The God of Wealth – Tsai Shen Yeh
Eventually this god split into a group of gods. Apparently, the root cause of the split was the division of wealthy Chinese officials into two groups: military and civilian. So, Tsai Shen Yeh also split into two groups. Sometimes, for safety, people worshiped both at the same time: a military commander and a civilian dignitary.
One of the most revered military gods of wealth was Guan Yu, and another was Guo Ziyi, a famous military leader and nobleman. According to legend, the goddess Zhi Nu predicted her glorious destiny, which was a long life and prosperity as a heavenly spirit. Zhi Nu is the “heavenly weaver” who wove the night sky; she is the prophetess and patroness of lovers.
Since she predicted his fate, Guo Ziyi began to receive honors and rank, and became a very successful warrior. His sons and in-laws also attained high ranks, and one of his sons even married a princess.
The Chinese also revered Zhao Gong-min as a military and civilian god of wealth. The Chinese offered sacrifices to him on an altar placed on the north terraces of the houses.
The main civil god of wealth was Bigan. This god had a royal prototype: a noble and honest sage who tried to influence a mean and cruel ruler. Despite the threat of the death penalty, Bigan continued to defend his beliefs. Then the enraged ruler said: “I heard that the heart of a sage has seven openings. I want to be sure!” He ordered Bigan’s chest to be split open and his heart removed. Since then, this martyr began to be revered by the Chinese for his faithfulness and firm beliefs.
It’s hard to say how Bigan became a god of wealth. He was very popular with the people. His name was sworn in when purchasing goods as a promise of payment, which could have given birth to the belief that this person’s spirit will help increase honest wealth.
Any god of wealth Tsai Shen Yeh would normally have a wife, Tsai-mu (“Mother of wealth”) and would be followed by the god of coins, a man named Liu Hai. Liu Hai was an official who did not get rich and led a modest and dignified life. According to legend, he miraculously eliminated greed: he lowered his belt with a gold coin into a well where a “greedy toad” lived. The toad grabbed the coin with his mouth and Liu Hai pulled it out, as the frog couldn’t open his greedy mouth. Therefore, the god of coins was sometimes depicted standing on a toad.
The gods of wealth were also represented as dragons made of coins, dragons that spit coins, horses that bring treasures, and wonderful trees on which coins grow; just shake the tree and the coins will fall like autumn leaves.
If you want to bring wealth into your own home, you can obtain a picture of Tsai Shen Yeh (Gods of Wealth) and place it in the Health and Family zone, which is located on the east side of your home or in any of your rooms. .