《太上老君说天妃救苦灵验经》

With reverence I pray and invite this supremely numinous deity, who has received an imperial title, whose spiritual power is boundless, who is compassionate, and who assists the Northern Dipper.

Her majestic presence is manifested upon the great sea. Her kindness and virtue are vast, and people throughout the realm revere her. She protects the state and saves the common people, and whatever she undertakes proceeds without hindrance. In times of peril she can give aid and rescue within a moment. Sometimes she tours the heavenly realms, sometimes she comes into the human world, and she also ranges among the waves and through the underworld.

Evil demons and monstrous spirits all submit, and goblins and sprites hide themselves and withdraw. She can swiftly turn misfortune into good fortune, bestow blessings, and dispel disaster. When ordinary people have a prayer to make, they offer incense before the censer, turn to her with a single heart, and pray in earnest.

With utmost sincerity I take refuge and bow in worship: the sacred site of Putuo, where Guanyin is worshipped, and Meizhou in Xinghua, the place where the cult of the Celestial Consort arose. The Celestial Consort’s numinous responses are striking and her awesome virtue extraordinary. Through her filial heart she moved the gods and spirits, and her spiritual powers are vast. She can deliver people from calamity, still the waves, and support the world in moments of crisis. She can even restore the dead to life. Great in mercy and compassion, she saves from suffering and rescues from distress. She is the imperially enfeoffed “Celestial Consort Who Protects the State and Shelters the People, Clearly Manifest, Marvelously Numinous, Luminously Responsive, Vastly Benevolent, and Universally Salvific.”

The Invitation Incantation

Respectfully I invite the holy deity, the Celestial Consort, who commands the Three Heavens and tours the Nine Heavens without cease. The Celestial Consort, supreme sage, whose merit lies in protecting the state, has received the imperial title Linghui and guards the court.

She wears a floral crown and rides a phoenix carriage, clad in ceremonial robes patterned with birds, her processional regalia adorned with dragon forms. Ghost-generals stand arrayed to the east and the west. She campaigns in the south and chastises in the north, assisting the divine troops. The precious sword she wears shines in answer to the stars, its radiance keen and severe. She carries out the imperial command and sweeps away demons and evil.

Her majesty is illustrious and commands reverence. Her heart holds compassion, and her grace is bestowed on all like rain and dew. She rescues the people and protects the state, spreads kindness and virtue, aids those who have suffered harm, removes disasters, and promotes what is beneficial. Her awesome virtue is complete and all-pervading. It reaches the upper realms; she lowers her compassion into the human world and saves all living beings.

She guards the mountains, rivers, and the altars of soil and grain, so that the state enjoys lasting peace. She ensures seasonable winds and timely rains and peace throughout the world. Her divine light spreads through the Three Realms, illuminating the human world and the heavens like the sun and moon. Heavenly dragons, ghosts, and spirits all revere her and carry out her commands, so that prayers may ascend to the Shangqing, one of the celestial realms spoken of in Daoism.

I now make this vow: I shall forever receive and uphold this scripture, and with a single heart take refuge in it and reverently honor the true scripture.

Incantation of Reverent Offering

From this, hidden De (Virtue/Power) begins to arise, and sunlight brings auspicious peace. Divine majesty shines forth, rescuing the people of the world; ghosts and monsters are cut down and evil demons subdued, so that one may swiftly ascend to Shangqing (the pure immortal realm spoken of in Daoism). The Three Terraces (Santai, stellar officials) come to protect and bless, and all the holy perfected ones come to welcome. With the azure heavens above one’s head and the earth beneath one’s feet, one follows the pacing method and treads the Dipper lodge and the Kui star. There is nothing to fear or dread, and calamity will in the end be dispelled; whatever the heart wishes can be accomplished. When this divine incantation is recited, the Qi (vital energy) of the Dao (the Way)—its primordial energy—can long abide.

Incantation of Reverent Offering

From this, hidden De begins to arise, and sunlight brings auspicious peace. Divine majesty shines forth, rescuing the people of the world; ghosts and monsters are cut down and evil demons subdued, so that one may swiftly ascend to Shangqing. The Three Terraces come to protect and bless, and all the holy perfected ones come to welcome. With the azure heavens above one’s head and the earth beneath one’s feet, one follows the pacing method and treads the Dipper lodge and the Kui star.

At this time, the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), looking on from within the realm of the Limitless (Wuji), saw that amid the vast oceans, the sources of rivers, the Four Seas and Nine Rivers, and the waters and marshes of the Five Lakes, flood-dragons, mirage-monsters, fish-dragons, and other aquatic sprites and ghostly beings appeared and vanished, transforming into shapes of every strange kind. Among the living beings of the world, some went out to trade, buying and selling goods and seeking treasures and rarities; some traveled far under orders and had dealings with foreign lands; some came from foreign countries to present tribute, or received grace bestowed by the superior realm; and still others transported money and grain and paid tribute and taxes. As boats came and went, they might meet unfavorable winds and currents, surging tides and suddenly rising great waves, or suffer the assault of wind and thunder, with heavy rain and hail pouring down.

All manner of ghosts and spirits took advantage of the transformations of Yin-Yang to work harm, overturning boats and taking human lives, so that people suffered injury and death without cause. After death they were seized to forfeit their lives in place of others; their bitter resentment shot straight up to heaven, yet there was no way to save them. Thereupon the Perfected One of Broad Salvation (Guangjiu Zhenren) reported to the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun), saying: “Within the Northern Dipper (Beidou) there is a Jade Maiden of Wondrous Practice (Miaoxing Yunü). Since remote antiquity she has cultivated every kind of wondrous practice, vowing to promote the orthodox Dao and broadly relieve living beings, so that all may be safe and joyful.”

Thereupon, the Celestial Worthy commanded the Jade Maiden of Wondrous Practice to descend to the human world and relieve the sufferings of the people. She was born into the world in the jia-shen year, on the twenty-third day of the third month, at the chen hour. From childhood she understood numinous and wondrous matters; when she grew up she manifested all manner of divine marvels, devoted herself to cultivating the wondrous Dao (the Way), displayed great spiritual powers, and came to the aid of the people. She vowed to save and deliver every being endowed with spirit, so that they might have calamities dispelled and misfortunes resolved, escape danger, and be spared suffering. When her merit was complete, she ascended in broad daylight. The local god of the earth and the gods of the soil altar (deities who guard the locality) memorialized the matter to the celestial realm.

Thereupon, the Lord Lao (the Most High Lord Lao) by edict enfeoffed her as the “Heavenly Consort Who Assists the Dipper and Manifests Filial Piety, Pure and Upright, of Numinous Response and Sincere Deliverance, Protector of the State and Shelter of the People, of Wondrous Numen and Manifest Response, of Vast Benevolence and Universal Salvation.” Hearing the sacred sound that was proclaimed, the Heavenly Consort further made a great vow:

From this day forward, all who go abroad to trade or conduct business at home in pursuit of wealth and profit; all who farm, labor, practice a craft, or plant and manage an undertaking; all who march armies and array formations; all who meet with difficult childbirth, entanglement in lawsuits, harassment by quarrels and gossip, and every kind of vexation; and all who are beset by illness that clings to the body and long resists cure—if only they invoke my name with a reverent heart, I shall respond in good time, so that what they seek is attained and what they plan proceeds smoothly. I constantly patrol the celestial realm and survey the human world throughout, even unto the underworld, the springs and sources, the rivers, the seas, and every other place, so that the prayers of all may be fulfilled as they wish.

When the Perfected One of Vast Salvation heard the Heavenly Consort’s vow, he bowed his head and took refuge, and intoned:

The Celestial Worthy by edict enfeoffed the Heavenly Consort to assist the Bureau of the Dipper. Wherever she manifests her numinous power, whatever is sought, she enables people to obtain their wish.

The Perfected One of Vast Salvation intoned again:

Receiving the edict, the Heavenly Consort assists the Bureau of the Dipper and manifests divine traces and awesome numen. She swiftly transmits Fulu (talismans and registers), sets seals and credentials in motion, and commands the celestial troops; she seizes the treacherous, the wicked, and thieves, and eradicates sprites and demons; she succors those in peril, relieves dangerous straits, and guards the celestial armies. She causes deviant demons to be stilled forever, illness to recede, and peace to arrive. Those who revere and accord with the Dao of Heaven enjoy security and ease; those who run rampant in defiance decline and fail. She quells the disasters of fire and theft, cuts off the dark workings of baleful spirits, clears the four quarters and makes her divine might resplendent, and at last brings peace to both household and state.

The heroic Tianfei (Celestial Consort), renowned for her valor and numinous efficacy, in an age of auspicious prosperity and radiant clarity tours the Three Realms—the heavenly realm, the human world, and the underworld—surveying the gods and spirits of every quarter. The gods of wind and thunder escort her, and the troops and their commanders obey her command. She comes into the human world to dispel calamity, and she descends to open communication with the underworld, proclaiming her charge to the divine offices everywhere. Those who have suffered injustice and met with sudden misfortune are to be vindicated; those who kill are to be punished. Those who bestow kindness on others she cherishes and supports; those who plot to harm others she pursues and chastises. If one wholeheartedly reveres her and takes refuge in her, all things may rest in peace and flourish. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

At this, having heard the gatha through to the end, Tianfei bowed low before the Celestial Worthy (Tianzun) and set forth her vows. She vowed to rescue ships so that they might reach the other shore in safety; to protect travelers and merchants so that all might fare in peace and good fortune; to drive out malign spirits so that they might be banished forever; to still every kind of calamity so that households might be pure and at rest; to hunt down the treacherous, the wicked, and thieves so that they might vanish without a trace and find nowhere to hide; to subdue and cut down evildoers, punishing those who run rampant, domineer, and stubbornly flaunt their strength, so that the common people might live in peace and joy; to succor the people and guard the state so that the populace might enjoy an age of great peace; to remit sins and the burden of fault so that people might be spared entanglement in the retribution of grievance and enmity; to aid those who meet with danger in childbirth so that mother and child might both be safe; to shelter the good among the common people so that they might escape unforeseen disaster; to guard the Dharma Realm—the whole world as spoken of in the Buddhist and Daoist traditions—so that wind and rain might come in their proper season; to protect all who take refuge in her and revere her, keeping them in peace; to assist those who cultivate and study the Great Dao (the Way), so that the merit of their practice might be brought to fulfillment; to bless those who seek office and advancement in rank, so that noble title and stipend might come to them smoothly; and to deliver the dead, enabling those who have already passed away to attain a higher rebirth, and bringing to rest the wronged adversaries in the Ninefold Darkness, the deep recesses of the netherworld.

At this time, Lord Lao (Laojun), hearing the Heavenly Consort swear her vow, ordered the Mysterious and Wondrous Jade Maiden to bestow on her the honorific title “Heavenly Consort of the Limitless, Assistant to the Dipper, Aid to Governance, and Universal Savior,” and granted her a pearl crown, cloud shoes, a jade pendant, a precious gui tablet, crimson robes, and a blue-green sash. He further bestowed a dragon chariot and a phoenix carriage, a sword to wear, and a seal of office. A ceremonial retinue attended her before and behind, and her guard was drawn up in strict order, including the Commander of the Yellow Wasp Troops, the General of the White Horse, the Envoys of Ding and Ren, the Great Sage of Tamarisk Incense, and the Great God Duke Yan, together with Thousand-Li Eyes, who can detect treachery and evil, and Wind-Following Ears, who can hear tidings from afar. The Blue-Robed Lad and the Judge of the Water Bureau also assisted her in manifesting divine majesty and in advancing the orthodox Dao (the Way).

If men and women of the world reverently believe and honor them, intone the names of these deities, or keep the fast and perform a Zhaijiao (purification ritual)—Daoist abstinence and prayer, with an altar set up and rites carried out—and establish a ritual sanctuary; or if they quietly recite the scripture (Jing) at home, or recite this scripture once, or even a hundred or a thousand times, aboard a boat on the rivers, they may pray that calamities be removed and evil spirits subdued, that illness be cured, and that lawsuits and disasters be laid to rest. When armies march to war, dangers withdraw of themselves; when one is held in prison, circumstances gradually grow secure. Thieves cannot harass, and malicious words do no harm; fields and silkworms yield abundant harvests, livestock multiply, wealth and official salary are more than enough, and enterprises turn a profit. Whether traveling merchants or settled traders, seekers of treasure and rarities, or those who voyage at sea, all may pray for smooth passage and safety, free from sudden peril; and those who seek office or conduct affairs may likewise obtain what they wish and find their hearts content.

At this time, when the Celestial Worthy had finished expounding this scripture, the heavenly dragons and the ghosts and spirits all declared their willingness to protect and uphold it. Thereupon the Perfected One of Broad Salvation further chanted:

The holy empress within the Golden Portal,

By command received the title of Assistant to the Dipper;

She manifests divine signs in the human world and in heaven,

Her numinous excellence nurtured by mountains and rivers.

In the third month, the month of Chen, at the waning of the moon,

Whatever is sought will be granted according to one’s wish and heart’s content.

Note: In the original, the phrase concerning fields and silkworms and a “hundredfold” is suspected of containing a corrupt character; read in context, it is understood as a hundredfold abundance of fields and silkworms. The words “according to one’s wish and heart’s content” after the closing verse repeat what has already been said; following the text as given, that sense is retained.

The Holy Empress of the Golden Portal (the Holy Mother who dwells in the Golden Portal) was charged with assisting the Northern Dipper. She manifests divine miracles in the human world, and the mountains and rivers thereby become numinous and fair. In the third month, the month of Chen, at the season of the waning moon, the time precisely answers to her revelation. She protects the state and makes its destiny long-enduring; the people cry out wishes of ten thousand years, praying that her blessings be without bound. Wherever a share of good fortune has not yet descended, or disaster cannot be resolved, she brings deliverance. She accords with the Dao (the Way) and receives the favor of the Jade Emperor. Recitation according to the scripture causes demonic spirits to draw back. Incense is burned and flowers are scattered, and a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) is established—a Daoist ceremony for praying for blessings and averting disaster. When sudden hardship arises, one should pray with sincere devotion. If the scripture is received and upheld according to the proper rites, prayer will meet with a response. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

The True Empress, Immortal of the Dipper (the holy empress and perfected immortal who assists the Northern Dipper), holds rank above the Nine Heavens. Upward she assists the Golden Portal; downward her protection reaches the sources of the springs. The Envoys of the Seven Primordials (the divine generals commanded by the seven stars of the Northern Dipper) accord with the Dao and follow what is natural. When people of the world take refuge in her and revere her, they may obtain boundless blessings. The grace of Heaven above is vast and inexhaustible, and the blessings it bestows continue without end.

The Heroic and Efficacious Heavenly Consort (the brave and miraculously responsive Heavenly Consort)—her sympathetic response is present everywhere. Her title is revered alike in the human world and in Heaven. Through the virtue of chastity and uprightness she makes her protection manifest, bringing the state peace and good order. I, your subject, now reverently honor the Heavenly Consort, wishing that the nation long remain stable and flourishing.

After the Heavenly Worthy of Broad Salvation had finished this verse, the Heavenly Consort of Wondrous Practice bowed to the Heavenly Worthy, took her leave, and departed. The divinities of the Three Realms, the heavenly dragons, and the gods and ghosts all rejoiced, received the teaching in faith, and carried it out as instructed.

Numinous Talisman of the Heavenly Consort for Relieving Suffering

Incantation for Empowering the Talisman

The Perfected One Who Assists the Dipper comes into being by transformation through sympathetic response. A single talisman and a single cup of water can alike relieve the common people, remove disaster, adversity, and obstruction, and long protect peace and safety. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

The Holy Empress Equal to Heaven descends from the Northern Dipper into the human world, manifests divine miracles throughout the Three Realms, and can reach freely across the vast seas. She relieves the common people, removes disaster, adversity, and obstruction, and long protects peace and safety. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

The Holy Empress Equal to Heaven descends from the Northern Dipper into the human world, manifests divine miracles throughout the Three Realms, and can reach freely across the vast seas. Her divine powers and transformations are endless; when people of the world invoke her name, she grants the aid of smooth passage and deliverance. She is fully endowed with thirty-two majestic forms, and her appearance is upright and proper; when people pray and hold her in mind, she responds according to their thoughts, supremely sacred and efficacious. Her awesome radiance is resplendent; she defends the state and shelters the people. When sea winds raise great waves, if one prays with a sincere heart, she descends to the rescue. Gazing upward with a single mind, one can move her to manifest her true body. She emerges from the void and commands the soldiers of Heaven; when her divine might descends, no god or ghost fails to fear and submit. She is the guardian deity of the Putian region, and she once manifested in a bamboo grove. The Great Saint of the Northern Dipper drives out evil spirits, dispels calamity, and brings peace to family and realm. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!

The Efficacious Talisman of Tianfei (Tianfei’s proven Fulu, talismans and registers), when used for an urgent supplication, may be prepared by first burning incense, reciting the preceding incantation seven times, and then writing the talisman. Rub the talisman in well-flower water—the first bucket of well water drawn at dawn—until it dissolves, blend it with frankincense, and swallow it. One will then naturally grow calm and well, and whatever is sought will be answered without fail.