​The turtle symbol is a potent, versatile feng shui cure. Proper use can bring a wide variety of blessings to the user, including protection, wealth, longevity, wisdom, and stronger relationships with friends, family, and even customers. Discover the captivating history and abundant uses of this powerful reptile.

How To Use the Turtle Symbol in Feng Shui

The turtle symbol is one of the most propitious cures in the feng shui tradition. When used properly, the turtle and its landlubber cousin the tortoise (the two are generally used interchangeably in feng shui) can bring about an assortment of positive energies, including protection, wealth, and longevity.

Before selecting a turtle for your home or office, it's important to clarify your purpose. What's out of whack? What do you need? For how long do you need it? Identifying the good energies you want to attract or restore, as well as the negative energies you want to kick to the curb, will serve you well in choosing and placing the right turtle symbol for accomplishing your goal. The turtle is a multifaceted feng shui cure, but, like all cures, it requires intent and presence of mind for maximum effectiveness — as well as to avoid accidentally creating undesirable consequences. Read on to discover the myriad uses and fascinating history of this unique reptilian cure.

A Shell Full of History

The turtle is one of Chinese culture's revered Four Symbols. Each member of this dream team of celestial creatures represents a geographical region and a season, and they're considered keepers of seriously positive feng shui energy. They are:

The Black Turtle of the North, also known as Zhi Ming, represents the dark, nutrient-rich soil of the northern region of China. It's also a symbol of water, winter, and the number one. Because the turtle's natural habit is water, some experts suggest placing your turtle symbol in water for maximum potency. No matter if you prefer your figurines wet or dry, when it comes to feng shui, this resourceful symbol may move slowly, but it provides a wealth of positive energy.

Protection

The turtle's hardy, practically impenetrable shell nods to its significance as a protection symbol. For protection and overall strengthening of your home's energy, you should place it out back behind your house or garden. This position correlates to the sacred Black Turtle's representation of the north (even if the back of your home isn't technically the north side). This positioning works best when your backyard slopes downward, indicating that it lacks adequate support. The turtle symbol effectively provides this support, using its tough, mound-shaped physique as a substitute for the sense of security that a mountain or hill would provide. A turtle made of stone or bronze is best for this type of protection.

For grounding protection, situate the turtle in the bagua area of your home. You can also position a stone turtle near your west-facing front door. Make sure that the turtle is facing the door, and its stone composition, already so close to the earth, will provide a foundation for positive energy and stability.

Workplace Prosperity and Personal Wealth

The turtle symbol can also be used to give your career a boost. For job-related cures at home, a black metal turtle is particularly effective. Situate it in the north bagua area of your house to attract promotions, raises, income opportunities, and positive energy for any and all work projects. To specifically attract abundance, put a turtle in the southeast wealth sector of your dwelling. Your home's wood energy and the turtle's water energy can combine to send your wealth into the stratosphere. Because of its nature, the turtle can protect those recent riches, too.

You can also dispatch a turtle to enhance the energy and protection over your workplace itself. In most cases, the turtle is best positioned behind your back as you work. It can jumpstart your rise through the ranks by bringing opportunities for career advancement your way, as well as by gathering increased in-office support and more recognition for your efforts day in and day out.

Turtles can also increase the money coming into a business; just make sure you always position the turtle outward, not inward. Due to its deliberate, unhurried nature, a turtle that faces into your business may slow your revenue stream to a crawl.

The Dragon Turtle

For a major increase in your wealth and workplace opportunities, add a dragon turtle to your office. It combines the powers of the dragon and the turtle, both celestial guardians. The dragon turtle has the stout, sturdy body of a turtle with the ferocious head of a dragon. Figurines usually feature this impressive creature standing on a pile of coins and carrying a baby turtle on its back. The dragon signifies power, and it represents The Azure Dragon of the East. The Black Turtle of the North, symbolized by the turtle, is a protective energy enhancer. Together, these two sacred animals bump each other's powers up to the next level. In other words, put a dragon turtle in your cubicle, and you may just end up CEO.

 Be forewarned that the dragon turtle is one seriously powerful cure, though. For that reason, most experts agree that it should be placed only on the side of your desk or behind you. For career advancement, place it in the north or northwest corner, facing outward. To attract abundance, situate the dragon turtle in the east or southeast sectors of your office.

Because the dragon turtle can also be used to put an end to drama and strengthen social relationships, it can be a particularly effective symbol for people who work in public relations or sales. Placing a coin in the dragon turtle's mouth can also kick your earning power up another notch. Just make sure that the writing on the coin is facing upward, never down.

The dragon turtle's powers aren't strictly limited to your bank account. It can also be an effective cure for two doors facing each other, which is textbook bad feng shui. Posting a dragon turtle between those two doors, no matter what type of doors they are or where they're located, can break up the negative energy flow. For adherents of the Flying Stars school of feng shui, dragon turtles can also be used to counteract the negative effects of certain annual flying stars.

Longevity

Tortoises live a very, very long time. With an average lifespan of 150 years, they've been around the block; they've seen some things. They know, better than any other member of the animal kingdom, that slow and steady wins the race. This is why tortoises and turtles are symbols of longevity, including good physical health and positive relationships, as well as symbols of wisdom.

Situating a turtle in the eastern area of your home, for example, particularly in your living room, can strengthen your bond with your family, as well as improve your well being. A turtle figurine that features two smaller turtles stacked on the back of a bigger turtle is also a hefty cure for longevity. It represents three prosperous, hearty generations of a family.

Additionally, stashing a small turtle statue beneath your bed can upgrade the quality of your sleep or cure insomnia. It not only protects you, but it rejuvenates you and continues to harness income opportunities while you give your body and mind a much-needed rest.

Materials and Markings

Feng shui turtle figures are made from a variety of materials, including stone, bronze, crystal, and ceramics. They can also feature a host of different designs on their backs; these carry with them additional blessings, such as a coin marking to attract wealth. For greater strength and good luck, most experts agree a turtle made from higher-quality materials, such as wood or jade, is your best bet — but it's not a requirement.

The Magic Square

The turtle symbol's shell itself bears the magic map of feng shui, also known as the Lo Shu square. Legend has it that thousands of years ago in China, during the time of Emperor Yu (roughly 2200 BCE), there was a massive rain storm that flooded the rivers. The Chinese people believed the gods were angry at them and made an offering to the god of the Luo river. Just then, a turtle waded out of the river — not just any turtle, but an enchanted turtle with a strange pattern on his shell. This pattern was the Lo Shu square, which the ancient masters declared a powerful divination tool conveying the laws of the universe.

The markings on the turtle's back used a series of dots to represent a three-by-three grid filled with the numbers one through nine. When you add up the numbers across each column, row, or diagonal, you always get a sum of 15. Predictably, 15 is a very powerful number in Chinese culture, and each of the numbers in the magic square has an individual import and energy, too. The number one, for example, connotes the turtle-friendly element of water. The concept of the bagua so fundamental to feng shui is derived from the Lo Shu square and its meaningful grid.

Turtle Power

Feng shui boasts a multitude of cures for what ails you, your home, and your workplace, but one thing is clear: virtually everyone can benefit from a turtle symbol in his or her life. It has been a powerful symbol for thousands of years. It can restore relationships, protect your home, bestow great riches, provide career opportunities, and even give you a better night's sleep.

When selecting a turtle — or turtles — to restore balance in your life, remember it's not important where it comes from. What matters is that you understand its purpose and you feel connected to it energy. If that bond isn't there it's okay to try again. After all, there are plenty of turtles in the sea.