I saw a feng shui salt cure and immediately had questions.
Because at first glance it is basically a jar of salt water with coins sitting on top, slowly growing crusty crystals like a science experiment you forgot about.
Except people are doing this on purpose.
So obviously I needed to know why.
What is a feng shui salt water cure?
A salt water cure is used in some forms of Flying Star feng shui. Practitioners place an open container filled with salt, water and metal coins in a specific area of a home because they believe the combination can help weaken or absorb difficult energy.
It is most commonly associated with the Flying Star numbers 2 and 5, which are considered challenging Earth energies in that system.
And before we go any further, this is a spiritual and cultural practice. There is not scientific evidence that a bowl of salt water changes luck, health or the energy of your house. I am explaining the practice, not promising your weird kitchen corner is about to fix your life.
What do you put in a feng shui salt cure?
The version you will see most often is surprisingly simple:
- A clear glass jar or bowl
- Coarse sea salt or rock salt
- Six metal coins, traditionally Chinese coins
- Water
- A plate, tray or trivet underneath because salt water is absolutely capable of ruining furniture
The usual setup is to fill the container about three quarters full with salt, arrange six coins on top, and then add water close to the rim.
You leave it open.
You do not put a lid on it.
You also do not stick it inside a cabinet and forget it exists, because the whole point of the practice is for the salt water to remain exposed to the room.
Why six coins?
This is the part where feng shui gets very feng shui.
In Flying Star practice, the number 6 is associated with Metal. Stars 2 and 5 are associated with Earth. Practitioners use Metal as the balancing element against those Earth energies, which is why six coins keep showing up in instructions for this particular cure.
So the coins are not just there because somebody thought the jar needed accessories.
Why does the salt start crawling out of the jar?
Because salt water crystallizes as the water evaporates.
That part is chemistry.
The spiritual interpretation is where practitioners differ. Some believe heavy crystal growth means the cure is absorbing difficult energy. Other feng shui teachers are much more skeptical about that idea and point out that the salt water cure is not clearly documented in older classical feng shui texts.
Either way, the crystals can spread way farther than you think. Put the thing on a plate.
I am serious about that part.
Where are you supposed to put it?
This is not usually a “pick the corner that feels weird” situation.
Flying Star feng shui uses a changing annual and monthly chart, so the recommended placement can move depending on the year, the building and the specific method being used.
That is also why I am not going to tell you to put one in the southeast corner of your house forever and call it done. The placement advice changes.
If you are following Flying Star feng shui specifically, check the current chart or use the placement recommended by the practitioner you are following.
Do you reuse the jar and coins?
Many practitioners say no.
The traditional-style instructions usually say to dispose of the whole thing when you are finished with it rather than washing the coins and setting it back up again.
Some people replace it around the start of a new feng shui year. Others replace it sooner if the crystal buildup gets absolutely unhinged.
And please remember that this is an open container of salty water. Keep it away from kids, pets, electronics and anything you would be emotionally devastated to see covered in white salt crust.
So is a feng shui salt cure actually “witchy”?
Not really.
It comes from a modern feng shui practice, specifically the Flying Star world, rather than witchcraft.
But I totally understand why a mysterious jar of salt, water and coins sitting in a corner looks like somebody is doing a spell.
I would have assumed the exact same thing.
If you want to read more about how practitioners use it, Touch of Feng Shui has a straightforward setup guide. For a more skeptical take on its historical roots, Master Sean Chan argues that the practice has weak classical provenance.
Featured photo by Faran Raufi on Unsplash.
