forget that figurines are only conductors of your will into the material world, so you need to constantly work with them - to carry out your intention to achieve something, receive something, etc.

Feng Shui talismans and their meaning: plants

Lotus is a symbol of purity, tranquility and creativity. The lotus makes the water in the swamp clear, which means it will bring you good luck.
Bamboo is a symbol of confidence, resilience and invincibility. A bamboo flute or recorder tied with a red ribbon is perfect for hanging on the ceiling.
Peonies. They are quite often depicted in engravings as a symbol of true love. Peonies are also often present in wedding dresses.
Peach is a symbol of immortality.
Pomegranates and cucumbers are a symbol of having many children, as well as any dried fruit.
Tangerines are a symbol of good luck, longevity and prosperity for the whole family and a successful marriage.
Aichreson is the tree of love.
Anthurium - male happiness and spaciphylum - female happiness will be symbols of family well-being for you.
Mac - will help you understand people, show you the right path and unravel the most difficult relationships

Feng Shui talismans: symbols of health

Scroll with a symbol of longevity.
Gourd pumpkin - brings wealth and bestows health.

European style

Figurines of women in Europe gained extraordinary popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries. The main inspiration for the artists were ladies of high society. Ladies were depicted in luxurious dresses with fans and bouquets of flowers.

Particular attention was paid to fragile dancers and ballerinas, whose images gave artists creative inspiration. The lady with the dog was a standard for Italian and French sculptors who were passionate about the art of creating figurines. Another fashionable motif was girls with doves. Most of the figurines are made in an urban theme. Images of peasant women, residents of villages and villages are rare. European products are distinguished by their subtlety and grace of form. They emphasize the fragility of the feminine, the beauty and sophistication of each image.

Theatrical effects

Figurines of women often take on the image of graceful ballerinas. This trend is noted in the Italian art of sculpture, where a whole series of products stands out, characterized by the delicacy of compositions and graceful forms.

In Soviet sculpture, ballerinas are also a favorite motif. The figurine of the same name, produced by the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory, is distinguished by its rich color scheme and monumentalism, dear to the Soviet heart. The impeccable clarity of the lines goes perfectly with floral motifs. The original outfit reflects the fashion trends of the Soviet era, filled with feminist views.

Black Madonna in the Monastery of Montserrat near Barcelona

In the monastery of Montserrat, near Barcelona, where we had the opportunity to visit, the Black Madonna, in addition to Señora, is affectionately called Moreneta, which translated from Catalan means Dark Woman.

Residents of Catalonia honor her as the mother and patroness of all Catalan lands and consider her “the pride of our people.”

Montserrat Monastery is located high in the mountains, the peaks of which have an unusual round shape, similar to fingers, adding a special charm to this wonderful place.

Montserrat monastery in the mountains

Mountains and the cable car building at the Montserrat monastery

The Black Madonna of Montserrat is located in a temple high above the ground; you can climb up the stairs to it, after standing for some time in a queue of pilgrims coming from all over the world.

For preservation purposes, the Black Virgin was placed behind glass, and a small window was made near her hand, through which the statue can be touched.

The Black Madonna of Montserrat is one of the few Black Madonnas that you can touch.

Touching Moreneta

The atmosphere of the temple and the energy of the Black Madonna of Montserrat

The atmosphere of the temple itself did not particularly impress me, since there are too many people and bustle, but the statue of the Black Madonna itself carries amazing energy.

I had the feeling that it was not me touching a solid wooden sculpture, but that this living embodiment of love and tenderness was touching my hand.

It was a very soft, gentle energy that created a feeling of piercing kinship, it occurred to me: “My dear!”, and waves of gratitude began to spread throughout my body.

A feeling of peace filled my entire consciousness, there was no longer any need to rush anywhere or worry about anything, it was as if I had returned home.

The Black Madonna of Montserrat is the living embodiment of the energy of the Mother in its deepest hidden meaning and form.

A figurine of the Black Madonna of Montserrat in the window of a souvenir shop at the monastery

Soviet art

In Russian and Soviet art, figurines of women also took their rightful place. Artists of the Soviet period created simple and laconic images of ordinary women who lived in cities and villages. The products are distinguished by their simplicity and clarity of lines, and the minimalism of the color palette.

The main background of the figurines ranges from soft white to warm milky. The miniature sculptures trace the main social groups of Soviet society: representatives of blue-collar professions, trade, and the service sector. The most popular material was porcelain, which was made using reproduction materials. A characteristic feature of all figurines is the monumentality of each product. Socialist “Venuses” were a role model, a fashionable trend of the Soviet era.

In some figurines, heroic proportions are visible, which are poorly combined with modern ideas about the beauty of the female body. Despite this, the compositions created by artists are valued for their originality and uniqueness and are considered as a certain element of surreality.

What were the Black Madonna statues made of?

Initially, figurines of the Black Madonna were made from dark types of wood, such as black ebony or black stone.

Very few such figurines have survived to this day, since for domestic reasons or as a result of wars and revolutions fires and destruction occurred in churches. And later copies of the disappeared sculptures were made from more accessible, light-colored materials and were blackened on top.

Therefore, when modern scientists examine the sculptures of the Black Madonnas, they often discover that the figurines were made of light wood. Such figurines usually date back to the last two centuries.

From this, scientists conclude that the blackness of the figurines is simply the result of the effects of time and candle smoke. But this theory crumbles before the fact that in many figurines only the face and hands of the Madonna have darkened to black, and for some reason the elements of her clothing and jewelry have not succumbed to smoke and antiquity to blackness.

For the modern tradition of Catholicism, it is completely inappropriate and unacceptable to say anything other than that the Black Madonna figurines are an image of the Virgin Mary, darkened by time. The Catholic Church cannot destroy this black image, since the Black Madonnas attract millions of pilgrims, and it somehow needs to be included in its tradition.