jade – ultrawolvesunderthefullmoon

Pixiu Dragons, Jade, China

Pixiu (also called Tianlu or Bixie) is one of the five auspicious animals of traditional Chinese culture (the other four are the dragon, phoenix, turtle and kylin). The Chinese people call it “fortune beast.” This lion-looking beast has the head of dragon, the body of a horse and the legs of a kylin and is able to fly. The Pixiu is both ferocious and powerful so it works as a security guard of Heaven, resisting demons and ghosts. Just like the dragon and the kylin, the Pixiu brings happiness good luck for people and has an exorcising function. What is different from the kylin is that the Pixiu is a ferocious animal and has strong will in protecting its master.

Phallic Totems, Xiuyan Jade Carvings, China, Date Unknown, Each is Unique

The phrase “palad khik” means “honorable surrogate penis”. These amulets range from a few inches to several feet long in length. They originated in India and relate to the Hindu god Shiva, whois usually represented by the Shiva Linga. The amulets were brought to Southeast Asia via the Cham people and remained in the area ever since.

The palad khik can be made from wood, metal, bone, horn or ivory, and they are created by monks who specialize in them. Engraving the sacred inscriptions is an important ritual and can take many days to complete. The amulets must be empowered by the repetition of incantations, which Thais call ‘Kata Bucha’, derived from the Devanagari ‘ghata pooja’. The incantations depend on the creator’s lineage in each school of traditional non-Buddhist animist magic.