《上清元始变化宝真上经九灵太妙龟山玄箓》Vol. 1

The Shangqing precious books came into being naturally at the dawn of the Nine Heavens, existing from the same time as the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth. The three lights of the sun, moon, and stars shine together with them. They appear above the Nine Heavens, amid the vast expanse of space. At times, flying, mysterious purple Qi condenses into sacred script. These celestial writings are wondrous and subtle, their strokes winding and intricate, with each character a full zhang across, making them difficult to discern in detail. No one can understand their meaning or pronunciation except the True Kings of the Nine Heavens.

In the first year of Shangxu, the True King of the Nine Heavens ordered the Perfected Ones of Xuandu to cast gold into book tablets. The assembled sages expounded the meaning of the scriptures and transmitted profound oral instructions, compiling them into sacred chapters. The Jade Emperor made annotations with his brush and had the words engraved on the tablets, arranging them into chapters. The ranks and orders, prohibitions, and restrictions set out in the books were all established in accordance with the hidden, subtle intent of the high sages. The scriptures were sealed away in the jade chambers of the Great You Palace above the Nine Heavens, under the care and protection of such divine beings as the Jade Maiden of Xihua and the Golden Dawn Purple Youth of the Palace of Plain Spirit.

West Tortoise Mountain, also called Dragon Mountain, is the foundation and central hub of the Nine Heavens, a deep repository where the Qi of the myriad things gathers. It lies in the northwest corner of the celestial realm and has a circumference of four hundred thousand li. In the jade chambers of the Great You Palace on the mountain, the scriptures are likewise kept under the care and protection of such divine beings as the Jade Maiden of Xihua and the Golden Dawn Purple Youth of the Palace of Plain Spirit.

Western Turtle Mountain, also called Dragon Mountain, is the fundamental pivot of the Nine Heavens and the deep place where the myriad Qi converge. It lies in the northwest corner of the celestial realm. The mountain extends four hundred thousand li around, and its heights meet the Jade Clarity realm. To the southeast it connects with Tongyangxia, above which stands the gate of the divine tiger of the Azure Palace. To the northwest it connects with the wilderness of Cold Caverns, reaching upward to the court of the immortals at the Golden Tower. Its southern side stretches directly to the land of Great Cinnabar and Fuli, its breath joining with the light of Dongyang. To the north it faces Gouchen and meets Huagai, its breath spreading throughout Guangling. At its center, a direct passage leads to the mountaintop where the winds from the eight directions meet at Jade Capital.

The mountaintop is broad and level, extending thirty thousand li in every direction. Walls of gold surround it, with gates built of jade. There are golden terraces, jade towers, and twelve divine palaces. Above them stand the naturally formed Hall of Golden Flowers at the Purple Gate of Flowing Essence, along with chambers of jade; nine caverns open beside them. Purple Qi naturally transforms into clouds, where phoenix patterns weave together and nine colors of radiance appear in layers. Purple cassia grows on the cliffs, and the mountain ridges bear forests like fine jade, with branches like coral and roots like precious stone. The Qian tree bears fruit, each fruit containing a red infant and a white ring. Three kinds of numinous flowers shine amid vermilion radiance, their strange fragrance drifting to the realm of Great Mystery. The Qi of the eight directions stirs mighty winds, while the jade-like music of Heaven sounds of its own accord in the sky. Dragons roar among the cloud towers, and phoenixes sing clear notes on the high ridges. Strange beasts fill the land, and great serpents stretch for a thousand fathoms. The divine palaces rise in solemn grandeur, while immortals come and go among the clouds. In the magnificent Immortal Lodge of Primordial Beginning, all things breathe in and out numinous Qi. Here the wondrous transformations of Primordial Beginning become manifest, and here the numinous Qi of the Celestial Origin has its source.

Above the northern window of the Hall of Golden Flowers, purple Qi arose naturally and gathered into mysterious characters, each one a zhang square. Their radiance streamed downward, brilliant and dazzling. The celestial text was subtle and profound, beyond the reach of ordinary inquiry.

The Venerable of the Nine Heavens once performed a purification retreat in the Cloud Palace in the first year of the Upper Jia cycle. He came to Turtle Mountain to behold its wonders, then engraved the mysterious text on golden tablets, copied and arranged it, explained its abstruse and difficult passages, and expounded the numinous meanings of its sounds. His record is known as The Cinnabar Emperor’s Flying Mystery Purple Text of Turtle Mountain.

On the day of Upper Yin in the first month of the first year of the Kaihuang era, the Queen Mother of the West traveled through the air and roamed the Nine Heavens. She purified herself in retreat at Turtle Mountain, then ascended to the naturally formed Hall of Golden Flowers in the Purple Gate of Flowing Essence, a jade hall of precious stone. There she wandered by the northern window, paid homage to the mysterious text, gazed up at the cliffs, and longed in her heart for the numinous realm, contemplating the Supreme Perfect Ones. In response, she received a mysterious revelation, and the sincerity in her heart shone forth. Suddenly, a great divine being of celestial truth arrived at Turtle Mountain. It seemed as if he carried the sun and moon upon his person; a round halo crowned his head. A multitude of immortals followed him in flying chariots amid purple clouds. Kneeling before the Queen Mother, he introduced himself as the King Who Leads the Immortals of the Phoenix Palace of the Nine Heavens. His surname was Shangxuan and his courtesy name Kaiming. By order of the Heavenly King Primordial Beginning, he had brought the gold book with purple characters, The Cinnabar Emperor’s Text of Green Gold of the Nine Heavens, to bestow upon the Queen Mother.

The celestial being bestowed on the Queen Mother of the West the title “Immortal Mother, Supreme Perfect One of the Nine Spirits of the Western Origin” and appointed her to govern the peaks of Western Turtle Mountain. He also gave her a scroll of plain silk, The Primordial Register of the Supreme Perfect Ones’ Birth and Transformations, empowering her to oversee the registers of the immortals and to receive authority delegated from Jade Clarity. He further bestowed a tablet of green jade, a phoenix robe of the Nine Heavens, a flying blue feather cloak, a jade crown of the Morning Infant, shoes patterned with phoenix clouds, and twenty-four conveyances, including a divine phoenix purple wheel and a flying feather canopy. These came with ceremonial staffs, banners, and command tallies in five colors. Seven hundred jade maidens of Golden Flowers from the Upper Palace were also appointed to guard the Immortal Mother. By imperial command, she was to govern the Hall of Golden Flowers, a jade hall at the Purple Gate of Flowing Essence; ascend to Jade Clarity three times each month; hold two banquets at Kunlun; and examine the assembled immortals.

When the investiture was complete, the celestial being returned to the Jade Palace in his chariot. The Immortal Mother accepted her appointment, took her seat to preside over the purification rite, and ordered her attendants Wangzi Deng, Dong Shuangcheng, and the others to receive with reverence, using a brocade cloth of divine radiance, four numinous texts: the tablet of green jade bearing the gold book with purple characters, The Cinnabar Emperor’s Text of Green Gold, The Primordial Register of the Supreme Perfect Ones’ Birth and Transformations, and The Flying Mystery Purple Text. She sealed the texts with the Cinnabar Emperor’s seal and stored them in the chamber of precious jade, ordering thirty jade maidens of Golden Flowers and thirty jade youths of Purple Dawn to guard them.

Following the rites of the ancient canon of the Three Heavens, she then reported the matter to the true gods who governed the Five Emperors, the Five Sacred Peaks, the numinous mountains, the rivers, and the seas. She ordered them to register the names of those seeking the Dao five times each month, record their merits and faults separately, and submit their reports according to rank.

The Immortal Mother often held banquets at the Palace of Auspicious Clouds on the Eight Nodes—the eight important seasonal observances in the Daoist calendar—and on five other days each month. At times she traveled to the Five Sacred Peaks, inspected the sources of the rivers, and roamed the lands of the eight directions. On these occasions, the five planets appeared, while the sun and moon seemed to draw in their radiance. The many Yang energies surged like lightning, and flowing golden light shone forth in its brilliance. Celestial troops cleared the way ahead, while the Five Elders followed, carrying banners. The Immortal Mother often rode a nine-colored chariot and a flying wheel amid purple clouds, accompanied by five thousand celestial maidens of jade. The female immortals rode phoenixes and the male immortals rode dragons; dressed in flying-immortal feather robes, they carried splendid banners. Reed pipes, flutes, drums, and other instruments played together, their sounds blending in harmony as luan birds and phoenixes sang, their voices filling the clouds. Radiance mingled and reflected across the sky, and the three celestial lights—the sun, moon, and stars—shone together. Purple youths scattered fragrant incense to drive away defilement, while divine consorts scattered flowers to nourish true Qi. Celestial music rang out, purple mist veiled the void, and jade-colored brilliance illuminated the heavens; divine might subdued the myriad spirits. At such times, the Six Heavens obeyed the commands, the assembled wicked spirits were brought under control, and demons lost their power. Heaven and earth grew clear, and the Qi became pure. These are the wondrous sights witnessed by exalted immortals, and the manifestation of the numinous Way of the Cinnabar Emperor.

The Tortoise Mountain Purple Text of the Elixir Sovereign and Flying Mystery

The purple Qi of Flying Mystery gathers into a wondrous source, governing the Jade Void and commanding all the spirits. Clouds and Qi fill the sky, naturally condensing into form. Above rise lofty peaks and twelve tiers of relay lodgings; jade towers soar high, reflecting the flowing clouds. Purple palaces shimmer with radiant light and connect to halls adorned with golden carriages. The Elixir Sovereign’s Purple Text of Flying Mystery is engraved upon the jade mountain.

The purple Qi of Flying Mystery gathers into a wondrous source, governing the Jade Void and commanding all the spirits. Clouds and Qi fill the sky, naturally condensing into form. Above rise lofty peaks and twelve tiers of relay lodgings; jade towers soar high, reflecting the flowing clouds. Purple palaces shimmer with radiant light and connect to halls adorned with golden carriages. The jade halls blaze with brilliance, encircling the eight directions. Within them dwells the Nine-Spirited Immortal, whose body is the color of blue-green gold.

The true mother of the Elixir Sovereign is named Jingyan. She wears a robe of flying blue feathers and rides in a chariot shaped like a xiezhi. In her left hand she holds a jade tally, and in her right a spirit banner. With the Qi of five colors she drives away demons and wicked forces, and reverently serves the August Worthy. She administers talismans, registers, and written records, and guards the gate of life for all beings. She absorbs the radiance of the moon, breathes in and out the essence of the sun, and drinks from the jade spring. Amid a netlike radiance of light and Qi, she breathes out brilliance and refines and nourishes the spirits of the Five Organs. Filled within and abundant in outward Qi, she brings the Crimson Palace—the Dantian palace within the body—to peace and harmony. Golden light shines brightly, and her form is upright and complete, as though entering the golden realm of primordial chaos from the first day of the month.

Only those who understand these words can, when the sun and moon are in motion and the vital essences of the ten directions gather at the Northern Origin, carve the image of the Flower Canopy and command the Immortal Lords. The purple Qi circles to the left, following the course of the Northern Dipper. After passing through the twenty-eight lunar lodges, it enters the Golden Gate. This is the moment when the Elixir Sovereign examines all immortals. Those who understand this formula and diligently practice it should gather in their form, quiet their minds, and meditate in silence. Then they can set their spirit and Qi in motion throughout the body, reach the wondrous vision, and grasp its essential teachings. After three years, they should be able to guard their cultivation with care and preserve it whole for the long term. After nine years, they will ride through the sky and receive feathered robes; dressed in phoenix garments, they will fly lightly, ascend Dragon Mountain, and in a single bowing motion pay homage to the Nine-Spirited One and Jade Dawn.

The Lord of the Upper Origin of the Southern Pole said: “These are the words that gather purple Qi and reveal the forms of Flying Mystery. They are engraved on Western Tortoise Mountain, above the northern window of the Golden Flower Jade Hall in the Purple Palace of Flowing Essence. When the Elder of the Nine Heavens saw this text, he recorded its title as The Tortoise Mountain Purple Text of the Elixir Sovereign and Flying Mystery. The Queen Mother of the West often keeps it in her treasure store. Its meaning is profound and hidden; all of it consists of the mysterious rhymes of the Nine Heavens. Those who are not entered in the registers of immortals cannot learn its title. All who obtain this text have already been entered in the records of the Nine Heavens, their names registered on Tortoise Mountain.”

The Elder of the Nine Heavens said: “This method should be practiced in the first, second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, eleventh, and twelfth months. In each month, choose the third, fifth, ninth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth days. After each period of pure fasting—cleansing body and mind and observing abstinence—recite the scripture once.

“After midnight, go into the courtyard and gaze up at the canopy of the Northern Dipper, the region of stars surrounding it. Wait for an apparition like purple clouds to appear: it circles out from the left side of the Dipper’s handle, passes through the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, and finally returns to the Golden Gate, the gateway to the heavens. If you are in the human world and clouded skies hide the stars, remain indoors and silently visualize the scene in the manner described above, making the image as clear as you can. When you have finished, bow four times to the purple clouds you have envisioned in your heart, then click your teeth together three times. Raise your face to the sky and pray:

“‘The night sky is bright and pure; the deep, tranquil realm opens the true Dao. Flowing clouds circle, golden radiance spreads in every direction, the Elixir Sovereign, a revered deity of heaven, sends forth light, and the Spirit-Flying Purple Carriage of the immortal realm appears. Tonight I lay out my wishes. May blue gold grant me the way of the perfected immortals, fulfill my highest hopes, and bring my body and mind into harmony with nature. May my life congeal in the moon’s radiance, and my years endure like the root of the sun. May the Three Spirits and the visions accord, and remain forever on Dragon Mountain. In the depth of night I speak my wishes; I beseech you to make them come to pass as I have said.’

“When the prayer is complete, draw in through your mouth the purple Qi you have envisioned, and swallow it twenty-eight times in succession. It is said that after practicing in this way for three years, the perfected spirits will descend and appear before your sleeping mat. Purple Qi will surround the practitioner, and the Nine Heavens will enter their name in the register of immortals; in the end, they will ascend to become a high immortal.

“The Elder of the Nine Heavens also said: ‘Although the books of heaven have many levels, each explaining different mysteries, this one method alone is sufficient to bring the perfected spirits down and enable a person to spread their wings, fly to the highest reaches of the Nine Heavens, soar through Jade Clarity—the exalted heavenly realm in Daoism—and feast in the cloud palaces. Were this not an exceedingly subtle method, the Queen Mother of the West would not have hidden it deep within her heart, and Dàyǒu, a revered Daoist deity, would not have spoken plainly of its prohibitions and limits.’”

The Lord of Primordial Origin says: Clouds imbued with the numinous Qi of interdiction will appear in the heavens, veiling the celestial regions associated with the Sun, Moon, and Five Planets—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. In whichever land the clouds appear, there will be someone attuned to the Dao: a person capable of attaining the Dao and becoming an immortal. When this sign appears, the celestial phenomenon will manifest of its own accord.

The Elder of the Nine Heavens says: When you see these clouds, perform the prescribed salutations and prayers in accordance with the scripture; there is no need to wait for a fixed day. If you remain diligent and attentive, the clouds’ arrival may bring the opportunity to ascend and soar, and to meet the immortals. Keep this matter carefully in mind and do not speak of it casually to others. If the Dao’s methods are divulged, their efficacy will dissipate, making it difficult to commune with the perfected immortals.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Origin bestowed upon the Queen Mother of the West the jade text of the Azure Golden Elixir Sovereign.

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), the Daoist high deity, addressed the ancestors of the Nine Heavens and Vast Emptiness of the numinous realm:

The Queen Mother of the West is named Wan Jin. She received the Qi of the Nine Numinous Powers from Heaven and blended it with the soul of Metal Qi from the West. Purple clouds formed her womb and bones. She refined the radiance of the sun, inhaled and exhaled the essences of the sun, moon, and five planets, joined them with the rosy dawn clouds, and absorbed the sun’s vital essence and the marrow of the phoenix. She also drew in the moon’s essence and a brain marrow like that of an orchid. She gathered these vital essences within the Jade Root and Golden Treasury, interwove and united them, formed them into the shape of an elixir, and brought them into the Purple Heart.

Her virtue was displayed in the wondrous chart of the Elixir Sovereign. Her name was entered among the imperial masters, and she dwelt in peace on a numinous mountain, with a clear and tranquil heart. Her merit and beneficence reached all beings. Steadfast in her conduct, she endured the cycles of tribulation and remained forever. Therefore, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning bestowed on her the exalted title High and Supreme Quhua. Because Wan Jin possessed the virtue of a Golden Perfected One, he further invested her as the Western Origin Ninefold Numinous Supreme True Immortal Mother and Azure-Gold Elixir Sovereign, commanding her to guard Turtle Mountain and preside over the registers of fate.

In accordance with ritual protocol, he bestowed on her a tablet of azure jade, golden books and jade characters, robes of the Nine Heavens adorned with phoenixes, flying azure-feathered robes, a jade crown of Dawn Infants, and phoenix-cloud shoes. He also granted her a numinous phoenix’s purple wheel; twenty-four feathered canopies for flight; five-colored ceremonial standards and a mandate-bearing tally; flowing-gold fire bells and night-bright lamps; a jade seal for subduing demons; and a communication token of the Nine Heavens. Seven hundred Jade Maidens of Western Radiance from the Upper Palace were assigned to guard her.

She governed the Palace of Golden Florescence at the Purple Gate of Flowing Essence on Western Turtle Mountain. Three times each month she ascended to Jade Purity, and twice she held banquets on Kunlun. The assembled immortals of the Five Banners, along with the Five Sacred Peaks, rivers and seas, and numinous officials of the ten directions, were all under her command. The relevant rites were conducted according to the ancient ordinances of the Palace of Golden Florescence at the Purple Gate of Flowing Essence on Mount Great Abundance at the Jade Terrace, and the orthodox texts of the Three Heavens.

The rites of the tablet of azure jade and the golden books with jade characters are to be performed.

The gold-script and jade characters are engraved on blue-green jade tablets. The documents bestowed by the Azure-Gold Elixir Sovereign also derive from the laws established through observation of heaven and earth in the Great Abundance Palace of the Nine Heavens. These characters are formed from a lofty, mysterious, ethereal, and natural Qi. They are used to assess the offices of the High Perfected and exalted sages, and are not taught to those just beginning to study the Dao.

The Golden Gate Palace, Donghua Palace, Fangzhu Palace, and others also have rites for summoning and guiding those who are beginning their ascent to become flying immortals. These rites likewise derive from the laws of the Great Abundance Palace, but vary in rank according to the hierarchy of status. Those who are not listed in the registers of the Nine Heavens and recorded at Fangzhu will never see these texts. Anyone who does see them has already had their name engraved in the records of a future life, entered in the registers of the Celestial Emperor, and destined to attain the Dao and become an immortal. Their names are therefore recorded in advance in the laws of the spirits. On the day they attain the Dao, the Heavenly Perfected will naturally descend and bestow writings and tokens of authentication.

The Lord of the Upper Origin of the Southern Pole, a divine lord of the southernmost reaches, said: “The gold-script and jade characters are all engraved on blue-green jade or green jade tablets. Each tablet is nine inches and nine tenths long and two inches and four tenths wide, with the characters written in gold thread. Two jade youths and two jade maidens attend the tablets, overseeing the incense offerings and guarding against the documents being disclosed. According to the Clear Statutes of the Four Extremities, if a suitable person appears within a hundred years, the texts may be transmitted once.”

The Lord of the Upper Origin of the Southern Pole also said: “Jade of this kind is not for ordinary people of the world to use. If someone is listed in the registers at Fangzhu and is permitted to see these texts, they may first engrave them on a greenwood tablet, write the characters in gold thread, place it in a blue brocade pouch, and offer incense in reverence. After nine years, the Heavenly Perfected will naturally descend and bestow a jade tablet.”

The Lord of the Upper Origin of the Southern Pole said: The Primordial Record of the first transformations appeared at the same time as the Nine Qi Primordial Cavern, the original vital energy from which Heaven, Earth, and all things are formed. The High and Exalted Jade Emperor and the most exalted holy divine beings all took shape and received their names by condensing the energy of the Primordial Cavern. Their robes, headwear, appearance, and ritual forms derive from the rites of the Great Heaven of the Nine Heavens; their abodes and titles, too, arose through the condensation of the Dao of Nature.

Heaven has the energy of the Eight Assemblies and the cycles of the four seasons. These sustain the celestial realm of Jade Void, distinguish Yin and Yang, set in motion the mysterious processes of transformation and governance, and bring forth all things. The High and Exalted assembled sages change their forms and display different appearances as the seasons turn. Following the cycles and the Mandate of Heaven, they move and transform along with all things. Thus, they have no fixed span of decline and can endure within change. This is why it is said, “The Dao has no fixed name.”

Because of her virtue, the Queen Mother of the West received the reward of the High and Mysterious Dao, and so became the Mother of the Myriad Qi. The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning therefore bestowed on her the exalted title “Cinnabar Sovereign” and, in a mysterious manner, transmitted to her a scroll of the Primordial Record of the Plain Book. He instructed her to pass it down to the sages and immortals of later generations, so they might understand that the Dao of Primordial Beginning naturally condenses into names and possesses the energy of transformation.

Anyone who reads this scripture will have their name entered into the register of immortals by the Nine Heavens and engraved on the Cinnabar Terrace by Mount Fangzhu. If they devote themselves to focused contemplation, then within nine years they may hope to meet a perfected being, receive an immortal countenance in their bedchamber, and follow the changes of the four seasons as they ascend to the Nine Heavens.

The Lord of the Upper Origin of the Southern Pole also said: The precious, High and Mysterious scriptures of the Shangqing tradition use visualization—closing the eyes and concentrating the spirit—to establish communion, and swallowing the breath—taking in or regulating the breath—as a means of joining with it. After reading this scripture, one should understand how to visualize the scenes of Primordial Beginning’s transformations, and learn how their forms, colors, luminous energy, and patterns change with the four seasons. Just as one is about to close one’s eyes…

When one is about to speak, the divine beings naturally arrive. There is no need to draw them in deliberately; the Qi one swallows will gather of its own accord. With this practice, one can behold the divine beings in less than ten years, and the breath will be full within a month. Later practitioners need only apply themselves diligently to focused reflection to understand the wondrous principle of the void and discover a way to approach the immortal Dao.

The Lord of the Upper Origin of the Southern Pole says: All who cultivate the Way of the Highest Immortals must visualize the divine beings, contemplate the perfected ones, and take in Qi while swallowing saliva. But if they do not understand the names of the Primordial Origin, the changes of the four seasons, or the sources of luminous forms and Qi, and merely close their eyes, swallow Qi blindly, and form no visualization, how could the divine beings and perfected ones descend? How could their breath and saliva become abundant? Even when looking face to face, one may still find the other indistinct and hard to discern; how much more so when they are far away in the hidden depths, where even form and breath cannot be made out? Such practice merely wastes the effort of breathing during sleep, while recitation without purpose brings no benefit.

Record of the Primordial Changes at the Beginning of Life in the Highest Clarity

The Sovereign Elder of the Primordial Beginning, a revered deity in Shangqing Daoism, came into being through the Qi of the Primordial Jade Void. His sacred name is Yanshi Yin, and his courtesy name is Guanwu Jue. His body stands ninety million zhang tall.

During the three months of spring, he wears a crown of purple radiance adorned with the flowing essence of the Nine Qi, a brocade robe of ninefold light, and a naturally formed sash in nine colors. At his waist hangs the Fire Jade of the Six Mountains. He often rides clouds of blue and green, seated upon a nine-colored lion. Brilliantly radiant, he dwells above Shangqing and within the Jade Void. When contemplated, he contracts to nine cun and nine fen.

During the three months of summer, the Sovereign Elder of the Primordial Beginning transforms into a figure with nine heads and a body seven thousand zhang long. Nine-colored clouds crown his heads. He wears a seamless robe of shimmering red brocade and bears nine swords forged by the Immortals. Riding clouds of red and purple, he sits upon a nine-colored dragon. His radiance flows and shifts as he dwells amid the purple clouds of the Jade Void. When contemplated, he contracts to nine cun.

During the three months of autumn, the Sovereign Elder transforms into a figure with nine phoenix heads and a body five thousand zhang long. He wears a tiger-skin garment patterned in nine colors and rides seven-colored clouds. His radiance interweaves with theirs as he dwells above Shangqing. When contemplated, he contracts to seven cun and seven fen.

During the three months of winter, the Sovereign Elder transforms into light of blue and black, surging and shimmering like the Moon’s Yin Essence, the Yin essence said in Daoism to dwell within the moon. This signifies his return to the Qi of the Jade Void and his renewed reception of the Primordial Beginning’s Jing for refinement. Contemplating him allows him to return to his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Primordial Beginning, bathe on the day of the Beginning of Spring, enter a quiet chamber, face east, and turn toward the Qi of the Primordial Beginning.

To cultivate the Way of Primordial Beginning, bathe on the day of the Beginning of Spring, then enter a quiet room and face east to pay homage to the Venerable Elder of the Sovereign Above, Primordial Beginning (the revered deity worshipped here), performing nine bows. When the ritual is complete, turn north and click your teeth nine times. Visualize the Venerable Elder of the Sovereign Above, whose appearance changes with the four seasons, manifesting in the Palace of Golden Forms, the Jade-Heaven Court, the Eight Luminosities Township, and the Settled-Truth Hamlet, above Highest Clarity. Then visualize his returning true radiance shining downward into your Hall of Light, the place within the body where Daoist inner cultivation enshrines and contemplates spirits, and softly recite this invocation:

“The Sovereign Above opens the true Dao; the nine paths unite in radiance. Transformation refines and gives form to the void; it penetrates and illuminates Highest Clarity. The body divides and manifests; it comes to life in accord with the turning seasons. I receive its true meaning and unite as one with the true Dao. Within, the Qi of the Jade Immortal gathers; without, the hidden realms of the eight directions surround me. The spirits of the Eight Radiances assist and protect me, bringing the elixir carriage, the vehicle of the immortals. I ride the clouds and drive the mists, command the Qi of Highest Clarity, fly through palaces among the clouds, and travel to the Imperial Capital to pay court to the Heavenly Emperor.”

When you have finished reciting, tilt your head back and swallow your breath nine times; the ritual is then complete. It is said that one who understands the changing forms of Primordial Beginning and the inner secret taboos and names can extend their life by nine hundred years. After nine years of cultivation, one who can commune with the spirits and unite their appearance with theirs will be able to transform their form and fly through the vast heavens.

The High Spirit King of the Nine Heavens, a supreme divine king above the Nine Heavens, was born from the primordial Qi of the Great Void. His sacred name is Shangguan Dong; his courtesy name is Yunfan. His body stands ninety million zhang tall.

During the three months of autumn, he wears a golden flower crown and a brocade robe patterned with clouds. At his waist hangs a purple sash of nine radiant bells, interlaced with spiritual cords. He rides clouds woven of vermilion and jade green, seated upright upon a nine-colored lion. His radiance shines over Shangqing, the Daoist realm of pure and empty immortals. When visualized in his autumn form, he contracts to a height of seven cun.

During the three months of winter, the King of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine heads, each crowned with a sun. He wears a phoenix robe patterned in nine colors and is often borne on clouds of blue and yellow, seated upright upon a nine-colored lion. His brilliance shines above Shangqing. After the visualization, he returns to his original form.

During the three months of spring, the King of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine figures, each holding a moon in its mouth. They wear feathered robes patterned with phoenixes, travel upon nine-colored clouds, and sit upright above nine-colored vapor. Their brilliant radiance appears in the Great Void above Shangqing. After the visualization, he 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: purple, blue-green, vermilion, and red. Light and Qi blend together, illuminating the Nine Heavens. He often travels upon nine-colored clouds, seated upright above nine-colored vapor, his brilliant radiance appearing in the Great Void above Shangqing. At this time, the King’s form returns to the Qi of the Great Void and is refined once more by the essential Qi of the Nine Heavens. After the visualization, he returns to his original form.

Those who practice the Dao 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 perform nine prostrations to the King. When the rite is complete, they should turn north, click their teeth nine times, and visualize the King appearing in the form appropriate to each season, dwelling in the Golden Orchid Palace of Shangqing, the Office of Taiqing, the Open Radiance Township, and the Thoroughfare of Truth. Then they should visualize him turning his true radiance downward, so that it enters their Upper Origin Dantian, the upper Dantian in the head. They should then recite this prayer softly:

The Ninefold Numinous Essence (nine wondrous kinds of essential Qi) undergoes transformation and refinement, becoming the Qi of Supreme Clarity. Three breaths merge and their radiance joins, then disperse into distinct forms of Qi and shape, entering and leaving the hidden mystery through the air. Yellow above and blue-green below, the currents of Qi circulate without ceasing. They connect and communicate with the Vermilion Cloud Chariot, journey through the lofty, distant void, and shine back upon my courtyard.

I offer this prayer: “The Ninefold Numinous Essence undergoes transformation and refinement, becoming the Qi of Supreme Clarity. Three breaths merge and their radiance joins, then disperse into distinct forms of Qi and shape, entering and leaving the hidden mystery through the air. Yellow above and blue-green below, the currents of Qi circulate without ceasing, connect and communicate with the Vermilion Cloud Chariot, journey through the lofty, distant void, and shine back upon my courtyard. May it mingle with true radiance, so that wondrous transformations manifest from it. Then I will be able to ride the clouds and rise aloft, roaming the realm of Supreme Clarity, the Daoist upper heavens.” When the prayer is complete, raise the head and swallow the nine breaths; then conclude this practice.

After practicing continuously for nine years, one will be able to commune with the Nine Heavens. At that time, inscribe the true scriptures bestowed by the descending divine perfected beings, and one will naturally gain the ability to ride a nine-colored cloud chariot and fly through the realm of Supreme Clarity.

The Jade Perfected Elder of the Nine Heavens, one of the Perfected Immortals of Highest Clarity, was born from the Primordial Purple-Void Qi. His name was Yan Shiming, and his courtesy name was Shanglian. His body stood ninety million zhang tall.

During the three months of winter, he wore the Flying Essence, Myriad Transformations Crown and a natural brocade robe shimmering with nine colors, and carried the Staff of the Nine Origins for Communion with the Perfected. He often rode on five-colored clouds. When he sat in meditation, nine-colored mists rose around him, shining brilliantly. He dwelt above Highest Clarity. When one visualized him, he contracted to a height of nine cun.

During the three months of spring, he transformed into a phoenix with one body and nine heads. He wore the Dark Essence of the Nine Qi atop his heads and a feathered robe patterned in nine colors. He often rode on twelve flying qilin and sat in meditation on a five-colored lotus. His light flowed and shifted through countless hues. He dwelt above Highest Clarity, within the Purple Void. When one visualized him, he returned to his original form. The original text records his spring transformation a second time in a passage that is largely the same.

During the three months of summer, he transformed into a dragon’s body with a human head. He wore twelve beams of light on his head and a feathered robe of blue, yellow, and purple. He held a white silk ribbon in his mouth and often rode on nine-colored clouds. He sat in meditation on a five-colored lion, his radiance illuminating Highest Clarity. When one visualized him, he returned to his original form.

During the three months of autumn, he transformed into purple and green radiance, with luminous Qi intertwining like overlapping sun and moon. At this time he changed back into Purple-Void Qi and was refined anew by the Essence of the Nine Heavens. When one visualized him, he returned to his original form.

To cultivate the Way of the Jade Perfected Elder of the Nine Heavens, one should bathe on the day of the Beginning of Winter, then enter a quiet chamber and face northwest. Bow nine times to the Elder of the Nine Heavens. After completing the bows, face north and click the teeth nine times. Then visualize the Elder of the Nine Heavens appearing in his different forms according to the seasons. He dwells in the Origin Radiance Ward of the Threefold Unity District in the Palace of Vermilion Radiance, Highest Clarity. See him circling down, shining upon you and entering your inner chamber, a bodily location in the inner landscape cultivated through visualization. Then offer this invocation in a soft voice:

The High Spirits of the Nine Heavens—the sublime beings within the Nine Heavens—and the primordial, natural Qi contain and refine the Dao of the eight directions. Within the precious central palace, the Purple Origin, they bring forth the nine True Immortals in embryonic nurture. Three kinds of pure Qi entwine around them; divine radiance transforms, and their breath is refined. Following the cycles of movement, it flows and changes, penetrating deeply into the subtle workings of transformation. My Dao practice has long been clear: I receive the wondrous radiance with my gaze, and let my mind and spirit be clothed in five-colored clouds. Riding the Eight Radiant Scenes, I fly into the realm of the Emperor’s Dawn. When the practice is complete, I tilt my head back and swallow the nine Qi, then cease cultivating. If you can know the changing forms and inner secret names of the Elder of the Nine Heavens, you can have your name inscribed in the Nine Heavens. After nine years of cultivation, you will see the True Spirit, fly through the air, and ascend to Jade Clarity, one of the celestial realms of Highest Clarity.

The Primordial Father of the Nine Heavens is the root of the Dao. He receives the Qi of the Primordial Cavern Root. His secret name is Ninefold Spirit Guide, and his courtesy name is Great Primordial Truth. His body is ninety million zhang tall.

During the three months of spring, the Primordial Father wears a red-jade cap of seven layers and the Crown of the Boundless Heavenly Treasure. He is dressed in a Nine Heavens phoenix robe, wears divine-cloud phoenix shoes, and a sash embroidered with pure spirits. He often rides a jade-green flying carriage amid blue clouds, drawn by twelve flying dragons, and sits upon nine-colored radiant light. His brilliance transforms in countless ways and illuminates the empty heavens. When you visualize him, he returns to a form nine cun tall.

During the three months of summer, the Primordial Father transforms into a body with nine heads, each crowned by a sun. He wears a tiger-skin robe adorned with red phoenix patterns, a sash of twelve colors, and rides a nine-colored phoenix. He sits upright upon yellow and white Qi. His radiance illuminates the empty heavens and shines within Jade Clarity. When you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, the Primordial Father transforms into nine persons, all dressed in nine-colored feather robes. They wear the far-reaching Dragon Abyss swords, tiger-head belt pouches, and intertwined sashes of numinous purity. They sit upright upon the dark emptiness of the nine Qi. Their colors shift and shine upon the subtle, hidden depths of Jade Clarity and within the Cavern Root. When visualized, they return to their original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Primordial Father transforms into the light of the sun’s essence, interlaced with purple radiance. At this time, he returns to the Qi of the Dao’s root, once more receiving the refinement of the Cavern Root’s essence. He merges with the Dark Mother and reveals the radiance of the two forms of primordial chaos. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

When practicing the “Way of the Primordial Father”—a method of visualization involving the Primordial Father of the Nine Heavens—bathe on the day corresponding to the Grand Duke of Jupiter, calm the mind, and observe a purification fast. Then enter a quiet room, face northwest, and bow nine times to the Primordial Father of the Nine Heavens. The opening of this passage is missing some characters. The surviving text says, “unite with the Dark Mother and transform together into the light of the two images of Chaos; contemplate them returning to their true forms.” In essence, this means visualizing the Dark Mother (the Dark Mother of the Nine Heavens) uniting with the Primordial Father, transforming together, and manifesting the light of Chaos, while concentrating on their return to their original true forms.

After completing the bows, turn to face north and sit upright with legs folded. Close your eyes and visualize the Primordial Father of the Nine Heavens appearing in different forms according to the four seasons, dwelling above the Nine Heavens in the Jade Palace of Taiji, the Abode of Jade Treasures, the Village of Elixir Spirit, and the Inner Realm of the Primordial Cavern. Then visualize him turning and descending, radiating light as he approaches and enters the Kunlun of your Upper Origin—the Kunlun of the Upper Origin is an inner landscape in the upper part of the body. Then offer this prayer in a quiet voice:

“Lofty, exalted Lord, great divine spirit of the Primordial Beginning, please unite the true Qi and make the forms appear in the Purple Heaven. Riding the clouds and floating aloft, travel through the rosy mists of the eight directions, then turn and descend. May the Dao’s protection and shade extend over my body, so that I may ride a cloud chariot and attend your sacred carriage. Today is the day of the Eight Convergences; I wish to present my heartfelt petition above. May all that I seek and pray for be granted through your grace. May I enjoy auspiciousness forever, endure alongside the Emperor, command the Eight Effulgences, and ascend in flight to Jade Dawn, the celestial realm of Shangqing.”

After the prayer, tilt your head back and swallow the Nine Qi, then stop. If you practice this method for nine years, you will see the Primordial Father’s true form. He will descend to your side, speak with you, and bestow the precious book and the Register of the Nine Heavens, the celestial register, inscribing your name on a jade slip and raising you to a rank in Shangqing. If you carelessly divulge this method, you will be trapped among the ghost officials for the rest of your life. Calamity will extend to your ancestors for seven generations, and you will be conscripted into lifelong service at the Source of the River.

The Way of the Dark Mother of the Nine Heavens is profoundly mysterious and contains the Qi of the Primordial Cavern’s Abyss. Her taboo name is “Burden of Chaos,” and her courtesy name is “Yellow Great Cover.” She is immense in stature, and upon completing her cultivation, ascends in person to Shangqing. If you carelessly divulge this method, you will likewise be trapped among the ghost officials for the rest of your life. Calamity will extend to your ancestors for seven generations, and you will be conscripted into lifelong service at the Source of the River.

The Nine Heavens Mysterious Mother, the wondrous goddess who dwells in the Nine Heavens, received the profound, far-reaching Qi of the Primordial Cavern. Her personal name is Fudun, her courtesy name Huang Dafufu, and her body is seventy million zhang tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Mysterious Mother wears a precious crown of purple primordial mystery and yellow radiance. Her nine-colored robe is made of embroidered frost silk, woven with the radiant light of blue essence. She wears a purple spiritual sash interwoven with twelve colors. She often rides a flying wheel of purple clouds, accompanied by twelve phoenixes and thirty-six immortals. Seated upright upon a nine-colored lion, she shines with flowing, intermingling radiance and dwells above Shangqing. When practitioners visualize her, she contracts to a height of six cun and six fen.

During the three months of winter, the Mysterious Mother takes human form, with a crowlike beak that holds the essence of the moon. She wears a robe of blue-essence flying silk and a purple sash with interwoven bands and tassels, and often rides clouds of twelve colors. As she sits upright, ever-changing radiance appears around her, illuminating the hidden depths of Shangqing. When practitioners visualize her, she returns to her original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Mysterious Mother takes the form of a phoenix with a qilin’s head. Her body displays seven-colored markings and twelve layers of radiant light. Her essence and Qi interweave and flow, illuminating the hidden depths of Shangqing and the darkness of the eight directions. When practitioners visualize her, she returns to her original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Mysterious Mother becomes light in shades of purple and yellow, bright as moonlight, with five-colored radiance in motion, illuminating Shangqing. At this time, her form returns to the Qi of the Cavernous Origin. She then receives the Dao’s refining and becomes the essence of the Nine Yin. The Qi of the Female One unites with it in an auspicious harmony, giving birth to the myriad spirits. When practitioners visualize her, she returns to her original true form. After nine years, the Primordial Father registers his name in Nanyang, while the Mysterious Mother descends to the Elixir Chamber.

To cultivate the Mysterious Mother’s Dao, bathe and observe purification on the day of your birth destiny, then enter a quiet chamber. First face southeast and bow nine times to the Mysterious Mother. After completing the bows, face north and sit upright. Click your teeth nine times, then close your eyes and visualize: the Nine Heavens Mysterious Mother changes her appearance with the seasons. She dwells in the Palace of Seven Reflections among the Jade Forests above the Nine Heavens, in the Mansion of the Jade Treasure Cavernous Origin, within Shangqing in the Land of Nine Lights. Visualize her turning back to her true form, shining downward and entering the Palace of the Life Gate Dantian below your navel. Then softly recite the invocation:

Unite the three kinds of Qi and disperse the five kinds of Qi into transformations, blending the two forces of Yin and Yang. Qi gathers and condenses into Shen; Shen then transforms and joins with the hun-soul. “Female One” nurtures true Qi within itself, making fetal breathing the gate of life. This method operates in the Palace of Nine Lights, in the land of Shangqing. Then turn the Qi back so that it shines downward, entering the Palace of the Dantian at the Gate of Life below your navel.

Next, offer this prayer softly:

“The three Qi unite as one; the five Qi disperse. Yin and Yang blend and transform; Qi gathers and Shen condenses; Shen transforms and the hun-soul joins with it. Female One nurtures true Qi within itself; fetal breathing opens the gate of life. Yin essence descends from the mysterious depths, bathing and cleansing the body’s root. Refinement brings forth radiant visions, and numinous beauty appears of itself. Today I report upward and ask the Mysterious Mother to present my twelve supreme aspirations: protect me as I attain Jade Perfection; let the five forms receive grace, and let my bones be refined into the body of a Jade Immortal. May my body grow light and take flight, riding emptiness and ascending through clouds of smoke until I reach the Purple Pole and welcome the divine perfected ones.”

When the prayer is complete, tilt your head back and swallow three times, taking in nine breaths with each swallow, then stop. Practice in this way for nine years, and the Mysterious Mother will be moved to respond; the two lights of the sun and moon will join in harmony. At that time, the Northern Emperor will erase your name from the register of the dead. You will be permitted to ascend and pay homage in the Nine Heavens, your name will be entered in the Purple Register, you will behold your true form, and you will rise to Shangqing.

If you carelessly reveal this method, after death you will serve as a laborer at the source of the river. Your ancestors for seven generations will also be made to labor, suffering the ten torments and eight calamities, such as mountains of knives and trees of swords, and enduring countless kalpas without release. Whoever receives this method should treasure it and keep it secret, and may thereby attain immortality.

The August Elder, Venerable of the Three Heavens, arose from the Qi of the Primordial Cavern of Emptiness. His sacred name was Shang Dingba, and his courtesy name was Ming Fanzong. He was three hundred thousand zhang tall.

During the three months of spring, he wore a crown of seven precious gems that penetrated the essence, and a purple brocade robe flowing with clouds and light. He bore the seal of the Single August Spirit-Commander and sat within a radiance of shifting five colors and brilliant light. He dwelt in the Cavern of Emptiness above Shangqing. When practitioners visualize him, they must shrink his image to three cun and three fen.

During the three months of summer, the August Elder transformed into one body with three heads. Blue, yellow, and green clouds rose above his heads; he wore a robe patterned in five colors and sat upon twelve rays of radiant light. After visualizing him, practitioners should restore him to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, his entire body turned golden. A halo of twelve colors encircled the back of his neck. He wore a brocade robe whose colors shifted in an instant, and a sash patterned with golden tigers and phoenixes. He sat upon three clouds of pure radiance. After visualizing him, practitioners should restore him to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, he became interwoven streams of blue-gray, green, and purple light, taking the shape of the moon’s essence. At this time, the Venerable of the Three Heavens returned to the Qi of the Cavern of Emptiness and again underwent the refinement of the essence of the August Elder’s Three Heavens. After visualizing him, practitioners should restore him to his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Venerable of the Three Heavens, choose a jiazi or gengshen day. After bathing, observing purification, and clearing the mind, enter a quiet chamber. Face west and bow three times. Once the homage to the August Elder, Venerable of the Three Heavens, is complete, face north and sit upright. Click the teeth nine times, close the eyes, and visualize the Venerable of the Three Heavens appearing in the form appropriate to each season. He is in the Upper Opening Village, True Origin Ward, Golden-Fusion Prefecture, Jade Performance Palace of Shangqing. His revolving true Qi shines downward and enters the practitioner’s canopy. Then pray softly, saying:

The transformation of the three spirits enables the five spirits to communicate with one another. Within, it contains the substance of a Golden Immortal; outwardly, it cultivates the appearance of a perfected person. In the Jade Pool—the place where saliva gathers in the mouth—dew-like fluids arise and moisten the Purple Chamber, the inner palaces of the body. True Qi circulates throughout the body, shining on the five palaces, the five internal organs. Fragrance fills the body, which becomes pure; the bones are clear and fragrant as orchids, and the stomach is filled with fragrance. The nine apertures—the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and other openings—draw in numinous energy, and immortal light fills the whole body. Once cultivation is complete, one can ride the clouds upward and enter the halls of the Imperial Lord. When the ritual is finished, swallow the breath three times, nine swallows each time, then stop.

This is a scripture secretly transmitted by the Nine Heavens and imparted through the Mysterious and Wondrous Dao to bring about the perfected person. After nine years of practice, one can associate with perfected persons, and one’s face will take on the appearance of a true immortal. One’s name will be entered in the Imperial Lord’s register and included in the records of the Three Origins—the heavens of the upper, middle, and lower origins. If this method is carelessly revealed or treated with disrespect, the Nine Heavens will send spirits who expose and punish wrongdoing, imposing the torment of wind blades. One’s nine generations of ancestors will be made to serve as laborers and barred from entering the immortal realm.

The “Jade Youth of the Three Heavens Above the Void” is formed from the Qi of Primordial Void. His name is Gao Yushen, his courtesy name Yuan Changzai, and his body stands thirty million zhang tall.

During the three months of summer, visualize him wearing a jade crown adorned with the Three Blossoms and luminous treasures of the Grotto-Heaven, and dressed in a blue-and-yellow brocade robe with seven transformations. He wears the vermilion seal of the Essence that Bars Heaven and sits upon clouds of twelve colors. Light in myriad forms streams from his whole body, illuminating the Shangqing Heaven. After this visualization, he contracts to three cun and two fen tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Jade Youth of the Three Heavens transforms into three youths. They wear sun-shaped crowns and tiger robes patterned in five colors, hold banners of five colors, and sit within lotus flowers. Their radiance illuminates the Taiqing Heaven. After the visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, he transforms into an old man. He wears a yellow headcloth with three points and a yellow brocade cloak, holds a nine-sectioned golden staff, and sits upon clouds of five colors. His radiance illuminates the Yuqing Heaven. After the visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, he transforms into rays of blue, yellow, and white light, entwined with one another like the radiance of the sun and moon. At this time, he returns to the Qi of Primordial Void and is once more tempered by the essence of the Three Heavens’ primordial generative power. After the visualization, he returns to his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Jade Youth of the Three Heavens, one should purify the mind and observe the fast on a Tai Sui day—a particular auspicious day determined by the year-star calendar—then enter a quiet chamber and bow three times facing south. After bowing, sit upright facing north, click the teeth three times, and close the eyes to visualize the Jade Youth of the Three Heavens appearing in different forms according to the seasons. He resides in the District of Primordial Rectitude, in the Township of the Three Primes, within the Palace of Cinnabar Luminosity atop the Jade Terrace of Shangqing. He turns his true Qi downward, casting its reflection into the space between the practitioner’s eyebrows. Then quietly recite:

“The Three Lights shine bright; the Six Qi are clear and harmonious. I contain and preserve my true nature, steadfastly guard the light of Shen, and let the vital breath flourish and radiant splendor arise. In the District of Cinnabar Luminosity, in the Township of the Three Primes, within the Palace of the Golden Immortal Father…”

The radiance of the Three Lights—the sun, moon, and stars—shines bright, and the Six Qi, the six kinds of vital energy that move between Heaven and Earth, are clear, harmonious, and abundant. I nurture the true Qi within and secure the divine radiance in my body, so that my breath becomes refined and my essence flourishes. The Golden Immortal Father and Mother, the divine parents of the perfected immortals, nurture the embryo-child. The hundred spirits nourish me with sweet dew, and subtle breaths fill my body. My numinous radiance ascends; my bones grow light and my flesh becomes nimble. I travel to and fro among palaces in the clouds, entering and leaving the hidden realms of the eight directions. I unite with the Dao and attain the Real, sharing enduring life with the Three Primal Realms—the realms governed by the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water. After reciting this, raise your head and swallow three breaths, then stop.

This is a secret transmission of the Three Heavens, a Jade Text of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition, kept hidden in the Palace of the Three Treasures. It must not be passed on casually. Whoever encounters this scripture and practices for nine years will unite with the perfected immortals and ascend to Jade Clarity. Anyone who carelessly divulges the Heavenly Treasure will suffer punishment by wind-blades; the Nine Heavens’ Inspector of Treachery will pursue the offense, and seven generations of ancestors will be made to serve as laborers. The offender will not be entered into the registers of the immortals.

The High and Supreme Jade Treasure Elder of the Nine Heavens, a revered deity who dwells in the Nine Heavens, came into being from the Six Emptiness Breaths of the Primordial Beginning. His name is “Opening Above,” and his courtesy name is “Penetrating Great Illumination.” He is ninety million zhang tall. During the three months of autumn, visualize him wearing a crown of flowing purple radiance that transforms nine times, and a robe of seven-colored patterned light woven from vermilion brocade. He wears the Three Treasures’ Spirit-Opening Tablets and the Holo-Loosed Seven Luminaries’ Primal Insignia, and stands upon a nine-colored lion. His radiance blazes and illuminates Jade Clarity. As you visualize him, he shrinks to nine cun and nine fen.

During the three months of winter, the Elder of the Nine Heavens transforms into a child with nine heads on one body. He wears a robe of nine-colored cloud-light brocade, sits upon crimson clouds, and holds a flowered banner. His radiance blazes and illuminates Jade Clarity. As you visualize him, he shrinks to nine cun and nine fen, then resumes his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Elder of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine childlike figures, each wearing a robe of a different color, holding the image of the sun in its mouth, and sitting upon a nine-colored cloud. Their radiance flows and shines upon Jade Clarity. As you visualize them, the Elder of the Nine Heavens resumes his original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Elder of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine-colored rays of light, entwined with one another and rising like clouds. At this time, the Elder returns to the Six Emptiness Breaths and is refined anew by the essence of the High and Supreme Jade Treasure. As you visualize him, he resumes his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Elder of the Nine Heavens, on the Start of Autumn and on your own natal day—the sexagenary day corresponding to your birth year—clear your mind and observe abstinence. Enter a quiet chamber, face west, and bow nine times to the spirit of the Elder. After the bows, turn north, harmonize with and absorb the qi of the Six Emptinesses—the primordial energy that pervades the four directions of Heaven and Earth. Then receive and refine the essence of the High Jade Treasure, contemplating it inwardly so that it returns to its original, true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Elder of the Nine Heavens, observe abstinence and enter the chamber on the Start of Autumn and on your natal day. Face west and bow nine times in homage to the Elder. Afterward, turn north, click your teeth three times, and close your eyes. Contemplate the Elder’s image changing with the seasons and appearing within the Six Assemblies of the Upper Unity Township, in the Deep Dark Court of the Jade Clarity Palace of Opening Gold—the celestial realm described in the scripture. Contemplate the true qi turning and descending into your own nine apertures. Then softly recite this invocation:

“Jade Empyrean, ninefold return; divine spirits scatter their numinous powers. The Six Emptinesses pour in primordial energy; the High One sends forth flowing essence. Blending together, I return to the womb; through refinement and transformation, I am brought to life. Four times the cycle turns: my Dao shines clear. The Great One inscribes my name; the Primordial Lord records my life. Five talismans, arranged in varied patterns, spread nourishment through my form. The Three Departments and Eight Luminaries guide me to the purple carriage. A feathered robe for a flying immortal, a green skirt brocaded in blue; paired pendants, a knotted sash, a golden talisman and jade bell. A Perfected One descends to confer these gifts, enabling me to ascend to purity, ride the sky and tread the void, and go up to pay homage at the Emperor’s court.”

When you have finished reciting, tilt your head back and swallow nine times the qi you have contemplated, then stop. The scripture says this is a Daoist method from the upper realms of the Nine Heavens, secretly treasured in the Jade Chamber—a repository for hidden methods—and revealed only once after the passage of countless kalpas.

The True King of the Nine Heavens (a revered deity who dwells in the Nine Heavens) is the god of purple radiance in the upper realm. He originates from the Qi of the Primordial Jade Emperor. His personal name is Lingrui, and his courtesy name is Ying Guanshi. The scripture says he is ninety million zhang tall.

During the three months of winter, visualize the True King of the Nine Heavens wearing an ornate golden flying-immortal crown and a robe bright as sunlight, patterned with flowing designs of vital essence. He wears a flowing-gold phoenix seal at his side and a sword of ever-changing, interwoven gold at his waist. He stands amid nine-colored lotuses and purple clouds, his radiance shining beyond Jade Clarity. During the visualization, his image then contracts to nine cun and nine fen in height.

During the three months of spring, the True King of the Nine Heavens changes his appearance: nine stars crown his head, a golden bell rests in his mouth, and he holds an image of the sun. He remains dressed according to ritual, standing above purple clouds, radiant and bright, his light shining through Highest Clarity. After the visualization, he returns to his original appearance.

During the three months of summer, the True King of the Nine Heavens transforms into nine figures, each wearing a blue feathered robe and a moon above the head, and holding a nine-colored banner. They stand above purple clouds. After the visualization, they return to their true form.

During the three months of autumn, the True King of the Nine Heavens transforms into light in three colors—blue-green, white, and dark blue-black—which entwine and rise like clouds, shining brilliantly through Highest Clarity. This signifies his return to the Qi of the Jade Emperor, where he is refined by the essence of the upper void’s purple radiance. After the visualization, he returns to his true form.

To cultivate the Way of the True King of the Nine Heavens, one should observe a purification fast and enter a chamber on the autumn equinox and on a day of the Grand Year (a particular date associated with the cycle of Jupiter). Facing northwest, bow nine times to the True King. After bowing, turn north, click the teeth nine times, close the eyes, and visualize the True King taking on a different appearance in each season. In his dwelling in the Phoenix-Birth Office of the Seven Radiances Palace of Jade Clarity, in the Immortal Transformation Hamlet of the Upper Void, he turns back his true light and casts it downward. It enters the practitioner’s “nine gates” within the body and is stored in the upper pass. Then whisper this prayer: “The nine paths shine bright; purple heaven divides its streams; the three…”

The light of the nine Dao paths shines in mutual radiance, while purple clouds spread and flow through the heavens. The three kinds of primordial Qi mingle as one and join with the true Dao at its deep and mysterious pivot. The Mysterious Spirit bestows Qi, dispersing and transforming it through the upper void. Wuying, the deity who governs the breath of life, accompanies Lord Lao; Baiyuan, a spirit within the human body, transmits the Fulu (talismans and registers); Siming, the deity who governs lifespan, examines the living and the dead; and the Five Spirits, deities of the five organs, infuse the whole body. Through this, the cultivator becomes one with the Dao and becomes a Perfected One, taking a place alongside the Primordial Sovereign, ascending to consult the mysterious celestial chart, and flying up to the realm of Great Nonbeing. Once the rite is complete, raise the head and swallow the nine Qi breaths, then stop.

This is a Daoist method secretly transmitted by the Emperor and kept in the Nine-Turn Mysterious Chamber of the Jade Terrace. According to the Taizhen precepts, it is transmitted only once in ten thousand kalpas. Anyone not endowed with mysterious natural gifts and listed among the Nine Heavens may not take part in learning it. Whoever sees this scripture may live as long as a kalpa; after nine years of practice, one can ascend to Highest Clarity. If this numinous text is disclosed carelessly, the offender will die and lose the path to immortality.

The High and Supreme Lord of the Void Sovereign is transformed from the Qi of the Primordial Supreme Sovereign. His personal name is Youzao and his courtesy name is Dafalang; he stands seventy million zhang tall. During the three winter months, visualize him wearing the supreme jeweled crown of the Seven Luminaries, dressed in a robe of luminous flying brocade and pearls, and bearing the jade insignia of the Cinnabar Sovereign. He often rides a nine-colored cloud and sits upon a nine-colored lion. His radiance shines from above Jade Clarity. During visualization, he appears seven cun and two fen tall, then returns to his true form.

During the three spring months, the High and Supreme Lord of the Void Sovereign takes the form of a human-headed dragon with nine-colored markings on his body. The sun rests on his head, and he holds the moon in his hands. He sits amid twelve streams of radiant light, shining from above Jade Clarity. After visualizing him, guide him back to his true form.

During the three summer months, the High and Supreme Lord of the Void Sovereign takes the form of an immortal of the Supreme Sovereign, with a halo of seventy-two colors behind his neck. He wears a robe of ever-changing luminous brocade, whose radiance illuminates billions upon billions of layers of space. After visualizing him, guide him back to his true form.

During the three autumn months, the High and Supreme Lord of the Void Sovereign becomes three-colored light—mysterious, yellow, and green—intertwining like the clouds of Qi moving through the Great Simplicity, the primordial, original Qi. This signifies the High and Supreme Lord of the Void Sovereign returning to the Qi of the Supreme Sovereign and once more receiving the refinement of the High and Supreme Essence. After visualizing him, guide him back to his true form.

Those who cultivate the Way of the Most High, Emptiness, and Sovereignty should bathe and observe a pure fast on the ninth day of the ninth month or the third day of the third month. They should enter a quiet chamber, sit upright facing north, and make nine obeisances in their hearts. Then, still facing north, they should sit quietly and click their teeth nine times. With eyes closed, they should turn their attention inward and envision the Most High, Emptiness, and Sovereignty appearing in forms that change with the four seasons, dwelling in the Palace of Primordial Treasure in Upper Clarity, the Golden Upper Court, and the Bright Light District of the Village of Separation and Union. Next, they should envision the true Qi circulating downward and shining into the upper origin, the palace of their blood.

Then they should softly recite this invocation:

The nine origins gather and unite; the root of flying motion condenses into true Qi, and the numinous spirit that penetrates the visions appears. Yellow clouds coil within, while precious light shines together. Radiance descends and transforms into vapor, guarding and stabilizing the upper origin, illuminating my body. The three palaces are nourished and refined; the six viscera brim with bright, numinous fluid. I govern the eight visions; the Mysterious Elder moves to and fro, riding through space and walking in emptiness, entering and leaving without hindrance. I assist the Most High, Emptiness, and Sovereignty, and become a minister of the imperial lord. The Qi of the eight assemblies joyfully receives this; may the petitions I have presented be fulfilled.

When the invocation is complete, tilt the head back, swallow the breath nine times, and then stop. This is a secret teaching of the Most High, capable of transforming all things and bringing them together into life. Those who know this Way may stand alongside the perfected immortals of the Most High. After nine years of cultivation, they will ascend to Jade Clarity. If they carelessly divulge the secret teaching, their ancestors for seven generations will be implicated and called to account, while the practitioners themselves will be sentenced to labor at the source of the River. According to the precepts of the Nine Heavens, those who violate them may not enter the realm of immortals.

The Dao Lord of the Primordial Sovereign of the Lofty Upper Realm, who dwells in the Purple Void within the Shangqing realm, is transformed from the Qi of the Primordial Bright Sovereign. His personal name is Mingshangji, his courtesy name Feimingfan, and his height is fifty million zhang.

During the three months of spring, the Dao Lord of the Primordial Sovereign wears a purple crown of the Primordial Origin that reaches to Heaven, and a brocade robe in blue, yellow, and green. He carries a jade tablet that summons the perfected and wears a radiant phoenix emblem at his waist. He often rides clouds of purple and emerald, seated upright on a twelve-colored lotus. Brilliant light surrounds him as he dwells in the Purple Void of the Shangqing realm. When visualized, this deity contracts to a height of five cun and five fen.

During the three months of summer, the Dao Lord of the Primordial Sovereign takes on a golden form, with a halo of twelve rays behind his neck. He wears a celestial robe of seventy-two strips in nine colors and sits upon a nine-colored lion. During visualization, he returns to his original appearance.

During the three months of autumn, the Dao Lord of the Primordial Sovereign takes the form of a human body with a phoenix head. He wears a tiger robe patterned in nine colors and sits upon five-colored clouds. During visualization, he returns to his original appearance.

During the three months of winter, the Dao Lord of the Primordial Sovereign transforms into interwoven rays of emerald, black, and yellow light, dwelling in the Purple Void. This is the image of the Dao Lord returning to the Qi of the Primordial Bright Sovereign and once more receiving the refinement of Jing and Qi in the Purple Void. During visualization, he returns to his original appearance.

To cultivate the Way of the Lofty Upper Primordial Sovereign, bathe on a day of the Grand Duke of Jupiter and enter a quiet chamber. Face south and bow three times. After completing the ritual salutations to the Dao Lord of the Primordial Sovereign, turn north and click the teeth twelve times. Then close your eyes and look inward. Visualize the Dao Lord of the Primordial Sovereign changing form with the seasons, situated in the Lane of Radiant Penetration, Township of the Primordial Cavern, Palace of the Golden Spirit, in the Shangqing realm. He turns the True Qi downward, illuminating the practitioner as it enters the Gateway of Communication with the Spirits. Then offer this prayer in a low voice:

The Dao-Qi of the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning is exalted and profound. The Qi of Purple Origin undergoes three transformations and nine unions, then condenses into the gate of a grotto abode. Vermilion Jing shines brilliantly like brocade and ascends, transforming into yellow clouds. The Five Talismans can protect and preserve life, enabling one to endure for a long time. By returning to the true Dao and blending with Primordial Qi, one can become a spirit.

Stabilize and guard the Three Palaces; refine the Nine Orifices until they become immortal. Transform along with the four seasons and unite with the Heavenly Emperor in the true Dao. When the rite is complete, raise your head, swallow the Nine Qi, and then stop. This is a secret teaching of the High and Exalted. After three transformations and nine refinements, one will naturally become perfected. Those who practice this method can fly after nine years and take on the same form as the spirits. If one treats this method lightly and divulges it, nine generations of ancestors will be implicated and punished. After death, one’s own soul will sink into the netherworld, never again to return to the immortal realms of the four directions or attain immortality.

The Lord of Jade Void, the August Sovereign of the Upper Emperor, is transformed from the Qi of the Primordial Purple Emperor. His personal name is Ming Shilan, his courtesy name Qu Changqing, and his height is thirty million zhang.

During the three months of summer, visualize the Lord of Jade Void, the August Sovereign of the Upper Emperor, wearing the Seven-Treasure Flower Crown that Communes with Jing, clad in a nine-colored robe of flying-cloud brocade, and wearing a purple insignia inscribed with vermilion characters. He often stands atop auspicious purple clouds and seven-colored lotuses, shining brightly and illuminating the Upper Clarity. When you visualize him, he draws himself back until he is three cun and three fen tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Lord of Jade Void transforms into a phoenix-bodied figure with four eyes and nine-colored markings. He is surrounded by yellow, white, and red Qi and stands upon a five-colored lion. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Lord of Jade Void transforms into a man holding a five-colored flower, wearing five-colored robes, and standing upon a purple-cloud lingzhi. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Lord of Jade Void transforms into light of yellow, red, and blue, taking a form as nebulous as floating clouds within the Purple Void. This signifies the August Sovereign’s return to the Qi of Jade Void, where he receives further refinement by the Jing-Qi of the Purple Emperor. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

To practice the Way of the Lord of Jade Void, observe purification and abstinence on each of the Eight Seasonal Nodes, the important festivals marking seasonal transitions. Face east and bow three times. After paying reverence to Jade Void, turn north and click your teeth three times, then close your eyes and visualize inwardly. When the visualization is complete, the Lord of Jade Void returns to his original true form.

Anyone who practices the Way of the Lord of Jade Void should, on each of the Eight Festivals—the eight major festivals in Daoism—observe fasting and maintain purity and stillness, then face east and bow three times. After completing the morning rites to Jade Void, face north and click the teeth three times. Close the eyes and visualize inwardly: the Supreme Lord of the Void, the Jade Lord, appears in different forms through the four seasons. He resides in the Palace of Vermilion Essence in Highest Clarity, the Mansion of Generating the Real, the Village of Great Cinnabar, and the Ward of the Three Treasures. His Qi circles downward, casting its radiance into the rear gate of the practitioner’s Muddy Pellet—the Daoist cultivation image located inside the head. Then recite this prayer softly:

“Dark and radiant Purple Emperor, the Qi of the eight directions rises into the sky, profound and distant, blending and transforming until it reaches the ten directions. Spread forth numinous Qi, unfold the true Dao, and shine with golden light. In Purple Tenuity, refine and nourish Jing and Qi until they condense into the form of an immortal. The Eight Radiances soar aloft, riding clouds through the air, steering across the Great Void, and roaming freely in the Upper Palace.”

When the prayer is complete, tilt back the head and swallow seven breaths of Qi. The rite is then finished. This method is a Daoist teaching kept by the Supreme Sovereign in a golden casket. Its title is recorded on purple slips, and its image is engraved on the Cinnabar Terrace. One who receives this text and practices for nine years can ascend to Highest Clarity. Anyone who carelessly reveals this secret method will, after death, be assigned to the offices of the ghosts and will be unable to become an immortal.

The August Lord of the Three Origins and Great Luminosity was formed from the Qi of the Primordial Void Sovereign. His taboo name is Jixinping, and his courtesy name is Lingdao. His title is recorded on purple slips, and his image is engraved on the Cinnabar Terrace. One who receives this text and practices for nine years can ascend to Highest Clarity. Anyone who carelessly reveals this secret method will, after death, be assigned to the offices of the ghosts and will be unable to become an immortal.

The August Lord of Supreme Clarity of the Three Origins is transformed from the Qi of the Primordial Void August Sovereign. His personal name is Jixinping, and his courtesy name is Lingjiehua. He is seventy million zhang tall. During the three months of autumn, he wears a cinnabar-and-purple celestial crown adorned with radiant lights, robes patterned with five-colored clouds, a flowing-gold fire bell, and a divine tiger jade seal. He often stands atop purple clouds, shining with brilliant light. He can take seventy-two different forms and illuminate Supreme Clarity. When visualized, he contracts to a height of seven cun and two fen.

During the three months of winter, the August Lord of Supreme Clarity takes the form of a human head and dragon body, his form in five colors of dark yellow. He stands above the Purple Void, amid nine-colored clouds that pierce the sky. When visualized, he returns to his original true form. During the three months of spring, he becomes the radiance of springtime, flowing and shimmering in five colors of dark yellow. He shines down from within Supreme Clarity and the Purple Void. When visualized, he returns to his original true form. During the three months of summer, he becomes a light of red and white, like clouds of Great Simplicity, dwelling within the Purple Void. At this time, the August Lord of Supreme Clarity returns to the state of the Qi of the Three Origins and is once more refined by the essence of the Void Sovereign. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

To practice the way of the August Lord, bathe on your birth-year day and on the day of the Grand Duke of Jupiter, then enter a quiet chamber and face south to pay homage to the August Lord of Supreme Clarity. After completing the homage, face north and click your teeth three times. Close your eyes and visualize the August Lord of Supreme Clarity in the form appropriate to the season: he is within the Palace of Purple Fusion in Supreme Clarity, in the six-origin district of the seven-aspect region of the Office of True Birth. He turns and descends in radiance, entering the Palace of Fusion and Birth on the practitioner’s left side. Then softly recite the invocation:

The Qi of the Three Origins shines brilliantly, illuminating the scene throughout, and the Qi of Vermilion Spirit appears. The subtle and wondrous Qi spreads the true Qi and mingles with the essence Qi of the Primordial Beginning. The Qi of the First Emperor transforms and moves, protecting life and bringing the Qi of Yellow Tranquility to rest. The Qi of the eight directions soars, while the six palaces continually preserve their vitality. The Mysterious Elder accords with it, and the Dao I cultivate is now clear. The Three Lights protect and sustain its radiance. Clad in a blue-feathered robe and riding a vermilion carriage, I fly into the Moon Court. When the ritual is complete, tilt the head back, swallow twelve mouthfuls of Qi, and then stop.

Those who cultivate this Dao will have their names entered in the registers of immortals in the Nine Heavens. The High Perfected (zhens in the higher realms) will descend before them, and practitioners will be able to fly through the realm of Jade Clarity. Those who treat this Dao lightly or disclose its secrets will sink into the ranks of the ghost officials and be unable to become immortal.

The Sovereign Lord of the Myriad Beginnings is the Qi of the Primordial Sovereign Above. His sacred name is Youlanglan, his courtesy name Tongdafan, and his body stands ninety million zhang tall. During the three winter months, he wears the Crown of Vermilion Yang and Solar Essence, a robe of crimson-cloud brocade and luminous splendor, and carries a golden tiger-and-phoenix staff. At his waist hangs the violet insignia of the Vermilion Sovereign. He often rides white clouds and sits upon a five-colored lion. His radiance streams forth, illuminating the realm of Highest Clarity. When you visualize him, he contracts to a height of two cun and one fen.

During the three spring months, the Lord of the Myriad Beginnings becomes a phoenix with three human-shaped bodies. Wearing a tiger robe patterned in nine colors, he stands continually amid twelve rays of brilliant light. When you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three summer months, the Lord of the Myriad Beginnings becomes a radiance like three suns, sending forth eight beams of violet light. Brilliant and luminous, he appears above the realm of Highest Clarity, within a twelve-colored lotus. When you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three autumn months, the Lord of the Myriad Beginnings transforms into interwoven rays of blue, crimson, and violet light, sending forth eight beams of violet radiance. Brilliant and luminous, he appears above the realm of Highest Clarity, within a twelve-colored lotus. In autumn, the Lord of the Myriad Beginnings also transforms into interwoven rays of blue, crimson, and violet light, shaped like a solar disk. This signifies his return to the Qi of the Sovereign Above and his again receiving the refinement of the Primordial Sovereign’s essence. When you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

Those who practice the Way of Master Wanshi should bathe on the day of their birth and on the days of the Eight Seasonal Nodes, then enter a quiet chamber and face north to bow sincerely to the Master. After bowing, click the teeth three times and, with eyes closed, quietly contemplate the Master’s forms as they appear with the changing seasons. He resides in the Central Upper Zhang Quarter of the Luminous Spirit District, Golden Soul Manor, Palace of Harmonious Radiance in the Highest Clarity. He turns his true Qi downward, illuminating the way into the Palace of Yin Extremity on the practitioner’s right side. Then softly recite this prayer:

“Three Essences of Wanshi, dispersing the Qi of the Nine Subtleties; the Upper Radiance ascends to its rightful place, and the Way of Light streams in all directions. The Mysterious Mother opens the heart of aspiration, and hearts throughout the eight directions unfold; the Central Origin is preserved, and the imperial Perfected Ones come and go. Transforming into three forms, the body no longer grows old; merging with radiant visions, its brilliance equals that of the sun and moon. Ascend by flight to the Mysterious Palace and enter Purple Tenuity.”

When the prayer is complete, tilt the head back and swallow nine breaths, then stop. This is the precious text of the Yellow Chamber, a secret work of supreme mystery. Whoever can read these words and have their name entered in the register of the Nine Heavens may complete the practice, become an immortal, ascend by flight, and rise to Heaven in broad daylight.

The Master of the August Sovereign, Lord Purple Dawn, is transformed from the primordial high-origin Qi. His personal name is Xin Pingyuan, and his courtesy name is Daoyuanji. He stands ninety million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he wears the Precious Dawn Crown that Reaches Heaven and a robe of luminous cloud pearls in seven colors. Practicing the Way of the Flying Immortals enables one to ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.

The Master of the August Sovereign, Lord Purple Dawn, is transformed from the primordial high-origin Qi. His personal name is Xin Pingyuan, and his courtesy name is Daoyuanji. He stands ninety million zhang tall. In spring, he wears the Precious Dawn Crown that Reaches Heaven and a robe of luminous cloud pearls in seven colors. He bears the talisman of the Upper Minister who Governs the Spirits, and wears at his waist the register of the Eastern Meng of Harmonized Truth. Riding a nine-colored azure dragon, he dwells above the blue clouds. His radiance flows and shifts, revealing the state of the Upper Realm. When practitioners quietly contemplate his form, they can return to a body measuring nine cun and nine fen.

During the three months of summer, he takes the form of a human with a dragon’s head. Five-colored markings appear across his body, and his radiance shines through the purple clouds, brightening the ten directions. After quietly contemplating this form, one returns to the original true form.

During the three months of autumn, he takes the form of a dragon with a human head. Nine-colored markings appear across his body, and his bright radiance illuminates the Highest Clarity. After quietly contemplating this form, one returns to the original true form.

During the three months of winter, he becomes intermingled rays of blue and black light, whose radiance illuminates the Highest Clarity. This signifies his return to the Qi of the August Sovereign, where he again receives the refining power of the primordial high-origin Essence. After quietly contemplating this form, one returns to the original true form.

Those who cultivate the Way of the Lord of Purple Dawn, the deity of Purple Dawn, usually face east on the day of the Beginning of Spring and bow nine times in worship. Afterward, they turn around and click their teeth nine times, visualizing the Lord of Purple Dawn appearing in form as the seasons change. He resides in the Abode of Transformation of Spirits, in the Village of Golden Essence, within the Prefecture of Vermilion Radiance in the Upper Palace of Purple Mystery, Jade Clarity. They then turn their True Qi downward, allowing it to shine into the gateway above their own liver.

Then they quietly recite this invocation:

“The August Sovereign, the highest deity, spreads spiritual energy; Purple Dawn gathers essence. The Three Blossoms—inner essences such as Jing, Qi, and Shen—flow freely and manifest; the radiance of the four seasons shines clear. True Qi circulates and converges, blessings and celebrations follow one another, and reflected light illuminates my courtyard. The Three Origins—the energies of Heaven, Earth, and humanity, or the three primal energies within the body—blend together, and through this my Dao practice is fulfilled. I will don the robes and feathered garments of an immortal, drape myself in embroidered blue silk, take the reins of a chariot drawn by nine dragons, and ascend to the upper realm.”

After reciting the invocation, they tilt their head back and swallow their breath nine times, completing the ritual.

The Great Emperor Lord of the Supreme Ultimate in the Purple Void, a revered deity of the Highest Clarity, was born from the Qi of the Primal Cavern. His sacred name is Lingminggu, his courtesy name is Dafanzong, and his body is eighty million zhang tall.

During the three months of summer, the Great Emperor Lord wears a crown of purple radiance, formed from the flowing essence of the Nine Qi. He is dressed in seamless celestial robes of nine colors, wears a pendant marked with the intermingling light of the Seven Origins, and has the register of the Primal Emperor’s mandate for the perfected ones tied at his waist. He sits upright upon a divine phoenix amid crimson clouds. His brilliance shines throughout the Highest Clarity. When you visualize him, he transforms into a figure eight cun and eight fen tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Great Emperor Lord takes the form of a human with a phoenix’s head. His body is mottled with nine colors, its bright patterns gleaming. He stands upon a lotus amid white clouds. When you visualize him, he returns to his original perfected form.

During the three months of winter, he takes the form of a human with a phoenix’s body, holding a fire bell in his beak. His patterns blaze with brightness, illuminating the Highest Clarity. When you visualize him, he returns to his original perfected form.

During the three months of spring, he transforms into blue and red light, blazing brightly and illuminating the Highest Clarity. At this time, he returns to the Qi of the Purple Void and is once more refined by the essence of the Primal Cavern. When you visualize him, he returns to his original perfected form.

Those who practice the way of the Great Emperor Lord generally enter a quiet chamber on the day of the Start of Summer. Facing south, they bow eight times to pay reverence to him. Then they turn north and click their teeth nine times. They visualize the Great Emperor Lord’s changing forms through the four seasons, appearing in the Palace of Cinnabar Radiance in the Palace of Transforming Clouds of Jade Clarity, in the Township of Golden Florescence and the Village of Solar Essence. His true Qi spirals downward, shines upon their bodies, and enters the aperture above the heart chamber. Then they silently recite this invocation:

“The Purple Void releases its essence; the Emperor above receives true Qi. The two primal Qis unite, harmoniously attuned. True Qi flows, moistening and filling; its grace spreads through the nine directions. Today is an auspicious day, and I receive the peace of primal Qi. Jade radiance streams forth, washing away dust and defilement. The six viscera are clear and unobstructed; nothing conceals the body. May I comprehend the eight visions of the Dao and attain the rank of an immortal. Raising my head, I swallow the Qi of the sacred fungus; I return to youth and regain my vigor. My body grows light, my bones take flight, and I ascend into the boundless realm.”

When they have finished reciting the invocation, they raise their heads and swallow eight mouthfuls of Qi.

The Supreme Emperor Lord of the Purple Void is transformed from the essence and Qi of the Primordial Cavern. His personal name is Xuying, his courtesy name Yuanheng Huo, and his body is sixty million zhang tall. During the three months of autumn, the Lord wears a Golden Radiance Seven Luminaries crown adorned with lingzhi mushrooms. He regains the appearance of childhood; his body grows light, and his bones seem ready to take flight as he rises into the boundless expanse. After completing the rites, raise your head, swallow the Eight Qi, and then stop.

The Supreme Emperor Lord of the Purple Void is transformed from the essence and Qi of the Primordial Cavern. His personal name is Xuying, his courtesy name Yuanheng Huo, and his body is sixty million zhang tall. During the three months of autumn, the Lord wears a Golden Radiance Seven Luminaries crown and a brocade robe patterned with clouds and solar essence. He carries the banner-staff of the August Heaven, wears a sash bearing the numinous seal of the Nine Lights, stands amid plain clouds, and sits upon a seven-colored lion. His radiance flows and shines brightly, illuminating the Upper Clarity—the celestial realm in Daoist teaching. After the practitioner visualizes the Lord, he returns to a height of six cun and six fen.

During the three months of winter, the Lord transforms into a tiger-headed, human-bodied figure. He wears a yellow-and-white brocade robe with bright, dazzling patterns, stands amid dark clouds, and sits upon a nine-colored seat. His numinous light shines in all ten directions. After visualization, the Lord returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Lord transforms into a human-headed, tiger-bodied figure, draped in nine-colored markings. His radiance shines brightly, illuminating the Upper Clarity, and he dwells within the Upper Clarity of the Purple Void. After visualization, the Lord returns to his original true form. During the three months of spring, the Lord transforms into a human-headed, tiger-bodied figure, draped in nine-colored markings. His radiance shines brightly, illuminating the Upper Clarity, and he dwells within the Upper Clarity of the Purple Void. After visualization, the Lord returns to his original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Lord transforms into radiance of red and white, shining brightly and illuminating the four quarters. This signifies his return to the Qi of the Purple Void, where he again receives the refinement of the essence and Qi of the Primordial Cavern. After visualization, the Lord returns to his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Supreme Emperor Lord, on the day of the Beginning of Autumn each year, enter a quiet chamber and face west to perform six bows. Once you have completed your reverence to the Lord, face north and click your teeth twelve times. Then visualize the Supreme Emperor Lord appearing in different forms according to the four seasons. He is located in the Nine Transformation Villages of the Three Refinements, within the Essence Palace of the Jade Clarity Golden Gate Office. Returning to his true form, he shines downward and enters the practitioner’s rib palace, the inner region between the ribs. Then quietly recite the invocation:

The Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning opens and unfolds the fundamental order by which Heaven and Earth move. The four seasons turn, and the numinous Qi changes with them. Practitioners refine the body’s three passes, bringing about a transformation of their physical form. On this day, the various forms of Qi converge and merge. The Supreme One bestows a salvation talisman, used to deliver and protect practitioners. The deity in charge of destiny governs life, removes the source of death from the practitioner, and enters their name in the register of immortals of Highest Clarity. In this way, they may enjoy auspicious blessings, find all things going smoothly, live as long as the sun, moon, and stars, take their place among the perfected, and ride the soaring radiance to the celestial emperor’s palace. When the ritual is complete, raise the head, swallow twelve breaths, and stop.

The Lord of the Grotto’s Radiance, the Truly Perfect One of Mysterious Void, is formed from the harmonized Qi of the Primordial Grotto. His name is “You Shangfei,” his courtesy name “Xuan Kailiang,” and he stands fifty million zhang tall.

During the three months of winter, practitioners visualize him wearing the supreme jeweled crown of the Seven Luminaries, clothed in bright, flying brocade adorned with vermilion jade patterns, wearing the jade seal of the Cinnabar Emperor, and carrying a sword that summons immortals at his waist. He stands in mysterious void upon the back of a five-colored lion, his radiance illuminating Highest Clarity. After completing the visualization, draw his image back in and imagine him shrinking to five cun and five fen.

During the three months of spring, visualize him transformed into an immortal, his body the color of adamantine, a radiant jeweled halo behind his neck, and a robe patterned with tortoise designs. He shines in all ten directions amid azure clouds. Then visualize him returning to his original form.

During the three months of summer, visualize him transformed into a numinous tortoise, bearing three hundred and sixty patterns on his body and holding the Seven Stars in its mouth. It sits beneath a canopy, above dark clouds, its brilliant light illuminating Highest Clarity. Then visualize him returning to his original form.

During the three months of autumn, visualize him transformed into black and white light, the two colors blending like the essence of jade. This signifies his return to the Qi of mysterious void and his renewed tempering in the refined Qi of the Primordial Grotto’s harmony. Then visualize him returning to his original form.

Those who cultivate the Way of the Lord of the Grotto’s Radiance should regularly enter a quiet room on the day Winter Begins and practice facing north. In the mind, visualize the Lord of the Grotto’s Radiance transformed into black and white light, the colors blending like the essence of jade. This is the scene of his return to the Qi of mysterious void and his renewed tempering in the refined Qi of the Primordial Grotto’s harmony. Finally, visualize him returning to his original form.

When cultivating the Way of the Lord of the Grotto Scenery, on the day of the Start of Winter enter a quiet chamber, face north, bow five times to pay homage to the Lord of the Grotto Scenery, and then click the teeth three times. Visualize the Lord of the Grotto Scenery within the Central Hamlet of the Cliffside Hamlet of the Vermilion Bird Precinct, in the Great Cinnabar Palace of the Jade Clarity Palace of Jade Radiance. Turn the true Qi inward and direct it downward, entering the paired gates within your own Kidney Palace. Then silently recite this invocation:

“Vast and lofty Grotto Truth, you move through the four seasons and refine and transform beings into immortals. The Dao joins with the Central Origin, and transformation comes about naturally. Mysterious, wondrous fluids stream down, and blessings and good fortune fill my body. Above, I receive auspiciousness; I uphold the right and receive grace. The Great One sends down a talisman of deliverance, and the Primordial Lord proclaims the mountain liturgy. The breath of dead corpses is extinguished, and the roots of the womb are severed. The spirits of the Eight Radiances protect and assist me, commanding all the spirits. Send down the cloud chariot to carry me, turning and rising into the immortal realm of dawn.”

When you have finished reciting the invocation, tilt your head back and swallow the Five Qi, then stop. Cultivate in this way for eight years, and you may hope to ascend to the Mysterious Realm at the appointed time. The spirit of the Central Truth will descend and appear, granting the practitioner a precious chapter of the true scripture.

The Jade Emperor, Sovereign of Heaven, receives the Qi of Primordial Lofty Dawn. His sacred name is “Great Peace,” and his courtesy name is “Great Beginning of Darkness.” He is thirty million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he wears a crown adorned with seven treasures and a nine-colored tiger robe, and bears ornaments patterned with golden tigers and phoenixes, along with a divine tiger jade seal. He rides upon the essence of the Seven Primordials and stands above the Vermilion Bird. Twelve radiant lights shine brightly within the Jade Clarity Grotto of Emptiness. After visualizing him for a moment, visualize him returning to his original form.

During the three months of summer, the Jade Emperor manifests with a seven-colored jeweled canopy resting on his neck. His hands form the configuration of the Dipper stars, and he stands within the sunlight, radiant and bright, above the Highest Clarity. After visualizing him, visualize him returning to his original form.

During the three months of autumn, the Jade Emperor manifests with a human head and a vermilion bird’s body, holding the image of the sun in his beak. He stands upon purple clouds beneath a jeweled canopy, brilliantly radiant, illuminating the Highest Clarity. After visualizing him, visualize him returning to his original form.

During the three months of winter, the Jade Emperor transforms into rays of light in dark, yellow, and blue-green, intertwined with one another within the Purple Void. He then returns to the Qi of the Sovereign of Heaven and once again receives the refining of the essence of Lofty Dawn. After visualizing him, visualize him returning to his original form.

To cultivate the Way of the Jade Emperor, bathe on the first and fifteenth days of each month, then enter a quiet chamber and face east to bow. Pay homage to the Jade Emperor with focused attention, then visualize him returning to his original form.

Those who practice the Way of the Jade Emperor generally bathe on the first and fifteenth days of each month, then enter a quiet chamber and sincerely bow toward the east in homage to the Jade Emperor. After completing the bows, they turn north and click their teeth twelve times. They then close their eyes and visualize the August Jade Emperor appearing in different forms according to the four seasons, dwelling within the Land of Subtle Stillness, in the Immortal Mansion of Clouds and Mists in the Upper Clarity Cavern. They visualize his true Qi (vital energy) turning and shining down into the space between their eyebrows, while softly reciting:

“Bright August Emperor above, your radiance soars to the heights of subtlety. Nine transformations of purple origin, four breaths refine your brilliance. Three unite in the central palace; five transformations wander. Blended as one with the Emperor, all Qi returns to its source. Settle the spirit in the chamber of origin, secure the nine gates. The three regions and eight luminous scenes, all the perfected follow together. Riding cloud dragons as one, let me ascend on high. May I enjoy the Emperor’s register for ages upon ages, without decline.”

After finishing the recitation, they tilt their heads back and swallow nine breaths. The “nine breaths” referred to here are part of the visualization and breath regulation practiced in the ritual.

This is the Way of the August Jade Emperor, secretly kept in the Purple Chamber and passed only to those whose names are inscribed in gold and jade and who accord with the true Dao. Those who receive this method can become flying immortals, unite their forms with the Jade Emperor, ascend together with him, and enjoy the Emperor’s register for a long time without decline. Anyone who carelessly divulges it will lose their own life; seven generations of their ancestors will also be punished, and they will be unable to enter the path of immortality through countless kalpas.

The Lord of Great Vacuity and the Highest Pole, the Purple Emperor of Great Simplicity, is a divine being formed from the “Qi of Primordial Radiance and Dawn.” His taboo name is Zong Fanlian, his courtesy name is the Gate Above the Mysterious, and he is fifty million zhang tall.

For the three months of summer, he wears the Seven Treasures Crown of the Celestial Origin and a nine-colored brocade robe glowing like crimson clouds. He bears the Fire Jade of the Six Mountains, wears a purple sash of spiritual flight, and stands upon a lotus formed of five-colored lions. His radiance shines across the seventy-four realms of Highest Clarity. When visualizing him, draw him inward until he is five cun and two fen tall.

For the three months of autumn, he takes the form of a tiger’s body with a human head. His body is marked with alternating dark and yellow patterns, brilliantly colored and shining in all ten directions. He dwells amid purple Qi and stands upon the Five Mushrooms of Immortality. When the visualization is complete, restore him to his original true form.

For the three months of winter, he takes a form whose entire body radiates golden light. A canopy crowns the back of his neck, and he wears clothes of thirty-two colors, like a celestial immortal. His brilliance illuminates Highest Clarity. When the visualization is complete, restore him to his original true form.

For the three months of spring, he becomes streams of purple, yellow, and green light, entwined with one another until their three breaths merge into one and appear within Highest Clarity. This signifies the Purple Emperor returning to the Qi of Great Simplicity and once more undergoing refinement by the essence of Radiant Dawn. When the visualization is complete, restore him to his original true form.

Those who practice the Way of the Purple Emperor generally fast and purify themselves on a Gengshen day, one of the days in the sexagenary cycle, then enter a room and face south to pay homage to the Purple Emperor. After the rites, they turn north, click their teeth three times, close their eyes, and visualize the Purple Emperor appearing in a different form according to each season, dwelling in the Palace of Golden Radiance, the Office of Purple Luminosity, the Township of the Seven Origins, and the Hamlet of the Canopy, all within Highest Clarity. He turns back his true Qi and sends it downward, where it enters the Purple Chamber, the site within the body where spirits are maintained. Then silently recite this invocation:

“Radiant Dawn scatters spiritual Qi; the Purple Emperor gathers in its light. Great Simplicity passes through nine transformations; the four seasons refine the hidden subtlety. The Great One oversees the span of life; the Noble Son protects with compassion. The Lord Emperor governs nature and life; the Three Origins turn back together. In accord with the perfected ones, may blessings be lofty and vast. Ride the dragon and ascend, rising to the Cloud Gate.”

After reciting, raise the head and swallow nine breaths, then stop. This is a secret teaching of the Golden Chamber, transmitted only to the perfected ones of Highest Clarity. Those who master it can ascend to immortality and take their place among the high perfected. If they carelessly disclose or neglect this method, they will be enslaved at the Source of the River, and their ancestors for seven generations will also bear the blame; the practitioner will be barred from entering the immortal realms.

Lord Gaoting of the Central Origin, amid the Void and Brightness and the Purple Orchids, is transformed from the Qi of the Primordial Great Dawn. His personal name is Huizhi, and his courtesy name is Tong Daye. He is thirty million zhang tall. During the three months of autumn, he wears a treasured crown adorned with three blossoms and a robe of divine essence in seven colors. A purple insignia of flowing gold is fastened at his waist, and he carries a sword of stone essence and golden light. He stands above the blue clouds and rides in a seven-colored tiger chariot. His radiance shines in thirty-two hues. When you visualize him, he contracts to three cun and three fen.

During the three months of winter, he takes the form of a tiger’s body with a dragon’s head, marked by five-colored patterns and flashing with light. He dwells among blue clouds, upon a five-colored lotus. When you visualize him, he returns to his original form. During the three months of spring, he takes the form of a three-headed phoenix, its body patterned in nine colors and its brilliant radiance illuminating Shangqing. When you visualize him, he again returns to his original form. During the three months of summer, he becomes purple and blue light, intertwined like the rising sun. This is the Purple Orchid Qi of Lord Gaoting, further refined by the essence and Qi of the Primordial Bright Great Dawn. When you visualize him, he once again returns to his original form.

To practice the Way of Lord Gaoting of the Central Origin, regularly observe the day of the Beginning of Autumn. After a purification fast, enter a quiet chamber and bow to Lord Gaoting while facing west. Once you have finished bowing, face north and click your teeth twelve times. Close your eyes and visualize Lord Gaoting appearing in a different form for each season. He is within the Village of Fulfillment of the Real, in the Office of Divine Transformations of the Palace of Spiritual Reflection in Shangqing. He turns the true Qi back downward, where it shines into the five palace cities corresponding to the practitioner’s five viscera. Then softly recite the invocation:

The Great Dawn turns back the light and radiance, separating out the clear, empty, bright, and pure Qi. Through transformation and fusion, it completes nine refinements and sets in motion the Dharma Wheel of the Three Zhen. Its numinous fluids irrigate the gates of the Five Cities, calm the Original Spirit, strengthen the Original Qi, and seal off the source of death. It summons the immortals of the lofty, empty realms above, enabling the practitioner to fly and ascend to the Golden Gate of the Immortals like a feathered being. In the world, the practitioner enjoys a station as exalted as an emperor’s, lives a long life, and celebrates together with seven generations of descendants, freed from the five entanglements of the mundane world. When the rite is complete, raise the head, swallow three breaths, and stop. This is the Precious Formula of the Purple Orchid, a treasured cultivation method transmitted only once in ten thousand kalpas. Whoever receives it can fly and ascend to the Jade Clarity realm, one of the highest heavens in Daoism.

The Master of Purple Dawn, Lord Purple Dawn, the Jade Emperor of the Purple Void, is a deity transformed from the primordial Qi of Jade Dawn. His taboo name is Linghuixiao, his courtesy name Duzhongguang, and he is seventy million zhang tall. During the three months of winter, he wears a crown adorned with seven treasures and flying blossoms, a nine-colored purple brocade skirt, and a Dragon Radiance, Seven Transformations Tiger Tally. He stands upon a five-colored lion, while twelve rays of radiant light shine in all directions. When the practitioner visualizes him, he contracts to his original height of seven cun and seven fen.

During the three months of spring, he transforms into a nine-colored phoenix, holding a white sash in its beak. Its body is covered in brilliant markings, and its radiance illuminates Highest Clarity. When the practitioner visualizes him, he returns to his original true form. During the three months of summer, he transforms into a nine-headed crow with a human body, clothed in nine-colored patterns and shining brilliantly as he illuminates Highest Clarity. When the practitioner visualizes him, he returns to his original form. During the three months of autumn, he transforms into rays of purple, blue-green, and scarlet light, circling and mingling like clouds joining together. This signifies Lord Purple Dawn returning from the Qi of the Jade Emperor of the Purple Void and once again undergoing refinement in the essence of Jade Dawn. When the practitioner visualizes him, he returns to his original true form.

Those who cultivate the Way of Lord Purple Dawn generally enter a room after observing ritual purification on a Tai Sui day, a date determined by the Tai Sui calendrical cycle. Facing north, they pay homage to Lord Purple Dawn in their hearts and click their teeth three times. Then, with eyes closed, they visualize his form as it changes with the four seasons, dwelling in the Natural Village, Yongkang Ward, Ninefold Court, Radiant Transformation Palace of Highest Clarity. He turns back his True Qi, shines downward, and enters the practitioner’s body. The practitioner then faces north, pays homage to Lord Purple Dawn in their heart, and clicks their teeth three times. With eyes closed, they visualize the same scene. Lord Purple Dawn’s form enters beneath the practitioner’s left armpit. Then they softly recite the invocation:

The Qi of the Nine Heavens gives birth to the spirit of Purple Dawn, while the Qi of Imperial Radiance sends forth a luster like fine jade. After three rounds of refinement and cultivation, spirit and Qi flow freely through the spirit-palace; after seven, they enter the Sand of Golden Li. Breathe in and out to regulate the breath, drawing in the Qi of youthful Yang. Hold clear water in the mouth and rinse, then draw in the radiance of the sun. Through four transformations, the practice arises in keeping with the times; by means of wondrous visions, it preserves the Qi of Vermilion Clouds. Whoever understands this formula may join hands with others and journey together to the northern mountains. When the rite is complete, tilt the head back and swallow seven breaths, then stop. This is a precious scripture from the Golden Chamber. Practicing it brings the true Dao, and enables one to fly through the realm of Jade Clarity.

The Lord of Purple Essence of the Three Origins in the Purple Void—who governs the purple Qi of the Three Origins in the realm of Purple Void—takes form from the primordial Qi of Purple Dawn. His taboo name is Ming Shangyao; his courtesy name is Peng Daguang; he stands ninety million zhang tall. During the three months of spring, he wears the Ninefold-Origin Flying-Dawn Infant Crown and a vermilion brocade flying skirt. He bears ornaments engraved with the dragon patterns of the Nine Heavens and tiger-shaped talismanic writings, and at his waist hangs the Sword of Solar Essence, Nurturer of Longevity. He stands on a five-colored lotus, with a halo of seven jewels behind his neck. In visualization, the Lord transforms into a figure nine cun and nine fen tall.

During the three months of summer, the Lord of Purple Essence transforms into a child. His hair is arranged in cloudlike, drooping horn-shaped knots; he wears brightly colored robes in five hues and holds a flowered banner. His brilliant radiance illuminates the realm of Highest Clarity. In visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, the Lord of Purple Essence transforms into a dragon’s head with a serpent’s body. Brilliant blue and yellow light shines from him, illuminating the realm of Jade Emptiness. In visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Lord of Purple Essence transforms into rays of purple, blue, and white light, blended as one like the radiance of the sun and moon. This image then returns to the Qi of Purple Void’s Three Origins, where it once again receives refinement through the essence of Purple Dawn. In visualization, he returns to his original true form.

Those who practice the Way of the Lord of Purple Essence generally fast and purify themselves on the day of the spring equinox, enter a quiet chamber, and face east to bow to the Lord. After completing the bows, they turn north, click their teeth twelve times, close their eyes, and visualize the Lord taking his forms according to the four seasons. He is located in the Hamlet of Rising Joy in the Golden Manifestation District of the Grotto-Spirit Court of the Jade Treasure Palace of Highest Clarity. The Lord turns the true Qi around; it shines downward and enters the practitioner’s heart chamber. Then recite the invocation silently:

Purple Empyrean scatters the Qi of Vermilion Spirit; Cinnabar Empyrean illuminates the realm of Jade Clarity. The spirit of the Three Origins rides a flying canopy upward, wandering among purple steps and courtyards. Let me recover the Qi of nature and receive its refinement, making my body clear and radiant as fine jade. Nourish body and spirit; draw upon the water of the moon and, looking upward, inhale the essence of the vermilion sun. May the three kinds of radiance shine together and enter the practitioner’s heart chamber.

The Crimson Empyrean radiates a numinous light, illuminating the Jade Purity. The Qi of the Three Origins surges forth and transforms into a billowing canopy, hovering among purple steps and courtyards. Bring your own Qi back to its natural state; through refining and nourishing it, make the body smooth and lustrous as jade. Nourish Jing and Qi with the water of the moon, and, raising your head, absorb the essence of the Vermilion Sun. Let the three luminous radiances shine together, then ride the breath and fly swiftly, reaching the eight directions. When you have finished, raise your head and swallow the breath seven times; then stop. This is a secret invocation transmitted from the Nine Heavens, and a scripture treasured in the Jade Chamber. Practice according to this method, and you may ascend to the Jade Purity. If you carelessly disclose it or neglect the practice, you will be put to labor at the source of the River and will be unable to enter the realm of the immortals.

The True Yang Nine Elders’ Mysterious One Lord is a deity transformed from the Qi of the Primordial Cavern Dawn. His sacred name is Mingliulan, and his courtesy name is Xuantongbo. He is fifty million zhang tall. During the three months of summer, he wears the Precious Dawn Essence-Pervading Crown and a nine-colored brocade robe patterned with clouds. He bears the Supreme One’s Deity-Commanding Seal and the Dragon Radiance Cinnabar Script, stands upon purple clouds, and sits on a seven-colored lotus, shining brilliantly. When you visualize him, he contracts to five cun and five fen tall. During the three months of autumn, he transforms into an infant seated within the Purple Void, wearing a five-colored radiant canopy and holding a banner adorned with the Five Zhi. When you visualize him, he returns to his original form. During the three months of winter, he transforms into moonlight, a deep blue-green in hue, dwelling above the Azure Florescence amid purple clouds. His radiance streams forth, illuminating and penetrating the Highest Clarity. When you visualize him, he returns to his original form. During the three months of spring, he transforms into light of three colors—azure, green, and dark—interwoven and mingled like clouds entwining one another, surging in abundance within the Highest Clarity. This signifies the Qi of the Primordial Elder returning to its true state and once again receiving refinement and nourishment from the essence of the Primordial Cavern Dawn. When you visualize him, he returns to his original form.

Those who practice the Way of the Primordial Elder, Mysterious One, should fast and purify themselves on the day of the Beginning of Summer. Enter a room, face west, and bow three times. After paying homage to the Primordial Elder, sit upright facing north and click the teeth twelve times. Visualize the Primordial Elder, Mysterious One Lord, in the forms he assumes through the four seasons, dwelling in the Flying Mystery Palace of the Highest Clarity, the Cavern of Great Peace, the Township of the Nine Origins, and the Three Passes. Turn the true Qi so that it shines downward and enters the place within your own body where the Gate of Destiny is located. Then quietly recite the invocation:

In the realm of Dongchen, cultivate and nourish true Yang. The Mysterious Elder appears riding on emptiness, and through four transformations brings forth the subtle root. The radiance of Lei Mai shines like a bright moon, speeding along the cinnabar road through the void. Riding a carriage of vermilion law, it winds its way toward the land of the netherworld. Then silently recite the invocation:

“In the realm of Dongchen, cultivate and nourish true Yang. The Mysterious Elder appears riding on emptiness, and through four transformations brings forth the wondrous root. The radiance of Lei Mai shines like a bright moon, speeding along the cinnabar road through the void. Riding a carriage of vermilion law, it winds its way toward the land of the netherworld. The spirits meet and mingle, gathering together at the Gate of the Nine Spirits. The merit of protecting the cycles of calamity is so subtle and hidden—who can fathom its changes of rise and decline?”

When you have finished reciting, raise your head and swallow nine times; the ritual is then complete. Whoever understands how the Primordial One (the fundamental original Qi spoken of in Daoism) changes with the four seasons and cultivates it for nine years will see the True Form descend into the bedchamber. They will also be able to transform their body, enter the Great Void, and fly through the realm of Shangqing.

The Great Emperor Lord of Taiwei is a deity formed from the Qi of Yuandong Yuan. His taboo name is Dachongshu, his courtesy name Yuandongdu, and his body is thirty million zhang tall. During the three months of autumn, he wears the Nine-Origin Flying-Infant Crown and a seven-colored robe of phoenix clouds, and is girded with a luminous jade chapter and a plain sash of intertwined spirits. He stands upon a five-colored lion, his whole body radiating precious light in thirty-two colors, above Shangqing. When you visualize him, he contracts back to his True Form, three cun and two fen tall.

During the three months of winter, he transforms into an Immeasurable Perfected One. Golden light shines from his body, illuminating the ten directions. He stands upon a nine-colored lotus and holds a golden bell. When you visualize him, he returns to his original True Form.

During the three months of spring, he transforms into sunlight. Purple radiance shines above the Jade Void and illuminates the ten directions. When you visualize him, he returns to his original True Form.

During the three months of summer, he transforms into light in three colors—white, dark blue, and green—which intertwine and pile up like clouds. This signifies the Emperor Lord’s return to the Qi of Taiwei, where he again undergoes refinement by the vital essence of Dongyuan. When you visualize him, he returns to his original True Form.

Those who cultivate the Way of the Heavenly Emperor Lord should regularly visualize him returning to his original True Form on the spring equinox. During the three months of summer, he transforms into light in three colors—white, dark blue, and green—which intertwine and pile up like clouds. This is the scene of the Emperor Lord returning to the Qi of Taiwei and again undergoing refinement by the vital essence of Dongyuan. When you visualize him, he returns to his original True Form.

One who practices the Way of the Heavenly Emperor Lord should bathe on the day of the spring equinox and enter a quiet chamber. Facing east, bow twice. After paying respects to the Heavenly Emperor Lord, turn north and sit upright, then click the teeth three times. Visualize the Heavenly Emperor Lord taking on different forms as the seasons change. He dwells in the Three True Ones’ District, Five Dawn Lane, Eight Radiance Mansion, in the Palace of Cloud and Rosy Hues of Shangqing. He turns his true Qi downward, shining into your right armpit. Then pray softly:

“From the Cavern Source, transformation gives rise to numinous wonders, bright with nine colors. Circling and converging in Taiwei, all changes of the four seasons become true. The Qi of Jade Void surges and swells, its radiance illuminating vermilion clouds. I contain the essence, sip the sweet spring, and let fragrant Qi coil around the eight directions. I raise myself up and absorb the flowing radiance, letting it refine, nourish, and fill my body. My body transforms with it and ascends to the nine heavens. My name is entered in the register of immortals, and I form an immortal bond with Heaven’s Emperor.”

When the prayer is complete, tilt your head back and swallow the Qi nine times, then stop. If you can know the Heavenly Emperor Lord’s forms as they change with the seasons, your lifespan can endure as long as the light of the Two Ones. Practicing this Way enables ascent to Shangqing. If you carelessly divulge or neglect this method, your ancestors for seven generations will be punished.

The Lord of Azure Numinous Yang’an is a divine lord transformed from the vast Qi of the Primordial Cavern. His personal name is Duzhongfa, his courtesy name is Da Kaiming, and he stands fifty million zhang tall.

During the three winter months, he wears a dawn crown of the Three Essences and hibiscus, and a flying cloak of crimson brocade patterned with clouds. He treads upon a nine-colored lion and wears a flowing-gold fire bell, with the Seven Primordials as his belt. Seven layers of transforming light shine from his body, their radiance stretching ten million zhang. He shines above Jade Purity, in a place of utmost subtlety. When visualized, the divine lord contracts to three cun and three fen.

During the three spring months, he transforms into an old man wearing a flying-dragon crown, with the moon held in his mouth. He wears feathered robes, holds a purple sash, and stands above crimson clouds, his light illuminating Jade Purity. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three summer months, he transforms into a tiger’s head on a human body, his form mottled with five colors and his radiance illuminating the ten directions. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three autumn months, he transforms into light of three colors—yellow, green, and purple—filling Shangqing like the sun’s radiance. At this time, he returns to the Qi of Azure Numinous and again receives refinement from the essence of the Vast Cavern. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of Yang’an Jun, the spirit associated with the changing Yang Qi of the four seasons, bathe on the first day of spring each year and enter a quiet chamber. Face east, bow twice, and pay homage to Yang’an Jun. Then turn north and click your teeth nine times. Visualize Yang’an Jun appearing in different forms as the seasons change, dwelling in Dongquanli, Guangling Township, Liuhe Prefecture, Zhaoyao Palace in Upper Clarity. Then visualize him turning and descending in a radiance that enters the gateway between your eyes, at the root of your nose.

Next, softly recite this invocation:

Vast and luminous, you stand among the Five Blossoms. Divine light pours into Qingling. Mingling with the Qi of the One Emperor, you arise and transform with the turning seasons. Your radiance reaches everywhere, beginning in the Hall of the Spirit; it opens the hidden realm and refines and nourishes the Elixir form. Mysterious upon mysterious, you are contained within the Nine Origins. In the still and empty, essence and Qi are naturally present. The vision of the true spirit shines upon the Cloud Palace; its brilliant splendor illuminates the Three Pure Ones. Its returning light reflects in the subtlest places, revealing your form and name. Your breath enters the chamber of divine stillness and returns to rest within the purple-cloud chariot.

When you have finished the invocation, swallow your breath three times, then stop. If you can understand the four forms of Yang’an Jun’s transformations, you will live as long as Heaven and Earth. After nine years of cultivation, you may ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.

The Lord of the Three Origins of the Great Simplicity of the Upper Origin—the divine lord transformed from the Great Simplicity Qi of the Upper Origin—was generated from the Qi of Primordial Dawn and Radiance. His name was Yun Yuying, his courtesy name Bozhi, and his body stood thirty million zhang tall.

During the three months of spring, the Lord of the Three Origins wore a feathered crown of treasured mystery that supported the dawn. He wore a shoulder cape of brocade patterned with floating clouds of purple Qi and a feathered skirt embroidered with nine-colored dragons. At his waist hung a flowing-gold fire bell, a tiger tally, and dragon script. Seated upright in the expanse of space, he was often surrounded below the knees by clouds of red, green, and blue Qi, bright with radiance and illuminating the ten directions. He dwelled above the Nine Heavens, in a realm of subtle mystery. When practitioners visualized him, he contracted to a height of seven cun.

During the three months of summer, he transformed into a figure with one body and three heads, wearing a crown of sevenfold treasure and robes of three-colored plain-cloud brocade. He stood upon a nine-colored phoenix, shining upward into the ten directions. After practitioners had visualized him, he returned to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, he transformed into the radiant essence of the Seven Luminaries—the sun, the moon, and the five major planets—appearing above purple clouds. His light was deep and abundant, like sunlight. After practitioners had visualized him, he returned to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, he transformed into a flourishing, abundant radiance of purple, white, and yellow, bright as golden essence. At this time, he returned to the Qi of the Great Simplicity of the Upper Origin and again received and refined the essence of Dawn and Radiance. After practitioners had visualized him, he returned to his original true form.

Those who practice the Way of the Three Origins should regularly bathe and enter a quiet chamber on their birth date or on the day of the Grand Duke of Jupiter. Facing west, they should bow three times and pay homage to the Lord of the Three Origins. When the ceremony is complete, they should turn north, sit upright, and click their teeth nine times. They should visualize the Lord of the Three Origins appearing in different forms as the seasons change. He circles through the Palace of Treasured Simplicity in Highest Clarity, the Abode of the Nine Mysteries, the Land of Dawn and Radiance, and the Jade Emperor’s Ward, revealing his true form. He shines down upon the practitioner and enters the body through its nine apertures. Then they should softly recite this prayer:

“May the Three Plain Ones turn back the Qi of the Heavenly Origin, flow through the clouded heavens, and support and protect the Jade Spirit. May they slowly ride the mysterious Qi as it spreads, and float upward to Highest Clarity.”

The Three Forms of Qi circle within the center of Heaven and flow between the clouds, supporting the Jade Spirit. They slowly ride the mysterious Qi as it spreads, then lightly drift upward to the realm of Highest Clarity. I follow the workings of nature, changing without limit; how could I be named by any fixed title? Mysterious awakening opens from the first realm of mystery, filling me with joy in an existence that endures through ten thousand kalpas. The Great Rosy Clouds seem far away, yet they clearly illuminate and discern the sentient multitude. May we carry jade tallies and make our pact together, ride the celestial carriage, and meet at the same time in the Nine Heavens. Swallow the Three Qi, then stop.

This is the secret Dao of the Purple Origin Palace of the Six Directions. If practitioners can understand the changes of the Three Origins and the Four Seasons, they can live forever and never die. Cultivating this Dao enables one to ascend to Highest Clarity.

The High and Exalted Lord of Great Simplicity, one of the divine perfected beings of Highest Clarity, was formed from the Qi of the Primordial Cavern’s contemplation. His name is Bao Dongtong, and his courtesy name is Ming Shizong. He is twenty-three million three hundred thousand zhang tall. During the three months of summer, he wears a purple crown of precious objects from the Purple Origin, robes of seven-colored red brocade, and the Seven Luminaries’ Primordial Insignia of Broad Release; at his waist hangs a strategy for summoning immortals from the Three Treasures. He stands upon a five-colored lotus, radiant with light. When visualized, he appears seven cun tall. During the three months of autumn, the Lord of Great Simplicity takes the form of a dragon-headed, human-bodied figure, with five-colored markings across his body and light flowing from him to illuminate the ten directions. After the visualization, he returns to his original form. During the three months of winter, he takes the form of three suns, whose light illuminates Chaos and Highest Clarity. After the visualization, he returns to his original form. During the three months of spring, he takes the form of blue-green and white radiance, shining forth within Primordial Qi and above the Purple Empyrean. At this time, one should turn one’s inner gaze toward the Qi of the High and Exalted Great Simplicity, causing it to take the form of three suns that illuminate Chaos and Highest Clarity. After the visualization, restore him to his original form. During the three months of spring, the Lord of Great Simplicity also appears as blue-green and white radiance, shining within Primordial Qi and above the Purple Empyrean. This is the process of returning to the Qi of the High and Exalted Great Simplicity and again receiving the refinement of the essence of the Primordial Cavern’s contemplation. After the visualization, he returns to his original form.

To cultivate the way of the Lord of Great Simplicity, one usually bathes on a jiazi day, enters a quiet chamber, faces northwest, and bows twice to the Lord of Great Simplicity. After completing the bows, sit upright facing north and click the teeth three times. Visualize the Lord of Great Simplicity appearing in different forms through the Four Seasons, dwelling in the limitless Palace of Highest Clarity and illuminating the Seven Phases Village and Nine Turns within the Celestial Domain. Then visualize him turning his true Qi downward, where it shines into the place along the joints of your back. Next, silently recite the invocation:

The Great Original Substance (the primordial vital essence that makes up heaven, earth, and all things) moves according to rhythm, while the luminous Qi of the four seasons flies through empty space. The vital essences communicate and spread, then are refined and transformed into purple radiance. The Canopy of the Three Treasures (an ornate canopy symbolizing sacred protection) and a green carriage wander slowly, their light and shadows flowing across a courtyard of rosy clouds and illuminating distant, hidden places. They come to transform my spirit and Qi, causing feathered garments to grow upon me and making my body light. I offer a quiet prayer:

“The Great Original Substance moves according to rhythm, while the luminous Qi of the four seasons flies through empty space. The vital essences communicate and spread, then are refined and transformed into purple radiance. The Canopy of the Three Treasures and the green carriage wander slowly, their light and shadows flowing across a courtyard of rosy clouds and illuminating distant, hidden places. They come to transform my spirit and Qi, causing feathered garments to grow upon me. Clad in light garments of feathers, I rise together with the Qi of the eight directions.”

When the prayer is complete, swallow the Qi you have gathered eight times, and the ritual is finished. If you can understand how the Great Original Substance changes with the four seasons, you may prolong your life for ten thousand years. By cultivating this Way, you can ascend to Shangqing (the upper celestial realm in Daoism). If you carelessly reveal this numinous text, you will die and lose the chance to become an immortal.

The Shangqing Purple Essence Three Su Jun (divine spirits of the Purple Essence in Shangqing, who govern the Qi of the Three Su) are born from the Qi of Primordial Cavern Yang. Their name is Xiaohua, their courtesy name is Falingyao, and they are seventy million zhang tall.

During the three months of autumn, the Three Su Jun wear a Tongjing Morning Crown and a tiger robe patterned in five colors. They hang a jiaoling plain silk sash and wear an Immortal-Summoning Sword at the waist. Standing upon a nine-colored lion, they have a round halo at their necks that illuminates Shangqing. When you visualize them, they return to a form seven cun tall.

During the three months of winter, the Purple Essence Three Su Primordial Lord takes the form of a human with a phoenix’s head. Wearing feathered garments in dark blue, blue-green, and purple, they shimmer with light in Shangqing. When you visualize them, they return to their original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Purple Essence Three Su Primordial Lord takes the form of a human with a dragon’s body. Bright patterns cover them and illuminate Shangqing. When you visualize them, they return to their original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Purple Essence Three Su Primordial Lord becomes light in two colors, yellow and black, intertwined and mingled like rising clouds. This signifies the turning of the Purple Essence Qi and its undergoing refinement once more by the essence of Cavern Yang. When you visualize them, they return to their original true form.

Those who cultivate the Way of the Three Primordial Lords should regularly do so on days marked by the stem geng… (The text is damaged here. Later it repeats the visualization for summer: yellow and black Qi intertwines and rises; the Purple Essence Qi turns and is refined once more by the essence of Cavern Yang. After visualization, the lord returns to its true form.)

To cultivate the Way of the Three Primordial Lords, a method of practice associated with the Daoist Three Primordial Venerable Deities, one should bathe on each Gengshen day and then enter a quiet chamber. Face west and bow twice to complete the rite of paying homage to the Primordial Lord. Then turn north, sit upright, and click the teeth together three times.

Visualize the Primordial Lord appearing in accordance with the changing seasons. The Lord is in the Three Qi Village within the Hall of Intermingled Spirits, in the Precious Cloud Palace of the Jade Emperor in Shangqing. Revolving True Qi shines down and enters the gateway at the Great Hammer Bone of the practitioner’s skull. Then offer this prayer in a low voice:

“Purple vital essence radiates its brilliance, transforming and refining itself in the Court of the Nine Qi. In three realms, round and square, it alters and moves through separation and union, bringing forth the myriad things. I release saliva to nourish the root of the sun; imperial, wondrous radiance shines upon Purple Clarity. I seek the supreme Great Dao that I revere, which holds the most numinous power within the hidden and subtle. Who can turn my chariot around and form with me a bond of mysterious destiny?”

When the prayer is complete, swallow the Qi three times, then stop. Those who practice this method will receive the descent of the Three Subtle Ones, who will reveal their true forms. After nine years of practice, one can ascend to the realm of Shangqing.

The Sovereign Pure Lord of the Cavern of Truth is transformed from the Qi of Primordial Brightness. His taboo name is Yuan Baozong, and his courtesy name is Li Xuanzhe. He is fifty million zhang tall. During the three winter months, he wears a three-beam Jade Morning Crown and a seven-colored robe patterned with tigers. He wears a golden-flowing fire bell and holds a seven-colored staff-banner, standing above the Three Subtle Ones’ flying clouds. His radiance shines within the Jade Void. When visualized, he contracts to a height of five cun and five fen.

During the three spring months, the Lord of the Cavern of Truth changes his appearance. He wears a yellow headcloth and a ritual robe with forty-two bands, holds an ornate banner, and stands upon purple clouds, shining into the Jade Void. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three summer months, the Lord of the Cavern of Truth closes his eyes and turns his gaze inward. He wears an ornate canopy upon his head and stands on a lotus flower. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three autumn months, the Lord of the Cavern of Truth becomes streams of yellow and white light, flowing and shimmering through the heavens and illuminating the celestial realms in all ten directions. This is the form taken when the Qi of Sovereign Clarity returns to its source and undergoes refinement anew, becoming the bright and numinous essence. After visualization, he returns to his original true form.

When practicing the “Way of the Lord of the Cavern of Truth,” a Daoist method of visualizing deities and regulating the breath, bathe on the day Beginning of Winter and enter a quiet chamber. Face north and bow three times. After paying homage to the Lord of the Cavern of Truth, sit upright facing north and click your teeth twelve times. Then visualize the Lord of the Cavern of Truth appearing in different forms as the seasons change. He is within the Palace of the Cavern of Mystery in Highest Clarity, the Office of Clear Subtlety, the Village of Jade Countenances, and the Lane of Golden Infants. Turn the true Qi back and direct it downward, so that it shines into the area around the practitioner’s mouth. Then quietly recite this invocation:

“Pure imperial Qi reveals the light of dawn; numinous Qi helps me ascend through the void. I drift upward to the Nine Origins and slowly enter the Imperial Dawn. Above, I draw in the water Qi of the moon; below, I draw forth the sun’s essential root. Deeply refine and transform the vast numinous Qi, letting its fragrance spread and pour into my true body. Riding the currents of time, I seek the Imperial Radiance, unite my mind with it, and at last become a Jade Immortal.”

After reciting, swallow the breath seven times, and the practice is complete. Those who understand the Way of the Four Transformations of the Cavern of Truth can converse with the spirits after three years of practice; after nine years, they can ascend to Jade Clarity.

The Sovereign’s Four Elders: the Lord Within the Dao is a deity formed from the Qi of the Cavern of Emptiness. His name is Jingji, his courtesy name Haoyuan, and he is seventy million zhang tall.

During the three months of spring, the Lord Within the Dao wears the Bright Truth Seven-Treasure Jade Crown and a variegated robe patterned with phoenixes. He carries the Hueless Flowing Bell, wears the Sword that Summons the True at his waist, and stands upon a nine-colored lion. Twelve bands of radiant light shine from his body in the Purple Void above Shangqing. When practitioners visualize him, he shrinks to a height of seven cun.

During the three months of summer, the Lord Within the Dao takes the form of a child dressed in five-colored clothes, holding the Seven Stars in his mouth and standing upon a white cloud. After practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of autumn, the Lord Within the Dao takes the form of a human head with a serpent’s body, marked with five-colored patterns, and resides above Yuxu. After practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Lord Within the Dao takes the form of blue, red, and white clouds of Qi, entwined with one another in the Dark Void. This is the state in which the Sovereign’s Qi returns and once again gathers in the vital essence of the Cavern of Emptiness. After practitioners visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

To cultivate the Way of the Lord Within the Dao, one generally bathes on the day of the winter solstice and enters a quiet chamber. Facing southeast, one bows four times in homage to the Lord Within the Dao. Afterward, one turns north and sits upright, clicks the teeth twelve times, and visualizes the Lord Within the Dao appearing in a form that changes with the seasons, in the place called the Three Pure Ones’ Realm of Taixianxiang, at the Huiming Palace of Flowing Essence in Shangqing. Then one visualizes his true form shining downward and entering the Earth Gate at the Tailbone in the practitioner’s back, and quietly recites the following prayer:

The four perfected immortals spread the fragrance of flowers through the cloud chamber, setting radiance in motion to shine in every direction. Their divine power transformed throughout the eight directions. They inhaled and exhaled the vital essences of the sun, moon, and stars, sending their light flowing into my palace. The immortal Hun and Po joined together, and the marrow congealed, giving the body a jade-like appearance. Riding the void and driving the clouds, they soared upward and flew into the heavens. When the ritual is complete, swallow the breath four times and stop. Those who understand the Way of the Central Lord’s Four Transformations can enjoy a lifespan of ten thousand years. Practicing this method brings the gods to descend: following the instructions above, let the light shine in every direction and transform throughout the eight directions; inhale and exhale the vital essences of the Three Luminaries; unite the immortal Hun and Po and congeal the marrow; then ride the void and drive the clouds into the heavens. When the ritual is complete, swallow the breath four times and stop. Those who understand the Way of the Central Lord’s Four Transformations can enjoy a lifespan of ten thousand years. Practicing this method brings the gods to descend and ultimately enables one to ascend to heaven in broad daylight.

The Great Lord of the Supreme Dao of Jade Dawn, one of the honored deities of the Highest Clarity, was formed from the qi of Primordial Emptiness and numinous spirit. His taboo name is Xiaoxian, his courtesy name is Boku Yuan, and he is ninety million zhang tall. During the three months of autumn, he wears a jade crown of myriad transformations and divine radiance, a robe adorned with flying forests and frost pearls, and a seven-colored tiger garment. He wears a nine-colored sash patterned with Li designs and bells of morning light and moon-brightness, and sits upon seven-colored clouds. His radiance flows and gleams in the realm of Highest Clarity. When you visualize him, he shrinks to a height of nine cun.

During the three months of winter, the Lord of the Supreme Dao changes his appearance. He wears a round wheel of seven lights on his head and a ritual robe of thirty-two colors, and stands upon a nine-colored lion. His brilliant radiance fills the Taiwei realm above Highest Clarity. When you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Lord of the Supreme Dao transforms into Laozi. He wears a horned headcloth and a tiger-patterned robe, holds a golden talisman, and stands upon a flower of the Five Mushrooms. When you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of summer, the Lord of the Supreme Dao transforms into purple and yellow light. The two bright colors intertwine in the midst of Purple Emptiness. He returns to the qi of Jade Dawn and is once more refined by the essence of numinous emptiness. When you visualize him, he returns to his original true form.

Those who practice the Way of the Lord of the Supreme Dao should regularly, on the Eight Seasonal Nodes—the days marking the transitions of the solar terms, including the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—and on their birth-year day, visualize themselves bathing in purple and yellow light. Let the bright colors intertwine in the midst of Purple Emptiness; then return to the qi of Jade Dawn and once again be refined by the essence of numinous emptiness. Afterward, visualize the Lord of the Supreme Dao returning to his original true form.

Those who cultivate the Dao of the Great Dao Lord should bathe on the days when the eight seasonal nodes mark the changes of the four seasons, as well as on their own natal day. Then they should enter a quiet chamber, face north, and bow twice to Lord Yuchen, a revered deity of the Highest Clarity. After completing the bows, they should remain seated facing north, tap their teeth nine times, and visualize Lord Yuchen appearing in form through the four seasons. He is within the golden light of the Purple Radiance Realm, in the Sun Palace of the Palace of the Numinous Pearl in Highest Clarity. He turns his true light downward, shining into the spaces between the twelve sections of the practitioner’s cervical spine. Then, in a soft voice, they should offer this prayer:

“Lord Yuchen wears the insignia of the High Numinous One, gathers all the perfected beings under his command, and governs the pure Qi of the eight directions. Jade radiance shines through the Cinnabar Chamber; the purple phoenix illuminates the cloud palaces. May you guide the perfected beings of the Mysterious Capital to join me in refining and cultivating the essence and Qi of the vermilion cinnabar. May the Five Spirits move and transform in response to change, and may their radiance shine upon the higher spirits. The Great Dao is without end. May you bring wondrous transformation and long life to my humble body, grant me the immortals’ register for passing beyond the world, and mark my body and name upon it.”

After completing the prayer, raise the head and swallow the Qi of the five directions, then end the visualization. This is what is meant by the High and Supreme Jade Text. If practitioners understand and cultivate it, they can prolong their lives for ten thousand years. After nine years of practice, they can ascend to Highest Clarity. Anyone who recklessly reveals this supremely wondrous method will die without attaining immortality.

The Central Yellow Lord of the Old Masters, the Yellow Deity who dwells at the center, is formed from the Qi of the Primordial Five Radiances. His name is Wuying Sheng, his courtesy name Yunjiuye, and he is thirty million zhang tall.

During the three months of summer, the Central Yellow Lord wears a jeweled morning crown and a fur robe patterned with clouds in nine colors. A purple sash binds his waist, and twelve-colored radiance streams from his body. He often stands upon a five-colored lion, his light shining upon Shangqing, the Daoist realm of Clear Subtlety. In visualization, he contracts to three cun and three fen.

During the three months of autumn, the Central Yellow Lord transforms into a jade youth. He wears the splendor of the Seven Luminaries upon his head and a feathered robe of the flying immortals, and holds an ornate banner. After the visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Central Yellow Lord transforms into a great immortal, golden all over and clad in a seven-colored robe. A round halo shines behind his neck, and he stands upon a lotus, radiant and brilliant. After the visualization, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Central Yellow Lord transforms into purple, green, and blue radiances, intertwining above Yuxu, the Daoist immortal realm. This shows the Qi of the center returning to its proper place, where it again absorbs and refines the essence of the Primordial Five Radiances. After the visualization, he returns to his original true form.

To practice the Way of the Yellow Lord, practitioners usually bathe on a Gengshen or Jiazi day, then enter a quiet chamber. Facing northeast, they bow three times to the Yellow Lord, then turn north, sit upright, and click their teeth twelve times. Next, they visualize the Yellow Lord appearing in forms that change with the seasons. He dwells in immortal realms such as the Palace of Empty Reflections in Shangqing, the Mansion of Golden Pearls, the Village of Upper Essence, and the Hamlet of Everlasting Joy. Returning to his true nature, he manifests below and enters the center of the practitioner’s chest, at its four quarters. Then they softly recite the invocation:

The Great Clarity is joined to Yuxu; dark clouds spread through the Vermilion Palace. The four transformations flow apart and fade, and the forms of the myriad things change with them. Marvelous radiance appears, riding upon numinous Qi…

Pure Qi rises to connect with Jade Void (one of the Daoist heavens), while dark clouds spread through Vermilion Palace, the halls where immortals dwell. Four transformations turn in succession, and amid these changes, familiar forms also alter. The practitioner rides upon wondrous visions and enters a subtle, elusive state. Within the merging of all things, it is as though a still, empty vigil comes into being. Attaining the Dao lies in meeting through resonance; Heaven and Earth are joined as one by the mysterious Dao. With a still mind and focused visualization, one can forget one’s own body, while the mind and spirit yearn for peaks in the hidden realm. When finished, swallow the Qi five times, then stop. If you can understand the forms of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi’s four transformations, you may live for ten thousand years. Practicing this method allows you to ascend to Highest Clarity (Shangqing), a Daoist heaven.

The Lord of Primordial Manifestation of the Great Dao of Taiji, a deity who presides over the Great Dao of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), came into being from the Qi of Primordial Supreme Fusion. His sacred name is Master of the Great Dao, and his courtesy name is Crossing into Great Clarity. He is thirty million zhang tall. During the three months of autumn, he wears the jeweled crown of Morning Infancy and a seamless, nine-colored single robe. He bears the divine tiger’s upper talisman, wears a jeweled immortal’s sword at his waist, and radiates a molten-gold light from his neck that illuminates seventy-four directions. He stands upon a dark tortoise. When visualized, he contracts until he is three cun and three fen tall.

During the three months of winter, the Lord of Primordial Manifestation of the Great Dao transforms into a tiger’s head with a dragon’s body. His body is patterned in five colors, and his light shines upon Highest Clarity. Visualize him returning to his original, true form. During the three months of spring, he transforms into Laozi, his hair loose and falling to his waist. He wears a flowing blue feather robe and stands upon purple clouds. Visualize him returning to his original, true form. During the three months of summer, he transforms into blue and red lights, merging in a chaotic blend and winding around one another above Purple Void, the pure and empty heaven described in Daoism. This signifies his return to the Qi of Taiji, where he is refined once more and absorbs the essence of Primordial Supreme Fusion. Visualize him returning to his original, true form.

When practicing the summer method of the Lord of Primordial Manifestation, visualize him according to the instructions above: during the three months of summer, the Lord of Primordial Manifestation of the Great Dao becomes blue and red lights, merging in a chaotic blend and winding around one another above Purple Void. He returns to the Qi of Taiji, is refined once more, and absorbs the essence of Primordial Supreme Fusion. Then visualize him returning to his original, true form.

To cultivate the Way of Lord Yuanjing (the deity honored in this practice), bathe on the day of the Beginning of Autumn each year, then enter a quiet chamber and bow twice facing west. After paying homage to Lord Yuanjing, sit upright facing north and click your teeth together three times. Next, visualize Lord Yuanjing appearing in different forms as the seasons change, dwelling in the Palace of Long Life in Shangqing, the Eight Misty Mansions, the Village of the Upper Origin, and the Hamlet of Gathering Spirits. His true Qi shines downward, entering the gate of the practitioner’s stomach passage and the upper membrane.

Then recite softly: “Lord Yuanjing penetrates the mysteries of the profound. With the Qi of the Nine Subtleties, he refines and nourishes the body, changing as the four seasons turn and transforming life as the breath changes. True spirits mingle, their radiance spreading through the eight directions and the hidden realms. On this auspicious day, I report to the divine sovereigns and pray to become an immortal and ascend, to take my place among the spirits of the Eight Radiances, summon the myriad numina, ride a flowing carriage, rise into the empty expanse of the Nine Heavens, and pay homage to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing).”

When the recitation is complete, raise your head and swallow twelve breaths, then stop. The scripture says that those who understand the method of Lord Yuanjing’s transformation with the four seasons can live for three thousand years; after nine years of practice, they can dwell with the true spirits and fly through the realm of Shangqing.

The Primordial Radiance Jade-Fusion Qi of the Great Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing is named Fushanghe and styled Lingyouhui. His body is 370 million zhang tall.

During the three months of winter, the Great Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing wears a Nine-Origin Heaven-Penetrating Crown and a nine-colored dragon robe. He carries the Three-Qi Central Insignia, wears a plain silk sash that joins the spirits, and treads upon three plain clouds. Radiant and brilliant, he appears above Shangqing. When one visualizes this scene, the Lord contracts to a height of three cun and two fen.

During the three months of spring, the Great Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing transforms into a three-headed phoenix, holding a plain silk sash in its beak. Its body is covered in nine-colored feathers, their patterns dazzling, and its light shines over Shangqing. After the visualization, the Lord returns to his original form.

During the three months of summer, the Great Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing transforms into a luminous disc like a full moon. Deep and red in color, it resembles a wheel, its light shining above Taiqing. After the visualization, the Lord returns to his original form.

During the three months of autumn, the Great Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing transforms into rays of purple, white, and yellow light. Radiant and brilliant, they illuminate all of Shangqing. This signifies his return to the Qi of Taiqing, where he once again receives the refining of the essence of Primordial Radiance Jade-Fusion. After the visualization, the Lord returns to his original form.

To cultivate the Way of the Great Lord of the Great Dao of Taiqing, one generally bathes on the day of the Beginning of Spring and enters a quiet chamber. Facing north, one bows three times to pay reverence to the Lord. Then, still facing north, one sits upright, clicks the teeth three times, and visualizes the Great Lord of the Dao appearing in a different form with each season. He is above Shangqing, within the Wind-Birth Hamlet of the Six Directions, in the Palace of Initial Birth, the First Palace. Circling and descending, he enters the innermost root-gate within the practitioner’s throat. Then one softly recites the invocation:

“Taiqing disperses numinous Qi; ninefold radiance pours forth its fluid. Golden light and jade tallies; five-colored clouds and mists flow and turn. Above they connect, below they unite, transforming throughout the nine heavens. The myriad spirits join in refinement; inner light shines forth, enabling one to become an immortal. Enter the quiet chamber, assist the Perfected One, and ascend by flight to the court of the Morning Emperor.”

After the invocation is recited, the innermost root-gate within the practitioner’s throat…

The clear and numinous Qi spreads everywhere, and nine rays of light exhale fluids. Golden light and jade Fulu (talismans and registers) release five-colored mists. Rising upward and meeting what lies below, they transform into visions that fill the nine heavens, causing the myriad gods to blend and refine one another. Through inward contemplation, the practitioner becomes an immortal. By practicing in a chamber, one assists the Perfected Ones and ascends to the imperial court amid the morning light. When the rite is complete, raise your head and swallow three breaths; then you may stop. Mastering this Way brings long life and freedom from death. Persist in its practice for nine years and you will become an immortal.

The Lord of Purple Origin at the Beginning of the Sovereign Era, one of the Shangqing divinities, is transformed from the Qi of primordial fusion and generation. His taboo name is Xingjie Xing, his courtesy name is One Qi True, and he is ninety million zhang tall. During the three spring months, he wears a divine crown of purple-origin precious jade, a hide garment patterned with three-colored tigers, and a sash of plain numinous silk. He stands upon the Three Plain Clouds, shining brightly and seeing through the ten directions. At this time, visualize him above Shangqing and within the Eight Subtle Realms; he will appear nine cun and nine fen tall. During the three summer months, he transforms into a Great Immortal, golden all over, with a round halo around his neck. His patterns and colors are brilliant, and his light shines brightly across the ten directions. After he is visualized, he returns to his original form. During the three autumn months, he transforms into a three-colored boy wearing five-colored robes and holding an ornate banner. Bright and radiant, he illuminates Shangqing. After he is visualized, he returns to his original form. During the three winter months, he transforms into light of three colors: dark blue, blue-green, and purple. This light then becomes a three-colored boy wearing five-colored robes and holding an ornate banner. Bright and radiant, he illuminates Shangqing. After he is visualized, he returns to his original form. During the three winter months, the Lord of Purple Origin at the Beginning of the Sovereign Era also transforms into light of three colors—dark blue, blue-green, and purple—which shines brilliantly and illuminates Shangqing. This signifies his return to the Qi of the Beginning of the Sovereign Era and his renewed reception of refinement by the essence of primordial fusion and generation. After he is visualized, he returns to his original form.

To practice the Way of the Lord of Purple Origin, bathe on a day when the year’s Tai Sui is Jiazi, then enter a quiet chamber. Face south, bow once, and pay homage to the Lord of Purple Origin. When the homage is complete, turn north, sit upright, and click your teeth three times. Next, visualize the Lord of Purple Origin in his forms that change with the seasons, located in the High and Empty Palace of Shangqing, the Mansion of Layered Emptiness, the Township Amid the Clouds, and the Hamlet of the Divine Han. He turns back his true Qi and sends it down into the practitioner’s Niwan Palace. It enters the body through the source aperture below the nostrils. Then silently recite the invocation:

At the beginning of primordial existence, the Purple Sovereign’s Qi joined with the Dao of mysterious subtlety and emptiness. After three transformations, it divided into nine and blended together to bring forth life within the Great Beginning. Jing and Qi gathered without yet dispersing, while the Dao’s numinous energy became golden radiance. The Yellow Superior surveyed the realm of truth and assisted the luminous jade book; the Celestial Soul gathered and governed the breath, while the spirit soul ascended into Purple Emptiness. Flying spirits drove a flowing carriage. With its blue canopy and green carriage carrying my body forward, I was able to travel to Fangzhu, a palace in the realm of immortals, and pay homage there. When the rite was complete, I swallowed my breath nine times. This is the wondrous Dao of the Most High Sovereign, kept in secret within the Vermilion Terrace, a palace in the immortal realm. Practicing this method enables one to ascend to the Upper Clarity Heaven. If this numinous text is carelessly revealed, seven generations of one’s ancestors will be punished, and the practitioner will also suffer the torment of wind blades.

The Lord Lao, the Supreme Elder of the True One at the Center, an honored deity formed from inner true Qi, is the embodiment of the Qi of Primordial Mystery and Radiance. His taboo name is Jing Zhonghua, and his courtesy name is Mingwei. He is seventy million zhang tall. During the three months of summer, he wears a precious crown that reaches the heavens and a robe patterned in seven colors, with a purple numinous sash across his shoulder and a sword that connects him to the truth at his waist. Standing upon a nine-colored lion, he shines with a brilliance that illuminates and reflects across Upper Clarity. When visualized, he contracts to a height of seven cun and seven fen.

During the three months of autumn, the Lord Lao at the Center transforms into an old man. His head is wrapped in a yellow turban, he wears a yellow brocade robe, and he holds a golden staff. Standing upon a lotus, his radiance shines in all ten directions. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of winter, the Lord Lao at the Center transforms into three spheres of light like suns. Their brilliant radiance shines across the ten tiers of heaven. The three Qi combine and take on the form of an egg yolk. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

During the three months of spring, the Lord Lao at the Center transforms into rays of purple, blue, and white light, whose radiance shines through the nine heavens. This signifies his return to the Qi of the True One at the Center, without a hero, and his renewed reception of the refining power of the essence of Primordial Mystery and Radiance. When visualized, he returns to his original true form.

Those who practice the Way of the True Central Supreme Lord Lao should regularly perform the practice on the day Beginning of Spring, their Birth Day (the day of their birth), or a Tai Sui day (a day corresponding to the Tai Sui of that year). First bathe and cleanse the body, then enter a quiet chamber and face west to bow three times in homage to Lord Lao. After completing the bows, turn north and sit upright. Click the teeth nine times, then visualize Lord Lao appearing in a changing form in accord with the four seasons, dwelling within the Palace of Flying Mystery in Highest Clarity, the Abode of the Purple Youth, the Land of Golden Radiance, and the Hamlet of Azure Origin. Next, visualize Lord Lao circling down and entering the practitioner’s Five Abdominal Storehouses (the internal organs and inner Qi chambers within the body).