《太上洞真五星秘授经》

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), in the Chenghua Hall of the White Jade Capital and the Golden Towers in the Daluo Heaven, expounded to the celestial immortals, earthly immortals, water immortals, and others the titles of the stellar lords of the Three Origins, the Two Luminaries, the Five Stars, Rahu, Ketu, and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions.

He said: “I see that all living beings within the four seas and above the nine lands—from emperors and feudal lords to birds, beasts, and every kind of creature—so long as they dwell where the celestial divisions corresponding to mountains and rivers cast their light, all experience the resonance of fortune and misfortune, yet find it very hard to discern the principles in full. What is more, many people in the world continually commit evil and seldom possess the karmic conditions of accumulated goodness. Thus the numinous officials of the Nine Provinces and the deities of the Three Origins report their offenses. Those whose sins are heavy have their stipends reduced and their lives shortened, and they soon die; after death they may also be reborn in various forms and for a long time sink into the state of beasts. Now I set forth this true Jing (scripture/classic) so that the people of the nine lands may reverently practice it according to the methods of the Jing, obtain every kind of blessed reward, and lengthen their lives.”

Thereupon the Celestial Worthy proclaimed:

“The True Lord of the Wood De (Virtue/Power) of the East, the stellar lord who governs the eastern Wood phase and the Qi (vital energy) of sprouting and growth, presides over the growth of the myriad things and turns harsh, grievous Qi into ease and openness. If people of the world meet the Wood Star in the course of their fortunes, they will mostly enjoy blessings and happy auspices, and they ought to practice good deeds widely in order to welcome this felicity.

The True Lord of Wood De wears a star crown upon his head and vermilion shoes upon his feet, and is dressed in a robe patterned with azure auroral clouds and longevity cranes. He holds a jade tablet in his hand; a golden sword of the Seven Stars hangs at his waist, and white jade rings and pendants are suspended from him. One should paint an image of the True Lord and enshrine it, making offerings of rare flowers, precious fruits, pure water, fine incense, lamps and candles, and clear, sweet wine. One should gaze upon and revere him with devout sincerity, and single-mindedly recite the incantation: ‘True Lord of the Wood Star, in every action you constantly cherish humaneness and De. Have compassion and answer my wish, and grant me a lifespan of a thousand years.’”

The True Lord of Metal De (Virtue/Power) of the West presides over the drawing-in of the myriad things, and also governs the austere ordering and final closure of affairs once they have been accomplished. When people encounter the related seasons in which Qi (vital energy) is in circulation, they often meet with calamities and anomalies, or suffer the misfortune of lawsuits and penal punishment; they should therefore practice good deeds widely in order to meet and respond to these times.

The True Lord of Metal De wears a star crown on his head and vermilion shoes on his feet, and is dressed in robes patterned with white cranes and white auroral clouds. He holds a jade tablet, wears a golden sword of the Seven Stars, and white jade ring-pendants hang at his side. One should paint his image and enshrine it, offering rare flowers, precious fruits, pure water, fine incense, lamps and candles, and clear wine. With a devout heart one gazes upon him and pays reverence, and then recites with single-minded concentration:

“True Lord of the Metal Star, calamity and misfortune have no fixed portent. Every embodied living being in the world hopes to receive generous protection.”

The True Lord of Fire De of the South presides over the nourishing of the myriad things, and can illuminate what is hidden in darkness and discern what is subtle. When people encounter the related seasons of circulating Qi, they often meet with disaster or illness; they should therefore practice good deeds widely in order to meet and respond to these times.

The True Lord of Fire De wears a star crown on his head and vermilion shoes on his feet, and is dressed in robes patterned with vermilion auroral clouds and cranes of longevity. He holds a jade tablet, wears a golden sword of the Seven Stars, and white jade ring-pendants hang at his side. One should paint his image and enshrine it, offering rare flowers, precious fruits, pure water, fine incense, lamps and candles, and clear wine. With a devout heart one gazes upon him and pays reverence, and then recites with single-minded concentration:

“True Lord of the Fire Star, you preside over the subduing of every kind of evil. Drive out baleful spirits, uphold the orthodox and the true, and do not allow the deviant and the orthodox to be confused.”

The True Lord of Water De of the North opens the way for and benefits the myriad things, nurtures true Qi, and fosters spiritual nature. The Jing (scripture/classic) says that when people encounter the related seasons of circulating Qi, they should recite with single-minded concentration; yet the incantation recorded here is still the spell of the True Lord of the Fire Star:

“True Lord of the Fire Star, you preside over the subduing of every kind of evil. Drive out baleful spirits, uphold the orthodox and the true, and do not allow the deviant and the orthodox to be confused.”

The True Lord of Northern Water De (Virtue/Power), the stellar deity who governs the phase of Water, enables the myriad things to grow freely and without obstruction, holds true Qi (vital energy) within them, and nurtures spiritual nature. When the Qi of an ordinary person’s course of fortune encounters him, one often meets with calamity and blockage, and even the suffering of punishment and affliction; one should therefore widely practice good deeds in order to welcome him.

The True Lord of Water De wears a star crown on his head and red shoes on his feet, and is dressed in a black rosy-cloud robe embroidered with immortal cranes. He holds a jade tablet and wears a golden sword of the Seven Stars and white jade ring-pendants. One should paint his image and enshrine it, devoutly offering rare flowers and fruits, pure water, precious incense, lamps and candles, and clear wine, and recite the incantation with undivided attention:

“True Lord of the Water Star, you contain and nurture the myriad kinds. Misfortune and fortune miss no mark; your merit is never exhausted.”

The True Lord of Central Earth De, the stellar deity who governs the phase of Earth, presides over the four seasons, causing the myriad things to grow far and wide and bringing all things to completion without error. When the Qi of an ordinary person’s course of fortune encounters him, one often meets with sorrow and obstruction, and with calamities involving punishment and the law; one should therefore widely practice good deeds in order to welcome him.

The True Lord of Earth De wears a star crown on his head and red shoes on his feet, and is dressed in a yellow rosy-cloud robe embroidered with immortal cranes. He holds a jade tablet and wears a golden sword of the Seven Stars and white jade ring-pendants. One should paint his image and enshrine it, devoutly offering precious incense and fruits, pure water, costly incense, lamps and candles, and clear wine, and recite the incantation with undivided attention:

“True Lord of the Earth Star, you quietly magnify supreme De. Bless us, the common people, that we may long ascend the realm of longevity.”

The Solar True Lord, venerable deity of the sun, has charge of illuminating heaven, earth, and the four directions, causing the myriad things to unfold in ease and harmony. When the Qi of an ordinary person’s course of fortune encounters him, one often meets with joyful and auspicious events; one should therefore widely practice good deeds in order to welcome him.

The Solar True Lord wears a star crown on his head and red shoes on his feet, and is dressed in a deep-red gauze robe. He holds a jade tablet and wears a golden sword of the Seven Stars and white jade ring-pendants. One should paint his image and enshrine it, devoutly offering rare flowers and fruits, pure water, precious incense, lamps and candles, and clear wine, and recite the incantation with undivided attention:

“Solar True Lord, brilliantly bright and loftily remote. The myriad kinds look up to you; all living movement depends upon you.”

Here, yunqi refers to the Qi-fortune under which a person travels; zhanjing means to gaze upward and pay ritual respect. Gaogao describes sunlight that is bright, lofty, and far. In the original text, a passage on the True Lord of Earth De is repeated before the section on the Solar True Lord; following the context, the content concerning the Solar True Lord has been set out above as a continuous whole.

The True Lord of Taiyin (the divine lord who presides over purging disorder and bringing peace to the eight directions) is gloriously radiant. When, in the course of their fortunes, people encounter a phase of destiny associated with Taiyin, they often meet with sorrow and anxiety, and should widely practice good deeds in order to meet and respond to it. The True Lord of Taiyin wears a star crown upon his head, vermilion shoes upon his feet, and a robe of plain gauze; in his hand he holds a jade tablet, at his side hangs a seven-star golden sword, and white jade ring-pendants dangle from him. One should paint his sacred image and enshrine it, offering rare and wondrous flowers and fruits, pure water, precious incense, lamps and candles, and clear sweet wine (qingli), gazing upon and revering him with devout sincerity, and reciting the incantation with single-minded concentration:

True Lord of Taiyin, you ever exalt the orthodox Dao (the Way).

Accumulating hidden virtue and committing no transgressions, you bestow blessings upon hundreds of millions of living beings.

The True Lord of Rahu (one of the stellar deities of Daoism) presides over all evil matters beneath the Nine Heavens. When, in the course of their fortunes, people encounter a phase of destiny associated with Rahu, they often suffer grave calamities, and should widely practice good deeds in order to meet and respond to it. The True Lord of Rahu wears a star crown upon his head, vermilion shoes upon his feet, and garments of pure black; in his hand he holds a jade tablet, at his side hangs a seven-star golden sword, and white jade ring-pendants dangle from him. One should paint his sacred image and enshrine it, offering rare and wondrous flowers and fruits, pure water, precious incense, lamps and candles, and clear sweet wine, gazing upon and revering him with devout sincerity, and reciting the incantation with single-minded concentration:

True Lord of Rahu, profound and unfathomable, you inspire awe.

If one delights in the Dao and keeps a generous heart, one may look forward to a lifespan of a thousand years.

The True Lord of Ketu (one of the stellar deities of Daoism) presides over all sins above the Nine Earths. When, in the course of their fortunes, people encounter a phase of destiny associated with Ketu, they often meet with misfortune, hardship, and calamity, and should widely practice good deeds in order to meet and respond to it. The True Lord of Ketu wears a star crown upon his head, vermilion shoes upon his feet, and garments of pure black; in his hand he holds a jade tablet, at his side hangs a seven-star golden sword, and white jade ring-pendants dangle from him. One should paint his sacred image and enshrine it, offering rare and wondrous flowers and fruits, pure water, precious incense, lamps and candles, and clear sweet wine, gazing upon and revering him with devout sincerity, and reciting the incantation with single-minded concentration:

True Lord of Ketu, you silently watch over the world.

Beneath the Nine Heavens, you protect life and put a stop to killing.

The Perfected Lords of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (the deities of the twenty-eight star lodges) govern the allotted measures of glory, joy, lifespan, and hardship among the people of the world. They all wear star crowns, vermilion shoes, and deep-red gauze robes; they hold blue-green jade tablets in their hands, wear seven-star treasure swords at their waists, and have golden bells and pearl pendants hanging from their persons. People should paint their images and offer worship to them, presenting rare and precious flowers and fruits, pure water, celebrated incense, lamps and candles, and clear wine, gazing upon them in devout reverence, and single-mindedly reciting the incantation:

“The host of stars radiates light, circling about to guard the Northern Pole. The people of all under Heaven constantly receive the highest grace.”

The Celestial Worthy said: “The Nine Earths…” (Here the sense of the original text is incomplete, and it seems to join with the earlier description of clothing and adornment.) People should paint the divine images and offer worship to them, presenting rare and precious flowers and fruits, pure water, celebrated incense, lamps and candles, and clear wine, gazing upon them in devout reverence, and single-mindedly reciting the incantation:

“The host of stars radiates light, circling about to guard the Northern Pole. The people of all under Heaven constantly receive the highest grace.”

The Celestial Worthy said: “If people of the world encounter a place upon which a baleful star shines, they need only practice according to this method, and they will obtain every kind of blessing and felicity. If, on the days of the Three Primes (the Upper Prime, the Middle Prime, and the Lower Prime), one holds a jiao ritual to pray for blessings, builds an altar and lays out the ritual ground, recites the various divine incantations, broadly accumulates good deeds, prays for blessings on behalf of the common people, and memorializes what has been done to the Three Officials (the deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water), the Three Officials will command the true registers to extend the span of life, so that one may attain long life.

“The Celestial Worthy commands all the great immortals, together with the Numinous Officials of the Nine Bureaus, to memorialize affairs to the Three Officials. Whether good or evil, all must be memorialized as quickly as possible. I shall cause all living beings to come into proper form, never to fall into evil kinds of existence, and to obtain every sort of blessed recompense.” At this, the great immortals bowed their heads and memorialized, saying: “We are willing to receive the Celestial Worthy’s compassionate command and to uphold it forever.”