《太上洞玄灵宝天尊说罗天大醮上品妙经》

At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the highest deities revered in Daoism) dwelt in the Qingwei Heavenly Palace of the Jade Pure Sacred Realm. The Celestial Worthy of the Numinous Treasure (Lingbao Tianzun) dwelt in the Yuyu Heavenly Palace of the Upper Pure Realm of Truth, and the Supreme Venerable Lord (Taishang Laojun) dwelt in the Taichi Heavenly Palace of the Great Pure Realm of Immortals. Also present were the August Heaven Supreme Golden Gate Jade Emperor, the Great Emperor of the Polestar (Ziwei), the Great Emperor of the Southern Pole, and the celestial worthies of the ten directions. The scripture then lists the names of the celestial worthies of each direction: the Jade Treasure August Celestial Worthy of the East, the Mysterious Truth Ten-Thousand-Blessings Celestial Worthy of the South, the Supremely Wondrous Ultimate Celestial Worthy of the West, the Mysterious Upper Jade Dawn Celestial Worthy of the North, the Immortal-Delivering Supreme Sage Celestial Worthy of the Northeast, the Life-Cherishing Life-Delivering Celestial Worthy of the Southeast, the Jade Treasure August Celestial Worthy of the Southwest, the Immeasurable Great Radiance Celestial Worthy of the Northwest, and the Jade Void Bright August Celestial Worthy of the Above and the True August Cavern Dawn Celestial Worthy of the Below, among others.

The assembled deities declared: may the celestial worthies of the ten directions, the perfected ones of the eight directions, the Three Officials who govern heaven, earth, and water, and the sun, moon, and stars all turn back their radiance and shine upon this place. We reverently pray that the spirits of the eight directions manifest their true forms, secure and pacify the realms ruled by the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, and harmonize the three realms so that all things may live in concord. May the true form of Taiyi (the Supreme Unity) reveal its original countenance, pervading the eighty-one heavens and the thirty-six earths.

Among these divine generals, some bear fire-tridents on their heads and ride fierce beasts, while others mount azure dragons and hurl flames across ten thousand li. The Supreme Lords of the Five Peaks, the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, the Great General Zhenwu, Tianpeng Yisheng, Heisha Tianyou, and other divine generals also appear in full majesty. Rakshasas follow behind them and mighty warriors attend them on either side. Their power is so awesome that it seems able to shake the world, topple mountains, and overturn rivers. From the empty heavens above to the dark underworld below, the spirits of the Five Peaks and the Four Great Rivers (the deities of the five sacred mountains and four major rivers) all fall under their command.

They can toy with Mount Sumeru and bear Mount Kunlun upon their heads, and as far down as the Nine Mansions of the underworld (the depths of the netherworld) they command mighty warriors and marshal celestial spirits. The divine soldiers of the Six Ding and Six Jia, together with those of the heavenly immortals, earthly immortals, and water immortals, gather rank upon rank, uniting into hundreds of millions of celestial troops. When the Jade Emperor issues his decree, all the deities respond to the command, and the host of demons can only bind their hands, trembling in terror. Even countless venomous dragons dare not come forward to resist, as the divine generals wield their swords and slay the ghosts.

The Lord of the Sun, the Lord of the Moon, the Southern Dipper and Northern Dipper, the Nine Luminaries of the celestial wheel, and the stars that govern each person's yearly fortunes all take part in the protection. The scripture lists the star lords one by one: Rahu, Ketu, the Virtue of Wood, the Virtue of Water, the Virtue of Metal, the Virtue of Fire, the Virtue of Earth, Purple Qi (Ziqi), Lunar Bo, the Sun, the Moon, and others. It also mentions the constellations within and beyond the Celestial River, along with the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, all complete in name and number, with Tiangang standing guard sword in hand.

The Twelve Natal Spirits correspond to the twelve zodiac animals and to their respective divine names. The Year of the Tiger is governed by the Natal Spirit Gongcao; the Rabbit by Taichong; the Dragon by Tiangang; the Snake by Taiyi; the Horse by Shengguang; the Sheep by Xiaoji; the Monkey by Chuansong; the Rooster by Congkui; the Dog by Hekui; the Pig by Dengming; the Rat by Shenhou; and the Ox by Daji. Each of the twelve zodiac animals has a deity in charge of it, and each is bound up with a person's destiny.

The scripture ends by setting out the sequences in which the Five Phases (Wuxing) generate and pair with one another: "Earth, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire; Earth, Wood, Metal, Fire, Water; Water, Earth, Fire, Metal, Wood; Wood, Water, Earth, Fire, Metal; Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth." These arrangements express how the Five Phases correspond to one another within the system of destiny and the star deities.

The Venerable Lord (Laojun) said that any man or woman who sincerely aspires to goodness and recites the Luotian Dajiao Zhen Jing (True Scripture of the Great Luotian Offering; the Luotian Dajiao is a large-scale Zhaijiao, or purification ritual, held on an altar set up by the Daoists) will be spared plague, illness, and unexpected misfortune. The scripture also says that the stars governing one's birth year, Rahu, Ketu, and malevolent stars such as Saturn and Mars will lose their harmful influence. One will likewise meet with no famine, imprisonment, robbery and murder, warfare, fire, flood, venomous creatures, or poisoning.

Suppose someone travels on public or private business and strays into a quiet, remote place, such as a lonely village deep in the mountains, a wild field or garden, a dark and gloomy spot, or an ominous temple or shrine, all said to be thick with ghosts and spectral spirits. Then they may sit in the lotus posture (legs crossed), clench their hands into fists, bow and touch their head to the ground in reverence, and silently recite this scripture once. It is said that this brings the protection of the holy host of the heavens. After that, the jade talisman (a Daoist Fulu, or talisman, symbolizing protection of the body) preserves one's life, and the golden liquid (an expression from Daoist practice symbolizing the refining and nourishing of Jing and Qi) nourishes the body. Body and mind become subtle and refined, and one is united with the Dao (the Way) in truth. The spirit (Shen) is not scattered, and every calamity is dispelled.

If a household is plagued by troublesome demons, sorcery, drains on its fortune, or mischievous spirits, or by illness, flood, fire, weapons, disaster, lawsuits, imprisonment, or other inauspicious matters, these misfortunes will vanish as soon as the name of this sacred text is heard. One should therefore believe, accept, and practice accordingly.