Peace be with you my friends! Today I've decided to blog a little about a special service that I offer, which admittedly is one of my favorites to perform. I call it my Chinese spirit bowl. To understand this service, which I personally developed about five years ago, we should first discuss the tradition of offering spirit money to our ancestors and spirit guides which is common in various countries and cultures throughout Asia.
Many asian countries burn spirit money.
In various parts of Asia, most notably China, Taiwan and Singapore, it is a common practice to burn paper money and gold and silver colored paper as offerings for family members who have crossed over to the other side in order that they may have a comfortable afterlife. There are three main categories of spirit money: The first is cash in the form of colorful bills usually issued in astronomically high denominations. These are meant for recently deceased relatives and unknown spirits who have nobody to pray for them, also known as “hungry ghosts.” The second is silver leaf paper which is meant for highly revered ancestors and finally gold leaf paper which is meant for Chinese folk gods or the Jade Emperor himself, the supreme ruler of the afterlife. If a person finds him or herself haunted by an unhappy ghost, the most effective remedy is to burn a package of spirit money to make the spirit happy so it will go away. People firmly believe that their ancestors will bless them abundantly in this life if they are well cared for in the next. In recent decades it has even become popular to offer items such as cars, cell phones and mansions made out of papier mache!
On New Year’s Eve, I burn massive amounts of Spirit money to ensure the happiness of my spirit guides and ancestors. It is fun for me to imagine my spirit guides and ancestors living in luxury mansions with servants and living lives of extreme wealth and privilege on the other side. I know that by taking care of my family and spirit guides who have crossed over, they will bless and protect me in this life. This tradition of burning spirit money lead me to develop a service that I like to call my Chinese spirit bowl.
I prepare a large papier mache bowl and paint it red, the Chinese color for luck and royalty, and decorate it with Chinese characters for wealth, luck, happiness, prosperity and peace. Than I fill the bowel with large amounts of spirit money and burn it as an offering to my ancestors and spirits guides and ask for their blessings in return. You can even include a specific request in your spirit bowl. I often recommend people have this service performed, not only as a way to honor your ancestors and seek their blessings, but to ensure success in any business venture and to bring luck and wealth into your life. I have even had people perform this service for love related maters with great success.
If you would like to have the Chinese spirit bowl service performed on your behalf, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. May the Ancestors and all the Saints bless you abundantly!
