Feng Shui Study

Many people these days have seen the various Auspicious Coin cures available, but how does one tell if they really are auspicious? What is it that makes one coin more suitable for use than others? Are these cures really using auspicious coins or are they cons?

Chinese Coins are in fact quite diverse. How does one identify if a coin is in fact an ancient coin? There have been several phases of development in the history of Chinese coins and these are closely related to the various Dynasties. The very earliest type of Chinese money used Cowries, a type of seashell, as currency. The use of these as coins is extremely old, predating both the birth of Christ and the Roman Empire by hundreds of years.

There were obvious faults with this type of coin and soon people were producing their own Cowrie Money from bone or stones. Nevertheless, Bronze Cowrie Money went on in use for a very long time, from the time of the Chu Dynasty (pre 1100BC) until the Chou Dynasty. There was also the later variations of 'Ghost Face' and 'Ant Nose' money.

During the Chou Dynasty the Knife Money and Spade Money (sometimes called Hollow Handle Spade Money) became the popular currency. Why where they given those names? Simple. The Knife Money was called Knife Money because it was the shape of a Knife! Spade Money was in the shape of a spade.

While some may question the wisdom of fumbling around in a purse full of Knife Money, it was none the less very popular and words were added onto them to create several kinds of Knife Money.

It was Shih Huang Di, the 'First Emperor' in the Chin Dynasty who began the use of circular coins with a square hole at the centre. This design was to prove the most definitive and was circulated in various guises for around two thousand years. Only recently has it been superceded and it was also adopted by Japan and Korea as the standard for coinage design.

However not all the coins since his time have been the same. It was the norm for each emperor to mark coins made during his reign. On the front of each coin there are then four markings. The top and the bottom reveal which Dynasty the coin is based upon.

So which dynasties are auspicious and why? In all of the thousands of years of Chinese history, there are five Dynasties which stand out as being particularly auspicious. China is so huge that for much of it's history it was covered in bitter power struggles between various warring lords and rulers. During the Warring States Period there was always at least one war going on at any one point in time and this lasted for two and a half centuries! The Chinese people themselves yearned for peace to come to the land, for the day when one ruler could unite the people and lead them to happier times. In fact Sun Tzu's classic, The Art of War, was written to give guidance to generals and leaders in how to lead the way to success. Today it is still hugely popular, not least for it's timeless paradoxical insights like:

"To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence"

Other examples include the Ming Dynasty, famous throughout the world today for it's white and blue porcelain. Despite having created a huge industry around it's beautiful vases, the Ming Dynasty collapsed into bankruptcy due to many reasons including natural disasters, famine, rebellion and lack of technological and economic progress. Although in it's time China was unified, it would still not be considered auspicious.

Due to these instabilities and the resultant social disorder caused, it was not until the Qing Dynasty that China enjoyed what are known as the Five Auspicious Dynasties. A novice might be forgiven for mistaking these with the earlier Five Dynasties period, but they are not the same. The Five Auspicious Dynasties are in fact the first five reigns of the Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty, namely:

1. Shun-chi
2. Kang-hsi
3. Yung-cheng
4. Chien-lung
5. Chia-ching

The five later Qing Dynasty reigns of Tao-kwong, Shen-fung, Tung-chi, Kwong-shui and Shuen-tung are not considered auspicious, especially when one considers that the British begun flooding China with illegal narcotics from the start of the Opium Wars in 1839. This monstrously sick action crippled the Qing Dynasty, not to mention the health of a large part of the nation, and culminated in China being forced to give the British both Hong Kong and large sums of money. Perhaps then it is a natural Karma that these days the UK battles with a self inflicted addiction to these life destroying substances, having only 150 years ago used it's military might to flood a country with such poisons.

So to finally put the subject to rest, here are the exact details of what are considered Auspicious Coins. By conforming to these guidelines, you will be able to anchor the positive energy that resides in the Five Auspicious Dynasties and bring it into your life. Coins that fit this description are suitable for use in lucky coin sets. If the coins do not match, they can still be used for negative energy cures and coin balls. It would be best to only use coins from the Auspicious Dynasties. It takes a little effort and memorisation to learn the Chinese characters necessary, but it is worth it.

Dynasty	Year	Image
Shun-chi	1644-1661
Kang-hsi	1662-1722
Yung-cheng	1723-1735
Chien-lung	1736-1796
Chia-ching	1796-1820

If you want to learn how to use Feng Shui coin cures, I suggest you take my free online Feng Shui Course on the History and Symbolism of Chinese Coins.