《上清元始变化宝真上经》

The Precious Books of Highest Clarity arose naturally at the very beginning of the Nine Heavens, existing together with primordial Qi and appearing alongside the three lights of the sun, moon, and stars. They are displayed above the Nine Heavens, within the Great Void. Some scriptures were formed by congealing flying, mysterious purple Qi. The celestial texts are profound and wondrous, their characters winding and intricate; each character is a zhang square, making them difficult to recognize and explain in detail. Unless one is a True King of the Nine Heavens—a revered deity dwelling there—one cannot understand their meaning.

In the first year of the Upper Void, the True Kings of the Nine Heavens ordered the Supreme Perfected Ones of Xuandu to cast gold into slips for the books. The assembled sages elucidated the scriptures’ meanings, passed on profound oral teachings, and compiled wondrous chapters. The Jade Emperor personally wrote annotations, engraved them on the slips, and arranged them into texts. The rules in the scriptures for bowing and rising, advancing and withdrawing, each have their own ranks and sequence. The various prohibitions, restrictions, and classifications likewise derive from the subtle intentions of the high-ranking sages and perfected beings.

These scriptures are sealed and stored above the Nine Heavens, in the jade chambers of the Palace of Great Being. The Jade Maidens of Western Florescence and the Golden Dawn Purple Youths of the Palace of Pure Spirit are charged with their care and protection.

Western Turtle Mountain, also known as Dragon Mountain, is the fundamental hub of the Nine Heavens and a deep treasury where the primordial Qi of the myriad things gathers. It lies in the northwest corner of the celestial realm, extends for four hundred thousand li, and rises to the Jade Clarity realm. To the southeast it connects with Tongyang Xia, and above it adjoins the gate of the divine tiger of the Azure Palace. To the northwest it meets the wilderness of the Cold Cavern and leads to the courts of the immortals of the Golden Tower. To the south it reaches the Great Cinnabar realm and the homeland of Great Cinnabar Fuli, where its breath joins the light of Dongyang. To the north it faces Gouchen and connects with Huagai, its breath reaching Guangling. At the center, directly before it, stands the mountain peak where the eight directions open toward Jade Capital and the winds converge.

The level ground atop the peak extends for thirty thousand li. Its walls are built entirely from surging Metal Qi, and its gates formed from condensed Jade Qi. There stand golden terraces, jade towers, and twelve divine palaces. Above them is the naturally formed Hall of Golden Florescence at the Purple Gate of Flowing Essence. Within the hall is a chamber of precious jade, beside which open nine grottoes. Purple clouds rise of their own accord, their vapors weaving into phoenix patterns in nine colors. Purple cassia grows along the cliffs, and precious forests cover the ridges. Branches like coral intertwine, while roots and stems like jade anchor themselves in the earth. The Qian trees bear fruit containing scarlet infants and white jade rings. Three kinds of numinous flowers shine in the Red Radiance, their extraordinary fragrance spreading throughout the Great Mystery. The Qi of the eight directions stirs mighty winds, and music like the ringing of jade sounds of itself in the empty sky. Dragons sing long and deep among the cloud towers; phoenixes cry clear and high on the sheer ridges. Here dwell all manner of fierce beasts and giant serpents thousands of fathoms long, as well as solemn divine palaces, countless immortals traveling through the clouds, and towering, mysterious halls. All things reveal a wondrous vitality. This is the manifestation of the Primordial Heavenly Worthy’s miraculous transformations, and the source of the numinous Qi of the Celestial Origin.

Above the north window of the Hall of Golden Florescence, purple Qi naturally condenses into mysterious characters, each one a zhang square. Their light streams downward, brilliant and dazzling. These are heavenly writings: mysterious and profound, beyond the reach of ordinary reasoning.

In ancient times, the Elder of the Nine Heavens observed a purification retreat in the Cloud Palace in the first year of the Upper Jia cycle. He feasted and traveled at Turtle Mountain, then engraved golden slips and copied the mysterious writings. He explained what had long remained difficult to understand, elucidated their numinous sounds and meanings, and recorded The Cinnabar Emperor’s Flying Mystery Purple Writ of Turtle Mountain.

On the first yin day of the first month of the first year of the Kaihuang era, the Queen Mother of the West traveled through the void and roamed the Nine Heavens. She purified herself in quiet retreat at Turtle Mountain, ascending to the naturally formed Hall of Precious Jade at the Golden Florescence of the Purple Gate of Flowing Essence. Before the north window, she surveyed and paid homage to the mysterious writings. She gazed up at the cliffs, longing for the numinous realm, and contemplated the perfected beings in her heart. In this way she resonated with the Mystery and awakened to numinous insight, revealing her utmost sincerity. Suddenly, a great celestial spirit appeared. The sun and moon adorned his body, a halo crowned his head, and he came with the feathered canopies of an assembly of immortals. Riding a flying carriage, he traveled between the purple clouds and the Nine Essences streaming through the firmament. He knelt before the Queen Mother and identified himself as the Immortal King who commands the Phoenix Bureau of the Nine Heavens. His surname was Shangxuan and his courtesy name Kaiming. By order of the Primordial Heavenly King, he had come to deliver the Nine Heavens’ golden book in purple characters and the Cinnabar Emperor’s text in blue gold, and to transmit them to the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother received the honorific title “Immortal Mother of the Nine Numinous Ones of the Western Origin” and was invested with command over the Western Turtle Mountain. She was also given a volume of plain silk, The Primordial Register of the True Ones’ Birth and Transformation, and charged with overseeing the registers of immortals and carrying on the Dao lineage of Jade Clarity. She further received a blue jade tablet; a Phoenix robe of the Nine Heavens; a blue-green feathered crown of the Flying Azure Morning Infant; shoes of phoenix clouds; a divine phoenix’s purple wheel; twenty-four flying feathered canopies; staffs and banners in five colors; and a token of numinous authority. Seven hundred Jade Maidens of Golden Florescence from the Upper Palace were assigned to attend her. She was ordered to govern the Hall of Precious Jade at the Golden Florescence of the Purple Gate of Flowing Essence, ascend to Jade Clarity three times each month, and hold banquets at Kunlun twice a month to examine the assembled immortals.

When the great celestial spirit had completed his charge, he drove his carriage back to the Jade Palace. The Immortal Mother took her seat as ordered and held a purification rite in the Hall of Precious Jade. She instructed her attendants, including Wangzi Deng and Dong Shuangcheng, to use brocade cloth woven with divine light to secure the golden book in purple characters, the blue jade tablet, the Cinnabar Emperor’s text in blue gold and tin, The Primordial Register of the True Ones’ Birth and Transformation, and the Flying Mystery Purple Writ—in all, four numinous texts. She sealed them with the Cinnabar Emperor’s seal, stored them in the chamber of precious jade, and appointed thirty Jade Maidens of Golden Florescence and thirty Jade Youths of the Purple Dawn to guard them.

In accordance with the ancient ritual regulations of the Three Heavens, the Immortal Mother submitted reports to the principal deities of the Five Emperors, the Five Sacred Peaks, the numinous mountains, and the rivers and seas. She ordered them to register the names of those seeking instruction five times each month, distinguish their merits from their faults, and report them according to rank. The Immortal Mother often held banquets in the Palace of Auspicious Clouds on the days of the eight seasonal nodes and five times each month. At times she visited the Five Sacred Peaks, inspected the sources of the rivers, and traveled through the eight directions.

Whenever she made such a journey, the Five Planets appeared and the sun and moon seemed to halt their light. A hundred shafts of sunlight surged like lightning, while golden radiance flowed and shone brilliantly. Celestial troops cleared the way in front, and the Five Elders carried ceremonial flags and banners. The Immortal Mother rode a carriage in nine colors and a flying wheel of purple clouds, followed by five thousand celestial immortals and five thousand Jade Maidens. The female immortals rode phoenixes, while the male immortals rode dragons; all wore feathered robes of flying immortals and held splendid banners. Reed pipes, flutes, drums, and other instruments played together, their hundred kinds of sound blending in harmony. Luan birds and phoenixes sang, their voices resounding among the clouds. Their radiance shone in interwoven colors, and the sun, moon, and stars seemed to merge as one. Purple youths scattered fragrance to dispel defilement; divine consorts scattered flowers to infuse true Qi. Celestial music rang out, while purple smoke enfolded the procession and its canopies. Jade-colored radiance illuminated the heavens, and the awe-inspiring transformations of divine power subdued all numinous beings. At that time the Six Heavens obeyed commands, the assembled evil spirits were bound, and demons and monsters lost their power. Heaven and earth grew clear, and the atmosphere became pure. Such was the wondrous ceremonial display of a high immortal, revealing the numinous power of the Cinnabar Emperor’s Grotto Truth.

The Zixu Purple Writ of the Cinnabar Sovereign of Mount Gui

The flying, mysterious purple Qi gathers into a numinous root, governing the Jade Void and commanding the myriad spirits. Purple Qi surges through the empty space and naturally forms this text. It is a wondrous method of visualization for exalted immortals, revealing the Cinnabar Sovereign’s penetrating insight into the hidden and subtle realms of spirit.

The flying, mysterious purple Qi gathers into a numinous root, governing the Jade Void and commanding the myriad spirits. Purple Qi surges through empty space, forming a natural vision. Above it rise lofty, overlapping mountain peaks, joined in twelve tiers. Jade towers reach high, reflecting the rosy clouds; in the purple palaces, streams of light gleam as golden chariot shafts circle around them. Jade halls shine brilliantly, and immortal Perfected beings gather from the eight directions. Among them are nine numinous immortals, blue and gold in color.

The True Mother of the Cinnabar Sovereign, whose title is Jingyan, wears a robe of blue feathers and holds a document. She travels by chariot, grasping a numinous banner in her right hand. She commands the five-colored Fate Demons, who serve the Imperial Venerable by his order. Holding registers of talismans, she governs the gate of life for all beings. She breathes in the essence of the sun and moon and drinks from the Jade Spring. Radiance flows across her gauze robes as she refines and nourishes the five souls, filling the Crimson Palace—the inner palace that governs spirit and Qi—until it is abundant within and without and suffused with joy. Golden light shines brilliantly, and her form is complete.

From the first day of the month, one enters the golden realm of primordial chaos; only those who are enlightened can understand its words. On the fifteenth day of each month, Jing and Qi return to the Northern Origin. At the appointed hour, one may see the Immortal Lord of the Flowering Canopy leading the assembly of immortals. Purple Qi circles to the left, following the course of the Northern Dipper. It passes through the twenty-eight lunar lodges and enters the Golden Gate. This is when the Cinnabar Sovereign examines the ranks of the myriad immortals. Anyone who understands this secret and practices diligently should bring their bodily form into accord with it, contemplate it quietly and inwardly, and observe and discern it often. Through communion with the wondrous, mysterious vision, they will grasp its essential meaning.

After three years of practice, one should guard it carefully and preserve body and mind. After nine years, one can ride through the air and ascend, receiving an immortal’s feathered robe. Wearing garments patterned with phoenixes, one flies lightly up to Dragon Mountain. In a moment, one bows to the Nine Numinous Immortals and pays audience to Yuchen, a high-ranking celestial deity.

The Lord of the Upper Origin of the Southern Pole said: “This is the secret for gathering purple Qi and ascending into the mysterious realm. Practitioners should bring their bodily form into accord with it, contemplate it quietly and inwardly, and examine it repeatedly. By responding to the wondrous, mysterious vision, they will grasp its essential meaning. Guard it carefully for three years and preserve body and mind; after nine years, ride through the air and ascend, receiving an immortal’s feathered robe. Wearing phoenix garments, fly lightly up to Dragon Mountain, bow to the Nine Numinous Immortals, and pay audience to Yuchen.”

The Lord of the Upper Origin of the Southern Pole also said: “This text, which gathers purple Qi and opens the way to the flying, mysterious realm, is inscribed on Mount West Gui, above the north window of the Golden Flower Jade Hall in the Flowing Essence Purple Palace. The Venerable of the Nine Heavens, a revered celestial deity, gave it the title The Zixu Purple Writ of the Cinnabar Sovereign of Mount Gui. The Queen Mother of the West, a revered female immortal in Daoist mythology, keeps it hidden away. Its meaning is profound and secret, and its verses are wondrously subtle, belonging to the Nine Heavens. Without an immortal’s register, one cannot even see the title of this document. All who obtain it have already been entered into the records of the Nine Heavens, their names inscribed on Mount Gui.”

The Venerable Elder of the Nine Heavens, a revered deity of the Nine Heavens, said: “This method should be practiced in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, eleventh, and twelfth months—a total of ten months each year. On the third, fifth, ninth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth days of each month, five occasions in all, clear your mind, observe ritual abstinence, and recite the Mysterious Text, a Daoist scripture transmitted in secret, once.

“Each time, after midnight, go into an open courtyard and look up at the canopy of the Northern Dipper—the region of stars surrounding it. Observe whether purple clouds appear there. Imagine them swirling out from the left side of the Dipper’s handle, then passing in order through the second, fifth, ninth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions. Perform this visualization five times each month. Each time, clear your mind, observe ritual abstinence, and recite the Mysterious Text once.

“After midnight, go into an open courtyard and look up at the canopy of the Northern Dipper. Observe whether purple clouds appear there. Imagine them swirling out from the left side of the Dipper’s handle, passing through the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, and finally returning above the Golden Gate. If, while in the human world, you encounter overcast skies and cannot see the stars, perform the visualization silently indoors, following the method described above and making the image as clear as possible. When you have finished, face the purple clouds, bow four times, click your teeth three times, then raise your head and pray:

“‘The night sky is clear; the deep and still realm opens to true spirits. Flowing clouds coil and turn, their golden radiance spreading in every direction. The Elixir Sovereign shines forth, and the numinous one ascends to the purple celestial gate. Tonight I lay out my heart’s wish. May Azure Gold grant the Immortal Perfected, so that my highest wish may be fulfilled and my form may accord with nature. May the moon’s radiance gather and sustain my life; may the sun’s root preserve my years. May the Three Spirits unite with the luminous landscape and abide forever on Dragon Mountain. In the stillness of night, please open for me the realm of clarity. May all be as I have said.’

“When you have finished praying, draw in the purple Qi through your mouth and swallow it twenty-eight times, then stop. If you practice this method for three years, a divine Perfected One will come to your bedside. Purple Qi will appear on your body, surrounding it in radiance. Your name will be entered in the celestial registers of the Nine Heavens, and you will surely attain immortality and ascend.

“The Venerable Elder of the Nine Heavens said: ‘The books of Heaven are layered one upon another, each expounding its own mysteries. This single method is enough to summon numinous Perfected Ones, enabling a person to spread their wings and ascend through the Nine Heavens, rise to Jade Clarity, the lofty celestial realm of Daoism, and wander among the cloud palaces of the immortals. This wondrous method must be truly profound: otherwise, the Queen Mother of the West, a revered Daoist immortal, would not have kept it concealed in her heart, and Great You, a revered deity, would not have spoken openly of its prohibitions and limits.’”

The Most High Primordial Lady said: In Heaven there is a cloud imbued with the Qi of prohibition. It passes through the regions of pure Qi governed respectively by the Sun, the Moon, and the Five Planets—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—and travels and rests within the cloud palaces. Without subtle Daoist methods, even the Queen Mother of the West would not keep it in her heart. The Great You (a Daoist immortal or divine realm) knows nothing of its prohibitions and boundaries.

The Most High Primordial Lady also said: When this cloud, imbued with the Qi of prohibition, passes through the regions governed by the Sun, Moon, and Five Planets, in the corresponding lands there will be people in accord with the Dao, as well as rulers who have attained the Dao and become immortals. When such signs appear, the cloud’s form will also become visible.

The Elder of the Nine Heavens said: When you see this cloud, perform the prescribed reverences and prayers according to the scripture; there is no need to wait for a set day. Remain focused and diligent until the cloud descends. Then you may be able to ride it upward and meet the immortals. This should be kept in your heart and not readily told to others. If the Daoist method is revealed, its efficacy will disperse, and the immortals will no longer be able to respond.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning bestowed upon the Queen Mother of the West the Jade Text of the Azure-Gold Elixir Sovereign.

The Most High Primordial One—the supreme primordial deity—announced to the Ancestors of the Vastness of the Nine Heavens of Spirit: The Queen Mother of the West’s personal name was Wan Jin. She received the qi of the Nine Spirits of August Heaven and fused it with the essence and soul of the West’s Metal qi, forming a fetal body like purple clouds. She refined the essence of sunlight, breathed in and out the radiance of the sun, moon, and five planets, joined with the rosy light of dawn, consumed the phoenix marrow of the sun, and absorbed the orchid-brain within the moon’s vital essence. Her vital essence gathered in the jade root and golden storehouse, forming a cinnabar-colored body, with eight coils encircling her purple heart. Her merit appeared in the wondrous chart of the Cinnabar Emperor, and she ranked above the Sovereign Xuanyuan. She dwelt on a numinous peak, her heart returning to Highest Clarity. Her merit benefited all beings; she upheld her discipline and cultivated independently, enduring through many kalpas. Therefore, the Most High Quhua Primordial One bestowed an honorific title upon her.

Because Wan Jin possessed the virtue of the Metal Perfected, she was invested as the Western Origin Nine Spirits High Perfected Immortal Mother and the Azure Metal Cinnabar Emperor, and appointed to govern Turtle Mountain and oversee the Origin Registers. In accordance with ritual protocol, she was also granted an azure jade tablet and a golden book with jade characters; a Nine Heavens phoenix robe, a flying azure-feathered cloak, a jade crown of the Morning Infant, and phoenix-cloud shoes; a divine phoenix purple wheel, twenty-four flying feathered canopies, staffs and pennants in five colors, a command insignia of numinous power, flowing-gold fire bells, a night-bright lamp, a jade edict for subduing demons, and a message from the Nine Heavens. Seven hundred jade maidens of Western Splendor from the Upper Palace were appointed to guard her. She was to dwell in the Palace of Golden Splendor, the Purple Gate of Flowing Essence, on Western Turtle Mountain. Three times each month she ascended to Jade Clarity, and twice she held banquets on Kunlun. She commanded the assembled immortals of the Five Divisions and governed the Five Sacred Peaks, rivers and seas, and numinous officials of the ten directions. All related matters were to be reported as prescribed. Every ritual procedure was to follow the established precedents of Great Abundance at the Jade Terrace and the Correct Texts of the Three Heavens.

The Azure Jade Tablet and Golden Book with Jade Characters are to be put into effect.

The phrase “azure does not exercise overall control” appears in the original text concerning the Azure Jade Tablet and Golden Book with Jade Characters. Matters of overall supervision and governance are to be reported as prescribed. Every ritual procedure is to follow the established precedents of Great Abundance at the Jade Terrace and the Correct Texts of the Three Heavens.

The Azure Jade Tablet and Golden Book with Jade Characters are to be put into effect.

The golden script and jade characters on blue-green jade tablets, along with the blue-gold elixir sovereign’s tin inscriptions, are transmitted from the statutes and ritual forms bestowed by the Great Palace of Abundant Being in the Nine Heavens—the celestial court. Their writing consists of Daoic characters, wondrous, profound, and distant, formed spontaneously by nature. They are used to summon officials among the Highest Perfected and exalted sages, and are not for beginners. The palaces of the Golden Gate, Eastern Florescence, and Fangzhu also have ritual forms for summoning and guiding those who are beginning to become flying immortals. These forms likewise derive from the regulations of the Great Palace of Abundant Being; their differences in rank reflect differences in the status of those who use them. In the end, no one can see these texts unless they are known in the Nine Heavens and registered at Fangzhu. Those able to see them have already been entered in the registers for a future life, listed in the imperial records, and destined to become immortals. They are therefore registered in advance in the books of the spirits. On the day their cultivation succeeds, celestial Perfected Ones will naturally descend and bestow the writings and inscriptions upon them.

The Primordial Lord of the Southern Pole said: “The golden script and jade characters are all engraved on blue-green jade or azure jade tablets. Each tablet is nine inches and nine tenths long and two inches and four tenths wide, with the characters written in golden thread. Two jade youths and two jade maidens attend the scripture tablet, tending the incense, sealing and checking the texts, and preventing their disclosure. According to the Clear Precepts of the Four Extremes, if a qualified person appears within a hundred years, the teaching may be transmitted once.”

The Primordial Lord of the Southern Pole also said: “Jade of such purity is not something worldly people can use. If one is listed at Fangzhu, one may see the scripture. Two jade youths and two jade maidens attend the scripture tablet, tending the incense, sealing and checking the texts, and keeping them secret. According to the Clear Precepts of the Four Extremes, if a qualified person appears within a hundred years, the teaching may be transmitted once.”

The Primordial Lord of the Southern Pole also said: “Jade of such purity is not something worldly people can use. If one is listed at Fangzhu and is permitted to see the scripture, one may also have it engraved on a blue-green wooden tablet, write the characters in golden thread, place it in a blue brocade pouch, and offer incense and reverence to it for nine years. In time, a celestial Perfected One will naturally descend and bestow the jade scripture tablet.”

The Lord of the Southern Pole and Upper Origin said: The Qi of transformation that first came into being and the talismans and registers of the Original Beginning arose at the same time as the nine kinds of Original Beginning Qi and the Qi of the Origin Cavern. The High and Lofty Jade Emperor and all the exalted sages, emperors, and perfected beings took form by condensing the Qi of the Origin Cavern, and through it received their names. Their robes, headdresses, garments, and colors follow the patterns of rising and descending in the Great Expanse Heaven of the Nine Heavens. Their abodes and titles, too, formed by the condensation of natural Qi. Heaven has the Qi of the Eight Assemblies, which moves through the changes of the four seasons. Through this, it sustains the Jade Void, governs Yin-Yang in their separate domains, carries out subtle processes of transformation, and brings all things into being so that every kind may flourish. The exalted assembly of sages changes its forms and manifests its appearances in keeping with the passing seasons, responding to the times and to Heaven’s mandate, and moving together with the transformations of creation. Thus they have no limit of old age and endure through change. This is what is meant by saying, “The Dao has no fixed name.”

The Queen Mother of the West repaid the Dao of the High Mystery through her De, and thus became the mother of the myriad Qi. The Original Beginning therefore bestowed on her the honored title “Cinnabar Empress,” and, by a wondrous method, transmitted to her one scroll of the Plain Book of the Origin Register. He instructed her to pass it on to the sages, perfected beings, and disciples of the immortals in later generations, so that they might understand that the Dao of the Original Beginning condenses natural Qi into named forms and possesses the Qi of transformation. Whoever reads this scripture will have their name entered in the register of immortals by the Nine Heavens and inscribed on the Cinnabar Terrace in the immortal realm of Fangzhu. If they devote themselves to focused contemplation, then in fewer than nine years they will meet perfected beings, their appearance will be renewed, they will transform with the seasons in their dwelling, and they will ascend through the Nine Heavens.

The Lord of the Southern Pole and Upper Origin said: The profound and wondrous principles of the Dao of Highest Clarity are treasured in the precious scriptures. In practice, visualization—focused contemplation of the forms of spirits or the Dao—is the means of making contact, while swallowing Qi—the Qi refined in practice—is the means of joining with it. After reading the scripture’s chapters, one should understand how to visualize the scenes of the Original Beginning’s transformations and how their forms, colors, luminous Qi, and patterns change with the seasons. Then, with eyes closed and no words spoken, the visions will appear of themselves; without deliberately drawing it in, the swallowed Qi will gather of itself. In fewer than ten years of practice, one can see the spirits; in fewer than ten months, one’s breath will become full. Later students of worthy attainment need only apply themselves diligently and wholeheartedly to visualization to know the mysterious Way of emptiness and understand the path toward becoming an immortal.

The Lord of the Southern Pole and Upper Origin said: All who practice the Way of the High Immortals must visualize spirits, call perfected beings to mind, take in Qi, and swallow saliva. Yet later students of worthy attainment need only apply themselves diligently and wholeheartedly to visualization to know the mysterious Way of emptiness and understand the path toward becoming an immortal.

The Lord of Supreme Primordial Origin at the South Pole, a revered deity in Shangqing Daoism, says: Those who practice the way of the highest immortals may think only of the divine, recite the names of perfected beings, absorb Qi, and swallow saliva. But if they do not know the names of the Primordial Beginning, or the sources of the changing seasons, luminous phenomena, and Qi, then how could the perfected spirits descend? How could Qi and fluids become abundant? This is so even if they close their eyes and, in a daze, swallow saliva mechanically, with no visualization in their minds. Even when gazing directly at the spirits, they would still fail to see them clearly. How much less could they discern the forms and breath of the spirits in the distant, hidden depths? Such practice is wasted effort between waking and sleep; reciting empty words brings no benefit.

The Record of the Primordial Beginning of Transformation in the Shangqing Tradition

The August Elder of the Primordial Beginning, a revered deity transformed from the Primordial Beginning, was generated from the Qi of the Primordial Jade Void. His taboo name is Yanshiyin; his courtesy name is Guanwujue. He is ninety million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he wears a crown of purple radiance and flowing essence formed from the Nine Qi, and a brocade robe of ninefold light. He wears a seamless sash of nine colors, naturally formed, and girds himself with the fire-jade of the Six Mountains. He often rides clouds of two colors, emerald and azure, and sits upon a nine-colored lion, shining brilliantly. He dwells in the Jade Void above the Shangqing realm. In visualization, he appears nine cun and nine fen tall.

During the three months of summer, the August Elder of the Primordial Beginning transforms into a single body with nine heads, seven thousand zhang tall. Nine-colored clouds crown his head; he wears a seamless robe of cinnabar brocade, whose light shifts in a hundred ways, and at his waist hangs a sword refined by the Nine Immortals. He rides clouds of cinnabar and purple and sits upon a nine-colored dragon, his light flowing and reflecting in splendor. He dwells amid the purple clouds of the Jade Void. In visualization, he appears nine cun tall.

During the three months of autumn, the August Elder transforms into a single body with nine phoenix heads, five thousand zhang tall. He wears a tiger robe patterned with nine colors and rides seven-colored clouds. Their radiant splendor shines in mutual reflection, and he dwells above the Shangqing realm. In visualization, he appears seven cun and seven fen tall.

During the three months of winter, the August Elder transforms into lights of blue and black, surging and flickering like the moon’s essence. At this time, he returns to the Qi of the Jade Void and once more receives refinement by the essence of the Primordial Beginning. In visualization, he resumes his original perfected form.

To cultivate the Way of the Primordial Beginning, bathe on the day of the Beginning of Spring, then enter a quiet chamber. Visualize your body transforming into light of two colors, blue-green and black, shining vigorously like the essence of the moon. In this way, you can return to the Qi of Jade Void and once again receive refinement by the essence of the Primordial Beginning. With focused visualization, you can recover your original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Primordial Beginning, you should also bathe on the day of the Beginning of Spring and enter a quiet chamber facing east. Pay homage nine times to the Venerable Elder of the August Sovereign (the Primordial Beginning deity). After completing the bows, turn north and click your teeth nine times. Visualize the Venerable Elder of the August Sovereign appearing in forms that change with the four seasons, dwelling in the Palace of Golden Radiance, the Jade-Heaven Residence, the Eight-Luminosity Village, and the Settled-Truth Hamlet, above Supreme Clarity. Visualize his true light turning and shining down into your Hall of Light (the part of the body where inner deities are contemplated), then softly recite this prayer:

“May the August Sovereign open the true Dao, bringing the nine paths of light together. May he refine and transform them, returning them to emptiness and illuminating Supreme Clarity. May he divide and transform his body, manifesting radiant forms in harmony with the cycles of the four seasons. I receive and enjoy his true Dao, joining with the true spirits; within, I gather the Qi of the Jade Immortals, and without, I am protected in the eight directions of the netherworld. May the spirits of the Eight Radiances aid me and guide me as I ride a cinnabar cloud chariot, driving clouds and controlling mist, traveling through the cloud palaces of Supreme Clarity, flying over the halls in the clouds, and paying homage at the capital of the Celestial Emperor.”

When the prayer is complete, tilt your head back and swallow the visualized breath nine times. This concludes the rite. If you can understand the forms in which the Primordial Beginning transforms, as well as his inner taboo names (secret divine names passed down in cultivation), you can extend your life by nine hundred years. After nine years of cultivation, if you can commune with the spirits and make your appearance resemble theirs, you will be able to transform your form and fly through the vast sky.

The High Spirit, King of the Nine Heavens, a divine lord of the Nine Heavens, was born from the primordial Qi of the Great Void. His personal name is Shangguan Dong and his courtesy name is Yunfan. His body is ninety million zhang tall.

During the three months of autumn, the King of the Nine Heavens wears a golden floral crown and a brocade robe patterned with clouds. Around him is tied a purple sash with nine luminous bells that mingle with the spirits. He rides clouds of blue and red Qi, and when he sits in meditation, a nine-colored lion is beneath him. His radiance shines over the Shangqing realm. After a practitioner visualizes his form, he returns to a height of seven cun.

During the three months of winter, the King of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine heads, each bearing a sun. He wears a phoenix robe marked with nine-colored patterns and often rides clouds of blue and yellow Qi. When he sits in meditation, a nine-colored lion is beneath him. His brilliant radiance appears above the Shangqing realm. After the practitioner visualizes him, he returns to his original form.

During the three months of spring, the King of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine people, each holding a moon in the mouth. They wear feather robes patterned with phoenixes and often ride nine-colored clouds. When they sit in meditation, nine-colored vapors are beneath them. Their brilliant radiance appears above the Shangqing realm, within the Great Void. After the practitioner visualizes them, the King of the Nine Heavens returns to his original form.

During the three months of summer, the King of the Nine Heavens transforms into a beam of light in four colors: blue, purple, cinnabar, and red. Its luminous Qi blends together and takes no visible form, shining across the Nine Heavens. He rides nine-colored clouds, and when he sits in meditation, nine-colored vapors are beneath him. His brilliant radiance appears above the Shangqing realm, within the Great Void. He then transforms back into the Qi of the Great Void and once more undergoes refinement by the essence of the Nine Heavens. After the practitioner visualizes him, he returns to his original form.

Anyone who cultivates the Way of the True King of the Nine Heavens should bathe on the day of the winter solstice, enter a quiet chamber, and face west to bow nine times to the King of the Nine Heavens. After completing the bows, face north and click the teeth together nine times. Visualize the King of the Nine Heavens in the different forms he takes in each season, dwelling in the Open and Bright District, True Communion Lane, within the Great Clarity Palace of the Golden Orchid Palace in the Shangqing realm. Imagine his true Qi turning back and shining downward, entering your Upper Origin Dantian, the Dantian in the upper part of the body. Then quietly recite this prayer:

The essence of the Nine Numinous Primordial Energies undergoes transformation and refinement, revealing the bright radiance of the Highest Clarity. Three breaths merge into a single vision, then disperse as breath and extend as form, moving in and out of the void and the hidden, mysterious realm. Yellow appears above and blue-green below. The cycles of time turn, bringing the dawn light around; the various breaths interweave and link together, encircling a vermilion cloud chariot. They travel freely through the lofty void and shine back upon my inner court. The true light descends and enters your upper Dantian (the upper energy center in Daoist tradition, located in the head). At this point, softly recite:

“Essence of the Nine Numinous Primordial Energies, undergo transformation and refinement, revealing the bright light of Highest Clarity. Three breaths merge into one, then disperse as breath and extend as form, moving in and out of the void and the hidden, mysterious realm. Yellow appears above and blue-green below; as the cycles of time turn, the dawn light returns. The various breaths interweave and link together, encircling a vermilion cloud chariot. They travel freely through the lofty void and shine back upon my inner court. The true light blends, and wondrous transformations arise from it; I can ride the clouds and wander through the realm of Highest Clarity.”

After reciting, tilt your head back and swallow nine breaths, then stop. After nine years of practice, you will communicate with the Nine Heavens and receive the descent of divine perfected beings, who will transmit the true scriptures. You will then naturally be able to ride a nine-colored cloud chariot and fly through the realm of Highest Clarity.

The Jade Perfected Elder of the Nine Heavens, a revered deity in the Shangqing Immortal Realm, was born from the Primordial Purple-Void Qi. His personal name is Yanshi Ming, his courtesy name is Xilian, and he stands ninety million zhang tall.

During the three months of winter, he wears the Flying Essence, Myriad Transformations Crown, from which nine-colored radiance flows, and a robe of naturally patterned brocade. He carries the Staff of the Nine Origins, which Connects with the True, and often rides on five-colored clouds. When he sits upright, nine-colored mists and rosy clouds rise beneath him. His brilliance shines above Shangqing. When practitioners visualize his image, he contracts to a length of nine cun.

During the three months of spring, the Jade Perfected Elder of the Nine Heavens transforms into a phoenix with one body and nine heads. Upon each head rests the Mysterious Essence of the Nine Qi. He wears a feathered robe embroidered with nine-colored patterns, often rides twelve flying qilin, and sits upright on a five-colored lotus. His radiance shifts and shimmers in countless colors, appearing in the Purple Void above Shangqing. When practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original form.

During the three months of summer, he transforms into a dragon’s body with a human head. Twelve-colored rays crown his head; he wears a feathered robe in blue, yellow, and purple, and holds a white sash in his mouth. He often rides nine-colored clouds and sits upright on a five-colored lion, his light illuminating Shangqing. When practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original form.

During the three months of autumn, he transforms into purple and green rays of light. The two streams of radiance coil around one another like the sun and moon overlapping. At this time, he transforms once more into Purple-Void Qi and again undergoes refinement by the essential Qi of the Nine Heavens. When practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original form.

In practicing the Way of the Jade Perfected Elder of the Nine Heavens, practitioners visualize this revered deity transforming into purple and green rays of light, coiling around one another like the overlapping sun and moon. He then transforms once more into Purple-Void Qi and again undergoes refinement by the essential Qi of the Nine Heavens, before finally returning to his original form.

To practice the Way of the Jade Perfected Lord of the Nine Heavens, on the day of the Beginning of Winter each year, first bathe, then enter a quiet chamber. Face northwest and perform nine bows. After paying homage to the Lord of the Nine Heavens, a Daoist deity, turn north and click your teeth nine times. Next, visualize the Lord of the Nine Heavens appearing in different forms in accordance with the four seasons, dwelling in the Dantian Palace of Numinous Elixir in the Upper Clarity realm. The palace is located in the Village of Three Harmonies, Ward of Unknowing, in the Pure Mansion. The Lord’s true form shines down from above and enters your inner chamber, the palace within the body envisioned during meditation. Then softly recite the invocation:

“Numinous sovereign of the Nine Heavens, primordial and natural; containing and refining the Eight Ways, the nine perfected embryo immortals; the inner treasure of Purple Origin, the Three Essences entwining without; transforming radiance and refining Qi, following the cycles as they flow and shift; penetrating transformation and entering subtlety—my Dao was apportioned long ago. My eyes summon numinous radiance, my heart opens to the Five Clouds. Mounting the chariot into the radiant realm, I fly into the Morning of the Supreme.”

When you have finished, tilt your head back and swallow nine breaths to complete the rite. If you know the hidden taboo names and secret characters of the Lord of the Nine Heavens as he changes form, write these names in the place of “Nine Heavens.” After practicing continuously for nine years, you will see the true deity, ride through the skies, and ascend to Jade Clarity, the Daoist heaven of pure subtlety.

The Primal Father of the Nine Heavens, the revered deity who dwells in the Nine Heavens and embodies the root of the Dao, takes the qi of the Primal Cavern as his foundation. His taboo name is Ninefold Spirit Guide, and his courtesy name is Vast Great Truth. His body stands ninety million zhang tall.

In the three months of spring, the Primal Father wears a seven-layered vermilion-jade headdress and the Crown of the Boundless Treasure Heaven. He is clad in a robe of the Nine Heavens embroidered with phoenixes and wears divine cloud-and-phoenix shoes, with a plain sash of numinous purity around his waist. He often rides a flying carriage amid azure clouds, drawn by twelve flying dragons. When seated upright, he is surrounded by radiant light in nine colors. Above the Jade Clarity Heaven, his light shines and transforms in myriad ways, illuminating the expanse of space. When practitioners visualize him, he contracts to a height of nine chi.

In the three months of summer, the Primal Father takes the form of a figure with nine heads, each crowned with a sun. He wears a tiger-skin robe adorned with scarlet phoenix designs, ties a sash of twelve colors around his waist, and rides a nine-colored phoenix. When seated upright, he is above the two qi of yellow and white; his radiance illuminates the void and shines through the Jade Clarity Heaven. When practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

In the three months of autumn, the Primal Father becomes nine figures, each clad in a nine-colored feather robe and carrying a sword that stretches across the Dragon Abyss. They wear tiger-head waist pouches and interwoven spirit sashes of plain silk. Seated upright above the mysterious emptiness of the nine qi, they shine and transform in myriad ways, illuminating the hidden depths of the Jade Clarity Heaven and the root of the Cavern. When practitioners visualize them, they return to their original true form.

In the three months of winter, the Primal Father becomes the radiance of the sun’s essence, interwoven with purple light. He wears a tiger-head waist pouch and an interwoven spirit sash of plain silk, and sits upright above the mysterious emptiness of the nine qi. His radiance shines and transforms in myriad ways, illuminating the hidden depths of the Jade Clarity Heaven and the root of the Cavern. When practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original true form. What is described here is the qi of the Dao’s root, as the Primal Father manifests and returns to his original form. With continued cultivation, one can receive and refine the essence of the Cavern’s root, then unite and transform with the Mysterious Mother, the goddess paired with the Primal Father, bringing forth the radiance of the two forms of primordial chaos. When practitioners visualize him, the Primal Father once again returns to his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Primal Father, choose a day when the Grand Year deity presides. Bathe, observe purification, enter a quiet chamber, face northwest, and bow nine times to the Primal Father of the Nine Heavens. After completing the bows, turn north and sit upright with eyes closed. Visualize the Primal Father of the Nine Heavens appearing in different forms with the changing seasons, dwelling above the Nine Heavens in the Jade Treasure Palace of Taiji, within the Primal Cavern of the Vermilion Spirit Township. He turns his true radiance downward, where it shines into Kunlun, the seat of the practitioner’s Upper Origin. Then softly recite the invocation:

The Most Exalted Emperor (the supreme and august ruler of Heaven) and the Great Deity of Primordial Beginning unite with true Qi and support the original energy of Heaven and Earth. Their forms appear in the purple heavens. Riding clouds and mist, they dwell in the Palace of Jade Treasures, the Land of Elixir Spirits, and the Cavern of Primordial Origin. Then the True Spirit turns back and descends, shining upon the practitioner and entering the Upper Origin Kunlun at the crown of the practitioner’s head, where the body’s uppermost spirits and Qi reside. The practitioner then softly recites this invocation:

“Most Exalted Emperor and Great Deity of Primordial Beginning, united with true Qi and supporting the original energy of Heaven and Earth, your forms appear in the purple heavens. Riding clouds and mist, surrounded by rosy clouds and mist in all eight directions, you turn back and descend. May the Qi of the Dao protect my body, so that I may ride the celestial cloud chariot and attend the procession of the spirits. Today is one of the Eight Sacred Assemblies, and I respectfully present my wishes. May every request and supplication of mine receive your gracious response. May I enjoy great good fortune for a long time, endure alongside the Emperor of Heaven, command the Eight Radiances, and ascend to Jade Dawn in the heavens of Highest Clarity.”

After completing the invocation, the practitioner raises the head, swallows the nine Qi, and then stops. After cultivating in this way for nine years, the practitioner will see the True Spirit manifest. The Primordial Father, a revered deity of Heaven, will descend beside the practitioner, speak with them, and bestow the precious book Register of the Nine Heavens. This book is titled Jade Tablets and enables the practitioner to ascend to the heavens of Highest Clarity. Anyone who carelessly discloses this method will be confined to service under the ghost officials for life, bring calamity upon seven generations of ancestors, and serve in bondage at the Source of the River for a long time.

In the utmost realm of the Dao dwells the Mysterious Mother of the Nine Heavens, a goddess of the nine heavens. She is formed from the Qi of the Abyss of Primordial Cavern. Her name is Fudun, her courtesy name is Huang Dafu, and she is seventy million zhang tall. This method should be practiced during the three months of autumn, with Purple Origin, the purple primordial Qi, worn upon the head. Anyone who carelessly discloses this method will be confined to service under the ghost officials for life, bring calamity upon seven generations of ancestors, and serve in bondage at the Source of the River for a long time.

The Mysterious Mother (a Daoist deity known as the Mysterious Mother of the Nine Heavens) is the Mysterious Mother of the Nine Heavens at the utmost limit of the Dao. She belongs to the vital energy of the Abyssal Origin Cavern. Her taboo name is Fu Dun, and her courtesy name is Huang Da Fu. She is seventy million zhang tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Mysterious Mother wears the jeweled crown of Purple Origin and Mysterious Emptiness. Her nine-colored robe is made of embroidered frost gauze imbued with the radiance of Azure Essence. She wears a purple sash interwoven with twelve colors. She often rides a purple-cloud flying wheel, accompanied by twelve phoenixes and thirty-six immortals, and sits upon a nine-colored lion. Light circles her body, dazzling and brilliant. She dwells above Shangqing. When visualized, she contracts to a height of six cun and six fen.

During the three months of winter, the Mysterious Mother takes the form of a bird with a human head and a beak, holding the essence of the moon in her mouth. She wears a robe of Azure Essence flying gauze, with crossing bands and a purple sash adorned with streamers. She often rides clouds of twelve colors. As she sits upright, she emits light in a thousand changing forms, illuminating the hidden depths of Shangqing. When visualized, she returns to her original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Mysterious Mother takes the form of a phoenix’s body and a qilin’s head. Her body is patterned in seven brilliant colors and radiates twelve kinds of splendor. Interwoven streams of light illuminate the hidden depths of Shangqing and the dark realms of the eight directions. When visualized, she returns to her original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Mysterious Mother becomes purple and yellow radiance, bright as moonlight, with five-colored light flowing around her and illuminating Shangqing. At this time, she returns to the form of the vital energy of the Cavernous Origin and again undergoes refinement by the essence of the Nine Yin at the utmost limit of the Dao. The Feminine One (the yin aspect of primordial energy in Daoist teaching) joins with Auspicious Qi, giving birth to the myriad spirits. When visualized, she returns to her original true form. After nine years of practice, the Primordial Father, the deity paired with the Mysterious Mother, will carry the register at Nanyang, while the Mysterious Mother descends to the Elixir Chamber, the place where inner refinement and spirit visualization are practiced.

To cultivate the way of the Mysterious Mother, take her original form and the vital energy of the Cavernous Origin as your foundation. Again undergo refinement by the essence of the Nine Yin at the utmost limit of the Dao, so that the Feminine One joins with Auspicious Qi and gives birth to the myriad spirits. Visualize the Mysterious Mother returning to her original true form. After nine years of practice, the Primordial Father will carry the register at Nanyang, and the Mysterious Mother will descend to the Elixir Chamber.

To cultivate the way of the Mysterious Mother, bathe and observe purification and abstinence on the day of your birth destiny. Enter a quiet chamber and bow nine times toward the southeast, facing the Mysterious Mother. After bowing, turn north and sit upright with your legs folded. Click your teeth nine times, then close your eyes and visualize: The Mysterious Mother of the Nine Heavens changes her form with the seasons. She dwells above the Nine Heavens, in the Palace of Seven Reflections in the Jade Grove, the Mansion of the Jade Treasure and Cavernous Origin, in the Shangqing quarter of the Nine Radiant Regions. She turns her true light downward, and it enters the Dantian Palace of the Gate of Destiny below the practitioner’s navel. Then softly recite the following prayer:

Three factors unite, while five states separate, blending and transforming until they return to the duality of Yin-Yang. Primordial Qi gathers and forms spirit Qi; spirit Qi transforms further and joins with the Hun soul. The Female One—a Daoist inner-cultivation term for the unified, Yin nature of true Qi—holds true Qi within. Embryonic breathing, as fine and subtle as a fetus’s breath, opens the gate of life. Yin essence descends from the hidden and mysterious depths, washing and nourishing the body’s source. Through refinement, a radiant vision appears, and the vital, wondrous energy reveals itself naturally.

Now report your wishes upward and ask the Dark Mother, a revered Daoist deity, to hear these twelve great vows: May she preserve and perfect the body of Jade Truth, grant her blessings to the five bodily forms, and refine the bones until they become those of a Jade Immortal. May the body grow light and rise aloft, riding the void and ascending through the clouds of mist to the Purple Pole Palace in heaven, there to attend upon the divine beings and behold their holy faces.

When the rite is complete, tilt your head back and swallow nine breaths, then cease the practice. If you cultivate in this way for nine years, the Dark Mother will respond with joy. The two luminaries of the sun and moon will meet and unite, and she will command the Northern Emperor, the deity who rules the north, to erase the practitioner’s name from the register of the dead and enter it in the purple register of the Nine Heavens. The practitioner will then behold their true form and travel through the Upper Clarity realm.

If you carelessly reveal my Daoist method, after death you will be made to serve as a laborer at the source of the river, and your ancestors for seven generations will also be forced into service. You will undergo ten kinds of suffering, eight kinds of calamity, and ordeals such as mountains of knives and forests of swords. Even after ten thousand kalpas, you will not be pardoned. Whoever receives this method should treasure it and keep it secret; in this way, they will naturally become an immortal.

The Venerable Emperor Lao of the Three Heavens, a revered deity in the Shangqing realm, was formed from the Qi of the Primordial Cavern. His sacred name is Shangdingba, and his courtesy name is Mingfanzong. He is thirty million zhang tall.

During the three months of spring, the Venerable Emperor Lao of the Three Heavens wears a crown of seven precious jewels that connect with the essence, and a purple brocade robe patterned with flying clouds and flowing light. He wears the insignia of the Single Emperor’s Divine Mandate and often sits amid shifting, five-colored radiance, shining brilliantly. He resides above Shangqing, within the Primordial Cavern. In visualization, imagine his form contracting to three cun and three fen.

During the three months of summer, the Venerable Emperor Lao of the Three Heavens takes the form of three heads on a single body. Blue, yellow, and green clouds appear above his heads. He wears a robe patterned in five colors and sits upon twelve bands of radiant light. In visualization, then restore him to his original form.

During the three months of autumn, the Venerable Emperor Lao of the Three Heavens is golden all over. A twelve-colored halo appears behind his neck. He wears a brocade robe whose colors shift in an instant and a sash adorned with gold tigers and phoenixes. He sits upon the Three Su Jing Clouds, the three-colored auspicious clouds of Daoist tradition. In visualization, then restore him to his original form.

During the three months of winter, the Venerable Emperor Lao of the Three Heavens transforms into blue-green, green, and purple radiance, interwoven and entwined like the moon’s essence. This signifies the Venerable of the Three Heavens returning to the Qi of the Primordial Cavern and once more receiving refinement by the essence of the Three Heavens of Emperor Lao. In visualization, then restore him to his original form.

To cultivate the Way of the Venerable of the Three Heavens, choose a Jiazi or Gengshen day. After bathing and observing ritual purification, enter a quiet chamber, face west, bow three times, and pay reverence to the Venerable Emperor Lao of the Three Heavens. When the ceremony is complete, turn north and sit upright. Click the teeth nine times, close the eyes, and visualize: the Venerable of the Three Heavens appears in the form corresponding to each season, residing in Kai Xiang Zhengyuan Ward, Jinrong Prefecture, Yuyan Palace of Shangqing. His true form shines down from above and enters the canopy at the crown of the practitioner’s head. Then recite the invocation in a low voice:

By practicing the method of cultivating the transformations of the Three Spirits and the mingling of the Five Spirits, the body comes to contain the qi of a Golden Immortal. The outer form is refined as well, revealing the appearance of a true immortal. Sweet dew in the Jade Pool moistens the Purple Chamber, the inner chamber of cultivation. True qi circulates and spreads, illuminating the five viscera and six bowels. Within, one is fragrant and pure; the bones are like orchids, and the spleen and stomach are fragrant and nourished. The nine apertures draw in numinous qi, and immortal radiance fills the whole body. Once cultivation is complete, one can ride the clouds upward and enter the halls of the Celestial Emperor. After the ritual is completed, swallow the qi three times, nine rounds each time, then stop.

This is a scripture secretly transmitted from the Nine Heavens and taught by the Mysterious Master, for cultivating into a perfected person. After nine years of practice, one can meet the perfected person; one’s name is entered in the Celestial Emperor’s register, and one takes a place among the Three Origins—the upper, middle, and lower celestial realms in Daoist teaching. If this method is carelessly revealed or neglected, the Nine Heavens will send a spirit who punishes treachery to inflict the torment of wind-blades, and make nine generations of one’s ancestors serve as laborers, barred from entering the immortal realm.

The Jade Lad of the Three Heavens Above the Void, a deity dwelling in those heavens, is born from the qi of Primordial Mystery and Emptiness. His name is Gao Yushen, and his courtesy name is Yuan Changzai. His body stands thirty million zhang tall.

During the three months of summer, the Jade Lad wears a heavenly jade crown adorned with the Three Blossoms and precious radiance, and a robe of sevenfold blue and yellow brocade. He wears the vermilion seal of Essence that Binds Heaven and sits upon clouds of twelve colors. His ever-changing radiance streams across the heavens of Shangqing. When you visualize him, he draws in his form and becomes three cun and two fen tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Jade Lad transforms into three youths. They wear sun-shaped crowns and tiger robes patterned in five colors, carry five-colored banners, and sit within lotus flowers. Their radiance shines upon the heavens of Taiqing. When you visualize them, they draw in their forms and return to their true shape, each three cun and two fen tall.

During the three months of winter, the Jade Lad transforms into an old man. He wears a yellow three-pointed headcloth and a yellow brocade coat, carries a nine-sectioned golden staff, and sits upon five-colored clouds. His radiance shines upon the heavens of Yuqing. When you visualize him, he draws in his form and returns to his true shape.

During the three months of spring, the Jade Lad transforms into blue, yellow, and white rays of light, entwining with one another like the radiance of the sun and moon. This is his form as he returns to the qi of Primordial Mystery and Emptiness, after which he again receives refinement from the essence of the Three Heavens’ primordial life force. When you visualize him, he draws in his form and returns to his true shape.

To practice the Way of the Three Heavens’ Jade Youths—the methods of visualization associated with them—choose a day on which the Grand Year occupies its position. After fasting and purification, enter a quiet chamber and face the radiance of the sun and moon. In this way, return to the Qi of the Mysterious Void, then receive the refining and nourishment of the “Essence of the Three Heavens’ Primal Life.” Concentrate on the visualization, and you will be able to return to your true form.

In practicing this Way, you should likewise choose a day on which the Grand Year occupies its position. After fasting, enter a quiet chamber, face south, and make three bows, repeating each bow three times, in homage to the Jade Youths of the Three Heavens. Then turn north and sit upright. Click your teeth three times, close your eyes, and visualize in your mind the forms and images of the Jade Youths of the Three Heavens as they change with the seasons. They dwell in the Village of the Three Essences, in the Hamlet of Primal Rectitude, within the Palace of Vermilion Radiance atop the Jade Court of Shangqing. They turn their true light downward, and it shines between the practitioner’s eyebrows. Then offer this prayer softly:

“The Three Lights—the sun, moon, and stars—shine bright; the Six Qi, the six energies moving between Heaven and Earth, are pure and harmonious. I embrace true Qi and make the light of Shen firm. My breath and Qi mingle, bringing forth radiance. The parents of the Golden Immortal nourish the embryo-child; the myriad spirits feed it with sweet dew. Mysterious Qi fills my body, enabling me to ride the light and ascend; my bones rise upward and my flesh grows light. I travel to and from palaces in the clouds, enter and leave the hidden depths, unite with the Dao in true perfection, and share the longevity of the Three Primal Powers.”

When the prayer is complete, tilt your head back and swallow three breaths. The rite is then finished. This is a secret Way of the Three Heavens, a Jade Text of Zhengyi, kept in the Palace of the Three Treasures; it must not be passed on casually. Read this scripture and practice according to its methods for nine years, and you will unite with a perfected immortal and ascend to Yuqing. Anyone who carelessly divulges this heavenly treasure will suffer the punishment of wind-blades and the chastisement of the Nine Heavens’ Inspectors of Treachery; seven generations of their ancestors will also be condemned to servitude and prevented from becoming immortals.

The High and Supreme Jade Treasure Venerable of the Nine Heavens, a revered deity who dwells in the Nine Heavens, was formed from the Qi of the Primal Sixfold Void. His name is “Shangkai,” his courtesy name “Tong Daming,” and his body is ninety million zhang tall. During the three months of autumn, he wears the “Crown of Purple Primal Radiance and Nine Transformations.”

The Most High Lord of the Nine Heavens of Jade Treasure, a divine title of the Shangqing tradition, was born from the Qi of the Six Vacuities. His taboo name is Shang Kai, his courtesy name Tong Daming, and his body stands ninety million zhang tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Lord of the Nine Heavens wears a crown of purple-origin flowing radiance with nine transformations, and robes woven from cinnabar brocade and patterned with seven-colored rays. He carries the Three Treasures Spirit-Awakening Tablets and the Huo Luo Seven Luminaries Origin Insignia, both made of jade. Standing atop a nine-colored lion, he shines brilliantly, illuminating Jade Clarity, the celestial realm of Shangqing. When visualized, he contracts to a height of nine cun and nine fen.

During the three months of winter, the Lord of the Nine Heavens takes the form of a child with one body and nine heads. Wearing a robe of nine-colored cloud-radiance brocade, he sits upon crimson clouds and holds a flowered banner. He shines brilliantly, illuminating Jade Clarity. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Lord of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine childlike figures, each dressed in a different color and holding an image of the sun in the mouth. They sit upon nine-colored clouds. Their radiance streams and shines brightly, reflecting upon Jade Clarity. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Lord of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine-colored rays of light, intertwined and rising like clouds of Qi. This signifies the Lord’s return to the Qi of the Six Vacuities, where he once again receives refinement by the essence and Qi of the Most High Jade Treasure. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Lord of the Nine Heavens, on the day Beginning of Autumn and on one’s own natal day—the day corresponding to the cyclical signs of one’s birth year—one should observe purification and enter a quiet chamber. Facing west, perform nine prostrations to the Lord of the Nine Heavens. After the homage, face north, click the teeth three times, close the eyes, and visualize the Lord’s forms as they change with the seasons. He is located in the Six Assemblies of the Upper-Matching Township, within the Deep Darkness Court of the Golden Palace of Jade Clarity’s Spirit-Awakening. Turn his true radiance downward so that it enters through the cultivator’s nine orifices. Then softly recite this prayer:

The Jade Firmament Qi of the Ninefold Heaven swirls and turns without end. The divine perfected beings spread numinous Qi until it fills the empty expanse in all six directions. The lofty Qi circulates its essences, enabling a person to blend with primordial Qi and return to the fetal origin. Through refinement, the person is reborn. When this cycle has been completed four times, the Dao I cultivate becomes clear and radiant. The Great One (Taiyi), a revered Daoist deity, records my name, and the Primordial Lord records my birth date. Five kinds of talismans are arranged in interwoven patterns to nourish the body. The Three Departments and Eight Luminaries, the system of inner deities and spirits within the body, set themselves in motion. The person then rides a purple carriage, wears the feathered robe of a flying immortal, drapes a kingfisher-green brocade skirt over it, and fastens paired pendants and ornaments, bearing a golden talisman and jade bell. A perfected being descends and transmits this method, enabling me to rise into the Pure Realm, walk through the void, and go to pay homage to the Heavenly Emperor. When the rite is complete, raise the head, swallow the nine Qi, and then stop. This is a supreme art of the Nine Heavens, kept secret in the Jade Chamber and revealed only once in ten thousand kalpas.

The True King of the Nine Empyrean Heavens, whose numinous light shines purple, is formed from the Qi of the Primordial Jade Emperor. His sacred name is Lingrui, and his courtesy name is Yingguanshi. His body stands ninety million zhang tall. During the three winter months, visualize him wearing a golden, flower-adorned crown of a flying celestial, a robe patterned with the flowing essence of the rising sun, and a seal of flowing gold shaped as a phoenix. At his waist is a sword of interchanging gold, capable of a hundred transformations. He stands among nine-colored lotus blossoms and purple clouds. His radiance shines through the realm above Jade Clarity. After you have visualized him, he returns to his original form, nine cun and nine fen tall.

During the three spring months, the True King of the Nine Empyrean Heavens changes his appearance: he wears the Nine Stars as a crown, holds a golden bell in his mouth, and carries the image of the sun in his hand. His garments are worn according to ritual form. Standing above purple clouds, he shines brightly, illuminating Supreme Clarity. After you have visualized him, he returns to his original appearance.

During the three summer months, the True King of the Nine Empyrean Heavens transforms into nine people, each wearing a blue feathered robe and a moon on their head, and each holding a nine-colored ritual banner used in procession or to guide the way. They stand above purple clouds. After you have visualized them, they return to their original appearance.

During the three autumn months, the True King of the Nine Empyrean Heavens transforms into rays of blue, white, and black light, winding around one another and rising like clouds. Their brilliance shines through Supreme Clarity. At this time, return to the Qi of the Jade Emperor and receive further refinement from the essence of purple radiance in the Upper Void. After you have visualized him, he returns to his original appearance.

To cultivate the Way of the True King of the Nine Heavens, one should fast and purify oneself on the day of the autumn equinox and on the day of Tai Sui (a date associated with the sexagenary cycle of Jupiter). Enter a quiet chamber, face northwest, and bow nine times to the True King. Then turn north and click the teeth nine times. With eyes closed, visualize the True King appearing in forms that correspond to the four seasons, dwelling in the Immortal Village of the Upper Void, at the Phoenix-Birth Residence in the Palace of the Seven Reflections of Jade Clarity. Visualize the True King turning back his radiance and shining down, entering the practitioner’s body through the Upper Pass of the Nine Gateways and Hidden Source. Then softly recite this prayer:

The Ninefold Way reveals its radiance; the Purple Empyrean parts to release its clear stream. The Three Qi mingle and return to chaos, uniting in secret with the True Way at the mysterious pivot. The Mysterious Spirit bestows primordial Qi, dispersing and transforming it throughout the Upper Void. Wuying and Lord Lao travel together; Baiyuan transmits the Fulu. The Director of Destiny examines life, and the Five Spirits pour into the body. May I unite with the Dao and become true, and become a companion to the Primordial Sovereign; may I join above with the mysterious celestial chart and ascend to the realm of Great Nonbeing.

When the prayer is complete, tilt your head back and swallow nine breaths. The rite is then finished.

This is a Daoist method transmitted secretly by the Emperor and kept in the Nine-Bend Mysterious Chamber of the Jade Terrace. According to the Taizhen regulations—the precepts and ritual forms of the Taizhen lineage—it is transmitted only once in countless kalpas. Those who are not exceptionally gifted and whose names are not recorded in the Nine Heavens may neither take part nor learn of it. Whoever reads this scripture may live as long as the kalpas themselves; after nine years of practice, they can ascend to Upper Clarity. Anyone who carelessly divulges this numinous text will die and lose the chance to become an immortal.

The High and Lofty Lord of the Empty Sovereign (a revered deity of the Highest Clarity) was transformed from the Qi of the Primordial Sovereign. His sacred name is Youzao, and his courtesy name is Dafalang. His body stands seventy million zhang tall. During the three months of winter, he wears the Supreme Crown of the Seven Luminaries, a robe of radiant flying brocade and pearls, and the jade insignia of the Cinnabar Sovereign. He often rides nine-colored auspicious clouds and sits upon a nine-colored lion, shining brilliantly above Jade Clarity. When practitioners visualize him, he appears seven cun and two fen tall.

During the three months of spring, the High and Lofty Lord of the Empty Sovereign takes the form of a human-headed dragon. His body is patterned in nine colors; he wears the sun on his head and holds the moon in his hands. He sits amid the radiance of the twelve months, shining brilliantly above Jade Clarity. After practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of summer, the High and Lofty Lord of the Empty Sovereign takes the form of an immortal of the Supreme Sovereign. A halo of seventy-two colors circles behind his neck, and he wears brocade robes whose colors shift without end. His radiance illuminates layer upon layer of heaven. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, the High and Lofty Lord of the Empty Sovereign takes the form of interwoven beams of dark, yellow, and green light, like the clouds that move when the Great Unformed Primordial (the original, undifferentiated essence and Qi) is in motion. This signifies the High and Lofty Lord of the Empty Sovereign returning to the Qi of the Supreme Sovereign, then undergoing further refinement and transformation into the essence of the High and Lofty. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the High and Lofty Empty Sovereign, bathe and fast on the ninth day of the ninth month or the third day of the third month, purify body and mind, then enter a quiet chamber and sit upright facing north. Pay homage nine times in your heart. Then remain seated facing north, click your teeth nine times, close your eyes, and visualize in your mind the High and Lofty Lord of the Empty Sovereign in his forms through the four seasons. He resides in the Luminous Light Ward of the Lihe Township, in the Golden Upper Palace of the Primordial Treasure Palace of Highest Clarity. Having returned to his true form, he shines downward and enters the Palace of Blood in the practitioner’s Upper Origin (the head). Then softly recite:

“Visualize in your mind the High and Lofty Lord of the Empty Sovereign in his forms through the four seasons. He resides in the Luminous Light Ward of the Lihe Township, in the Golden Upper Palace of the Primordial Treasure Palace of Highest Clarity. Having returned to his true form, he shines downward and enters the Palace of Blood in the practitioner’s Upper Origin.”

As the Qi of the Nine Heavens meets, joins, and separates, the source of all flying motion condenses into true Qi. The luminous vision joins with the numinous Qi of the upper realm. Yellow clouds coil within, precious light shines brilliantly, and falling blossoms transform into mist and rosy clouds. This presence guards and steadies the Upper Origin, illuminates my body, and nurtures and refines the three palaces—the upper, middle, and lower palaces within the body—so that the six viscera are filled with radiance and fluid. It commands the Eight Visions, while the Mysterious Elder circles nearby. Riding the void and walking through emptiness, one enters and leaves without hindrance. It assists the High Sovereign gods above and becomes a subject of the Void Emperor. The Eight Assemblies rejoice and receive the offering; one asks that what has been set forth be brought to completion. When the rite is finished, raise the head, swallow the Nine Qi, and then stop.

This is the secret Dao of the High Sovereign. It can transform all things, bringing them together to generate life. Those who know this Dao may stand alongside the High Sovereign Perfected Immortals. After nine years of cultivation, they can ascend to Jade Clarity in the Daoist heavens. If someone carelessly discloses this secret method, their ancestors for seven generations will be implicated and punished, and the practitioner will be put to service at the Source of the River. According to the precepts of the Nine Heavens, such a person cannot become an immortal.

The Purple Void High Sovereign Primordial Emperor Lord was formed from the Qi of the Primordial Bright Emperor. His name is Ming Shangji, and his courtesy name is Feimingfan. He is fifty million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he wears a purple Primordial Heaven-Penetrating jeweled crown and a brocade robe of blue, green, and yellow. He carries a jade tablet that summons the Perfected and wears a flowing-light phoenix insignia at his waist. He often rides clouds of purple and blue-green, sitting upright on a twelve-colored lotus, radiant with dazzling light. He dwells in the Purple Void of the Shangqing realm. When visualized, he contracts and appears five cun and five fen tall.

During the three months of summer, the High Sovereign Primordial Emperor Lord changes his appearance. His body is the color of gold, and behind his neck he bears a circular nimbus of twelve rays of light. He wears a robe of seventy-two strips of nine-colored celestial garb and sits upon a nine-colored lion. After the visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, the High Sovereign Primordial Emperor Lord transforms into a being with a phoenix’s head and a human body. He wears a tiger robe patterned in nine colors and sits upon five-colored clouds. After the visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, the High Sovereign Primordial Emperor Lord transforms into rays of blue-green, black, and yellow light, entwining with one another within the Purple Void. This is the Qi of the Bright Emperor appearing once more and again absorbing and refining the essence of the Purple Void. After the visualization, he returns to his original true form.

To practice the Way of the Most High Primordial Emperor—the cultivation method devoted to the Most High Primordial Emperor—choose a day governed by the Grand Marshal of the Year. After bathing, enter a quiet chamber and face south to bow reverently three times. When you have finished paying homage to the Primordial Emperor, turn north, click your teeth twelve times, and, with your eyes closed, envision in your mind: The Dao Lord of the Most High Primordial Emperor appears in different forms with the four seasons. He resides in the Yuan Cave District, Tongyao Ward, in the Dantian Spirit Palace of Golden Numinous Radiance in Highest Clarity. His true Qi circles downward and shines into the gateway through which the practitioner communes with the spirits. Then recite this prayer softly:

“Bright Emperor, Primordial Way; Most High Purple Origin. Three transformations and nine unions congeal into the cavern gate. Vermilion essence gleams like brocade, rising in flight and giving birth to yellow clouds. The Five Talismans stabilize the body and protect life, allowing it to endure. Turn back the Qi and unite it with the Dao, so that I may become a spirit. Settle the Three Palaces and let the Nine Apertures form an immortal body. Change with the four seasons, and at last unite in truth with the Emperor.”

When the prayer is finished, tilt your head back and swallow nine breaths. The rite is then complete. This is a secret method transmitted by the Most High Primordial Emperor. Through three transformations and nine refinements, one will naturally attain true realization. Whoever practices this method will, after nine years, be able to fly and unite body and spirit with the divine beings. If the method is carelessly disclosed or neglected, the practitioner’s ancestors for nine generations will be punished, and the practitioner will be conscripted into service in the netherworld, forever barred from the immortal realms of the four directions and never able to become an immortal.

The Lord of the Jade Void, the August Sovereign, is transformed from the Qi of the Primordial Purple Emperor. His name is Mingshi, and his courtesy name is Dianchangqing. His body stands thirty million zhang tall. During the three months of summer, he wears a seven-jeweled, radiant crown that illuminates the essence, and a flying-cloud brocade robe embroidered with nine emblems. He bears a purple seal inscribed with vermilion script and often stands within a seven-colored lotus atop a cloud of purple Qi, shining with brilliant, blazing light.

The Sovereign Lord of Jade Emptiness (a revered deity in the Shangqing tradition) is formed from the Qi of the Primordial Purple Emperor. His name is Mingshi, his courtesy name is Dianchangqing, and he stands thirty million zhang tall.

During the three months of summer, he wears the Seven-Treasure Crown of Pervading Essence and a robe of brocade clouds patterned with nine images. He bears a purple insignia inscribed with vermilion designs. He stands upon clouds wreathed in purple Qi and blooming with seven-colored lotuses, radiating brilliant light that illuminates all of Shangqing. When visualized, he contracts to three cun and three fen in height.

During the three months of autumn, the Sovereign Lord of Jade Emptiness transforms into a figure with one face and four eyes, whose body resembles a phoenix and whose feathers shimmer with many colors. He stands amid yellow, white, and red Qi, upon the back of a five-colored lion. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Sovereign Lord of Jade Emptiness transforms into a man holding a five-colored flower and wearing five-colored robes. He stands upon a numinous lingzhi mushroom amid purple clouds. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Sovereign Lord of Jade Emptiness transforms into rays of yellow, red, and blue light, their shape formless and indistinct like drifting clouds. He dwells within Purple Emptiness. This signifies that the Sovereign has returned to the Qi of Jade Emptiness and once more receives the refining of the Purple Emperor’s Jing. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

Those who practice the Way of the Lord of Jade Emptiness should, on the eight seasonal nodes (the four beginnings, two equinoxes, and two solstices), observe a purification fast and bow three times facing east. After paying their respects to the Lord of Jade Emptiness, they should face north, click their teeth three times, close their eyes, and visualize inwardly: the Sovereign Lord of Jade Emptiness appears in different forms with the changing seasons and dwells in the Vermilion Essence Palace of Shangqing, the Mansion of Generating the True, the Township of Great Cinnabar, and the Village of the Three Treasures. His true Qi circles downward, entering through the portal behind the practitioner’s Niwan Palace (the upper Dantian in the head). Then they should softly recite this invocation:

Mystic Radiance, Purple Emperor, the eight Qi soar through the sky; obscure and unfathomable, they transform throughout the ten directions. They spread numinous power and unfold the True; their golden light shines brilliantly. Purple Tenuity refines the essence, forming the immortal visage. The eight radiant realms soar aloft; riding clouds, they travel through the sky. They hold the reins of the Great Void and roam freely in the Upper Palace.

After reciting, they should tilt their heads back and swallow seven breaths. The ritual is then complete.

This is a secret teaching from the Golden Casket of the Sovereign. The associated registers are written on purple slips, and the images are engraved on the Cinnabar Terrace. Those who obtain this scripture and practice for nine years can ascend to Shangqing. Anyone who carelessly divulges its secrets will be put to labor by the ghost officials and will be unable to become an immortal.

The Lord Supreme Sovereign of Great Brightness of the Three Origins, a revered deity who governs the Qi of Great Brightness of the Three Origins, was formed from the Qi of the August Sovereign of Primal Emptiness. His hidden name is Ji Xinping, his courtesy name is Ling Jiehua, and he is seventy million zhang tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Lord Supreme Sovereign of Great Brightness wears a flying celestial crown adorned with cinnabar blossoms and purple radiance. He is dressed in a five-colored robe of cloud gauze, carries a flowing-gold fire bell, and wears a divine tiger jade seal at his waist. He often stands upon five-colored purple clouds. Brilliant and radiant, he can transform into seventy-two forms and illuminate the Highest Clarity. When practitioners visualize him, he appears seven cun and two fen tall.

During the three months of winter, the Lord Supreme Sovereign transforms into a figure with a human head and a dragon’s body, colored in five shades of dark yellow. He stands above Purple Emptiness amid clouds of nine-colored light. After practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original form. During the three months of spring, he transforms into the radiance of spring sunlight, his light streaming and illuminating the Highest Clarity and Purple Emptiness. After visualization, he too returns to his original form. During the three months of summer, he transforms into red and white light, like clouds of Primal Simplicity, dwelling within Purple Emptiness. At this time, the Lord Supreme Sovereign returns to the Qi of the Three Origins and is again refined by the essence of the August Sovereign of Primal Emptiness. After practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original form.

To cultivate the Way of the Lord Supreme Sovereign, one should enter a quiet chamber after bathing on one’s birth destiny day—the day corresponding to the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch of one’s birth year—and on the Grand Year day, the day corresponding to that year’s Grand Year. Facing south, sincerely bow to the Lord Supreme Sovereign of Great Brightness. When the bows are complete, turn north, click the teeth together three times, close the eyes, and visualize the Lord Supreme Sovereign appearing in different forms according to the seasons. He is within the Palace of Purple Fusion in the Highest Clarity, in the Village of Seven Aspects, District of Six Origins, at the Mansion of True Life. He turns his true radiance downward, where it shines into the Palace of Fusion and Life on the practitioner’s left side. Then softly recite the invocation:

Great Brightness of the Three Origins, numinous vermilion radiance that penetrates the realms, dark Qi disperses into the true, merging with Primal Essence. The Emperor…

The Three Primes—the Upper, Middle, and Lower Primes—shine with clear brilliance, illuminating the vermilion numinous light. Mysterious Qi spreads and mingles with true Qi and the primordial essence and Qi. The divine spirit Emperor One manifests through transformation, preserving life and calming the spirit and Qi. The Qi of the eight directions surges upward, while the six palaces within the body remain full of vitality. The Mysterious Elder and I unite, and the Dao I follow is now clear. The three lights of the Sun, Moon, and stars guard the numinous light. In a splendid robe of emerald feathers, I ride a vermilion carriage and fly into the Moon Palace. When the ritual is complete, raise your head and swallow twelve breaths, then stop.

Those who perfect this Dao will have their names entered in the Nine Heavens. The High Perfected will descend before them, and they will ascend to Jade Clarity. Those who scorn this Dao or reveal its secret methods will be conscripted by ghost officials and will be unable to become immortals.

The Sovereign, Master Myriad Beginnings, is transformed from the Qi of the Primordial Sovereign Above. His taboo name is Youlanglan, his courtesy name Tongdafan, and he stands ninety million zhang tall. During the three winter months, he wears a crown of vermilion intestines and solar essence, a robe of bright red clouds and luminous brocade, ornaments patterned with golden tigers and phoenixes, and a purple seal of the Vermilion Sovereign. He often rides white clouds and sits upon a five-colored lion. Radiant and brilliant, he illuminates Upper Clarity. Practitioners visualize him gradually shrinking until he is two cun and one fen tall, then visualize him returning to his original form.

During the three spring months, Master Myriad Beginnings transforms into a human figure with three phoenix heads. He wears a tiger robe patterned in nine colors, rides white clouds, and sits upon a five-colored lion. Radiant and brilliant, he illuminates Upper Clarity. Practitioners visualize him shrinking to two cun and one fen, then visualize him returning to his original form. He also often stands amid twelve streams of glorious light; practitioners visualize him returning to his original form.

During the three summer months, Master Myriad Beginnings transforms into a radiance like three suns, sending forth purple light. Brilliant and luminous, he appears above Upper Clarity, amid a lotus of twelve colors. Practitioners visualize him returning to his original form.

During the three autumn months, Master Myriad Beginnings transforms into rays of blue, red, and purple light, entwined with one another and shaped like a solar disc. This is the form in which the Sovereign’s Qi returns to its source and is refined by receiving the essence and Qi of the Primordial Sovereign Above. Practitioners visualize him returning to his original form.

To practice the Dao of Master Myriad Beginnings, bathe on your birth-day and on the Eight Seasonal Nodes—Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—then enter a quiet chamber and face north. Pay reverent homage to the Master with a sincere heart, receive the refinement of the Primordial Sovereign Above’s essence and Qi, and visualize him returning to his original form.

Those who practice the Way of Master Wanshi should bathe on their natal day—the day corresponding to their birth year—and on the Eight Seasonal Festivals: the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice. They should then enter a quiet chamber and sincerely bow to the Master while facing north. After completing the bows, they should click their teeth three times, close their eyes, and visualize the Master appearing in different forms with the changing seasons. He is in the Central Ward of the Bright Spirit Village, Upper Zhang District, in the Golden Soul Residence of the Ronghua Palace of Shangqing. He turns his True Qi downward, illuminating the practitioner’s right side and entering the Palace of Yin Extremity. Then, in a soft voice, they should recite this prayer:

“Three Essences of the Myriad Beginnings, disperse the Qi of the Nine Subtleties. Ascend to the Realm of Radiance; illuminate the Dao and fly in the four directions. The Mysterious Mother opens the heart’s wishes, letting hearts in the eight directions unfold. She safeguards the registers of the Central Origin, while the Imperial Perfected come and go, wandering freely. Transform into three forms, and let the body escape decay. Merge with radiant visions, and let your brilliance equal that of the sun and moon. Fly to the Mysterious Palace and ascend to Ziwei.”

After reciting the prayer, they should tilt their head back and swallow Qi nine times. The rite is then complete. This is the precious text of the Yellow Chamber, a secret of the highest mystery. If one encounters this scripture and has one’s name recorded in the registers of the Nine Heavens, practicing in accordance with it enables one to become a Flying Immortal and ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.

The Lord of Purple Dawn, Master Shanghuang, is transformed from the Qi of Yuangao Yuan. His name is Xin Pingyuan and his courtesy name is Daoyuanji; he is ninety million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he wears the Precious Crown of Morning that Reaches Heaven and a robe of seven-colored, flowing, luminous cloud pearls. He carries the talisman of the High Minister who Commands the Spirits, and wears at his waist the Register of the Eastern Meng of Primordial Truth. Riding a nine-colored azure dragon, he stands upon blue clouds. His radiance shines brightly, illuminating all of Shangqing. When visualized, he contracts to a height of nine cun and nine fen.

During the three months of summer, he transforms into a dragon-headed figure with a human body, covered in five-colored markings. Their colors shine brightly as he dwells among purple clouds, his radiance illuminating the ten directions. When visualized, he returns to his original True Form. During the three months of autumn, he transforms into a human-headed figure with a dragon’s body, covered in nine-colored markings whose bright radiance illuminates all of Shangqing. When visualized, he returns to his original True Form. During the three months of winter, he transforms into intermingling beams of blue and black light, whose brilliance illuminates Shangqing. At this time, he returns to the Qi of Shanghuang and again receives the refinement of the Essence of Yuangao Yuan. When visualized, he returns to his original True Form.

When practicing the Daoist methods of Lord Zichen, a revered deity of the Shangqing tradition, you should regularly face east on the day of the Start of Spring and bow nine times. Then face north and click your teeth together nine times. Visualize Lord Zichen changing his appearance with the four seasons. He is located in the Numinous Transformation Hamlet of the Golden Essence District, within the Vermilion Reflection Office of the Upper Palace of Purple Mystery in Jade Purity. He turns the True Qi downward, illuminating the gateway above your liver and entering it. Then softly recite the invocation:

“The August Sovereign disperses numinous Qi; Lord Zichen gathers essence and Qi. The Three Blossoms pass through and become manifest; the four seasons are clear, bright, and vivid. True Qi flows and turns, auspicious signs answering one another; returning light illuminates my body and mind. The Qi of the Three Origins merges into one, and the Dao I cultivate is thereby fulfilled. I shall don immortal robes and feathered garments, wear a blue brocade robe, harness the reins of the Nine Dragons’ chariot, and ascend to the upper realm.”

When you have finished reciting, tilt your head back and swallow nine breaths of Qi. This completes the ritual.

The Great Emperor Lord of Purple Emptiness, the Supreme One, a revered deity of the Shangqing tradition, was formed from the primordial Qi of the Original Cavern. His personal name is Lingminggu, his courtesy name Taifanzong, and he is eighty million zhang tall.

During the three months of summer, visualize him wearing a purple radiance crown formed from the flowing essence of the Nine Qi, dressed in seamless, naturally formed garments of nine colors, bearing the emblem of the interwoven light of the Seven Origins, and girded with the talismanic register of the August Origin’s Mandate of Truth. He sits upon a divine phoenix amid crimson clouds, radiant with brilliance that illuminates the whole of Shangqing. Visualize his form shrinking until he is eight cun and eight fen tall.

During the three months of autumn, visualize him transformed into a human figure with a phoenix head, his body patterned in nine brilliant colors, standing upon a lotus amid white clouds. Then visualize him returning to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, visualize him transformed into a phoenix with a human head, a fire bell held in his beak. His patterns are vivid and bright, illuminating the whole of Shangqing. Then visualize him returning to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, visualize him transformed into blue and red rays of light, blazing brilliantly and illuminating Shangqing. This signifies the returning of the Qi of Purple Emptiness and its further refinement, revealing the radiant splendor of the primordial essence and Qi of the Original Cavern. Then visualize him returning to his original true form.

To cultivate the way of the Great Emperor Lord, on the day of the Beginning of Summer enter a quiet chamber, face south, bow eight times, and pay reverence to the Great Emperor Lord. Then turn north and click the teeth nine times. In your mind, visualize the Great Emperor Lord appearing in different forms as the seasons change, dwelling amid the essence of the sun in the Danyao Palace, the Golden Flower Region, and the Cloud Transformation Palace of Jade Clarity. See him turn the true Qi downward, shining into the upper gate above your heart. Then offer this prayer softly:

From within the Purple Void, essence and Qi issue forth; the August Sovereign receives and takes in primordial Qi. The two kinds of Qi meet and mingle, joining in harmony. Essence and Qi flow and fill me, their grace spreading through my body inside and out. Today is an auspicious day of the highest fortune, and I enjoy the peace of the Primordial Beginning. The Qi of Jade Radiance fills and overflows, washing away dust and sweeping out impurity, so that the six organs are clear and the body is without a trace of obstruction. Reveal the eight visions of the Dao and help me attain the rank of an immortal. Raise my head and swallow the Qi of the divine fungus; restore my youthful face, returning me from old age to youth. My body grows light, my bones supple and strong, and I rise into the boundless realm. When you have finished reciting, raise your head and swallow the eight Qi. This completes the rite.

The August Elder Emperor Lord of the Purple Void: may primordial Qi fill me, and may my body be without a trace of obstruction. Reveal the eight visions of the Dao and help me attain the rank of an immortal. Raise my head and swallow the Qi of the divine fungus; restore my youthful face, returning me from old age to youth. My body grows light, my bones supple and strong, and I rise into the boundless realm. When you have finished reciting, raise your head and swallow the eight Qi. This completes the rite.

The August Supreme Emperor Lord of Purple Void, one of the revered deities of the Upper Clarity tradition, was formed from the essence and Qi of the Primordial Cavern. His personal name was Xuying, and his courtesy name was Yuanheng Huo. He stood sixty million zhang tall.

During the three months of autumn, he wore a seven-tiered Golden Radiance crown, a brocade robe patterned with clouds and the essence of the sun, carried the staff and banner of the August Heaven, and wore a sash embroidered with the Nine Radiances. He stood amid white clouds and sat upon a seven-colored lion. His radiance shone brilliantly, illuminating the whole Upper Clarity realm. When practitioners visualized his image, he drew himself in to a height of six cun and six fen.

During the three months of winter, he took the form of a human with a tiger’s head. He wore a yellow-and-white brocade robe with bright, vivid patterns. He stood amid dark clouds and sat upon a nine-colored object, his numinous light illuminating the ten directions. After practitioners visualized him, he returned to his original form.

During the three months of spring, he took the form of a tiger with a human head, his body marked with nine-colored patterns. His brilliant radiance illuminated the Upper Clarity realm, where he appeared in the Purple Void of Upper Clarity. After practitioners visualized him, he returned to his original form.

During the three months of summer, he transformed into red and white light, shining brightly in all directions. At this time, he returned to the Qi of Purple Void and once again underwent refinement by the essence and Qi of the Primordial Cavern. After practitioners visualized him, he returned to his original form.

The practice of the Supreme Emperor Lord’s Dao generally begins on the day Start of Autumn. Practitioners enter a quiet chamber and bow six times facing west. After paying their respects to the Supreme Emperor Lord, they turn north, click their teeth twelve times, and visualize the Lord changing form with the four seasons. He resides in the Nine Transformations Hamlet of the Essence Office, within the Palace of the Golden Gate of Jade Clarity. Returning to his true form, he shines down and enters the chambers along the practitioner’s flanks and the spaces between the joints. Then the practitioner softly recites the invocation:

“August Elder, unfold and open; the four cycles renew the numinous. Refine and transform the three passes; adorn your form through change. On this day of celebration, the myriad Qi converge and unite. The Great High One bestows the talisman of deliverance; the Director of Destiny governs life. Erase the roots of death and register us in Upper Clarity. Above, may we enjoy primal good fortune; may all things be favorable and steadfast. May our lifespans equal the Three Lights, and our numinous nature be one with the Perfected. May we ride the flying radiance and present ourselves at the imperial court.”

After reciting the invocation, practitioners tilt their heads back and swallow twelve mouthfuls of Qi, completing the practice.

Lord Dongjing of the Mysterious Void and Great Truth (an honorific among the divine perfected beings of Highest Clarity) was formed from the harmonizing Qi of the Primordial Cavern. His taboo name is You Shangfei, his courtesy name is Xuankailiang, and he is fifty million zhang tall.

During the three months of winter, Lord Dongjing wears the jeweled crown of the Supreme Seven Luminaries and a bright, luminous brocade robe adorned with vermilion jade designs. He bears the seal of the Cinnabar Emperor and Jade Sovereign, and wears the Sword that Summons Immortals at his waist. He stands in the Mysterious Void atop a five-colored lion, shining brilliantly and illuminating Highest Clarity. When visualized, he draws in his form and returns to a height of five cun and five fen.

During the three months of spring, he transforms into an immortal, his body the color of adamantine. A halo of jeweled light shines behind his neck. He wears a great robe patterned with tortoiseshell markings and dwells amid azure clouds, illuminating the ten directions. When visualized, he returns to his original perfected form.

During the three months of summer, he transforms into a numinous tortoise, its body marked with three hundred and sixty patterns and a constellation of seven stars held in its mouth. It sits beneath a flowered canopy, atop dark clouds, shining brilliantly and illuminating Highest Clarity. When visualized, he returns to his original perfected form.

During the three months of autumn, he transforms into light that is both white and black, its colors blended as one, like the essence of jade. This is the state of returning to the Qi of the Mysterious Void and once more receiving refinement through the essence of the Primordial Cavern’s harmonizing Qi. When visualized, he returns to his original perfected form.

To cultivate the Way of Lord Dongjing, one ordinarily enters a quiet chamber on the day of the Beginning of Winter, faces north, bows five times in homage to Lord Dongjing, and clicks the teeth three times. Visualize Lord Dongjing within the Cliff-Middle of the Vermilion Bird Quarter, in the Great Cinnabar Palace of the Jade Clarity Palace of Jade Radiance. He turns the true Qi downward, where it shines into the paired gates within the practitioner’s Kidney Palace. Then softly recite this prayer:

Dongzhen’s lofty clarity—the clear, bright, and far-reaching realm of Dongzhen—refines and nourishes the immortal body with the Qi of the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. When the mind and spirit unite with the Qi of the Central Origin, transformation occurs naturally. Mysterious, wondrous fluids descend and spread blessings and joy throughout the body, granting the highest auspiciousness to those who remain upright and receive its grace. The spirit Taiyi bestows talismanic commands for deliverance; the Primordial Lady sets the rules for cultivation in the mountains. The Qi of the corpse is extinguished, and the root that binds one to the womb is severed. The spirits of the Eight Radiances assist from the sides and command all the spirits. They send down a cloud chariot to carry me up into the immortal realm of dawn. When the rite is complete, raise your head, swallow the five Qi, and end the practice. Cultivate in this way for eight years, and you will ascend to the Mysterious Realm at the appointed time. The Central Perfected One, who dwells in the central rank, will descend and appear, granting you a true scripture and a precious seal.

The August Jade Emperor, who dwells in the highest heavens, is transformed from the Qi of Primordial Lofty Dawn. His name is “Great Peace,” his courtesy name “Great Beginning of the Hidden,” and his height is thirty million zhang. During the three months of spring, he wears a crown adorned with seven precious jewels and a nine-colored robe patterned with tigers. He bears ornaments depicting a golden tiger and a phoenix, wears a jade seal of the divine tiger, rides upon the essence of the Seven Origins, and stands atop the Vermilion Bird. Twelve streams of radiant light shine within the Jade Clarity Cavern of Emptiness. When you visualize him, he draws inward and returns to a form three cun and three fen tall.

During the three months of summer, he transforms his body, with a seven-colored jeweled canopy atop his head and the Dipper stars in his hand. He stands in the sunlight, radiant and bright, above Supreme Clarity. After you visualize him, he draws inward and returns to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, he transforms into a figure with a human head and the body of a Vermilion Bird. He holds the image of the sun in his beak and stands amid purple clouds beneath a jeweled canopy, his radiance illuminating Supreme Clarity. After you visualize him, he draws inward and returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, he transforms into intertwining streams of dark, yellow, and blue light within Purple Emptiness. Then the Jade Emperor returns to the Qi of the August Sovereign, again receives refinement and nourishment from the essence of Lofty Dawn, and finally draws inward and returns to his original true form.

Those who cultivate the Way of the Jade Emperor—a method that takes the Jade Emperor as the focus of cultivation—must bathe and purify themselves on the first and fifteenth days of each month, enter a quiet chamber, and bow reverently toward the east. After completing their bows to the Jade Emperor, they turn north and click their teeth twelve times. With eyes closed, they envision the Jade Emperor’s form changing with the four seasons, appearing in the settled depths of the Shangqing Cloud Palace, the Mist Immortals’ Abode, and the Land of Immortal Transformations. Then they envision true Qi turning back and shining downward, entering the space between their eyebrows. Next, they softly recite:

“Radiant August God Emperor, the Jade Emperor, rises into the distant and subtle realms. Through nine transformations, he manifests the Qi of Purple Origin. The Qi of the four seasons refines his radiance; the three Qi converge in the Central Palace, while the five transformations circulate and move. All things blend with the Emperor’s Qi and become one; every kind of Qi returns to this place. Settle the numinous Qi in the Chamber of Origin and guard the nine gates, keeping them firm. The three divisions and eight luminous aspects—the spirits and vital energies, and the important places within the human body—accompany all the perfected beings. Together they ride a cloud dragon, carrying me high into the sky, where I may hold the celestial emperor’s immortal register for a long time, undiminished through myriad generations.”

When the recitation is complete, tilt the head back and swallow nine breaths. The rite is then finished. This is the Way of cultivating the August Jade Emperor, and a secret formula of oral instruction from the Purple Chamber. It is transmitted only to those whose names are entered in the Golden Register, whose titles are inscribed in the Jade Register, and who can accord with the true Dao. Those who receive this method can become flying immortals and unite in form and spirit with the Jade Emperor. Anyone who carelessly divulges it will incur the death penalty, and their ancestors for seven generations will also be punished; through countless calamities, they will be barred from entering the immortal realm.

The Lord of the Purple Emperor at the Highest Limit of the Great Void of Primordial Simplicity (transformed from the subtle, wondrous Qi of Primordial Simplicity and dwelling at the highest reaches of the heavens) received the Qi of Primordial Brightness at Dawn. His sacred name is Zong Fanlian, his courtesy name is Xuan Shangmen, and he is fifty million zhang tall.

During the three months of summer, he wears the Seven Treasures Crown of the Celestial Origin and robes of nine-colored, pearl-bright brocade patterned with crimson clouds. He wears the Six-Fire Jade and is girded with a purple sash of numinous flight. He stands upon a lotus shaped like a five-colored lion, radiating light across the seventy-four regions of Shangqing. When visualized, he draws in his form and returns to his original true shape, five cun and two fen tall.

During the three months of autumn, he transforms into a figure with a human head and tiger’s body, marked with dark and yellow patterns. Their colors shine brilliantly, illuminating the ten directions. He dwells amid purple Qi and stands upon the Five Mushrooms of Immortality. When visualized, he returns to his original true shape, five cun and two fen tall.

During the three months of winter, he transforms into a figure whose whole body shines with golden light, with a canopy above his neck. He wears robes of thirty-two colors, like a celestial immortal. His brilliance shines brightly, illuminating all of Shangqing. When visualized, he returns to his original true shape.

During the three months of spring, he transforms into interwoven rays of purple, yellow, and green light. Their three kinds of Qi blend together, undivided, and appear within Shangqing. This is the Purple Emperor Lord returning to the Qi of Primordial Simplicity, receiving refinement once more, and transforming into the essence of Brightness at Dawn. When visualized, he returns to his original true shape.

To cultivate the Way of the Purple Emperor Lord, on a Gengshen day (a day in the sexagenary cycle), one should clear the mind, observe purification, and enter a quiet chamber. Facing south, bow in reverence to the Purple Emperor Lord. After completing the bows, turn north and click the teeth three times. Then close the eyes and visualize: the Purple Emperor Lord appears in different forms with the seasons, dwelling in the Golden Radiance Palace, Purple Brilliance Mansion, Village of the Seven Origins, and Lane of the Canopy in Shangqing. Once he returns to his true body, he sends light down from above, entering the practitioner’s Purple Chamber Palace, the inner chamber used for visualization within the body. Then recite this prayer softly:

“Brightness at Dawn spreads numinous Qi; the Purple Emperor gathers radiance. Primordial Simplicity undergoes nine transformations; through four refinements, it penetrates the hidden and subtle. The Great One watches over the span of life; the Young Lord guards the inner body. Returning to his true body, he sends light down from above, entering the practitioner’s Purple Chamber Palace.”

After the prayer, the source text repeats the phrase “Returning to his true body, he sends light down from above, entering the practitioner’s Purple Chamber Palace,” which has already appeared earlier.

At dawn, disperse the numinous Qi, and the Purple Sovereign gathers in its radiance. The Qi of Great Simplicity undergoes nine transformations; four rounds of refinement and nourishment suffice to reach the hidden subtlety. Taiyi oversees the span of life, the Young Lord protects the frail body, and the Imperial Lord governs longevity. The three lights of the sun, moon, and stars turn together and unite with the Perfected One, bringing deep and lasting blessings. The practitioner rides a dragon in flight and ascends through the heavenly Cloud Gate. When the rite is complete, raise the head, swallow the nine Qi, and then stop. These are the secret essentials of the Golden Chamber—the palace where Daoist immortals and Perfected Ones reside—and they are transmitted only to Perfected Ones of Shangqing. Whoever receives this method may ascend to become an immortal and take a place among the High Perfected. Anyone who carelessly reveals it or neglects the method will sink into the source of the river; the seven generations of ancestors will also be held accountable for the offense, and the practitioner will be barred from the realm of immortals.

The Lord of the Central Origin, Gaoting of the Numinous Void and Purple Orchid, is a divine being transformed from the Qi of Primordial Morning. His taboo name is Huizhi, his courtesy name Tongdaye, and he stands thirty million zhang tall. In the three months of autumn, he wears the Threefold Flower jeweled crown and a robe of seven-colored divine essence, ties on a purple seal of flowing gold, and bears a stone essence sword of golden radiance. He stands above the azure mists and rides a seven-colored tiger chariot, shining brilliantly in thirty-two hues. When visualized, his form contracts to a height of three cun and three fen. In the three months of winter, he transforms into a tiger-bodied, dragon-headed figure marked with five-colored patterns. Radiant and gleaming, he dwells amid azure clouds, atop a five-colored lotus. After visualization, he returns to his original true form. In the three months of spring, he transforms into a three-headed phoenix, its body patterned in nine colors and shining brilliantly as it illuminates Shangqing. After visualization, he too returns to his original form. In the three months of summer, he transforms into purple and azure rays of light, entwining like the rising sun. At this time, Gaoting returns once more to the Qi of the Purple Orchid, undergoes refinement and nourishment anew, and receives the essence of Primordial Radiant Morning. After visualization, he returns to his original form.

Those who practice the Way of the Lord of the Central Origin, Gaoting, generally observe a purification fast and enter a chamber on the day Beginning of Autumn, then bow toward the west to the Lord Gaoting. After bowing, they turn north and click their teeth twelve times. With their eyes closed, they visualize Gaoting changing form with the seasons. He circulates true Qi in the Perfected Realm of the Three Wheels, Township of Transformation, Divine Transformation Bureau, Numinous Reflection Palace of Shangqing. The Qi shines downward and enters the five palace-citadels where the body’s five viscera reside. Then silently recite the invocation:

The light of Taichen turns and returns, revealing a realm of empty clarity. Transformations mingle and unite, becoming the wheel of the Nine Refinements and Three Realized Ones. The numinous fluid spreads and flows, irrigating the chambers of the Five Transformations; the land of the Three Wheels then becomes a place where realization is attained. The true light turns back and shines downward, entering the body and illuminating the Five Zang organs and the palaces of the Five Cities. Then softly recite this prayer:

The light of Taichen turns and returns, revealing a realm of empty clarity. Transformations mingle and unite, becoming the wheel of the Nine Refinements and Three Realized Ones. The numinous fluid irrigates the gates of the Five Cities, stills the spirit, strengthens the primordial Qi, and seals off the root of death. Above, it greets the realm of lofty emptiness and summons the immortals to come together. With flying steps like those of a feathered immortal, ascend to the Golden Tower; in the human world, enjoy a seat like an emperor’s, and live a long, complete life. Let seven generations of descendants rejoice together and be freed from the Five Roots—the roots that bind people to the mundane world. When the prayer is finished, tilt your head back and swallow three breaths, then stop. This is the Purple Orchid Precious Formula, transmitted only once in countless ages. Whoever receives it can fly and ascend to the Jade Clarity realm.

The Master of Purple Dawn, Lord Zichen, the Purple Void Jade Emperor, was formed from the primordial Qi of Yuchen. His personal name is Linghuixiao, and his courtesy name is Duzhongguang. His body is seventy million zhang tall. During the three winter months, he wears a Seven-Treasure Flying Blossom Crown and a nine-colored purple brocade skirt, and carries the Dragon Radiance Sevenfold Tiger Talisman. He stands on the back of a five-colored lion, while twelve rays of blossom-like light shine in the ten directions. When you visualize him, he returns to a form seven cun and seven fen tall. During the three spring months, he transforms into a nine-colored phoenix, holding a white sash in its beak. Its body is covered in brilliant patterns, and its radiance shines through Shangqing. When you visualize him, he returns to his original form. During the three summer months, he transforms into a bird with a human body and nine heads. Its body bears nine-colored markings, and its dazzling light shines through Shangqing. When you visualize him, he returns to his original form. During the three autumn months, he transforms into purple, blue, and red rays of light, entwining and blending like clouds meeting. At this time, Lord Zichen returns from the Qi of the Purple Void Jade Emperor to his original form and undergoes further refinement through the essence of Yuchen. When you visualize him, he returns to his original form.

Those who practice the Way of Lord Zichen should regularly observe a purification fast, enter a chamber on a Tai Sui day—a date determined by the sexagenary cycle—and face north. Bow to Lord Zichen, click the teeth together three times, close the eyes, and visualize him appearing amid the changes of the seasons in the Natural Land, Yongkang Ward, Ninefold Court of the Transforming Light Palace in Shangqing. The true light turns back and shines downward, entering beneath your left armpit. Then softly recite this prayer:

The Ninefold Mystery, the realm of nine layers of hidden profundity, gives rise to the Qi of Purple Dawn. The Imperial Radiance, a sacred vision, blossoms with the luster of fine jade. After three refinings, one can reach the Divine Palace. Enter the Golden Li Sand, a realm or place of cultivation mentioned in the scripture, seven times; breathe in and out the Qi of Young Yang, and hold the sun’s essence in the mouth, rinsing and absorbing it. After four transformations, one is born in accord with the seasons, and can keep the wondrous vision ever present and preserve the vermilion glow forever. Anyone who understands these cultivation instructions can join hands with others and travel together to the Northern Heights. When the rite is complete, tilt the head back and swallow seven breaths, then stop. This is a precious text from the Golden Chamber, the dwelling of the immortals. Practicing it enables one to attain the true Dao and ascend to Jade Clarity, the heavenly realm above Highest Clarity.

The Purple Essence Lord of the Three Origins in the Purple Void, the divine lord who presides over the Three Origins’ Purple Essence in the Purple Void, is the deity of the Primordial Qi of Purple Dawn. His sacred name is Ming Shangyao, and his courtesy name is Peng Daguang. He is ninety million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he wears the Flying Dawn Infant Crown of the Nine Origins, dons a vermilion brocade flying robe, carries the Dragon Script and Tiger Writing of the Nine Heavens, and wears at his waist the Sword of Sun Essence that Nourishes and Extends Life. He stands on a five-colored lotus, with the radiance of the Seven Treasures shining behind his neck. When visualized, he returns to his form of nine cun and nine fen in height.

During the three months of summer, the Purple Essence Lord transforms into a child. His hair is tied in cloud-shaped twin topknots; he wears a five-colored robe and holds an embroidered ceremonial banner. He shines brightly, illuminating Highest Clarity. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, he transforms into a dragon’s head with a serpent’s body. His entire form shines blue and yellow, illuminating Jade Void. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, he transforms into rays of purple, blue, and white light, mingling in a hazy radiance like that of the sun and moon. At this time, he returns to the Qi of the Purple Void’s Three Origins and once more receives the refinement of the essence of Purple Dawn. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

To practice the Daoist method of the Lord of Purple Essence (the spirit of Purple Essence), one should fast and purify oneself regularly on the spring equinox, enter a quiet chamber, and bow toward the east before the Lord of Purple Essence. After bowing, face north and knock the teeth together twelve times. Close the eyes and visualize the Lord of Purple Essence in forms that change with the seasons. The Lord resides in the Golden Image Township of Shengle Village, in the Grotto of Numinous Radiance, within the Jade Treasure Palace of Shangqing. He turns the True Qi downward, shining into the practitioner’s heart.

Then recite this prayer softly:

“Purple Heaven scatters crimson numinous radiance; Cinnabar Heaven illuminates Jade Purity. The divine spirits of the Three Primordials ascend in flying carriages and wander among the courtyards of the purple steps. Let me recover my natural Qi and, through refinement, attain a form pure as jade. Nourish body and mind; draw in the water vapor of the moon, and raise my head to absorb the essence of the vermilion sun. May the three lights shine together, as I guide my breath and swiftly mount the Eight Carriages.”

When the prayer is complete, raise the head and swallow seven breaths. The rite is then finished. This is a secret invocation transmitted from the Nine Heavens, a treasured text of the Jade Chamber. Practicing this Way enables one to ascend to Jade Purity. But if one carelessly reveals it, neglects it, or practices it without due care, one will only labor in vain and be unable to enter the realms of the immortals.

The Lord of the Profound One, True Yang, and the Nine Elders is the spirit of the Qi of Primordial Grotto Dawn. His hidden names are: “Brightly manifesting the Way, soaring to Jade Purity; carelessly divulging and neglecting it, what source does the body serve? One cannot enter the realm of the immortals.”

The Lord of the Profound One, True Yang, and the Nine Elders is the Qi of Primordial Grotto Dawn. His name is “Brilliantly Flowing,” and his courtesy name is “Proclaiming and Unfolding with Abundant Force.” He is fifty million zhang tall. During the three months of summer, he wears the Precious Dawn Crown of Unimpeded Essence and a nine-colored brocade robe patterned with clouds. He bears the Seal of the Highest One’s Command over the Spirits and the Cinnabar Writ of Dragon Radiance. Standing upon purple clouds and seated within a seven-colored lotus, he shines with brilliant radiance. After visualizing his form, restore him to his true form.

During the three months of autumn, he transforms into an infant, seated within the Purple Void. He wears a jeweled canopy of five-colored lotuses on his head and holds a banner of the Five Magic Fungi. After visualizing him, restore him to his true form.

During the three months of winter, he transforms into moonlight, blue in color. He dwells amid purple clouds, above Azure Radiance; his light streams forth, shining through and illuminating Shangqing. After visualizing him, restore him to his true form.

During the three months of spring, he transforms into rays of blue, green, and dark-black light, intertwined and blended like interwoven clouds, surging densely within Shangqing. This is the return to the Qi of the True Yang Primordial Elder, followed by refinement through the essence of Primordial Grotto Dawn. After visualizing him, restore him to his true form.

When cultivating the “Way of the Primordial Elder and Mysterious One,” perform the rite each year on the day of the Beginning of Summer, in the pure and tranquil realm of Shangqing. This allows you to return to the Qi of the true Yang Primordial Elder and then receive the essence of Lian Yuan Dongchen. By visualizing these scenes, you can recover your original true form.

To cultivate this Way, on the day of the Beginning of Summer each year, fast and purify yourself, then enter a quiet room. Face west and bow three times. When you have finished bowing to the Primordial Elder, turn north, sit upright, and click your teeth twelve times. Next, visualize the Primordial Elder, Lord Xuanyi, appearing in forms that change with the four seasons. He is within the Flying Mysterious Palace of Shangqing, the Grotto of the Great Office, the Township of the Nine Origins, and the Three Passes. He turns the true Qi downward, where it shines into the space outside your Gate of Destiny. Then recite softly:

“Grotto Dawn refines and completes true Yang; the Mysterious Elder emerges, riding the void. Through four transformations, he brings forth the wondrous root. Clouds, rosy mists, and radiant scenes illuminate the bright moon; swift and direct, they open the path of the Elixir Way, and drive the carriage of the Vermilion Pace. Winding and turning, they open a passage into the hidden realm, where all gather in the palace of the Nine Spirits. How wondrous are the merits that preserve us through the kalpas! Who can fathom their rises and falls, their toils and labors?”

When you have finished reciting, raise your head and swallow your breath nine times; then stop. If you can understand the principle by which Xuanyi changes with the four seasons and cultivate it for nine years, you will see the true form descend into your sleeping chamber. You will also be able to transform your body, enter the Great Void, and fly through the realm of Shangqing.

The Great Emperor of Heaven Taiwei, an emperor within Shangqing, is brought forth from the Qi of the Primordial Grotto. His name is Da Chongshu and his courtesy name is Yuan Dongdu. He is thirty million zhang tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Emperor wears the Nine Origins Flying Infant Crown and a seven-colored robe of phoenix clouds. He is girded with a luminous jade seal and a plain silk sash interwoven with numinous patterns. Standing upon a five-colored lion, he radiates precious light in thirty-two colors and dwells above Shangqing. Practitioners visualize this image, then recover their original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Emperor transforms into an immeasurable Perfected One, with golden light emanating from his body and illuminating the ten directions. He stands upon a nine-colored lotus and holds a golden bell. Practitioners visualize him, then recover their original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Emperor transforms into purple light like the sun’s radiance. It shines above the Jade Void and illuminates the ten directions. Practitioners visualize him, then recover their original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Emperor transforms into white, azure, and green light, intertwined like layers of clouds. At this time, the Emperor returns to the Qi of Taiwei and receives the essence of Lian Dongyuan. Practitioners visualize him, then recover their original true form.

When cultivating the Heavenly Emperor Lord—the celestial deity referred to here—one should visualize him restoring his original true form. During the three months of summer, he transforms into white, blue-gray, and green rays of light, intertwining and layering like clouds. This signifies his return to the Qi of Taiwei, the originating Qi of the heavens, where he again receives refinement by the essence of Dongyuan, the essence of the deep source. Through this visualization, the Emperor Lord restores his original true form.

The practice of the Heavenly Emperor Lord’s Way is usually performed on the day of the spring equinox. Bathe, enter a quiet room, and face east to bow twice. After paying homage to the Emperor Lord, turn north, sit upright, and click the teeth three times. Then visualize the Emperor Lord manifesting his form and radiance as the seasons change. He comes from the Three True Ones’ homeland in the Five Mornings, Eight Radiant Offices, and Palace of Cloudy Rosy Glow in Shangqing. He turns his true light downward, and it enters beneath your right armpit. Then silently recite the invocation:

“From the source’s transformations, numinous power takes form; nine-colored light shines bright and beautiful. Returning and joining with the Qi of Taiwei, through four transformations it becomes true. The Qi of Jade Void flourishes abundantly, its radiance reflecting crimson clouds. It holds and nourishes brilliant light; I sip the numinous spring, and fragrant vapors scatter and circle in all eight directions. Looking upward, I receive and absorb the flowing radiance, using it to refine, nourish, and infuse my body. My body is thereby transformed; I ascend to the nine heavens, my name entered in the registers of the immortals, and I form an immortal bond with the Emperor Lord.”

When you have finished reciting the invocation, tilt your head back and swallow the Qi nine times; the rite is complete. Those who understand the method of the Emperor Lord’s transformations with the seasons can live as long as the sun, moon, and stars. Practicing this Way enables one to ascend to Shangqing, a high celestial realm in Daoism. If this Way is carelessly divulged or neglected, seven generations of ancestors will be punished.

The Azure Numinous Lord Yang’an receives the vast, primordial Qi of the Cavern Source. His personal name is “Du,” and his lifespan is equal to that of the sun, moon, and stars. Practicing this Way enables one to ascend to Shangqing. If this Way is carelessly divulged or neglected, seven generations of ancestors will be punished.

Qingling Yang’an Jun, one of the perfected immortals of the Supreme Clarity, was formed from the vast Qi of the Primordial Cavern. His sacred name is “Duzhongfa,” and his courtesy name is “Dakaiming.” He is fifty million zhang tall.

During the three months of winter, Yang’an Jun wears a dawn crown adorned with the three essences in the form of lotus blossoms. He is dressed in a flying cloak of cinnabar brocade patterned with clouds, rides a nine-colored lion, and wears a flowing golden fire bell, with the Seven Origins as his sash. Seven kinds of transforming light emerge from his body, shining above the Jade Clarity realm and into its most subtle and hidden places. When visualized, he contracts to a height of three chi and three cun.

During the three months of spring, he transforms into an old man wearing a flying-dragon crown, with the moon held in his mouth. He wears feathered robes and holds a purple sash, standing amid cinnabar clouds and illuminating the Jade Clarity realm. After the visualization, he returns to his original form.

During the three months of summer, he transforms into a figure with a tiger’s head and a human body. Five-colored markings cover him, and his light shines in the ten directions. After the visualization, he returns to his original form.

During the three months of autumn, he transforms into light of three colors—yellow, green, and purple—blending into the Supreme Clarity realm like the radiance of the sun. In this state, he returns to the Qi of the true spirit and once again receives the vital essence of the Primordial Cavern for refinement and nourishment. After the visualization, he returns to his original form.

To cultivate the Way of Yang’an Jun, practitioners generally bathe on the day of the Beginning of Spring, enter a quiet chamber, and face east to bow twice to him. After the bows, they turn north and click their teeth nine times. They visualize Yang’an Jun appearing in different forms with the seasons, dwelling in the Guangling Township of Dongquan Village, within the Six Directions Palace of the Zhaoyao Palace in the Supreme Clarity realm. He turns back the light of the true spirit and shines it downward, where it enters the point between the practitioner’s eyes, beneath the axle and below the gate. This is an internal bodily location used in Daoist visualization practices that focus on the spirits within the body.

Next, silently recite the invocation:

“The vast Qi of the Cavern stands high among the Five Splendors; divine light pours into Qingling. It blends with the Qi of the One Emperor, changing and bringing forth life as it moves through the four seasons. The spirit hall first opens to clarity; through it, even the hidden darkness is refined into the form of the Elixir. Mysterious upon mysterious, within the Nine Origins; within stillness and depth, vital essence is present. The true vision shines upon the Cloud Palace, its radiance brilliant, illuminating the Three Pure Ones. Turn back the light to shine upon the subtle places, revealing your form and sacred name. The breath enters the chamber of spirit and stillness; turn back and sit at ease in the chariot of Purple Empyrean.”

After reciting the invocation, swallow the Qi three times, then stop. The scripture says that those who can understand Yang’an Jun’s four transforming forms may live as long as Heaven and Earth; after nine years of cultivation, they can ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.

The Supreme Plain Threefold Origin Lord of the Upper Origin—the revered deity of the Three Origins in the celestial realm above—was formed from the radiant Qi of Primordial Dawn. His name is Yun Yuying, his courtesy name Bozhi, and his body is thirty million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he appears in a form called “Jianbao Zhi.” Whoever can know and abide in the image of the Four Transformations of Yang’an may live as long as Heaven and Earth; after nine years of practice, they can ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.

The Supreme Plain Threefold Origin Lord of the Upper Origin was formed from the radiant Qi of Primordial Dawn. His name is Yun Yuying, his courtesy name Bozhi, and his body is thirty million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he wears the Jianbao Dark Support Crown of Dawn Feathers, a brocade mantle of floating clouds and purple Qi, and a nine-colored dragon-brocade feather skirt. At his waist hang flowing-gold fire bells, tiger tallies, and dragon writings. He sits upright in the vast sky. Beneath his knees, clouds of cinnabar, green, and blue Qi are always present, brilliant with light that shines in all ten directions. He dwells above the nine heavens, in a realm of utmost subtlety. When visualized, he contracts to a height of seven cun.

During the three months of summer, he transforms into one body with three heads. Wearing a seven-tiered jeweled crown and a robe of three plain hues woven with flying clouds, he stands upon a nine-colored phoenix, radiating light in all ten directions. After visualizing him, return him to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, he transforms into the luminous jade radiance of the Seven Luminaries, shining brightly above purple clouds. His colors are rich and intense, like sunlight. After visualizing him, return him to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, he transforms into luxuriant, vigorous rays of purple, white, and yellow light, like the vital essence of gold. At this time, he returns to the Qi of the Supreme Plain of the Upper Origin and again receives refinement by the essence of Dawn Radiance. After visualizing him, return him to his original true form.

When practicing the Way of the Three Origins, one should bathe on one’s birth day and on the day of the Grand Year, then enter a quiet chamber. Facing west, bow three times and pay homage to the Threefold Origin Lord. After completing the bows, turn north and sit upright. Click the teeth nine times, then visualize the Threefold Origin Lord appearing in different forms as the seasons change. He dwells within the Precious Plain Palace of Highest Clarity, the Palace of the Nine Mysteries, the Township of Dawn Radiance, and the Jade Emperor’s Ward. He turns his true Qi downward, where it shines into the practitioner’s nine apertures. Then silently recite the invocation:

The qi of the Three Su circulates through the Celestial Origin and flows among the clouds, protecting the Jade Spirit. It slowly spreads while riding the mysterious qi, then rises lightly and buoyantly to the Upper Clarity realm. Let my natural qi move and transform: how could such transformation be described in ordinary names and terms? Wondrous awareness begins with the mysterious dawn, bringing me joy and the enjoyment of longevity through ten thousand kalpas. The Great Rosy Clouds may seem distant, yet they penetrate and illuminate all sentient beings. May we carry the jade token of our covenant together, awaiting the immortal carriage that travels through the Nine Heavens. When the recitation is complete, swallow three breaths and stop. This method is a secret Daoist teaching of the Purple Origin Palace of the Six Directions. Those who understand the principles of the Three Origins and the changing seasons can live forever. Practicing this Dao leads to ascent to the Upper Clarity realm.

The High and Exalted Lord of Great Simplicity, an Upper Clarity divinity, received the qi of the Primordial Cavern Vision. His sacred name is Treasure Cavern Pervading, and his courtesy name is Bright World Ancestor. He is thirty million zhang tall. During the three summer months, he wears a Purple Origin jeweled crown and a seven-colored robe of cinnabar brocade, and carries the Primordial Seal of the Radiant Seven Luminaries, which symbolizes the sun, moon, and stars. At his waist is a belt bearing the Three Treasures’ summons to immortals, and he stands upon a five-colored lotus. When visualizing this qi, contemplate it as Treasure Cavern Pervading, courtesy name Bright World Ancestor, thirty million zhang tall and brilliantly radiant. Then visualize it drawing inward until it is seven cun tall. During the three autumn months, the Lord of Great Simplicity takes the form of a dragon’s head on a human body, his whole form mottled with five colors and radiant light flowing all around him, illuminating the ten directions. After visualizing him, restore his true form. During the three winter months, the Lord of Great Simplicity takes the form of three suns, their light reflected in primordial chaos and illuminating the Upper Clarity realm. After visualizing him, restore his true form. During the three spring months, he becomes light of two colors, blue-green and white, shining within the primordial qi and above the Purple Empyrean. At this time, the qi of Great Simplicity returns to its exalted position and again receives refinement from the essence of the Primordial Cavern Vision. After visualizing him, restore his true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Lord of Great Simplicity, bathe regularly on a jiazi day and enter a quiet chamber. Face northwest and bow twice. After paying homage to the Lord of Great Simplicity, face north, sit upright, and click your teeth three times. Visualize the Lord of Great Simplicity appearing in different forms with the four seasons, dwelling in the Palace of Boundless Upper Clarity and illuminating the Seven-Aspected Township of the Celestial Court, Ninth Turning Ward. Then visualize his qi revolving and descending in radiance, entering the places stored within the joints of your back. Finally, softly recite the incantation:

The Great Simplicity moves in accordance with the seasons, while the scenes of the four directions fly through the air. Jing and Qi communicate, and breath spreads out. Through refinement, it transforms into purple radiance. The three Guest Spirits ride beneath canopies and travel back and forth in green carriages, their light and shadows reflected amid the rosy clouds. True Qi turns and descends, entering your back and the places where your bones and joints lie. Recite the incantation silently:

“The Great Simplicity moves in accordance with the seasons, while the scenes of the four directions fly through the air. Jing and Qi communicate, and breath spreads out. Through refinement, it transforms into purple radiance. The three Guest Spirits ride beneath canopies and travel back and forth in green carriages, their light and shadows reflected in the Court of Rosy Clouds. Their radiance illuminates hidden and subtle places. Please descend and transform my spirit and Qi, creating my feathered robe, so that, clad in light feathers, I may fly and rise together with the Qi of the eight directions.”

When the incantation is complete, swallow the Qi eight times, then stop. It is said that if you understand how the Great Simplicity changes with the four seasons, you can live for ten thousand years. Practicing this path can bring you soaring ascent to Shangqing, the Daoist celestial realm. If you carelessly reveal this sacred text, you will die and lose the chance to become an immortal.

The Lord of the Three Substances of Purple Essence in Shangqing, the Purple Essence Spirit Lord of Shangqing, was formed from the Qi of the Primordial Yang Cavern. His personal name is Xiaohua, his courtesy name Falingyao, and his height is seventy million zhang.

During the three months of autumn, he wears the Morning Crown of Universal Essence and a tiger robe patterned in five colors. He wears a plain sash of intertwined spirits, carries the Sword that Summons Immortals at his waist, and stands on the back of a nine-colored lion. A round halo forms beside his neck, illuminating Shangqing. After you visualize him, he returns to his true form, seven cun tall.

During the three months of winter, the Lord of the Three Substances of Purple Essence transforms into a being with a phoenix’s head and a human body. He wears a feather robe in dark blue, blue-green, and purple, its radiance illuminating Shangqing. After you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Lord of the Three Substances of Purple Essence transforms into a being with a human head and a dragon’s body. Vivid patterns cover him, illuminating Shangqing. After you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Lord of the Three Substances of Purple Essence transforms into radiance in yellow and black, blending and coiling together like rising clouds. At this time, he transforms back into Qi of Purple Essence, which is then refined again by the essence of the Cavern of Yang. After you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

In practicing the Way of the Three Origin Lords, one should regularly bathe on a gengshen day, enter a quiet chamber, and face west to bow twice. After completing the rites to the Lords, turn north, sit upright, and click the teeth three times. Visualize the Three Origin Lords changing their forms with the seasons. They dwell in the Realm of Three Qi, within the Palace of Precious Clouds in the Jade Emperor’s Upper Clarity Palace, where their spiritual energies mingle. Their returning True Qi shines downward and enters the bone orifices at the crown of the practitioner’s head. Then recite softly:

“Purple vital energy radiates light, transforming and refining the Court of the Nine Qi. The square and round offices of the Threefold Mystery separate and unite, changing and circulating, bringing forth and nurturing all things. I exhale saliva to water the root of the sun; imperial radiance shines upon Purple Clarity. I seek my lofty Dao; within the hidden and subtle lies the most numinous. Who can turn the carriage around and come to welcome me? I wish to form with you a mysterious covenant of names.”

When you have finished, swallow the breath. Then recite, “Exhale saliva to water the root of the sun; imperial radiance shines upon Purple Clarity. I seek my lofty Dao; within the subtle lies the most numinous. Who can turn my carriage around? I wish to form with you a mysterious name,” and swallow the breath again. Repeat this three times, then stop. Those who understand this method will receive the descent of the Three Sublime Ones, who bestow the True. After nine years of practice, they will ascend to the Upper Clarity.

The Sovereign Clarity Lord of the Cavern of Truth, a divine lord embodying the Qi of Sovereign Clarity and the Cavern of Truth, is formed from the Qi of Primordial Brightness and Luminous Spirit. His name is Yuan Baocong, his courtesy name Li Xuanze, and he is fifty million zhang tall. During the three winter months, he wears a three-beam Jade Morning crown and a seven-colored tiger-patterned robe. He bears a flowing-gold fire bell and a seven-colored staff and banner, and stands upon the flying clouds of the Three Sublime Ones, radiant within the Jade Void. During visualization, he contracts to five cun and five fen.

During the three spring months, the Lord of the Cavern of Truth changes his appearance: he wraps his head in a yellow kerchief, wears forty-two layers of ritual robes, holds a flowered banner, and stands upon purple clouds. After visualization, he returns to his original True Form. During the three summer months, the Lord of the Cavern of Truth keeps his eyes closed, wears a flowered canopy, and treads upon a lotus. After visualization, he returns to his original True Form. For the three autumn months, the text first records that he holds a flowered banner and stands upon purple clouds; after visualization, he returns to his original True Form. It also records that he transforms into yellow and white light, which flows and glimmers through the Great Void, illuminating the heavens in all ten directions. This signifies his return to the Qi of Sovereign Clarity, where he is refined once more and gathers the essence of Brightness and Luminous Spirit. After visualization, he returns to his original True Form.

To cultivate the “Way of the Lord of Dongzhen”—the visualization practice of the Dongzhen system—bathe on the day Winter Begins, then enter a quiet chamber. Face north, bow three times, and pay your respects to the Lord of Dongzhen. Still facing north, sit upright with your legs crossed, click your teeth twelve times, and visualize the Lord of Dongzhen appearing in different forms through the four seasons. He dwells in the Golden Infant within the Jade Image Realm of the Qingwei Court, in the Dongxuan Palace of Shangqing. He turns his True Qi downward, casting its radiance into the space around the practitioner’s mouth. Then offer this prayer in a soft voice:

“Radiant clarity reveals the dawn; numinous Qi helps me rise. I drift upward to the ninth heaven and slowly enter the realm of Dichen. I raise my head to draw in the moon’s watery essence, and lower it to summon the sun’s vital essence. Through the method of Dongzhen, I refine and nourish vast numinous Qi, letting fragrant breath flow through me to nourish my true body. Following the currents of time, I seek the Sovereign Lord; when our intentions accord, I may attain the rank of Jade Immortal.”

When the prayer is complete, swallow the Qi you have visualized seven times, then stop. Anyone who understands the Lord of Dongzhen’s transformations through the four seasons can speak with the spirits after three years of practice. After nine years, they can fly through the realm of Jade Clarity.

The Lord of the Way, the fourth of the August Sovereigns, is a spirit formed from the Qi of Primordial Cavern-Void. His personal name is Jingji, his courtesy name Haoyuan, and he is seventy million zhang tall.

During the three months of spring, the Lord of the Way wears the Seven-Treasure Jade Crown of Perfect Clarity and a robe patterned with phoenixes. He carries the Flowing Bell of Broad Dispersion, wears the Sword that Summons the Perfected at his waist, and stands on the back of a nine-colored lion. Twelve rays of splendor shine from his body as he dwells in the Purple Void, above Shangqing. When visualized, he shrinks to a height of seven cun.

During the three months of summer, the Lord of the Way transforms into a small child dressed in five-colored robes, with seven stars in his mouth, standing on a white cloud. After being visualized, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, the Lord of the Way transforms into a figure with a human head and a serpent’s body, marked with five-colored patterns, dwelling above Jade Void. After being visualized, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Lord of the Way transforms into clouds of blue, red, and white Qi, intertwined in the Dark Void. This signifies his return to the Qi of the August Sovereign, where he once more receives refinement and nourishment from the essence of Cavern-Void. After being visualized, he returns to his original true form.

To practice the Way of the Lord Within the Dao, bathe on the day of the winter solstice, then enter a quiet chamber. Face southeast and bow four times in homage to the Lord Within the Dao. Next, turn north and sit upright, gently click your teeth twelve times, and visualize the Lord Within the Dao appearing in form through the four seasons, dwelling in the Radiant Immortal Realm of the Bright Mansion in the Shangqing Palace of Flowing Essence. Bow four times again in homage to the Lord Within the Dao. Then sit upright facing north once more, gently click your teeth twelve times, and visualize the Lord Within the Dao appearing in form through the four seasons, dwelling in the Three Pure Ones’ realm within the Immortal Realm of the Bright Mansion in the Shangqing Palace of Flowing Essence. The Lord turns the light of truth downward, shining it into the “Earth Gate” deep within the practitioner’s back, at the end of the bones. Here, the Earth Gate refers to an inner opening in the body.

Then recite this prayer softly:

“The Four True Elders, the four venerable spirits, spread their radiance through the Cloud Chamber. The light of truth turns back, shining in the four directions and transforming the eight regions. Through breathing, I draw in the three essences, allowing numinous light to flow through my body. My immortal Hun and Po souls congeal into a jade-like form; riding the void and mounting the clouds, I soar upward and fly into the vastness of space.”

When the prayer is complete, swallow the breath four times, and the rite is finished. The scripture says that those who understand the Lord Within the Dao’s Way of Four Transformations may live for ten thousand years. Through practice, they may also bring about the descent of spirits and ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.

The Great Dao Lord of Jade Dawn (the High Pure Venerable Deity) was formed from the vital energy of Primordial Emptiness. His name was Yinxian, his courtesy name was Bokuyuan, and his height was ninety million zhang.

During the three months of autumn, he wears a jade crown of a hundred shifting divine lights and a robe adorned with flying frost pearls. He dresses in a seven-colored tiger garment, wears an insignia of nine-colored silk, and ties a bell of dawn light and moonlight at his waist. Seated on seven-colored auspicious clouds, his radiance illuminates the realm of Highest Clarity. When you visualize his form, he shrinks to a height of nine cun.

During the three months of winter, the Great Dao Lord transforms his appearance. He wears a seven-rayed circular crown and a ritual robe in thirty-two colors, and stands upon a nine-colored lion. His radiant light shines over the realm of Highest Clarity. When you visualize him, he shrinks to a height of nine cun. Another account says that he appears in the Heaven of Great Tenuity above Highest Clarity; after visualization, he returns to his original form.

During the three months of spring, the Great Dao Lord transforms into Laozi. He wears a horned headcloth and a tiger-patterned robe, holds a golden talisman, and stands upon the blossoms of the Five Mushrooms. After visualization, he returns to his original form.

During the three months of summer, the Great Dao Lord transforms into purple and yellow lights. Their brightness intertwines as they appear within Purple Emptiness. He returns to the Qi of Jade Dawn and is once again refined by the essence of numinous emptiness. After visualization, he returns to his original form.

Those who cultivate the Great Dao Lord’s Way should bathe on the eight seasonal nodes—the four beginnings of the seasons, the two equinoxes, and the two solstices—and on their natal day, then enter a quiet chamber. Facing north, they bow twice and pay their respects to the Lord of Jade Dawn. After completing the ritual, they remain seated upright facing north, click their teeth nine times, and visualize the Lord of Jade Dawn appearing in a different form in each season. He is present in the Palace of Medicinal Pearls, the Court of the Sun Gate, the Township of Purple Radiance, and the Quarter of Golden Light in Highest Clarity. Next, they visualize the light of his true form turning back and descending to shine within the twelve spaces of the ridge outside their own neck. Then they click their teeth nine times and silently recite the prayer:

The Jade Dawn wears ornaments of exalted numinosity, gathering all perfected beings and ruling over the pure realms of the eight directions. Jade radiance covers the cinnabar chamber, while the splendor of the purple phoenix shines upon the cloud-borne halls. It brings and guides the perfected beings of the Mysterious Capital, who together refine the essence of vermilion cinnabar. As it transforms, it manifests five divine forms, making the radiance of the higher spirits shine forth. The wondrous workings of the Great Dao are inexhaustible. Through the subtle Dao of “being born,” I transmit the immortals’ talismanic registers according to their destiny, recording your form and name. When the rite is complete, raise your head, swallow the five Qi, and then stop. This is a Jade Text of the Most High. Those who know it may live ten thousand years. After nine years of practice, one can ascend to the highest heavens. If this supremely subtle method is carelessly revealed, one will die without becoming an immortal.

The Yellow Lord of the Center, the revered deity of the central direction, is formed from the Qi of the Five Radiances of the Origin. His name is Qi Yingsheng, his courtesy name is Cloud of the Ninth Night, and his height is thirty million zhang.

During the three months of summer, the Yellow Lord wears a jeweled crown of morning light and a robe of nine-colored cloud patterns, with a purple sash interwoven with numinous beings tied around his waist. He radiates splendor in twelve colors and stands constantly upon a five-colored lion, his radiance illuminating the realm of Highest Clarity. When visualized, he contracts to his original true form, three cun and three fen in height.

During the three months of autumn, the Yellow Lord of the Center transforms into a jade youth. He wears the splendor of the Seven Essences upon his head, a feathered robe for flying through the heavens, and holds a flowered banner. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Yellow Lord of the Center transforms into a Great Immortal, golden all over and dressed in seven-colored robes. A circular halo appears behind his neck; he stands upon a lotus, its radiance flowing and shining. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Yellow Lord of the Center transforms into streams of purple, green, and blue light, intertwined and appearing above Jade Void. This signifies his return to the Qi of the Center, where he again receives the refining of the essence of the Five Radiances of the Origin. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

To practice the Way of the Yellow Lord, one usually chooses a Gengshen or Jiazi day. After bathing, enter a quiet chamber and face north to perform three bows. Once the bows to the Yellow Lord are complete, remain seated upright facing north and click the teeth twelve times. Then visualize the Yellow Lord appearing in the form corresponding to the season, in the Palace of Empty Reflections in Highest Clarity, the Mansion of Golden Pearls, the Village of Higher Essence, and the Hamlet of Prosperity and Joy. The radiance of his true form shines down from above and enters the four poles within the practitioner’s chest. Then silently recite the invocation:

Visualize Lord Huang-Lao, a Daoist deity associated with Laozi, appearing in different forms with the four seasons. He is in the Village of Highest Essence, Changley Hamlet, within the Golden Pearl Palace of the Upper Clarity Palace of Empty Reflection. Then he turns back his true Qi (vital energy) and projects it downward, entering the Four Extremities within the practitioner’s chest. Next, softly recite:

“Supreme Clarity connects with Jade Void; wondrous numinous Qi disperses into the Vermilion Palace. The four transformations flow apart, their forms changing without end. Marvelous visions ride the Qi and appear in a haze, then mingle with emptiness and return to oneness. The true state of attaining the Dao appears where responses meet; the high and the low are joined by the wondrous Dao into a realm of two levels. Still the mind and recite silently: one’s own body seems to vanish; the heart longs for the shadowy mountain ridges and peaks.”

When you have finished reciting, swallow Qi five times, then stop. If you can see the four forms of Lord Huang-Lao’s transformations, you may live for ten thousand years. Practicing this method will enable you to ascend to Upper Clarity, the Daoist realm of pure and empty immortals.

The Lord of Primordial Visions of the Great Dao of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), a Daoist deity symbolizing the primordial vision of the Great Dao of Taiji, is formed from the Qi of Primordial Upper Fusion. His taboo name is Master of the Great Dao, his courtesy name is Vast Luminosity, and his height is thirty million zhang. During the three months of autumn, he wears the precious Crown of Dawn Infants and a seamless, single-layer robe of nine colors. He bears the divine tiger’s upper talisman, wears a precious sword of the immortals at his waist, and radiates flowing golden light from his neck, illuminating seventy-four directions. He stands upon a Black Tortoise. When you visualize him, he contracts to a height of three cun and three fen.

During the three months of winter, the Lord of Primordial Visions transforms into a tiger’s head with a dragon’s body, its form marked with patterns of five colors that illuminate Upper Clarity. After visualizing him, return him to his original form. During the three months of spring, he transforms into Laozi, his loose hair reaching to his waist. He wears a robe of flying blue feathers and stands upon purple clouds. After visualizing him, return him to his original form. During the three months of summer, he transforms into interwoven red and blue lights, appearing in chaos above Purple Void. This signifies his return to the Qi of Taiji, where he again receives refinement through the essence of Primordial Upper Fusion. After visualizing him, return him to his original form.

To cultivate the Way of Lord Yuanjing, a revered Daoist deity, bathe on the day of the Beginning of Autumn and enter a quiet chamber. Face west and bow twice. After paying respects to Lord Yuanjing, face north and sit upright. Click the teeth three times, then visualize Lord Yuanjing appearing in forms that change with the seasons. He dwells in the Palace of Long Life in Shangqing, the Eightfold Pavilion, and the Assembly of Spiritual Presence in the Village of the Upper Origin. His true Qi turns and shines down, entering between the opening of your stomach passage and the fatty membranes. Then softly recite this prayer:

Lord Yuanjing penetrates the mysteries of the profound. With the Qi of the Nine Subtleties, he refines and nourishes the body; he changes with the turning seasons and is renewed in accord with the shifting of the breath. True Qi joins with what is genuine, its radiance flowing out into the distant, hidden realms in all eight directions. On this auspicious day, I make my petition to the celestial emperors and spirits, praying to attain the Dao, become an immortal, and ascend. May the spirits of the Eight Radiances descend together; may every wish converge and come to pass. May I ride a flying chariot, rise into the empty expanse of the Nine Heavens, and pay homage to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing).

When you have finished reciting, tilt your head back and swallow twelve breaths, then stop. If you understand the methods by which Lord Yuanjing changes with the seasons, petitions the celestial emperors and spirits, and prays for ascension, you may live for three thousand years. After nine years of practice, you will share the radiance and vision of the Perfected and fly through the realm of Shangqing.

The Primordial Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing, a revered Daoist deity, has primordial radiance and jade-fusing Qi. His sacred name is “Bearing the Above and Joining the Whole,” and his courtesy name is “Numinous Meeting in the Hidden Depths.” He is seventy million zhang tall. During the three months of winter, he wears the Nine-Origin Heaven-Penetrating Crown and a nine-colored dragon robe, carries the Three-Qi Central Insignia, ties a plain sash of interwoven numinous forces around his waist, and steps upon clouds of the Three Plainnesses. Radiant and brilliant, he dwells above Shangqing. When one visualizes him, he contracts back to his original form.

During the three months of spring, the Primordial Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing transforms into a three-headed phoenix. It holds a plain sash in its beak, and its body is covered in nine-colored feathers, their brilliant patterns shining throughout Shangqing. When one visualizes him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Primordial Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing transforms into a round, moonlike radiance, red in color and whole as a wheel. Its bright light shines from above Taiqing. When one visualizes him, he returns to his original pure Qi and true form.

During the three months of autumn, the Primordial Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing transforms into rays of purple, white, and yellow light. Their brilliance shines throughout Shangqing. This signifies his return to the Qi of Taiqing, where he once again receives the refinement of primordial radiance and jade-fusing essence. When one visualizes him, he returns to his original true form.

Those who cultivate the Way of the Primordial Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing usually bathe on the day of the Beginning of Spring, then enter a quiet chamber. Facing north, they bow three times and pay homage to the Lord of the Dao. After completing the bows, they remain seated upright facing north and click their teeth three times. They then visualize the Great Lord of the Dao appearing in a different form with each season, dwelling within the “Village of Wind-Born Life in the Six Directions, Palace of the First Beginning Above Shangqing.” He returns to the true realm and descends, entering the “Gate of the Rootmost Source” within their throat. They then softly recite:

“Taiqing disperses numinous forces; nine refinements release the sweet dew. Golden light and jade talismans, five-colored smoke flowing. Above and below transform and unite; forms change through the nine heavens. The myriad spirits are refined together; inner illumination brings immortality. [Within the chamber,] assist the True; fly at dawn to the Emperor’s Court.”

After reciting, they tilt their head back and swallow three mouthfuls of Qi. This completes the rite. The scripture states that those who understand this method and continue to practice it will become immortals after nine years.

The Sovereign Lord of Primordial Beginning and Purple Origin (a revered deity in the Shangqing tradition) was brought into being through the transformation of the Qi born from Primordial Fusion. His taboo name is “Xing Jie Xing,” his courtesy name is “Entering the Chamber to Assist the True,” and he is also called “Flying Dawn, Celestial Court.” When the visualization is complete, raise the head and swallow three breaths; then stop. Whoever understands this Daoist method can live forever and never die. After nine years of practice, one can become an immortal.

The Sovereign Lord of Primordial Beginning and Purple Origin was brought into being through the transformation of the Qi born from Primordial Fusion. His taboo name is “Xing Jie Xing,” his courtesy name is “One Qi, True,” and he is ninety million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he wears a purple-origin crown adorned with precious jade and divine ornaments, and a hide garment patterned with three-colored tigers. He wears a white spirit sash and stands upon clouds of the Three Pure Ones. Radiant and luminous, he can see through the ten directions. At this time, visualize him above the Shangqing and within the Eight Subtle Realms. Then visualize him shrinking until he returns to his height of nine cun and nine fen.

During the three months of summer, the Sovereign Lord of Primordial Beginning and Purple Origin transforms into a Great Immortal, a towering immortal. His whole body is golden, a round halo shines behind his neck, and brilliant patterns cover his body, casting light across the ten directions. After visualizing him, picture him returning to his original form.

During the three months of autumn, the Sovereign Lord of Primordial Beginning and Purple Origin transforms into a three-colored youth. He wears multicolored robes and holds an ornate banner. Brilliant and radiant, he illuminates the Shangqing. After visualizing him, picture him returning to his original form.

During the three months of winter, the Sovereign Lord of Primordial Beginning and Purple Origin transforms into rays of azure, blue-green, and purple light. Bright and radiant, they illuminate the Shangqing. This signifies his return to the Qi of Primordial Beginning, where he again receives the refining of the essence born from Primordial Fusion. After visualizing him, picture him returning to his original form.

When practicing the Way of the Purple Origin Lord, one usually bathes on a day of the Grand Year or a jiazi day, chosen according to the cyclical system of stems and branches, then enters a quiet chamber. Facing south, make one bow and pay homage to the Purple Origin Lord. After completing the homage, turn north and sit upright. Knock the teeth together three times, then stop.

Next, visualize the Purple Origin Lord appearing in different forms with the seasons, within the High and Empty Palace of the Shangqing, the Mansion of Layered Void, the Township amid the Skies, and the Hamlet of the Divine Han. He turns and sends down his True Qi, which enters the practitioner’s Mudball Palace, the inner spiritual aperture in the head, then passes through the area below the nostrils and into the body. Then silently recite in a low voice:

At the beginning of the primordial age, the Venerable Purple Emperor (a revered deity of the Upper Clarity heavenly realm) joined the Dao with the wondrous, empty expanse. Through three transformations and nine differentiations, all things blended and arose in the Great Beginning. Jing and Qi gathered and did not disperse, revealing the Dao’s numinous, wondrous golden radiance. The August One Above (the name of a revered deity) contemplated the true realm and assisted the luminous jade text. The heavenly soul gathered and governed the breath, while the spirits rose into the purple void. Flying spirits rode a moving carriage beneath a blue canopy, in a green carriage body. They carried my body there, enabling me to pay court at Fangzhu (the name of a Daoist immortal realm). When the rite was complete, I swallowed my breath nine times, then stopped.

This is the wondrous Great Dao of the August One Above, kept secret within the Vermilion Terrace (a palace in the immortal realm). Those who practice this method can ascend to the Upper Clarity heavenly realm. This numinous text must not be revealed lightly.

Editorial note: Judging by its contents, this passage is broadly the same as the upper volume of the Supreme Scripture of the Primordial Origin, the Transformations of the Perfect, and the Ninefold Numinous Marvel of Tortoise Mountain of Upper Clarity. The passage contains many incorrect and missing characters, which have been corrected against the upper volume of another edition. To avoid unnecessary detail, individual collation notes are not listed.