《太上助国救民总真秘要》Vol. 2

The Upper Scripture of the Hidden Book: The Marrow’s Sacred Writings, Part One

The Marrow’s Sacred Writings are said to have been handed down by Celestial Master Ye Fashan of the Tang dynasty, and to derive from the ritual arts left by a Zhengyi Celestial Master of the Han dynasty. Their efficacy is said to be wondrous beyond measure. Older editions usually transmitted only nine talismans, while their other hidden contents were seldom shown to others. In addition to those nine, I later received ten more talismans. I have therefore continued the text in its original order, compiling them as a middle volume and adding brief explanations to extend their uses. The related rules and ordinances remain the same as in the older edition and are listed afterward.

Fire-Bell Fierce General Swift-Strike Talisman

Except for the Yin talismans in this volume, which are written in black, all the talismans for gathering form are written in cinnabar.

Dispersed Form

This is the talisman’s dispersed-form inscription. Its general meaning is: Invoke the Jade Clarity Supreme Emperor to open the Gate of Heaven and make Heaven and Earth move with the brush. Mobilize the stars and directions of the Northern Dipper, along with the divine generals Tang Hong, Ge Yong, and Zhou Wu; the Five Phases; the star lords of the celestial circuit; the three-foot Great Dragon King who commands thunder; and the messengers of the Great One’s swift thunder talismans. Command them to ride the clouds of fire and wield the Sword of Heaven, swiftly unleashing the might of wind and thunder, setting a net of Heaven above and spreading a net of Earth below. Then dispatch the Taiqing celestial officials and the Three Officials’ envoys on duty that day to a specified place to seize and capture evil spirits.

Gathered Form

Great One Star-Chasing Talisman for Capturing Evil

Dispersed Form

This is the talisman’s dispersed-form inscription, which includes a passage marked in the original with a symbol indicating missing characters. The general meaning of the remaining text is: Invoke the spirits of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth to move with the brush; dispatch the Six Jia, Six Ding, and Three Officials’ Four Generals, and prepare their ceremonial retinue. Command Kuilong to bind the evil presence to an iron pillar so it cannot move. Then have the Azure Dragon on the left take the Azure Dragon’s Qi from a person’s soul, and the White Tiger on the right take the White Tiger’s Qi from that person’s corporeal soul. Invoke also the spirits of the Three Terraces stars to carry out the talisman’s command.

To draw the two talismans above, first determine the position of Tiangang (the direction indicated by the Big Dipper’s handle), and use yellow silk. On yang days, write in ink; on yin days, write in cinnabar. Then perform the steps of the Dipper (a prescribed sequence of steps that imitates walking among the stars) and gather the Qi of Tiangang. Form the Ziwei hand seal with the left hand and raise the talisman in the right. Recite the incantation:

“Seven stars of Tiangang, divine troops of the Three Heavens—you are soldiers and generals able to overturn Heaven and shake the earth. The great demon kings of the Three Heavens, the attendants of Jade Clarity, and the messengers who carry flying talismans—all descend from Heaven. By my Supreme High talisman, at this very hour today, go with this divine talisman to a certain place and household, carry out a certain task, and hunt down evil ghosts. The merit officer and talisman officer on duty today, along with the Northern Emperor’s ghost-slaying officials and troops, stand at my left and right. I ask that one messenger be sent along.”

Holding the talisman, start from the Gate of Heaven and follow the Dipper’s steps to Tiankui, where you stop. Then start from the Earth’s Gate and walk to Tiangang. Turn around and enter again. Face, burn the talisman to ash, click your teeth seven times, and recite the earlier incantation. Hold the ashes in your left hand and a sword in your right. Step backward three paces and stand on the Dipper’s guiding line. Command the talisman messenger and merit officer to go to a certain place without stopping. Then breathe onto the sword, point with your finger in the direction they are to go, and spray water outward.

The scripture says this method can pass through the Gate of Heaven and cross the Five Peaks, the Four Rivers (an ancient collective term for four major rivers), as well as the Yangtze, Yellow, Huai, and Ji Rivers; there is nowhere it cannot reach. The talisman may be written on a length of yellow silk twelve feet long, though in ordinary use the silk need not always be this long. This method must always be performed according to the prescribed procedure and is said to be highly efficacious; no other art surpasses it. For this reason, these two talismans are ranked first.

Mountain-Shaking Talisman

Its diagram is scattered among the relevant illustrations or across the original pages; no image is included here.

“Heaven is my father, Earth my mother; the sun, moon, and five planets are all my messengers. The Heavenly, Earthly, and Water Officials; the spring, summer, autumn, and winter thunder gods; the great gods of flying wind and rolling stones; and the soldiers and generals who overturn Heaven and shake the earth—all obey my command. The left column’s fire chariot roars; the right column’s fire chariot rumbles.”

Mountain-Shaking Talisman

Its diagram is scattered.

When drawing the two talismans above, first follow the month’s earthly branch, stepping the Dipper’s Guiding Pattern according to the positions of the Northern Dipper stars. Then determine the location of the Tiangang star. Inhale and hold your breath, reverse the flow of the breath, press your tongue against the upper palate, and pinch the middle joint of the middle finger on your left hand without releasing it. Draw the talisman in the direction of the Dipper’s mouth while forming the hand seal and concentrating your gaze.

Recite the spell: “Lord of the Great Dao, boundless and supreme, of the Highest Clarity: I, [name], respectfully summon the Water Official and the Earth Official; the local earth deity who serves as herald for [name]’s district; the River Marquis; and the mountain spirits. For [name] and [specific matter], I respectfully command this talisman to seal off and drive away the waters of the Three Rivers, making them flow into the Five Seas and the realms of earth and water. Should demons or monsters cross the borders of the water realm and repeatedly cause disorder and harm the people, I shall command the divine generals Dinghai, Dingchou, Jiaxu, and Jiashen to lead troops that overturn Heaven and shake the Earth. Let them go forth together with this divine talisman and quell the trouble in an instant. All are to obey my commands and direction.”

Knock the teeth twenty-four times, then complete the strokes to draw the “Mountain-Shaking Talisman.” Write it on crimson silk one zhang and two chi long. As you write, shout a command at a certain mountain, and the mountain will tremble while ghosts and spirits flee. To subdue dragon spirits and strange beings, write the seal-script “Dragon-Locking Talisman” on an iron plate one chi and two cun long, then place it on a stone wall beside the bank to prevent beings in the water from crossing. If the talisman is cast into a lake or pool, any dragon monster that charges against it will die.

“Highest Clarity Talisman for Flying, Violently Seizing Spirits”

Dispersing Form

The Three Terraces stars must be used together with the “Three Terraces Spell”; see volume two.

The right eye belongs to lunar Yin, so begin by writing “right.” The left eye belongs to solar Yang, so begin by writing “left.” By decree of the Emperor-King of Great Clarity, summon and draw in the true Qi of the Sun and the Qi of the Great Demon King Who Calms Heaven, then take in the true Qi. Command the Great Commander of the Nine Heavens, the Flying Immortals, the Mounted Scribes, and the Celestial Strongmen to seize at once the General Who Stands Alone, the Left Origin Grand Unity, among the Sun, Moon, and Stars officials. Let one Qi serve as the count and the sword as the mark; let the two Qi mark the stars. Then command the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, the Urgent Lightning, Urgent Wind and Thunder, Great Red, and the other divine generals to charge into the heavens and form ranks. Let the Six Jia draw their bows; let the myriad stars obey the order and seize and bind the evil spirits and malign beings. The three lunar mansions Jing, Gui, and Liu move with the strokes of my brush: bind those who betray; behead those who defy the Dao. With the righteous Qi of the Dipper’s celestial stride, govern my body and speech. Swiftly, swiftly, as the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, Urgent Lightning, Urgent Wind and Thunder, and Great Red charge into the heavens and form ranks; let the Six Jia draw their bows, and let the myriad stars obey the order and seize and bind the evil spirits and malign beings. The three lunar mansions Jing, Gui, and Liu move with the strokes of my brush: bind those who betray; behead those who defy the Dao. With the righteous Qi of the Dipper’s celestial stride, govern my body and speech. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands.

Gathering Form

Write this talisman on the right side. Begin at the position of one’s natal destiny, step through the Dipper’s pace, and transform your spirit into an Adept of the Highest Clarity. Then step backward from within the Dipper’s mouth to the position of firm strength. Take twelve feet of white silk, write the talisman in cinnabar, and gather the celestial Qi, storing it in the vermilion brush. Pinch the first joint of the middle finger, burn incense, and recite:

I respectfully invite the Three Masters beneath the Three Heavens, together with their soldiers and clerks, the Great Commander of the Nine Heavens, the True Official of Grand Unity, the Great Demon King Who Calms Heaven in the true realm of the Sun and Moon, the Celestial Strongmen, and the Six Jia who form the ranks. Command the Lords of the Five Thunders to ride the clouds and carry the talisman swiftly, obedient to the command. May the gods descend through Heaven’s Gate and surge up from the earth; spread the net of heaven above and lay the net of earth below; drive the flaming thunder chariot and sweep the land with the might of the wind. Follow this divine talisman swiftly to [the specified place], seize the ghosts or demons causing trouble, and do not delay. May the gods descend through Heaven’s Gate and surge up from the earth; spread the net of heaven above and lay the net of earth below; drive the flaming thunder chariot and sweep the land with the might of the wind. Follow this divine talisman swiftly to [the specified place], seize the ghosts or demons causing trouble, and come before me at once, without delay. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands.

Recite the incantation three times while writing the talisman and once when dispatching it. Use this talisman together with the “Flying Swiftly with the Fire Bell Talisman.”

Yang Talisman

Dispersing Form

When the Sun Lord is on duty on a given day, if it is a yang day, turn to the left seven times, silently recite the seven-character incantation given in the original, and form the Sun Lord’s hand seal, a ritual gesture made by pinching the fingers together. Then, following the ritual sequence, make the writing strokes and turn the Six Spirits’ Hidden Hand Seal: the second turn makes the Four Malefic Forces recede; the third unleashes the power of thunder; the fourth summons He Kui, one of the spirits of the Northern Dipper; and the fifth makes the qi of true yang appear, destroying all inauspicious ghosts.

Gathering the Form

Yin Talisman

Dispersing the Form

When the Great Yin Lord is on duty on a given day, make the writing strokes and turn the Six Spirits’ Hidden Hand Seal: the second turn makes the Four Malefic Forces recede; the third unleashes the power of thunder; the fourth summons He Kui; and the fifth makes the qi of true yang appear, destroying all inauspicious ghosts.

Gathering the Form

Yin Talisman

Dispersing the Form

When the Great Yin Lord is on duty on a given day, the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions and the Southern Dipper’s Slaughtering Youth accompany him. As you make the writing strokes, recite the seven-character incantation given in the original. On a yin day, turn to the right seven times and form the Moon Lord’s hand seal, a ritual gesture made by pinching the fingers together. The Yin Jail Envoy makes thunderclaps sound on the first turn, brings forth starlight on the second, summons a general on the third, and on the fourth brings ghosts and spirits to the pen to obey its commands. On the fifth, it causes them to die.

Gathering the Form

These talismanic methods are used according to whether the day is yin or yang. For example, Jiazi is a yang day, so use the yang talisman; Yichou is a yin day, so use the yin talisman. They are said to destroy all kinds of demons and monsters. You must also perform the ritual steps, pacing the stellar pattern. Write in cinnabar on yang days and in ink on yin days. When grinding cinnabar or ink, draw on the moon’s qi on yin days and the sun’s qi on yang days. The incantation says:

The Celestial Way’s Kui and Zhang command yin qi to drive yang qi. The true qi of Yin and Yang gathers in the Kui-Gang steps I tread. Once my talisman is put to use, all ghosts hide and flee. When activating the talisman on a yang day, form the Sun Lord’s hand seal and recite his name seven times; on a yin day, form the Moon Lord’s hand seal and recite her name seven times. Visualize true qi pouring into the divine talisman, to drive away ghostly qi and evil spirits. Affix the talisman to the surface of the yi vessel, and ghosts and spirits will vanish from sight.

Shangqing Talisman for Turning Back the Sea and Bringing Rain

Write the eight characters “Yuan Gong’s corpse travels through the nine rivers and nine waterways” at the lower end of the talisman.

Infuse this talisman with true qi to drive away ghostly qi and evil spirits. Affix it to the surface of the yi vessel, and ghosts and spirits will vanish from sight.

Shangqing Talisman for Turning Back the Sea and Bringing Rain

Write the eight characters “Yuan Gong’s corpse travels through the nine rivers and nine waterways” at the lower end of the talisman.

This talisman is used to pray for rain. Before writing it, first submit a memorial to the Heavenly Court and report to the Nine Rivers Water Emperor, the deity who governs rivers and waterways, identifying the nearby river sources and spring openings. If rain is already due, the spirits of the underworld will naturally respond. If a prolonged drought has brought no rain, specify places such as river pools, lakes, and marshes, and state the precise reasons. Then promptly submit a memorial to the Patriarch, the Great Emperor of Shangqing, and to the August Jade Emperor of Haotian, requesting a special decree. Ask them to direct the officials governing the local river sources to await the talisman and, as soon as it is cast, carry out relief by bringing rain. Specify the area where rain is to fall and its extent, measured in feet, and request approval to proceed.

You must also report to the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, the deities who respectively govern those realms. Send official documents to the celestial soldiers and strongmen of the Thunder, Rain, and Lightning divisions, the Dragon Kings who bring rain, the Earl of Wind, and the Master of Rain, ordering them to bring rain immediately over the designated area. State the area and extent clearly, and request approval to proceed. Also submit a report to the Three Officials and send documents to the celestial officers and strongmen of the Thunder, Rain, and Lightning divisions, the Dragon Kings who bring rain, the Earl of Wind, and the Master of Rain, setting out the contents of the memorial. At the same time, write a separate official notice for the specified location, listing each place with a water source, so that the spirits may await the talisman, verify it, and carry out the order at once. The ritual altar must be maintained for three consecutive days, or for five days if desired.

After completing the reports, wait until everyone has withdrawn. Then take one liang of cinnabar, grind it finely at an auspicious hour chosen for that day, and prepare a clean writing brush and a sheet of iron measuring one chi and two cun long and four cun wide. After following the prescribed steps to walk the ritual pace and gather Qi by visualizing and drawing in the spirits’ energy, reverse direction and walk until standing at the position of the month’s earthly branch. Then write the talisman in cinnabar, without adding or removing any characters. When finished, wrap it in yellow silk, stamp it with the Seal of the Celestial Law Master, write out the full title, and add the signature mark without writing a personal name.

Write another talismanic dispatch, an invocation that summons the spirits. Form the Celestial Soldier mudra, recite the transformation-spirit incantation, seal it with the Sentence of Heaven method, stamp it with the Seal of the Celestial Law Master, write out the full title, and add the signature mark without writing a personal name. Write a further dispatch in the same way: form the Celestial Soldier mudra and recite the transformation-spirit incantation. Then summon the celestial officers and strongmen and explain: “Because a certain place has suffered a prolonged drought and little rain, I have submitted a memorial. I now designate a certain lake or pool; if there are other locations, I will designate them as needed. I command you to bring rain. I am now sending you with the talisman to a certain place. Confer at once with the retinue of the Dragon Division that brings rain, choose a day and hour to bring and spread the rain, and do not delay.”

Once the talisman has been written, recite it aloud in person. After issuing the command, cast the talisman into the water. As the scripture states, thunder and rain will then spread in due time. The entire procedure for dispatching the talisman must be carried out without error, and every document must bear the Seal of the Celestial Law Master.

The Shangqing Great Power Tying-Down Dragons Talisman

Dispersing Form

In this incantation, the practitioner declares that an iron mountain will veil Heaven and Earth, and summons divine powers such as Celestial Soldiers, fire bells, and iron chains to help bind dragons or water spirits. The incantation also commands the officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, along with the water deities of the Nine Rivers and Nine Streams, to act: the Six Ding are to bind the target’s hands, and the Six Jia are to bind its feet. If it refuses to be restrained, the Celestial Soldiers are to cut open its belly.

The incantation then repeats the commands to summon the Nine Rivers and Nine Streams and bind the target’s hands and feet. It orders the water deities not to use the force of water to harm living beings. The “Six Ding” and “Six Jia” are common names for divine generals in Daoist ritual magic, while the “Nine Rivers and Nine Streams” refers broadly to numerous rivers and waterways.

Gathering Form

This talisman is made from cypress wood or an iron plate and measures one chi and two cun in length. The practitioner first visualizes the divine beings and summons the talisman’s divine officials, the Directing Talisman deity, and the Three Officials, explaining the purpose of the rite. After preparing cinnabar and a clean writing brush, the practitioner stands at the “Heavenly Gate,” faces the Northern Dipper, and performs the ritual steps that trace its stellar pattern, going back and forth twice. The practitioner then enters the Dipper’s position and begins drawing the talisman. While writing it, the practitioner holds their breath, entrusts the talisman to the Celestial Soldiers and Mighty Warriors, and makes the Celestial Soldier hand seal, stating which river, stream, pool, or lake they are to go to, and whether they are to drive away or bind the target.

After issuing the talisman, the practitioner must also submit a formal petition to the Patriarch, the Great Emperor of Shangqing, and the Jade Emperor, the August Sovereign of Heaven, clearly recording the circumstances without error. The petition is then delivered to the relevant officials of the rivers and seas and forwarded to the Water Emperor of the Nine Rivers, with an explanation of the matter. Once this is done, the practitioner again performs the Dipper steps, summons the Celestial Soldiers, raises the petition to issue the talisman, makes the hand seal, and fixes their gaze on the target. If the talisman is cast away, someone must immediately be sent to deliver the message at speed, since thunder and the waters of the sea may frighten people.

“Stepping the Dipper” or “stepping the Guideline” refers to Daoist ritual footwork that imitates walking through the positions of the Northern Dipper. “Making a hand seal” means forming a prescribed gesture with the fingers as part of a ritual technique.

The Flying Swift Talisman Envoy is a divine general who carries out orders issued through talismans. He wears a crown, rides a dragon, is clad in golden armor and crimson robes, and holds a treasured sword. He can be sent into the homes of the sick, or used to drive away ghosts and evil spirits and eliminate lurking corpse-fiends.

The Evil-Expelling Talisman Envoy wears his hair loose, holds a treasured sword, and is clad in black armor and robes. He can be sent into the watery palaces and springs to dispel calamities and pursue ghosts and monsters. If the talisman is affixed over a person’s natal destiny—the fate associated with their birth year—it is said to disturb that person’s spirit at night.

The Dragon-Locking Talisman Envoy has three eyes, wears his hair loose, and is clad in silver armor. He rides the aura of the Golden-Winged Crow and the Vermilion Bird, symbols of the numinous birds’ power. He can be used to lock up water demons and monsters and subdue creatures such as flood dragons and fish demons. Wherever the talisman is placed, water monsters dare not intrude.

The Mountain-Shaking Talisman Envoy has four eyes and eight hands. He rides a Fire-Eye, wears his hair loose, and is clad in silver armor. He rides the aura of the Golden-Winged Crow and the Vermilion Bird. He can be used to lock up water demons and monsters and subdue creatures such as flood dragons and fish demons. Wherever the talisman is placed, water monsters dare not intrude.

Another form of the Mountain-Shaking Talisman Envoy has four eyes and eight hands. He rides a fire dragon through black clouds and commands three thousand officials, generals, clerks, and soldiers. He can make the earth tremble and mountains quake, even causing great mountains such as the Five Sacred Peaks to be battered down by wind and rain. This talisman must therefore not be used casually.

The Spirit-Capturing Talisman Envoy wears his hair loose and is clad in golden armor. Fire flashes from his eyes, and he holds a demon-slaying sword. Riding on fiery clouds, he moves as swiftly as flying thunder. He can capture ghosts and spirits, mountain sprites, and stone and bronze monsters, causing them all to shatter and break apart.

The Yin Talisman Envoy wraps his head in a futou, an ancient headcloth worn by officials, holds a treasured sword, and wears black embroidered robes. Riding the talisman’s po—the force embodied in the talisman—he accompanies the troops and officials, driving away and putting an end to the mischief of ghosts and monsters until they are all destroyed.

The Yang Talisman Envoy wraps his head in a futou, holds a treasured sword, and wears purple embroidered robes. Riding the talisman’s hun—the soul-force embodied in the talisman—he accompanies the troops and officials, dispelling all manner of frightening apparitions and nightmare spirits that cause nightmares or confusion, making them vanish at once. In making the talisman, draw two figures and write the seal script. These written words are an order issued in accordance with Heaven’s mandate. The talisman’s po accompanies the troops and officials, driving away ghosts and monsters until they are all destroyed.

The Yang Talisman’s messenger wears a simple ancient headcloth, carries a treasured sword, and is dressed in purple embroidered robes. The spirits summoned by the talisman follow the divine officers, who cut down all manner of startling apparitions, nightmares, and demons, causing them to vanish at once. Two forms of pictographic seal script are drawn: these are the written commands issued by Heaven, tokens of Heaven, and numinous texts of the sun, moon, and stars. The talisman used by the Dragon-Binding Messenger is a secret text by which the Primordial Lord of the Great One (a Daoist deity) binds demons with iron chains. Its use is explained below; this talisman must not be passed on casually.

End of Volume Four of The Taishang Secret Essentials for Aiding the State and Saving the People.

The Taishang Secret Essentials for Aiding the State and Saving the People, Volume Five

Compiled by the Cavern-Obscurity Master, Yuan Miaozong

From The Numinous Writings, Marrow of the Bone, from the Hidden Book of the Highest Clarity

Five Prison Talismans

The Five Prison Talismans draw on the Qi of the Five Phases—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—to form “prisons” for restraining and capturing evil forces and wicked ghosts. The talisman method used should be determined according to which Phase is strongest in each season. Set up the corresponding “prison,” then use it to assess whether the exorcism has taken effect.

Earth Prison Talisman

Write it in cinnabar on yellow paper. First drive nails into the “prison,” then scatter ashes over it.

When setting up the earth prison and writing the talisman, first visualize the talisman’s messenger, a divine general charged with carrying out its command, descending from the sky. He wears a red forehead band and black headcloth, is dressed in red, and holds an iron staff. Then place nails inside the “prison” and scatter ashes over them.

Next, visualize the brush in your hand transforming into a yellow dragon that breathes radiant Qi from its mouth; from this, the talisman takes shape. Before putting brush to paper, recite the incantation seven times, then recite the name of the Earth Star seven times. As you write, near the end of the final stroke, recite the Earth Star’s name three times and the words “Three Bindings” seven times. The incantation is:

“Om □luo bo song na ye da tuo a nie di ling ti di hu luo er ya ti om yi he lou he sha sha suo he.”

After reciting the incantation, draw in Qi. The Earth Star is named “Jundali”; this is its secret name. As you finish the talisman, recite the words “Three Bindings.”

Wood Prison Talisman

Write it in cinnabar on green paper, place it inside the “prison,” and then scatter ashes over it.

When making the Wood Prison Talisman, first visualize Jupiter, the Year Star, coming from the east and descending as blue-green Qi, which enters your body through the crown of your head. Then visualize yourself wearing a star crown, dressed in blue-green robes, and wearing vermilion shoes. Hold a blue-green jade tablet in your left hand and write the talisman with your right. Visualize the brush transforming into a blue-green dragon that breathes forth luminous Qi from its mouth, and the talisman taking shape as it is written. Before putting brush to paper, recite the incantation seven times.

When writing the characters “Supreme One’s Command,” recite, “By command of the Supreme Lord Lao,” gather Qi, and blow it onto the talisman. When writing “Seven Commanders,” recite, “By command of the Seven Stars,” gather Qi, and blow on the talisman. When writing “Slay Demons and Ghosts,” recite, “Heavenly Sha, Earthly Sha, Year Sha, Month Sha, Day Sha, Hour Sha,” then gather the Qi of the Celestial Ladle and blow on the talisman. Recite each phrase and blow seven times. When writing the two characters “Summon at Once,” recite, “Summon at once all the unruly ghosts and spirits under Heaven. May the Qi of the Eastern Azure Spirit subdue them.” Then gather Qi and blow on the talisman.

Fire Prison Talisman

Write this talisman in ink on red paper, place it in the prison, then scatter ashes over it.

When making the Fire Prison Talisman, first visualize the Qi of true fire from the south coming toward you and entering your eyes like white silk. It then pours through your whole body, transforming into blazing flames and light. Next, visualize yourself transforming into a being with three heads and four arms, and the brush transforming into a fire dragon that breathes forth luminous Qi from its mouth as it writes the talisman. Before putting brush to paper, recite the incantation seven times, then write the talisman. The incantation is: “Om ding luo tan nang da luo ye wei bo zha hong suo he.” Gather Qi as you recite it. At the final strokes, recite, “May the Qi of the Southern Red Spirit subdue them,” seven times, gathering Qi as you do.

Water Prison Talisman

Write this talisman in cinnabar on black paper, place it in the prison, and carry out the prescribed ritual.

When making the Water Prison Talisman, first visualize the breath of the Dark True One of the North coming from the north. Like white silk, it enters your ears and then fills your whole body. Next, the dense breath of mysterious light appears clearly. Suddenly, visualize yourself transforming into a celestial general: hold a sword in your left hand and write the talisman with your right. Imagine the brush turning into a black dragon, breathing out radiant energy from its mouth; from this, the talisman takes shape. Before putting brush to paper, let the breath fill your whole body, then recite the incantation:

“Chenxing appears in auspicious glory; all ghosts lie hidden and subdued. The Celestial Emperor summons you—who dares to hide? All evil spirits and demons, appear in the prison. By the urgent command of the Law!”

As you finish writing, recite: “The divine Qi of the Northern Dark Spirit captures and commands.” Recite this seven times and draw in the breath of the north.

Golden Prison Talisman

Write this talisman in cinnabar on white silk, place it in the prison, and then carry out the ritual.

When making the Golden Prison Talisman, first visualize white radiant energy coming from the west. Like white silk, it enters your nose and then fills your whole body. It shines like moonlight. Then visualize yourself transforming into the Great White Star, the star embodying the Metal Virtue of the west, wearing a crown and white robes. Form the Ghost Pursuing Hand Seal, used to summon and capture ghosts and evil beings, with your left hand, and write the talisman with your right. Imagine the brush turning into a white dragon, breathing out radiant energy from its mouth; from this, the talisman takes shape. Before putting brush to paper, recite the incantation seven times. It reads:

“Great White Radiance, capture and restrain evil and violence. Unrighteous ghosts find no welcome in Heaven or Earth. The golden tiger displays its might, crushing the demons’ sharp edges. All hidden evil is pursued to its end by the divine officials. By the urgent command of the Law!”

As you finish writing, recite: “The divine Qi of the Western Pure Spirit captures and commands.” Recite this seven times and draw in the breath of the west.

When using the five talismans above to establish a prison altar, first place the talisman in the center. Then circle the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions counterclockwise, stepping the Ding-Gang Pace, a prescribed ritual gait. Whenever this kind of prison altar is established, the talisman should also be written, burned to ash, and given to the patient to swallow. Apply it according to the Five Phases numbers: Water is one and Fire is two.

Method for Establishing the Five Prisons

When setting up the Five Prisons—ritual altars or prisons for binding and capturing evil spirits—submit the memorials to Heaven according to the Celestial Prison rite of the “Heavenly Heart Method.” Use the directional arrangement described earlier. Make the prison altar circular and thirty-six inches wide. Place the talisman at its center and spread a uniform layer of fine ash over it, about two fen thick.

For the Water Prison, use a clean, new basin that holds three dou and does not leak. Fill it seven-tenths full with clear water, and position a large illuminating mirror above it. Write a “Mountain Spirits and Wild Monsters Talisman” in cinnabar, place it at the rear of the basin’s rim, then set it at the basin’s center. Light an ever-burning lamp and let it float on the water; replenish the oil whenever it runs out. Lay a ritual sword across the basin, then cover it with a length of black gauze or black silk. Suspend a bundle of paper money for the Five Directions and five ritual paper horses in the air, forty-nine inches above the ground over the basin.

Set up the Wood, Metal, Earth, and Fire Prisons in the same way: place an illuminating mirror on the ash, light a lamp, and raise the mirror above it. Stand the ritual sword beside the lamp. Use decorative colors corresponding to the direction of each prison, and follow the ritual instructions for the rest.

Format of the Placard for Setting Up the Five Prisons

Placard of the Northern Pole Office for Expelling Evil: To the attending divine generals, chief judges, and others.

On a certain day and at a certain hour this month, our office prepared a memorial and sent it up to Heaven, and submitted a report to the Eastern Peak. We have also sent a notice to the Great City God, requesting that divine generals, judges, clerks, and soldiers be dispatched to seize the evil spirits and ghostly bandits causing disturbances in the household of a certain person, and bring them to this prison. They are to reveal their origins clearly and report the signs of their response in detail. The relevant divine officials are hereby notified, so that they may make the appropriate report and escort the prisoners onward.

This placard is addressed to the attending divine generals, chief judges, soldiers, clerks, and all others concerned. Let each take note.

Year, month, day, and hour of the Grand Year

Placard.

At the end of the text, the ritual master signs and affixes a seal.

Diagram of the Prison Altar

After building the prison altar, burn the talisman for pursuing ghosts. See the Celestial Prison rite for its design.

Opening Blessing for Establishing the Prison

After the prison has been built, first burn incense and perform the “Changing the Spirit and Stepping the Seven Stars” ritual. Through methods such as stepping the astral points and visualizing, this brings the practitioner into a ritual state. Carry it out in the same way as described earlier. Then explain the reason for establishing the prison, make the “Commanding Supervisor” hand seal, and silently summon the City God, the household’s Life-Destiny deity, the Five Roads Earth Gods, and the deities in nearby community temples. Command them to direct the divine generals, clerks, and troops clearly: within the specified time, capture the evil ghosts causing trouble and escort them to the prison, ascertain their traces and origins, and make their due retribution manifest as proof for reporting and transfer. They must not be negligent. Any relevant deity who disobeys the command is to be sent to Mount Tai for investigation, convicted according to what they knew, and dealt with accordingly.

The “Prayer for Establishing the Prison” is used together with the “Heavenly Prison Incantation.” To investigate traces left by ghosts or monsters inside the prison, follow the same procedure. If there is still no response after two days, submit another formal document according to ritual procedure and urge them to carry out the order.

Talisman for Summoning Mountain Spirits and Wild Monsters

Write this talisman in cinnabar. Make the “Black Warrior” hand seal and visualize yourself becoming Zhenwu, a revered Daoist deity often depicted with loose hair, a sword in hand, and one foot on a turtle and snake. Let your hair hang loose, hold the divine sword of the Threefold Fire Bell, and stand upon the turtle and snake. Then make the “Heavenly Troops” hand seal, summon the Heavenly Troops and Strongmen and the Four Watch Generals, and visualize them standing at your side. First perform the hand seals and cast the Dipper; point the “astral pattern” toward the place where ghosts and spirits appear, then recite:

“I wear the Supreme One’s seal. I summon all the gods to come swiftly here, wield their divine power and bestow divine Qi, severing ghosts and demons and driving away evil spirits. Envoys of the Four Watches, the Six Ding and Six Jia, obey my command and come swiftly before the altar. I stand here with sword in hand, awaiting you. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands.”

After reciting the incantation, visualize the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Four Watch Generals, and the talisman’s envoys, clerks, and troops searching everywhere and driving the evil beings beneath the altar.

Dispersing Form and Gathering Form

The original also presents diagrams called “Dispersing Form” and “Gathering Form,” marked with the words “Metal, Fire, Earth, Water, Wood,” “Yin Dipper,” and “The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions devour demons and consume ghosts, capturing all evil ways.” These inscriptions accompany the talismanic methods and indicate the use of the Five Phases, the lunar mansions, and the Dipper’s form to gather and restrain harmful spirits.

This talisman is used to pursue and summon mountain spirits and wild demons. When performing the rite, one must “establish the Five Sacred Peaks”—by arranging the ritual altar according to their directions or representing the Five Peaks symbolically—and may carry out the talisman writing as described earlier.

The Wind-Pursuit Method

If someone encounters a violent, malevolent wind on the road, Daoist texts consider it the work of a baleful spirit of untimely death. If the wind is about to harm someone, form the “Heavenly Warrior Mudra,” a hand sign for summoning celestial troops; visualize mountain spirits and wild demons, and establish the Five Sacred Peaks as described earlier.

One may also visualize transforming into a Heavenly Warrior, a celestial general, form the “Heavenly Dipper Ghost-Slaying Seal,” a hand sign for cutting down evil, and then visualize the Four Directional Generals restraining the malicious demon at work. Next, use the “Yin Dipper” method to cover it, then strike it down with the “Golden Sword Seal.” The wind will split in two. Strike it once more with the Yin Dipper and Golden Sword Seal, and the wind will fall or disperse; it is said that blood may also be seen.

The Rain-Summoning Method and Talisman

When there is too little rain and a drought, first choose a Ren or Gui day, or a Zi or Chou day, to establish an offering altar and perform a Daoist ritual. First walk fifty-six steps according to the method of pacing the Dipper, holding a sword and visualizing yourself transformed into a Heavenly Warrior dressed in vermilion robes and red shoes. Then call upon the Merit Officer, the divine messenger who conveys the gods’ commands, facing the direction associated with that day. Cast this talisman into a local river, and it is said that rain will fall. The talisman must be written in cinnabar on an iron plate.

The Petitioning Rite

Whenever talismans are used to treat illness or dispel severe, harmful afflictions, one must first fast, bathe, dress cleanly and solemnly, set up an altar, and perform an offering ritual before submitting a petition and carrying out the rite. Before beginning, one must also swallow the “Purification Talisman,” which removes impure influences.

When writing the talisman, quiet the mind and face the “Royal Direction,” the direction corresponding to royal Qi or the position of the deity. Hold the breath and knock the teeth together three times, then write two talismanic characters in cinnabar. When finished, burn one talisman and cast it into the water used for bathing, then wash the body with that water. Place the other talisman in a cup of pure water containing cinnabar and swallow it. It is said to cleanse the five internal organs and remove impure influences from within and without the body.

Next, form the “Three Terraces Mudra,” recite the incantation, and write the “Chief Ritual Master Talisman.” Following the prescribed method, recite the names of the Three Terraces—Xujing, Liuchun, and Qusheng—then continue reciting the incantation.

The workings of Heaven and Earth never cease, and the Sun and Moon gather their essences. Their light shines through the four seas, able to cut down evil spirits and demons. By slaying demons, dispelling evil, and expelling illness, it causes light to appear in the human body. Once the divine water has been prepared, it can disperse every kind of calamity. “Hurry and obey the statute!”—a stock phrase in Daoist incantations urging the divine powers to act swiftly. After reciting the incantation, immediately take up the brush and write the talismans.

Two talismans for the Yin and Yang days of the day’s stem.

Write them in cinnabar on a firm day, and in ink on a yielding day.

For these two talismans, write the Yang-day talisman in cinnabar on a Yang day, and the Yin-day talisman in ink on a Yin day. Each time, write two copies of the talisman corresponding to that day: burn one to ash, mix it with clean water, and drink it; place the other on the table used for bowing before the memorial petition. When writing the talisman, do not let bystanders see it.

The method for prostrating before a memorial petition (the procedure used when presenting a petition and performing the rite).

Whenever a memorial is submitted to the Heavenly Court, the ritual master must don a ritual robe and perform the prescribed steps along the Dipper Net—the ritual path formed by the stars of the Northern Dipper—before the altar table. Standing at the Net’s entrance, the master places the memorial on the table. First, the master visualizes becoming the Commissioner of the Exorcism Court, then prostrates and stills the mind. Next, the master visualizes two attendants holding a precious sword and an official seal, with the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise arrayed in the four directions. The radiance of the sun and moon shines into the eyes, the Five Planets appear above the head, and blue, yellow, and white Qi encircles the body. A round halo of nine colors emerges behind the neck, and everything within and around the body becomes clear and luminous. Then the master visualizes the Perfected Lord Tang of the Upper Origin standing in front, holding Fulu; the Perfected Lord Ge of the Middle Origin holding a halberd to the left; and the Perfected Lord Zhou of the Lower Origin holding a tally to the right. In the center stands the Direct Envoy, with attendants, golden boys and jade maidens, and the officials assigned to the memorial on either side. The master’s own five bodily forms, divine officials and generals, lords and clerks, along with the divine generals and officials listed in the registers, the vajra warriors, and others, are also arrayed all around.

The master then visualizes riding a vermilion jade chariot, drawn by crimson clouds as it rises from the northwest. At first it enters the world of fierce winds, where the sun and moon shine in alternation and the Yellow Way stretches straight and level. It enters clouds of five colors and passes through the Gate of Heaven. Next it passes through the Desire Realm, the Formless Realm, and the Heaven of the Seed People. Along the route, jade groves adorned with the Seven Treasures line both sides of the road, their trees orderly and lush; as numinous winds pass through, they produce naturally resonant sounds. As the master passes along the Yellow Way, purple clouds form a canopy ahead, and in the distance appears the Gate of the Golden Palace, inscribed “Palace of Great Clarity and the Supreme Ultimate.”

When the master is one hundred paces from the palace gate, the chariot is left behind, along with its attendant officials and generals, who do not proceed farther. Only the jade maiden of the current ten-day cycle and the jade boy bearing the memorial lead the way, carrying its case as they hurry through the palace gate. They then reach the Golden Palace’s second gate, inscribed “Beneath the Gate of the Great One and the Three Heavens,” but do not enter. They continue westward and, one hundred paces from the palace, dismount, leaving behind the attendant officials and generals. Again, only the jade maiden of the current ten-day cycle and the jade boy bearing the memorial lead the way with its case as they hurry through the palace gate. They reach the Golden Palace’s second gate, still inscribed “Beneath the Gate of the Great One and the Three Heavens,” and again do not enter. Then they descend westward to the Gate of the Great Primordial Capital. After entering, they proceed north to the Celestial Pivot Court. Beneath its great hall, the master pays a formal visit to Celestial Master Zhang Zhengyi and explains the reason for submitting the memorial. Once Celestial Master Zhang has given his approval, the master exits eastward through the hall’s gate, turns north, and proceeds beneath the Phoenix Tower.

A short while later, a jade boy in red robes and a black cap emerges from within the gate. He takes the memorial case from the jade boy bearing it and delivers it before the Great One. Then an Immortal Guiding Attendant leads the ritual master forward to pay homage.

The Most High sat upright in the main hall, wearing a crown symbolizing the nine virtues and a cloak woven from clouds of nine colors. Two Perfected Ones stood in attendance on either side, while the assembled Immortals and Perfected Ones surrounded and guarded him. Taiyi, dressed in vermilion, took the memorial envelope from the hands of the attendant carrying the memorial and the jade youth, then brought it before the Most High. The attendant director who led the Immortals then ushered in the person presenting the memorial, who came forward to pay his respects.

The Most High sat upright in the main hall, wearing a crown symbolizing the nine virtues and a cloak woven from clouds of nine colors. Two Perfected Ones stood in attendance on either side, while the assembled Immortals and Perfected Ones surrounded and guarded him. Dressed in vermilion, Taiyi stood before the Most High, read the memorial documents, and personally reported their contents in secret.

The Most High ordered Taiyi to write the character “Approved” beneath the jade steps of the Great Clarity Palace, signifying permission. Taiyi then handed the memorial to the official on duty that day at the steps on the right side of the jade palace. After completing the handover, he bowed and withdrew.

Next, the Most High came out to bid farewell to the Celestial Master. He then joyfully rode back in a carriage with the officials who had earlier been waiting outside the gate. The ceremonial procession along the way was as stately as it had been on the journey there. Upon returning to the desk, the Most High said, “This matter has been submitted,” then bowed again and rose.

End of Volume Five of The Essential Secrets of the Most High’s True Ones for Assisting the State and Saving the People.

Volume Six of The Essential Secrets of the Most High’s True Ones for Assisting the State and Saving the People

Compiled by the Master of the Mysterious Cavern, Yuan Miaozong.

The lower section of The Hidden Book of Shangqing: Marrow, Sacred Writings, Ghost Statutes, Jade Regulations, and Rituals, divided into ten sections and 115 articles.

Section on Daoist Methods: Twenty-Seven Articles

Any ritual official who upholds Daoist methods and performs good deeds accumulates merit, for which the underworld has its own system of reward. Merits should be assessed each year according to the prescribed rites. Those who can suppress evil and correct wrongdoing, rescue people from hardship and danger, help the dead attain deliverance and the living rise beyond their plight, and bring blessings to all beings and dissolve resentments shall be promoted in rank according to the rites. Those who act unjustly out of self-interest, allow evil to flourish, or abet wickedness may be investigated and impeached by the Three Officials, who govern the affairs of Heaven, Earth, and Water. The matter shall be submitted for review, and severe demotion and punishment imposed.

When documents are dispatched, urgent memorials and petitions sent in an emergency must likewise be assessed within the prescribed period, with promotions awarded according to merit. Those who act unjustly out of self-interest, allow evil to flourish, or abet wickedness may likewise be investigated and impeached by the Three Officials, who shall submit the matter for review and impose severe demotion and punishment.

All urgent official documents and written communications must be handled on the same day. Examples include cases where a patient is critically ill and an inquiry must be made to the offices of the underworld or the celestial court to confirm how long the person has to live. Documents of the next highest urgency are sent to the City God, with a one day deadline. Those of lesser urgency are submitted to the Eastern Peak, the divine bureau overseeing underworld affairs, which is to establish a prison and press the spirits to act; these must be completed within two days. Ordinary matters must be completed within three days. An unjustified delay of half a day is punishable by one hundred strokes of the cane. Deliberate delay for personal reasons is punishable by one year of penal servitude, with a higher penalty for serious cases. Delays caused by circumstances such as blocked roads are judged according to the situation.

Generals, clerks, and troops under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Peak who are sent there on orders must rotate every three years or every year. At the time of rotation, their achievements and offenses during their term of service must both be reported to the Eastern Peak, which will assess them and decide on rewards or punishments. Their replacements must be appointed one month before the change of post. Anyone who wishes to stay on must report this to the Eastern Peak. Failure to rotate when required, or changing personnel without authorization when no rotation is due, is punishable by one hundred strokes of the cane. Those with a genuine reason are exempt from punishment.

A divine general who delays or fails to carry out an assigned task is punishable by one hundred strokes of the cane. Using a task as a pretext to harm people or accepting bribes is punishable by two years of penal servitude. Any offenses committed by heavenly troops, commanders, or clerks must also be fully reported in a memorial.

During a ritual, if a situation arises that makes an action unsuitable or difficult to carry out, practitioners must not change it on their own. They must report it immediately, seek instructions, and wait for a response. Examples include being ordered to dispatch ghosts but failing to make them leave, or talismans, registers, or deities failing to have an effect. Disobeying the order is punishable by two years of penal servitude. Anyone who is not the ritual officer in charge but intervenes without authorization is punishable by three years of penal servitude.

If someone assigned to command ghosts and spirits fails to do their duty, mistakenly seizes a living person’s soul, or causes someone to become insane or ill, the penalty is exile for two thousand li. If this results in someone’s death, the penalty is increased by two degrees. Anyone who destroys the prescribed system or disregards its rules is to be put to death.

Ritual officers may carry their talismanic seals—the talismans and seals used in ritual practice—with them when traveling. Wherever they are, their temporary office is called a “traveling bureau.” If anyone is asked to provide something or summon generals, clerks, or other divine officials, and disobeys without authorization, they are punishable by one year of penal servitude. If the matter concerns the ranks of the immortals, the circumstances must be fully reported in a memorial.

Anyone who receives or transmits official documents and then allows them to go missing must report the matter in person, without delay, to the Office for Driving Out Evil, the agency responsible for such affairs. After an inquiry, the case must be entered in a separate register, and a deadline set for the search. Anyone who cannot find the document is to receive one hundred strokes with the rod. If it is recovered before the deadline, the offender may be pardoned.

Any ghost or spirit ordered to escort someone to a designated place who disobeys and refuses to go is to be exiled three thousand li. Anyone who commits this offense repeatedly is to be put to death.

If divine generals, clerks, soldiers, or others harm people or accept bribes while pursuing ghosts and demons, they are to be sentenced to two years of penal servitude. Those who shelter ghosts and demons or let them escape are to be punished according to the crimes committed by the offenders they helped. If, after an offender has displayed signs of guilt at the ritual altar and the evidence has come to light, that offender suddenly dies, the responsibilities of the divine generals, clerks, and soldiers, along with the relevant circumstances, must all be reported to the authorities.

Mountain and river deities, City God and Earth God officials, other local deities, and the assembled deities of the Third Rank must verify the seals on every official document they receive from the Office for Driving Out Evil, keep the documents safe, and promptly report the results of carrying out the orders. Anyone who treats these duties carelessly is to be sentenced to two years of penal servitude.

Any ghost or spirit that, after receiving an order from the Office for Driving Out Evil, remains in its original place past the following night is to receive one year of penal servitude for each day of delay. A delay of ten days raises the sentence by one degree, up to a maximum of three years of penal servitude.

If evil spirits have already been driven away, but the gods Liujia, Tugong, Siming, or others secretly shelter them and prevent them from leaving, they are to be sentenced to three years of penal servitude. If this results in a death, they are to be exiled three thousand li. No punishment applies if the Celestial Bureau issues an order to keep the evil spirits there.

If a member of the public brings a complaint to a ritual officer, and the officer accepts it but takes no action, handles it perfunctorily, or arbitrarily labels ghosts or spirits as guilty, the officer is to receive one hundred strokes with the rod. It is also improper for an officer to issue orders and take action on some other pretext when no member of the public has made a complaint.

Any deity serving in office who secretly has sexual relations with a woman among the people is to be exiled three thousand li. In serious cases, the matter must be submitted for a ruling. If the offender is a ghost or spirit within the officer’s own jurisdiction, the sentence is raised by one degree.

If ghosts or spirits harm human life without cause or steal the people’s property, and refuse to take up the case when the victims request action, they are to be executed if captured. The city-god, earth-god, and other spirits in charge of the area bear the same guilt if they deliberately allow such conduct; if they merely failed to notice it, they are to receive one hundred strokes.

Ghosts or spirits assigned to carry out a task who fail to go promptly are to receive one hundred strokes. If the task is serious and involves human life, they are to be sentenced to two years of penal servitude; if their failure results in someone’s death, they are to be exiled three thousand li. Those who receive an edict talisman—a command token from a higher divine office—but disobey it and refuse to go are to be executed.

When locusts, drought, frost, snow, hail, or other natural disasters damage the people’s crops, and the local spirits responsible cannot provide relief, the Court for Expelling Evil, a Daoist institution tasked with banishing malign forces and dispatching divine generals, should send officers and their troops to help stop the disaster. Those who disobey are to receive one hundred strokes. If the disaster is an annual calamity sent down in its appointed season by the Celestial Bureau, a memorial may be submitted to explain the circumstances.

When ordered to mobilize divine generals, officers, and troops, those who mobilize them when they should not, or fail to mobilize them when they should, are to receive one hundred strokes for each person involved. If ten people are involved, the sentence increases by one degree, up to a maximum of three years’ penal servitude.

When ghosts and spirits must be mobilized to relieve the people’s suffering, those summoned who fail to appear without cause are to be exiled three thousand li. Those who do appear but refuse to help search for and capture the offenders, or are slow to act, are to be sentenced to two years’ penal servitude. No charge is to be brought if the Celestial Prefecture has assigned them another duty.

When seasonal pestilences cause people to suffer from sores, swellings, wandering pains, and similar ailments, and the spirits concerned fall under the authority of the Twelve-Year King, the Court for Expelling Evil may dispatch them to treat the illness. If procedure requires reporting the matter to the Celestial Bureau and apprehending the malign forces involved, they must promptly report the results and submit a memorial to Heaven. Those who disobey are to receive one hundred strokes.

When mountain and river spirits, earth spirits, spirits of fate, city-gods, and others are ordered to search for and capture malign forces, those who deliberately delay or let them go, allowing them to continue harming people within their jurisdiction, are to be sent directly to the Eastern Peak for judgment. Officials in charge who fail to notice the offense are to receive one hundred strokes.

When local divine officials such as the City God and the Earth Shrine Deity commit an offense, a written report should be submitted to the North Pole—the divine realm governed by the Lord of the North Pole. After receiving authorization, the case should be referred to the Three Officials, who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, for investigation, then transferred to the Court for Expelling Evil. Failure to comply is punishable by one hundred strokes of the staff.

When famine or pestilence strikes a region, causing deaths among the people or among oxen, horses, and other livestock, any report of the disaster should be followed by notifying the Year King Deity to contain the pestilential poison and reporting the matter to the higher realm. Failure to comply is punishable by one hundred strokes of the staff.

If someone has been held in prison for a long time, is suffering, and is genuinely innocent but wrongly accused, and local authorities cannot investigate and clear the case, the local City God or Mountain Deity, a local guardian deity, should be appointed to manifest and issue instructions, then investigate the facts. Once officials understand the truth, they should deliver a judgment immediately. Failure to comply is punishable by one year of penal servitude. This does not apply if the prisoner is indeed guilty of an offense condemned by the underworld.

Divine generals, celestial soldiers, military officials, and other divine troops must not leave the divine official carrying out a decree without authorization. Violation is punishable by one hundred strokes of the staff. If urgent circumstances leave the force short-handed, troops may be borrowed from nearby shrines, but the total must not exceed five hundred. After the task is complete, they should be rewarded and thanked, and a report should be submitted to their department so their merit can be recorded.

If ghosts and spirits are ordered by a Heavenly Talisman to carry out a task but delay instead of obeying, five days of delay are punishable by one hundred strokes of the staff. For each additional ten days of delay, the punishment increases by one degree, up to a maximum of three years of penal servitude. If there is a valid reason, a written report should be submitted to the Heavenly Bureau.

Second Article of the Taijia Section

If strange beings appear in mountains, forests, or valleys and repeatedly harm people, they should be put to death. Their subordinate ghosts, if they are not at fault, must not be implicated or punished; they should be sent to the Eastern Peak, the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak and the divine bureau under his authority, for disposition. If the divine official responsible for the area failed to notice the beings, the official should receive one hundred strokes of the staff. Anyone who conspired with the strange beings should receive the same punishment.

If trees spread unchecked and come to be revered by people, who build shrines to them, but prayers bring no blessings, the trees and shrines should all be removed. If the shrines have caused no harm and can indeed bring people benefit, the matter may be reported for consideration in light of their merit. Failure to comply is punishable by one hundred strokes of the staff.

Tenth Article of the Taiwu Section

Anything that is born and nurtured by the Qi of a particular region must, in years of famine, be traced to its place of origin. Evil spirits without merit or blessing are to be eliminated. If people build a shrine to one and offer sacrifices, and it harms no one but instead brings people good fortune, its merits and faults may be reported to the Celestial Bureaucracy for judgment. Anyone who violates this order shall receive one hundred blows with the staff.

Ten Articles of the Taigu Gate

Anything born and nurtured by the Qi of a particular region must, in years of famine, be traced to its place of origin and its background. If such beings enter and leave without cause like ghosts or spirits, raise winds and rains, damage crops, or endanger human life, they shall be exiled two thousand li. Celestial officials shall arrest those who commit offenses in the six regions and submit a detailed report to the Celestial Bureaucracy.

If ghosts or spirits steal a person’s property worth at least one thousand coins, they shall be exiled two thousand li. If the value is less than one thousand coins, they shall receive two years of penal servitude. If what they steal consists of offerings kept in a permanent shrine, they shall be destroyed in form, regardless of the amount.

If local officials in charge deliberately allow evil spirits to harm people within their jurisdiction, the matter shall be reported to the Office of the Day Patrol, whose divine officials inspect the human world. Anyone who violates this order shall receive one hundred blows with the staff.

Officials responsible for handling documents and restraining demons must assign the merit officer on duty that day to receive the documents. If they delay submitting them, leaving the local officials unaware and thereby allowing evil spirits to cause harm in their jurisdiction, the matter shall be reported to the Office of the Day Patrol. Anyone who violates this order shall receive one hundred blows with the staff.

When officials responsible for handling documents and restraining demons assign the merit officer on duty that day to receive documents, any delay in processing them—or any action that makes the writing illegible, worn, or soiled—shall be punished with one hundred blows with the staff. Anyone who opens a sealed document without authorization to inspect it shall receive two years of penal servitude. Anyone who leaks or loses a memorial to Heaven shall be exiled three thousand li.

If ghosts or spirits seize a person’s soul without authorization, they shall be exiled three thousand li. If this causes the person’s death, they shall be executed.

Ghosts or spirits who are summoned but fail to appear, defy orders, or show disrespect through neglect shall receive three years of penal servitude. Ghosts or spirits who have not been summoned by people in the human world must not mingle among living beings; anyone who violates this order shall receive one hundred blows with the staff. Immortals demoted by Heaven’s command are exempt. Anyone who assumes a false identity to demand sacrifices shall receive two years of penal servitude. If the offense causes serious harm, the offender shall be handed over to the Eastern Peak—the divine bureau of Mount Tai—for punishment. Anyone who resists arrest shall be executed.

Ghosts or spirits who hide in a person’s home without cause, recklessly stir up disturbances, or harm its occupants, and remain there beyond one night, shall receive one hundred blows with the staff. For every additional five days they remain, the punishment shall increase by one degree, up to a maximum of two years of penal servitude. If they remain under a deity’s command, they shall be executed.

When an ordinary person falls ill and shows no improvement after ten days or half a month, and then dreams of consorting with ghosts or spirits, the circumstances should be reported in detail to the local Earth Deity (the god of the land) where the person lives, and then submitted to the Eastern Peak, with a request to destroy the being causing the disturbance. Anyone who disobeys this order shall receive one hundred strokes of the staff.

When officials of the Exorcism Bureau carry out a Celestial Talisman (a Daoist exorcistic decree or talismanic mandate), they should order the local mountain and river deities to seize the ghosts causing trouble. Anyone who fails to act at once and with full effort, neglecting and disobeying the order, shall be sentenced to one year of penal servitude.

Four Articles of the Zhengyi School

Any place called “water,” regardless of its size or depth, should be managed according to the seasons so long as it can nourish crops. The Water Emperor of the Nine Rivers should examine its merits and faults, then submit a report recommending it for advancement. Anyone who disobeys this order shall receive one hundred strokes of the staff.

Wherever dragon gods hold authority over rivers, lakes, pools, or springs, they are called the local Water Lords. Those who conduct themselves properly should be honored with a shrine and sacrifices. If, without cause or reason, they travel about amid violent winds and rain and damage crops, they shall be sentenced to one year of penal servitude. If they presume to demand that people make sacrifices to them, they shall be sentenced to two years of penal servitude.

If a divine official in charge of waterways and water diversion causes fields, houses, and crops to be swept away by floodwaters, and fifty or more households suffer harm, the official shall be exiled three thousand li. If fewer than fifty households are affected, the official shall be sentenced to three years of penal servitude. In a year of famine, if unusual events occur locally, no charges shall be brought, but a written report must still be submitted.

If dragon gods or ghosts and spirits that cause trouble govern polluted stretches of rivers and streams, and deliberately make unreasonable demands for boats, carts, or sacrificial offerings, they shall be sentenced to two years of penal servitude. If they recklessly raise winds and rains, destroying fields and houses and causing deaths, they shall be exiled three thousand li for killing one person, executed for killing ten, and annihilated for killing more than ten. The same penalties apply to those responsible for matters concerning lakes and pools. Local officials in charge who fail to investigate shall bear the same liability.

Hidden ghosts and spirits that ought to bring rain to relieve drought, but fail to do so in time, and Water Lords who know of this yet conceal it and keep it from coming to light, shall both be sentenced to three years of penal servitude.

Six Articles of the Spirits of the Dead Who Cause Trouble

Some deceased who harbored resentment against the living while they were alive once went to the underworld to lodge a complaint, but their case had not yet been resolved. They then took it upon themselves to cause disturbances in other people’s homes and harm others, falsely seeking merit as compensation. Even if they did not take anyone’s life, they are to be seized by the underworld authorities and their forms destroyed if they disturb others, bring about a lawsuit, or make enemies of innocent people.

Evil spirits without the Dao, whether they manifest visibly or cause trouble in secret, are to be exiled three thousand li if they set fires, scatter blood, or torment a family and frighten the living. If they take a life, they are to be put to death.

If a spirit sets fire inside someone’s home or storage chests, burning possessions or a house and affecting ten households or more, it is to be put to death. If fewer than ten households are affected, it is to receive three years of penal labor and be sent to Fengdu, the underworld of Daoist legend, for hard labor. If a local official knows of the matter but deliberately lets it go and fails to investigate, that official is also to be exiled three thousand li.

Fu-shi ghosts (the lingering souls of the dead), spirits of ancient objects, and ghosts of unknown origin are to receive one year of penal labor if they claim falsely that they are not listed in the registers of the underworld and are already dead, yet remain in the human world without permission. If they invoke their power to demand sacrifices and bring harm to the living, they are to be exiled two thousand li. A local official who knows of the matter but fails to investigate is to receive the same punishment.

If a spirit harms someone who is alive and then hides to evade capture, it is to receive three years of penal labor. If it resists arrest and fights with officials or soldiers, it is to be put to death.

If unattached, unclaimed spirits or evil ghosts take advantage of someone’s recent death to haunt the living and make demands, they are to be exiled two thousand li. If they take a life, their forms are to be destroyed. If the matter was truly caused by the deceased’s family or relatives through an omission in the rites of sacrifice, they are still to be put to death if they resist arrest and fight with officials or soldiers, as described above.

For unattached, solitary malevolent ghosts with no master to restrain them, it sometimes happens that they take advantage of the moment when someone has just died and the family is holding a funeral to harass the living and demand offerings. In such cases, they should be banished two thousand li away. If they have taken a human life, their forms should be destroyed. If the troublemakers are relatives of the deceased, and the disturbance arose because the family failed to make offerings at the proper times, they should be offered food and wine. The family should repay them through good deeds and merit, then urge them to leave. If, after receiving offerings and the force of these blessings, they continue to harm people as before, they should be handed over to the Eastern Peak—the underworld jurisdiction of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak—and confined in the register of ghosts in the lower realm.

Five Provisions on State Sacrifices

Any spirit not recorded in the state registers of sacrifice or in the records of divine temples that presumptuously causes disturbances, deceives the people, or takes it upon itself to bring misfortune or grant blessings should be banished three thousand li away. If it has taken a human life, its form should be destroyed.

Although ghosts and spirits may not be listed in the registers of shrines and sacrifices, if they have genuinely brought blessings to the people, their deeds should be investigated and reported to the court so that suitable rewards may be granted. If they boast of their achievements and eagerly seek fame through uncanny deeds, then cause plague among the people so that they are forced to pray for help, yet still refuse to withdraw, they should be sentenced to three years of penal servitude. If they take a human life, they should be banished three thousand li away; if they kill more than ten people, their forms should be destroyed.

Shrines belonging to local village altars—to the earth gods of the villages—as well as shrines to the gods of local waterways and roads, are already included in the system of spirits in the realm of the living and possess numinous power. They should therefore be entered in the registers of sacrifice and must not accept private offerings from people. If they kill more than ten people, their forms should be destroyed.

Shrines belonging to local village altars and to the gods of local waterways and roads, once included in the system of spirits in the realm of the living and required to be entered in the registers of sacrifice, must not accept private offerings that violate the prescribed rules. Nor may they accept the use of suppressive spells or charms—incantations and arts used to subdue or harm another person—to take human lives. Violations should be investigated by the relevant authorities and reported to the Three Officials, the deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, for deliberation and punishment, including severe demotion and censure.

If a spirit entered in the registers of sacrifice and charged with granting blessings causes harm among the people, the offense should be set out in detail and submitted in a memorial for instruction; the emperor will decide the case.

If temples are built and sacrifices offered to eminent ministers, meritorious officials, or worthy scholars of the court after their deaths, and they later harm the people, they should be sent away at once. If they refuse to leave, they should be handed over to the Eastern Peak for judgment, and their offenses should also be reported in a memorial.

Two Provisions on Urgent Memorials

Whenever an urgent matter is reported by means of a rapid memorial, a response must be received within two double-hours. The time limit for urgent affairs handled in Heaven differs from the period of retribution that applies to celestial officials in the underworld who proceed according to established procedures. If no response arrives within the time limit, or an error occurs because the report was transmitted incorrectly, the responsible party should receive one hundred strokes of the rod. The matter may then be submitted again, and action taken once a reply arrives. If the Office for Expelling Evil makes an erroneous report that causes a delay, no one will be held accountable.

All memorials submitted to the Celestial Court must be delivered within one day if the matter is urgent, within three days if it is relatively urgent, and within seven days for ordinary business. The term “reporting a response” here always refers to submitting a memorial to the Celestial Court. Every memorial must include a transit document, a receipt or paper to accompany it on its journey.

If the Court of Exorcism submits a memorial in error and this causes a delay in delivery, no penalty need be imposed. Memorials must be escorted through each locality along the route and out of its jurisdiction. Anyone who deliberately obstructs, creates difficulties, or detains one is to receive one hundred strokes for each day of delay. For a delay of two days, the punishment increases by one degree, up to a maximum sentence of three years’ penal servitude. If the circumstances and reasons are especially serious, the specific grounds must also be submitted in a memorial.

Sixteen Provisions of the Jade Statutes

Officials of this court may wear ritual robes, a star crown, and vermilion shoes only when performing rites or subduing ghosts and demons. They must not wear these garments otherwise. Violators are sentenced to one year of penal servitude. If they command ghosts and spirits to perform labor outside the context of ritual proceedings, the sentence is two years.

The ritual offices of this court’s officials derive from the Jade Registers of Shangqing, the Daoist celestial system of names and appointments, and their duties include governing evil spirits in the Three Realms. Decrees and Fulu (talismans and registers) conferring orthodox rites must be written on yellow silk, in vermilion and ink, and mounted as scrolls. Upon handing them over, the master must admonish the disciple to observe the precepts with care and diligence. All secret words and numinous writings belonging to the ritual tradition must be transmitted orally and heart to heart, without concealment or omission. Violations will be investigated by the Three Officials, the divine offices that oversee the affairs of Heaven, Earth, and Water.

Ritual officers who are skilled at transmitting orthodox rites, and who perform rites alongside people of the Dao to help the people and achieve efficacious results, may submit a memorial each year. Their cases should then be discussed, and rewards may be granted outside the usual order of precedence.

When selecting candidates, those who perform rites alongside people of the Dao to help the people and achieve efficacious results may likewise submit a memorial each year. Their cases should then be discussed, and rewards may be granted outside the usual order of precedence.

Anyone who fails to submit a memorial for a candidate who should be recommended, or submits one without authorization for someone who should not be recommended, is sentenced to one year of penal servitude. The same penalty applies to anyone who transmits seals and ritual formulae used in performing rites without first submitting a memorial. If a master discovers the matter independently within one hundred days, they must report it within the prescribed period. Failure to report it in time carries the same penalty.

After a person’s name has been submitted in a memorial and an appointment granted, failure to follow the master’s instruction or violation of ritual procedures is punishable by one year of penal servitude. If the circumstances are especially serious, the master must report the facts accurately: the person is to be dealt with first, and then liability is to be pursued among their nine degrees of kin.

When a Daoist is commissioned to transmit the Orthodox Teachings to aid the people, and the master deliberately obstructs the transmission out of greed for money, the master shall receive one hundred strokes of the staff. If someone uses the transmission of teachings as a pretext to demand property for personal gain, accepting one bolt of cloth shall be punished by one year of penal servitude. For every additional ten bolts accepted, the penalty shall increase by one grade, up to a maximum of three years of penal servitude, and the person’s Daoist rank shall be lowered by two grades. Accepting less than one bolt shall still incur one hundred strokes of the staff. Accepting gifts of wine or food shall be treated as the same offense.

A ritual officer who cures seriously ill patients each year may be promoted one grade in Daoist rank upon reaching twenty people. If the number exceeds twenty, promotion shall follow the hierarchy of the ranks of the immortals. Once merit and cultivation reach the required standards, the officer may advance through the ranks of Daoist office and report the promotion to the court. If someone comes seeking help but the ritual officer fails to act according to the law or provide aid, or falsely reports having saved people or wrongfully claims a higher Daoist rank, then, if an investigation confirms the offense, the officer shall receive one year of penal servitude.

Anyone who has not yet been formally reported to the court for appointment but falsely claims to hold a Daoist office shall receive two years of penal servitude. If an appointment has been reported but has not yet received approval, and the nominator or reviewer has made an incorrect judgment, the matter must be reported again. No one may claim to have received a Daoist office before approval arrives. If people falsely claim to be master and disciple before approval arrives, both parties shall receive two years of penal servitude.

Newly appointed ritual officers in this court shall learn to write talismans in seal script, form the hand signs of the stars and constellations, and perform the related rites of pacing the celestial steps and treading the Dipper. For practice, they must write on boards made of gold, jade, or fragrant wood. Once practice is complete, they must wash away the writing with perfumed water, then cast the boards into a great river with a strong current. Violation of this rule shall be punished by one year of penal servitude.

Anyone who wrongly transmits the Orthodox Teachings to an unsuitable person in order to make money, or who accepts payment and then reneges and refuses to teach, shall receive two years of penal servitude. This penalty applies even if no money was received. Anyone who passes off other methods as the Orthodox Teachings and transmits them shall receive three years of penal servitude.

Anyone who shows the statutes of the Orthodox Law for ghosts and spirits—the Daoist regulations for restraining and dealing with them—to nonhuman beings such as ghosts and spirits, or has another person copy them, in a careless and disrespectful manner; who discusses the teachings with someone unqualified to perform rites; or who reveals their secret contents shall be sentenced to three years of penal servitude. Anyone who uses spells to mock ghosts and spirits shall be sentenced to one year. Anyone who deliberately has another person use spells to persecute ghosts and spirits shall be sentenced to two years; if this causes a ghost or spirit to die, the offender shall be exiled three thousand li. Those who fail to observe the prescribed decorum and cleanliness when viewing, reciting, or copying the texts shall likewise be punished: carelessness and disrespect, discussing the teachings with an unqualified person, or revealing secrets carries three years of penal servitude; using spells to mock ghosts and spirits carries one year; deliberately having another person use spells to persecute them carries two years; causing a ghost or spirit to die carries exile of three thousand li; and viewing or reciting the texts without the required decorum and cleanliness carries exile of two thousand li.

All petitions and documents submitted to the High Clarity deities must be entrusted to the Duty Merit Officer, the divine official responsible for transmitting documents. The written petition must be delivered to the Eastern Peak, after which the local earth deities along the route are to apprehend the offending spirits. The officials, officers, and troops of the relevant bureau must also be dispatched; once the matter reported in the petition has been resolved, they shall impose a punishment proportionate to its seriousness. Anyone who fails to submit a petition when required, or submits one without authorization when it is not required, shall be beaten with one hundred strokes of the staff.

Books of the Orthodox Law, secret registers, and talismans may be transmitted to others and copied. The originals should be stored in shrines, grottoes, rock caves, or stone caskets in famous mountains and great rivers. When a ritual master’s appointment is transferred, all previously bestowed edicts, talismans, and ritual manuals must be burned, and the ashes scattered into rivers or lakes; only documents required for the current office may be kept. If they are not burned, they must be wrapped in old ritual vestments and cast into a river. Talismans, writing brushes, ink, cinnabar paper, inkstones and inkstone water, Daoist crowns, ritual robes, and other such objects relinquished at the transfer must also be burned and submerged in water, or buried in a grotto’s stone chamber, and stored according to the secret instructions and methods. Anyone who violates these rules shall be sentenced to one year of penal servitude.

Whenever the Orthodox Law is transmitted, those receiving it should, on a Jiazi day, Gengshen day, Three Yuan day, one of the Eight Festival days, one of the Five La days, or their birth-sign day, report their names to the gods and receive the sword, seal, incantations, and list of ritual methods while kneeling. Ritual implements such as brushes, inkstones, cinnabar, and ink must be offered in sacrifice and then discarded. Bond certificates, pledged tokens, and items of gold and silver must be melted down and exchanged for money, which is to be used to make offerings to the gods and aid the poor. They must not be kept for personal use or diverted to other purposes. Violators shall receive a three-year prison sentence.

If a ritual officer practicing the methods is about to die suddenly, signs will appear beforehand. This is Heaven’s way of announcing that his allotted lifespan is near its end, after which he will depart abruptly. If no uncanny signs appear, it means that the authorities are investigating and taking him into custody, or that he must answer questions about some matter that has yet to be resolved. In such cases, the ritual officer’s relatives or disciples who inherit his lineage of transmission must quickly burn his talismanic proclamations, imperial edicts, and ritual vestments to ashes, then cast them into the Yangtze River. The Water Official will convey them to the deceased’s office in the underworld, where he can continue to serve according to his ritual rank. Here, “ritual vestments” refers to the official documents and edicts received by the ritual master, as well as the robes and headgear he wore, appropriate to his rank. Violators shall receive a two-year prison sentence.

When a ritual officer’s merit and practice are complete and the celestial realm summons him, his body will rise twice and descend three times, crawling like a snake or insect, accompanied by the sound of wind. The light will fade from his eyes; the Celestial Pillar will no longer rise, and the Celestial Drum will no longer sound. His acupoints and kidney region will ache, and his spirit and Qi will travel from the Yongquan point up to the crown of his head. When these signs appear, the edicts, registers, talismans, and seals should be placed in a case and stored safely. He should change into clean clothes and ritual vestments, sit upright, and entrust his final affairs to the relatives or disciples who inherit his transmission. If auspicious clouds and an immortal retinue come to welcome him before he dies, he will be led directly to a grotto-palace, appointed to an office among the immortals, and sent to carry out its duties. If his body can no longer support him, the local Earth God should protect and assist his inheritors as they place the ritual implements and documents in a case for safekeeping, as described above. Violators shall be exiled three thousand li; in serious cases, they shall be put to death.

Ritual Article Thirty-Five:

All documents and talismanic scripts concerning the ghost laws of the Orthodox Law must be stored in an incense chest, a colored pouch, or a cloth-wrapped bamboo container. When they need to be consulted, one must first visualize the gods, close the eyes, establish a ritual boundary, and enter stillness; only then may the texts be opened and read. No more than five lines may be read at a time, and the texts must be kept strictly confidential to prevent ghosts and spirits from spying.

Kindhearted people who can drive away evil influences and uphold the right path, and who have truly earned merit by helping living beings, should have their names entered in a register and reported to Heaven. They should be taught the Orthodox Teachings and granted the appropriate duties and ranks.

Ritual implements used in a Daoist temple, such as ritual swords, seals, brushes and ink, cinnabar inkstones, ritual robes and shoes, and ritual water, should all be entered in a register and reported to Heaven. They must not be used privately without first reporting them and performing the required ritual.

A disciple receiving transmission should approach the master and pay homage by kneeling and moving forward on their elbows and knees. The master ascends the altar and proclaims the precepts. The disciple presents a name card and drinks the Elixir liquid; master and disciple then divide a jade ring and break a covenant tally, pledging themselves to an alliance. The master next transmits oral instructions and talismanic writing, and proclaims the True Revelations, sacred teachings of Daoism. The disciple kneels to receive an official appointment, a seal, a ritual sword, and other items. The master petitions the Highest Perfected, the exalted deities revered in Daoism, to release the disciple from the entanglement of the Three Corpses—spirits said to dwell within the body and obstruct cultivation—to absolve sins accumulated over many lifetimes, and to report the relevant documents to the responsible divine offices, so that the rites performed accord with Heaven’s will.

All kinds of divine generals and officials, including divine troops sent by the Eastern Peak, should be clearly informed of their duties and of the consequences associated with their actions. When they arrive at the temple, they should be rewarded with food and wine, paper money, and paper horses. Afterward, they must remain at their posts and await orders at all times; they must not be put to private use.

When a ritual official—a person holding an office for the practice of Daoist rites—passes a shrine, they should form the Hand Seal of the Heavenly Troops, a gesture for summoning celestial soldiers, and sound the Heavenly Drum, a method of summoning deities by tapping the head with the hands. They should summon all accompanying divine generals and officials, then reward them with food and wine, paper money, and paper horses. The divine generals and officials should each remain at their posts and await orders at all times; they must not be put to private use.

When passing a shrine, a ritual official may also form the Hand Seal of the Heavenly Troops and sound the Heavenly Drum to summon their own inner numinous officials, protective generals, and attendants to accompany them. This displays the solemn authority of the rite, inspiring the deities to awe and obedience.

At dawn, ritual officials should put on their ritual robes and perform rites while the Qi is flourishing. When submitting petitions and establishing a Zhaijiao purification ritual, they must not burn sandalwood or frankincense.

The length of people’s lives and their share of good fortune are determined by Heaven’s mandate. If someone treated by this temple still cannot recover, that means their allotted lifespan has ended and their period of calamity is over. Submitting further documents to request a change of fate or fortune would then be futile.

When petitioning on behalf of people, the wording and organization of the documents should be concise, not elaborate. They need only state the matter plainly and sincerely. The name of the person receiving aid must also be included, since their life and destiny are in the hands of the Celestial Office, the divine bureau that governs fate. The petition should ask that the measures which would take away their good fortune or shorten their lifespan not be included in the present case, and should explicitly request that the consequences be made manifest.

When someone accuses a person of madness, heresy, or demonic possession, the petition should be concise and avoid needless detail. State only what happened, plainly and sincerely. Name the accused, and note that their name and life are under the authority of the celestial offices. If their official allotment of life is taken away or their lifespan is shortened, ask that this not be included in the punishment for the matter described here, and clearly request that the celestial offices send down retribution.

When such an accusation is received, the judge—the Daoist who administers the rites—should transform into a deity, receive the petition, seal it, and send it onward.

Whenever a Zhaijiao rite (purification ritual) is required and permission has been granted to submit a memorial to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the Jade Emperor, and other deities, no one may casually approach or offend the sacred outside the prescribed dates. When burning the memorial, burn the token of verification with it first, then dispatch the Merit Officer and the Talisman Officer, divine officials who convey documents, to deliver it.

When submitting a memorial to the Three Pure Ones or the Jade Emperor during a Zhaijiao rite, set up a separate seat beside the altar for the Inspecting Envoy, a divine official responsible for inspection and transmission. No other divine seat should be placed near the imperial throne.

Before burning incense and performing rites in a meditation chamber, or writing ritual characters, first screen the space with a star dipper canopy. This prevents people from looking about indiscriminately and keeps the rite solemn.

If someone has been reported and put to death, and the deceased returns to call down a killing curse, suppress it with a “t-cover.” The term “t-cover” is unclear and may name an object or ritual implement in the original text.

When treating epidemics among cattle, horses, and other domestic animals, determine the number of animals affected, then send a written notice to the Year King deity, who governs the years and epidemics, asking it to drive away the disease.

When granting a token of trust, a sign that the recipient sincerely accepts the teaching, assess whether they are truly earnest. Divide any fees received into three portions: one for personal use, one for offerings, and one for the poor. The portion used to support the Daoist tradition should cover the costs of its religious work.

If someone is confined in a ritual prison for treatment and still refuses to comply after documents have been sent, seize them and punish them as well.

When demonic influences cause nightmares, heart and kidney weakness, and exhaustion, suppress them with Fulu (talismans and registers), either by swallowing a talisman or carrying one on the person.

To treat a child’s fright cries and night crying, one may enlist the household guardian, the eaves deity, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Flying Celestials, the Swift Deity, and other spirits, and use a Three Lights talisman.

Daoist ritual masters should help people every day. The expenses required for religious work should come from funds allocated to support the Daoist tradition, and they must not accept bribes from the people. In this way, blessings and official emoluments will naturally be bestowed by Heaven. When funds run short, they should submit a memorial stating their needs and pray sincerely; unseen assistance will come, and they will not be left wanting. If they take money or goods from the people without authorization, the Daoist community will be unable to meet its ordinary expenses.

If sorcery obstructs or suppresses a household’s stove or a shop’s business, use a Three Lights talisman to dispatch deities to deal with it.

For every construction or building project, a written report must be submitted to the Grand Year (the deity presiding over the year). It is asked to pacify the Earth Officials and other spirits under its jurisdiction so that they do not obstruct the work.

If strange disturbances arise around a pond or embankment and prevent work from proceeding as usual, or cause damage at an inauspicious time, the local Earth God should be tasked with driving away the disturbances and putting matters right. A Three Luminaries talisman should also be used to suppress them. If the disturbances defy the order and refuse to leave, they should be dealt with according to the law.

When an epidemic spreads and the people fall ill and suffer, written petitions must be submitted as prescribed to the Earth God and other deities responsible for handling the matter. The King of the Year, the deity in charge of that year’s affairs, must also be petitioned to withdraw the poisonous Qi. When a flying memorial must be sent up, the court’s officials should perform the Yu steps, transforming their divine forms, and silently recite a spoken petition to present their memorial to the deities.

For people living in hardship, when men and women are poorly matched, the family is impoverished, or there are no children, first remove the Three Punishments and Six Harms stars, which are believed to bring injury and obstruction, in accordance with the law. Then grant them Fulu to wear.

When people’s homes are inauspicious, Yin-Yang is out of balance, and those above and below clash and harm one another, bringing years of hardship and repeated misfortune, they should be granted orthodox Fulu.

In conducting ritual services, the response must be proportionate to the seriousness of the matter. Divine generals, clerks, and troops must not be summoned arbitrarily. Once a petition has been received and accepted, it should be handled promptly according to the law; responsibility should not be shifted onto ghosts and spirits.

When transmitting the orthodox teachings, a Zhaijiao ritual—a rite in which offerings are presented to the deities to avert misfortune—should be held on an auspicious day specified by the teachings. This is called “Orthodox Fulu.”

In conducting ritual services, the seriousness of the matter must still be weighed, and divine generals, clerks, and troops must not be summoned arbitrarily. Once a petition has been received and accepted, it should be handled promptly; responsibility should not be blamed on ghosts and spirits.

Whenever a rite for transmitting the Orthodox Method is to be performed, a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) must be held on the date specified by the method. This is called the “Transmission Zhaijiao,” a rite in which offerings are presented and prayers made to the deities. Memorials are submitted and spirit money and horses are offered, totaling one hundred and twenty measures, for the performance of the memorial rite. The central altar images and the offerings displayed on either side are arranged in the prescribed quantities, with half of them omitted. After the memorials have been submitted, the rite proceeds with announcements to Heaven and Earth. Once the officials who confer ranks and recommend candidates have completed the written certification, they deliver to the recipient, in accordance with the method, the talismans, oral instructions, official patents, and registers of the perfected. They then report the matter to the Eastern Peak—the divine administration of Mount Tai—and arrange the transfer of the recipient’s name in the registers so that it is entered in the celestial bureaucracy. In this way, the recipient’s nine generations of kin may receive pardon, leave the netherworld, and ascend to the realm of the living. The sequence of steps for ascending the altar is carried out according to this method.

All officials who practice the rites of the Exorcism Bureau, the divine office responsible for expelling malign spirits, are called “Chief Directors.” They govern affairs concerning demons and spirits throughout the Three Realms. On first appointment, an official is assigned as Right Adjudicator; the next promotion is to Right Senior Adjudicator. All subsequent procedures are carried out according to this method.

Officials who carry out their duties lawfully in the “Office for Driving Out Evil” are all called “Chief Directors.” They oversee the expulsion of demons and evil influences across the Three Realms. When an official is appointed to a new post, the sequence is first Assistant Right Censor, then Senior Assistant Right Censor; next Assistant Left Censor, then Senior Assistant Left Censor. All these officials jointly administer the Office for Driving Out Evil.

Those whose merits and cultivation reach a higher level may advance to the ranks of the immortals and be appointed Chief Grand Ritual Master of the Celestial Capital, jointly overseeing the Office for Driving Out Evil with the other officials. They may then be granted the additional title Grandee of the Golden Court of the Nine Heavens. This applies to those who, within a year, rescue twenty people: when famine, flooding, or drought has withered the crops, they promptly establish an altar, pray, and obtain a response.

Further advancement may proceed through the posts of Minister of Water, Minister of Wood, Minister of Earth, Minister of Metal, and Minister of Fire. Merit is assessed by the deeds performed over the course of a year: those who rescue more than twenty people may be promoted step by step according to their achievements. Those who save many people during a major disaster and show exceptional merit may also rise through the ranks to become the Purple Tenuity Palace’s Day-Duty Primordial Lord. “Day duty” means being on duty. At year’s end, this post requires helping the state dispel calamities and secure its borders, and dispatching ghost troops to provide covert aid, so that the ruler’s dynasty remains secure and the realm at peace.

Those who, within a year, drive locusts out of their region and thereby achieve exceptional merit may also rise through the ranks to become the Purple Tenuity Palace’s Day-Duty Primordial Lord. Those who lawfully dispel locusts and other calamities may be granted the additional title Censor of the Golden Court of the Nine Heavens.

After another year, those who vow to establish an altar at a famous mountain, submit memorials to the celestial court, and pray for the ruler’s longevity—and whose prayers are answered—may be granted the additional title Attendant-in-Waiting to the Supreme Immortal of the Golden Court. Those who understand and fulfill the principles of their own nature and life, transcend the mundane world, and guide the lost out of the Five Sufferings—the five kinds of hardship recognized in Daoism—may personally petition the Southern Bureau, the celestial bureau responsible for reviewing and adding names to the registers of immortals, to have those names entered. If they pray for a wise ruler, worthy ministers, the ascent of their nine generations of kin, and blessings upon all beings, and their prayers are answered, they may receive, in sequence, the titles Senior Minister of the Purple Palace, Grand Minister of the Dark Capital, Senior Minister of the Great Mystery, Senior Minister of the Supreme Ultimate, and Senior Minister of the Golden Court.

Those who proceed further and realize the boundless Great Dao without being constrained by written words, whose commands and guidance are invariably effective, and who can manage calamities caused by mischievous flood dragons in rivers, lakes, and seas, as well as landslides and breached embankments, may be promoted in sequence to Senior Minister of the Purple Palace, Grand Minister of the Dark Capital, Senior Minister of the Great Mystery, Senior Minister of the Supreme Ultimate, and Senior Minister of the Golden Court. Further still, those who likewise realize the Great Dao and whose ritual methods are effective in quelling the harm caused by flood dragons and landslides and breached embankments may be granted the title Senior Minister of the Limitless if they have indeed served the state and benefited the people, eliminating great calamities and evils.

From the Day-Duty Primordial Lord to the Senior Minister of the Limitless, there are nine grades of promotion. Those granted these posts must also receive the nine grades of Great Registers of Shangqing, the nine-level registers of the Shangqing school, before they may be included in this system of ritual offices. The ranks of other immortal officials follow the standard regulations for the various offices, organized around the Three Origins: the Upper Origin, Middle Origin, and Lower Origin. Lower-ranking ritual offices, such as those of the Cavern of Spirits, first transfer in sequence to the initial grade of Lower Origin immortal official. They then serve as Director of the Northern Dipper’s Office for Driving Out Evil, taking a place among the first-grade Middle Origin immortals and presiding over that office. Next they rise to first-grade Upper Origin immortal officials and oversee the affairs of Fengdu. Once their merits and cultivation are complete, they advance in sequence, ultimately attaining a place in the Golden Court and serving in attendance upon the Three Pure Ones.

Officials carrying out rites who are to issue talismans of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the Jade Emperor, the Northern Dipper, or the Three Luminaries must first transform themselves into a deity through ritual arts. They then report upward to Heaven, state clearly the matter for which they seek assistance, and refer to themselves as “your servant.” They issue the talisman according to the prescribed rite, praying that Heaven will grant what they have petitioned for. Once the prayer is complete, they hand it to the Talisman-Bearing Messenger, the divine envoy who conveys commands. When the talisman arrives, its instructions are to be carried out.

Whenever ritual officers issue talismans of the Three Pure Ones, the Jade Emperor, the Northern Dipper, or the Three Luminaries while entering or leaving, they must likewise first transform themselves into a deity and submit a report to Heaven, explaining what they seek and referring to themselves as “your servant.” They then issue the talismanic command according to the prescribed rite. Once the prayer is complete, they hand it to the Talisman-Bearing Messenger; when the talisman arrives, its instructions are to be carried out.

When entering or leaving, ritual officers should constantly visualize the Six Ding, the Four Directional and Seasonal Earth Gods, the Seal-Monitoring Strongmen, and other deities accompanying them. They should charge these beings by ritual command to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

When ritual officers pay homage to the Supreme Emperor, drive away pestilence and malign Qi, or put an end to apparitions and demonic hauntings, they must first visualize themselves crowned with the Three Platforms of the Northern Dipper, the Daoist stellar deities, and transform into an Envoy of the Exorcism Bureau, a divine office responsible for expelling evil.

When appearing before the Supreme Emperor, they ascend the Golden Hall on New Year’s Day; in spring, they ascend the Crystal-Glazed Hall; in summer, the Jeweled Hall; in autumn, the Silver Hall; and in winter, the Crystal Hall.

After appearing before the Supreme Emperor and completing their petition, they proceed at once to the Celestial Pivot Bureau. There they command the Four Heavenly Kings, the Twelve Great Deities, the Eight Vajra Warriors, the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Marshals Tianpeng and Tianyou, the Fire-Bell General, and the deities who govern the Five Thunders, wind, and rain, and lead them directly out through Heaven’s Gate.

Whenever a Celestial Prison is established, a report must first be submitted to Heaven and notice given to Mount Tai, explaining the reasons and ritual details. The report must state that the Celestial Prison was established on a certain date and in a certain direction, and inform the Supreme Emperor that it is called the “Five Dipper Prison.”

Eight Rules for Ritual Format

When writing celestial talismans, use water prepared according to the virtues of Heaven and the Moon, a Six Jia and Six Ding brush, ink of the Dark Emperor, the sun’s numinous cinnabar, and a Five-Dragon inkstone. Follow all instructions transmitted in the ritual formulas. The talismans may be used only after they have been received and the report submitted.

When subduing fierce ghosts and deities, assign the divine generals in detail. Add on both sides the ritual formulas for capturing and restraining evil arts, then cover them with the left and right Dipper. The Virtue Water, Six Jia and Six Ding brush, Dark Emperor’s ink, the sun’s numinous cinnabar, and Five-Dragon inkstone must all be prepared according to the transmitted ritual formulas. They may be used only after they have been received and the report submitted.

When confronted by fierce ghosts and spirits that must be subdued, carefully arrange the divine generals without fail. Add the left and right side’s evil hand seals to the ritual formation, then cover them with the left and right Dipper hand seals. The practitioner reads the order aloud: “State each of your offenses clearly, one by one. My purpose is to aid the people.”

Whenever submitting a memorial for a Zhaijiao ritual on behalf of the people to pray for the removal of calamities, first present the liturgical documents of the Star Lords. Then identify yourself as a disciple and explain that you intend to ward off misfortune and gather blessings for the people, praying for longer life and offering clothing and provisions in exchange for their calamities. Prepare the offerings with sincere reverence, so the spirits may know of and witness your sincerity.

When performing the Shangqing astral-step ritual and reciting the Dipper incantation, upon reaching the position called “Heavenly Gang,” snap open the hand seal and switch to the Heavenly Gang hand seal as a guide. If using an incantation in a talisman, it is enough to perform the Dipper steps, beginning at the position of the Greedy Wolf star.

Worship the spirits sincerely in accordance with the four seasons, on the appropriate days such as those of the Six Jia.

In spring, choose a Jia day; in summer, a Bing day; in autumn, a Geng day; and in winter, a Gui day. For the offering, set out vegetarian food, fruit, incense, dates, and soup outside the doorway as offerings to the Three Realms. Also make offerings to the Talisman Officer, one of the Four Seasonal Merit Officers, and the local earth spirit. First burn paper money for the earth spirit, then state your intention: “I serve by the Jade Emperor’s command, assisting Heaven in carrying out its teachings and helping the state and saving the people. Whenever talismanic methods are performed—to cut off evil spirits that cause harm, treat illness and relieve danger, or pray for blessings and good fortune—we rely on the messengers to convey communications between those above and the assembled holy beings. Today I have prepared wine, fruit, money, and horses and am conducting a Zhaijiao rite. I beseech the messengers to show their favor, manifest their divine power, and grant special protection.” Then make three wine offerings in turn, burn paper money, and recite the incantation.

“Text of the Oath to the Merit Officers” is the title of the following words of oath addressed to the Merit Officers, divine officials in Daoism who are charged with transmitting documents and assisting in ritual practice.

I have heard that those who have cultivated the Great Dao for a long time and have now become supreme spirits always place the accumulation of merit and the practice of good deeds first, and regard aiding the people as an urgent duty. That is why you can manifest yourselves in dark places and hasten to the underworld, enter and emerge from water and fire, transform in countless ways, and wield power that reaches in every direction. Clad in armor and carrying spears, with drums on your backs and bells in your hands, you range freely in all directions without hindrance. Evil spirits tremble at the sound of your names; diseases subside and disappear at the sight of you. I use the Orthodox Dharma to subdue demons and rely on your divine might to help capture ghosts and monsters, cut off the roots of calamity, and bring blessings to the people. Now I have set out this offering to repay, in some small measure, your divine achievements and express my gratitude, in return for your numinous power and labors. I respectfully invite you all to eat and drink your fill, and return home well fed and content.

Invocation to the Oath-Bound Divine Generals

You should all enjoy the food and drink to your hearts’ content, maintain your dignified bearing, strictly observe the heavenly precepts, and honor the commands of the Heavenly Emperor. Exercise your martial authority and accomplish the merit of bringing calamity and disorder to an end. These divine achievements deserve commendation. I offer this ritual sacrifice as a small expression of gratitude, in return for your numinous power and labors. I respectfully invite you all to eat and drink your fill, and return home well fed and content.

Here, “divine generals” refers to spirit officers who serve under Daoist ritual authority and assist in subduing demons and protecting the people. A “ritual sacrifice” is an offering made in Daoist ceremonies to thank the divine generals and reward them for their service.

All of you should freely partake of food and wine, compose your bearing, strictly observe the Heavenly Precepts, revere the commands of the Celestial Emperor, wield the authority of your martial might, and establish merit by bringing calamity and disorder under control. Bring these fine achievements to completion, and receive a clear and timely response.

I solemnly proclaim to the divine generals and troops who have come by command from the Eastern Peak: In your daily conduct, you have restrained your divine might and long kept your stratagems concealed. Your reputation is upright and solemn, and your bearing and virtue are marked by outstanding courage. Now, answering the command to guard the Eastern Peak, you have come to take charge of punitive authority. Once your might is unleashed, wicked forces and ghostly demons will be annihilated, and even the winds and clouds will change color. No powerful evil force can withstand the direction of your divine troops. May you assist the state and rescue the people, aid the age and benefit all things. Devote yourselves wholeheartedly to the Dao, and do not covet fame or rank.

Our court long ago received decrees from the immortal realms and has always enjoyed the protection of the Daoist arts. Now that we bear the authority of the Celestial Officials, we truly depend on the aid of the highest divinities. Above, we guard and protect ourselves, preserve our lives, study the Daoist arts, and honor the Way of Heaven, thereby cultivating our true bodies in the hope of receiving a rank bestowed by Heaven. In the middle, we proclaim the teachings of the sacred Way, spread the merit of good deeds done unseen, and extend divine might and spiritual power, hoping to bring our undertakings to success. Below, we rescue people and benefit all things, heal illness and dispel evil influences, destroy fierce demons, and bring blessings to flourish. May these good deeds accumulate and bear fruit, receive a swift response, and make virtue manifest even in hidden places.

You too will share in the benefits, and when the work is done, you will share in its honor. Let us all strive to take measures that benefit the present age, and together hope that the Orthodox Teaching will be raised high. Bestow benefits without causing harm; wield authority to punish wrongdoing. Whatever damages what is upright, violates harmony, harms all things, or defies the Way of Heaven must be attacked and punished. Eradicate evil and uphold the right; in the end, let achievement overcome wickedness and divine transformation overcome treacherous schemes. How could I bear this task alone, and who could stand against it? Only by relying on you divinities can you uphold my Great Way. Hasten, as the statutes command.

All you summoned divine generals, officials, and troops, I entrust this matter to you through the ritual formula. You must keep watch over it at all times, so that the Orthodox Teaching may be carried out, and post this command at our court to make it known to all.

The divine generals, officials, and soldiers under the jurisdiction of the Northern Pole Bureau for Expelling Evil were all assigned to the Bureau by imperial command of the Jade Emperor. They are responsible for upholding the laws, proclaiming and carrying out instruction, assisting the state, relieving the people, and saving all beings, so that they may all return to the right path. Yet I fear that some may not know the Bureau possesses a Celestial Seal. Its sides come in various lengths: one inch and eight tenths, two inches and one tenth, three inches, or five inches. The Celestial Seal commands hundreds of thousands of billions of heavenly soldiers; each stroke of its inscription conceals three hundred and sixty trillion soldiers and generals. They move at my seal’s command. Evil spirits tremble when they hear it, while the sick feel at peace when they see it.

The Celestial Emperor bestowed this seal, which is carried by a strongman. When I perform rites, the soldiers and generals within the seal number hundreds of millions upon millions of billions. They come and go as swiftly as the wind, without form or trace, and transform without limit, all hidden within the seal. When summoned, they arrive at once. At times they appear in immense forms that fill the void: Mount Sumeru crowns their heads, the sun and moon rest on their shoulders, imperial bells are in their hands, and Kui dragons lie beneath their feet. At other times they become so tiny that they can enter a mote of dust and hide between strands of silk or hair. Even then, they can manifest immense power, uphold the true teaching, transform in countless ways, and save all beings without boasting of their deeds. Their power is mysterious and unfathomable, and the Daoist arts are without limit.

I fear that the divine generals, officials, and soldiers under the Bureau’s jurisdiction may not know these rules and may deliberately disobey or neglect them, bringing punishment upon themselves. To ensure that the Bureau is not treated lightly, the heavenly soldiers, mountain soldiers, and various divine generals and officials are now assigned in shifts to stand guard, ready to respond to urgent needs. When they hear the Bureau’s summons, they must arrive swiftly. If they are off duty and have received no summons, they should lie concealed within the four directions of Heaven and Earth, hiding themselves. Their names and ranks are as follows:

First, the heavenly soldiers, generals, and officials must always stand ready to answer a summons. Without receiving an order, they may not leave the heavenly realm on their own.

Three thousand six hundred soldiers of the Southern Dipper.

Fifty thousand Black Malignity divine soldiers.

The soldiers and generals of the Four-Wheeled Zhengyi division.

The soldiers and generals of the Radiant Light division.

The assembled Celestial Officers.

The assembled strongmen.

The host of Vajra gods, the host of Great Brightness gods, one thousand flying dragon mounted officers, one thousand dragon-slaying mounted officers, one thousand dragon-subduing mounted officers, and two divine generals commanding troops and assisting the Dharma.

The troops and officers sent from Mount Tai are divided into two shifts, with one shift rotating each day. They accompany the ritual official in and out of this court. In an emergency, when personnel must be dispatched to carry out duties, there is no limit on their number. The troops and officers must remain stationed at this court and may not neglect or treat their duties lightly. The two divine generals commanding troops and assisting the Dharma are responsible for supervising them.

One divine general commands the troops, and one assists the Dharma. There shall be a number of cavalry and infantry as specified in the official dispatch from the Eastern Peak (the divine government of Mount Tai).

The troops, officers, and divine clerks listed above are hereby announced by public notice. You must carefully comply with the orders stated above. Any violation, however slight, will not be forgiven. Those who render meritorious service shall receive rewards and consolation, and their deeds shall be reported to the upper realm so that blessings may be bestowed upon them. These orders are valid and are no empty words; each of you must understand them.

On the [day] of [month], in the [year].

Issued and signed under the seal of the ritual office.

End of juan six of The Supreme Taishang’s Essential Secrets for Assisting the State and Saving the People.

Juan seven: The Method for Supporting the Orthodox and Eliminating Evil through Examination and Summons

Compiled by the Master of Hidden Depths, Yuan Miaozong

Preface

The method of examination and summons—a Daoist ritual technique for summoning, investigating, and punishing harmful spirits—originates in the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition. Hence the phrase “Three-Five Examination…”

The method of Examining and Summoning belongs to the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition. For this reason, there is a “Register of the Three and Five for Examining and Summoning”—a collection of Fulu (talismans and registers) used in the practice. The original text records the divine officers, generals, clerks, and troops required by the method. The Golden Lock Flowing Pearls also says that anyone serving as a ritual master of Examining and Summoning must receive the scripture and Fulu transmission from an enlightened master. There are also scriptures and diagrams of the Generals of the Three Origins and Five Phases, and of the Jade Maidens of the Six Jia and Seven Stars.

Examining and Summoning means investigating ghosts and spirits and inviting the gods to appear. Practitioners of this method should resolve to assist the state, bring stability to the land, and heal the people. A ritual master who receives the orthodox transmission of Examining and Summoning bears responsibilities comparable to those of a celestial official or the governor of a great commandery. Once every hundred days, the master should use visualization to make an inspection, examining the demonic gods, ghosts, and strange beings that cause disturbances in the world. Once every ten days, the master should use visualization to observe whether malicious spirits, evil gods, dragons, or ghosts are acting recklessly and harming people, whether the toxic and turbid Qi (vital energy) between Heaven and Earth is disrupting the human body, and whether wind and rain are out of season.

Alongside these duties, the ritual master should regulate the self, so that the hun and po souls are upright, righteous Qi circulates, and the spirit is vigorous and clear, in pursuit of long life. The scripture also says that when carrying out the method of Examining and Summoning, one should visualize oneself traveling throughout the ten directions of the world, helping all living beings and treating them with impartiality. Whether serving the state, governing one’s household, or cultivating oneself, one should help others and accumulate merit between Heaven and Earth, so that one’s virtue is known even in Yujing, the residence of the Celestial Emperor. When one’s merit is complete, the Supreme Emperor will send immortal envoys to welcome the practitioner, who will be elevated to the rank of a Great Immortal Perfected One and ascend in broad daylight. From the time of the Human Sovereigns until after Luan Ba, the accomplished Perfected Ones who cultivated and practiced this method were too numerous to count.

The author observes that in his own time, those who studied the Dao lacked eminent masters and had strayed from the foundations. They did not follow the comprehensive principles of the orthodox Great Dao, but clung to partial branches, minor details, and scattered little techniques, and so often sank into shallowness. The essentials of the Great Dao were obscured by limited achievements. How could such practices be considered precious Daoist arts? Unless the foundations are explained first and the details clarified afterward, the profound mysteries will become even harder to grasp. And if specialists alone hold sway over fragmented, trivial material, how can students investigate the mysteries and gain a broad understanding of their full meaning? Therefore, the author first sets out the main principles of the ancient method of Examining and Summoning, then places the supplementary and miscellaneous techniques afterward, hoping in this way to distinguish the sources and explain what is fundamental and what is secondary.

The Later Sage told the Celestial Master: “This method of examination and summoning”—a Daoist ritual method that uses talismans, registers, and spells to summon, investigate, and deal with malevolent spirits—can be practiced in the world to accumulate merit. It has six functions.

First, it can cure illnesses caused by the intrusion of malevolent spirits and capture and destroy the demons responsible.

Second, it can help people discover what has been recorded in the celestial offices and underworld courts—that is, in the Daoist heavenly bureaucracy and realm of the dead—including the length of a person’s life, their wealth or poverty, and their social standing.

Third, it can help people stop government officials or private individuals from harming one another out of resentment.

Fourth, when the fates of a husband and wife, or of a man and woman, are said to clash, it can end the conflict and bring them lasting harmony. It can also help them avoid calamities associated with Metal and Wood, and harms associated with Water and Fire, so that their lives proceed smoothly and without obstruction.

Fifth, it can dispel curses laid by public authorities or private individuals, as well as calamities caused by wronged ghosts, harmful spirits, and the living and dead plotting against one another and provoking disputes.

Sixth, it can eliminate calamities between Heaven and Earth, such as winds and rains arriving out of season, the Qi of the four seasons falling out of balance, poisonous dragons and malign spirits causing havoc, excessive floods or droughts, epidemics, and baleful ghostly Qi. When such calamities do not arise from the natural changes of the seasons, this method can dispel them.

The Later Sage then told the Celestial Master: “These six kinds of methods are techniques for making talismans from the gathered, pure Qi of Heaven and Earth, devised by the Lord of the Great Dao (Taishang Dadaojun), one of the highest deities revered in Daoism. They comprise 1,381 grades and are collectively called the Great Method of Examination and Summoning. This is the supreme and wondrous Dao, a method for saving all beings. If practitioners follow it without deceiving others or taking wealth unjustly, and complete three thousand deeds of merit, they can raise their dwelling into the air in broad daylight and ascend to Heaven with their families, chickens, and dogs.”

Instructions for Establishing an Altar and Keeping the Master in Mind.

According to the Zhengyi Ritual for Investigating and Summoning, the “method of investigation and summoning” is a magical art for examining and compelling ghosts and spirits to appear. To perform it, one sets up a ritual altar and its registers, opens the gates of the underworld, and binds the altar with ropes. One also opens the underworld’s four gates, performs the ritual steps and prohibitions, and marks out a sacred boundary. After lighting lamps on the incense table, at midnight the ritual master performs the Yu steps—the steps used by Daoist priests when carrying out rites—at the center of the altar, then walks around its outer edge in a T-shaped step. After completing the boundary-setting and water-consecration rites, the master stands facing west.

The ritual master visualizes the arrival of Li, the Revered Master who is the Zhengyi ritual master of the Three Origins for investigation and summoning, and the Revered Master Li Huiju, the Great Master who heads the ritual division. The master may also softly call their names while visualizing. They wear flowing purple robes and carry crowns and swords. Riding nine-colored lions, they come from the northwest on purple clouds and circle the altar three times. The ritual master bows to them three times inwardly, then invites them to help guard the altar.

Next, the Revered Masters command the yang troops, sending them to the Celestial Bureau and the human realm, and into the ritual master himself. The master then mobilizes the soldiers and generals granted through his registers to assist in the rite, dealing with evil ghosts or other matters for a particular household. The Revered Masters also command the yin troops, who assist the register troops within the master and enter the underworld, bodies of water, or tombs to seize ghosts and demons that cause harm. If ghostly bandits come to the altar, the master questions them about their reasons for coming and reports the circumstances to the authorities above.

The spoken petition follows this form:

“I, your servant So-and-so, charged with pursuing and capturing, respectfully carry out the rite in accordance with the celestial regulations. I respectfully invite the yang master and the yin master to descend. If the yang master is absent, I visualize my own master’s transformation body in his place and form the Celestial Master’s hand seal, summoning him to the altar to question him about the matter and report the circumstances to the authorities above.”

During an arrest, I, your servant, carefully follow the laws of the celestial realm in carrying out the rite. May the Yang Master and the Yin Master—the ritual master assisting in the rite and the attendant from the Yin realm—descend. If there is no Yang Master, visualize the image of the master who stands in for one’s own teacher. Then form the Celestial Master’s hand seal and invite the Celestial Master to send down true Qi, the primordial energy spoken of in Daoism, into one’s body, helping one command the troops and generals, bestow Qi, and perform water and fire arts.

Next, dispatch the Three Origins generals, lions, and fierce beasts to unite their strength with one’s own and break into a certain mountain or temple. Capture the thieves, criminals, and prisoners at a certain place; destroy the lairs of evil ghosts in their dwellings and rout them all, as if crushed by falling tiles, consumed by fire, or swept away by water. Seize the spirits and malevolent entities, cut them in two at the waist, and destroy them, so that illness is cured and one’s requests are fulfilled. Other petitions may then be added as needed.

Visualization Method for Commanding Officials and Troops

Whenever performing an examination and summons rite—a Daoist ritual for summoning and apprehending ghosts, gods, and malevolent entities—first visualize the revered master before you radiating great light. Soldiers surge out of the light, led by the three generals of the Three Origins. Also visualize the Five Virtue generals and their troops, numbering in the hundreds of millions. Alternatively, visualize the Six Jia and Twelve Divine Generals, together with the mighty celestial soldiers, surrounding that person’s dwelling or standing guard to protect the entrances to your own home. Sixteen members of each division stand on either side, holding swords and spears, arranged in disciplined military formation.

After issuing strict commands, visualize the revered master and yourself leading the troops to inspect the entrances mentioned above, both above and below. Then establish a boundary, recite the prohibitions, and use written talismans and dispatches to pursue and capture the malevolent entities.

Visualization Method for Healing Illness

When visualizing the revered master healing illness, see soldiers surging out of the light, covering the earth and encircling the sky. They search the prisons of the underworld and issue written dispatches to pursue and capture malevolent entities, removing the afflictions suffered by a person’s three Hun and seven Po—the souls that, in Daoist belief, constitute human spiritual life.

Whenever you visualize the Venerable Master performing a healing rite, see soldiers surging forth from the light. They take up positions in all four directions and seal off the ground, then search the prisons surrounding the celestial realm. They rescue the person’s three Hun souls and seven Po souls from the places where ghosts and spirits dwell. For a woman, they rescue her fourteen Po souls. Then guide the souls back into her body so that her illness is cured at once. When forming hand signs, the Three Masters’ sign is at the first joint of the left little finger; the Original Master’s sign is at the third joint of the left index finger; and the Celestial Master’s sign is at the second joint of the left index finger.

Visualizing and Performing the Art of Summoning and Interrogation

When performing the art of summoning and interrogation—a method for calling up and questioning ghosts and spirits—visualize the Venerable Master dispatching officers and troops, each carrying out their duties according to the prescribed rules. Next, visualize the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, the twenty-eight star groups used in ancient Chinese astronomy to divide the sky, arranged across your body. Then visualize the three generals, together with all their clerks and soldiers, fully assembled: all the officers and troops of the Three Origins are in position. After that, form the hand sign of the three generals at the center of the first joint of the left thumb.

When this is done, sit facing the ritual table and recite the written documents according to the liturgy. Summon the ghosts and spirits, question them about the name of the one causing trouble, and order that being seized and confined. If it proves stubborn and vicious, submit a red memorial—a petition written in red—requesting that the heavenly troops destroy the ghost or spirit. Once the illness has quickly healed, or the matter sought has been successfully accomplished, report the efficacy of the rite and submit a memorial thanking the Venerable Master.

Methods of Prayer and Visualization for Protection and Rescue During Summoning and Interrogation

A ritual master who performs summoning and interrogation should enter a quiet room each morning, wearing Fulu (talismans and registers). Form hand signs, tread the ritual steps known as treading the Dipper, and exhale. Visualize the breath transforming into purple clouds that first cover your entire body, preventing ghosts and spirits from harming you in return.

Once this is done, perform the rite for the sick person. Visualize purple clouds covering the area around the patient’s house and the patient’s body. Surround the house and the patient with troops from the Five Directions, so that the rite takes effect at once and is completed in an instant. Then form the Chief Inspector’s hand sign. Visualize the Northern Dipper covering your head, the Three Terraces stars covering your back, and the □ star above pointing in that direction. Recite the following blessing:

The Supreme One (the Daoist honorific for the highest deity) transmitted the teachings, and sages of later generations caused them to spread. The Celestial Master received the decree in person and commands ninety million troops and generals, inspecting the ten directions and spreading the Qi of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)—the clear, numinous energy spoken of in Daoism. Among the spirits there are no bands of evil beings; among ghosts and apparitions there are no monsters causing trouble. Humans and ghosts each remain in their proper place and must not contend with one another. Those who cause calamity will die; those who do good and accumulate blessings will live. I know how misfortune and blessing are judged, and can make the distinction clear with a mere gesture. Pointing with my left hand can destroy three regions; pointing with my right can overturn four. Do not offend my Daoist law: it is just and evenhanded. The guilty will never be pardoned; the innocent will naturally be at peace. Heaven bestowed this method upon me and commanded me to inspect and enforce it.

Do not offend my might; my might is as fierce as the Seven Stars. I will drink your blood and consume your vital energy. All things will be brought to peace; my Daoist law does not inflict punishment. Let all poisons be dealt with according to my Daoist law. Hasten, hasten, in accordance with the statutes and commands (a concluding formula in Daoist incantations, meaning that the order must be carried out swiftly according to the law).

After reciting the incantation, hold your breath and perform the Yu Step (a ritual step used by Daoist ritual masters). Hold the “Dao Father” in your left hand; “father” belongs to Yang, so a man holds it in his left hand. Then visualize it appearing in your hand, taking the form of a person wearing a lotus crown and purple robes. See it gradually rise from your hand to your chest, the same size as you. Next, visualize yourself as nine feet tall, with the troops and generals around you and the Four Emblems (spirits or protective forces representing the four directions) arranged in their places, all clearly visible. Form the hand signs for the Ghost Eye and Spirit Eye with your right hand, and apply cinnabar. Bring your hands together before your chest, then visualize yourself becoming an exorcist who summons and commands spirits and generals, or an emissary who does so. Next, click your teeth thirty-six times and recite the incantation:

Heaven and Earth shine with light; mountains and rivers possess spirits. I am the Chief Deity of Investigation and Summoning, and I have existed since Heaven and Earth were first formed. When I travel, I am Heaven and Earth’s messenger; when I stand guard, I am their soldier and general. Calamities and evil deeds perish of their own accord when they encounter me, while blessings, De (Virtue and Power), and good fortune appear naturally. I can subdue not only tigers and wolves, but also weapons. Divine dragons dare not flaunt their might, and evil ghosts dare not manifest.

I point to a mountain, and it collapses; I point to water, and it dries up; I point to a stone, and it rolls; I point to the sun and moon, and they shine with light. Whether I walk or sit at rest, a hundred thousand soldiers and generals guard and follow me. Wherever my finger points, wind, fire, lightning, and light appear. Hasten and obey the command, as urgently as the law requires (a spell used in Daoist decrees to urge the spirits to carry out their orders swiftly).

The true names of the Three Primordial Generals (the names of divine generals used in Daoist rituals):

The Upper Primordial General’s surname is Tang, and his true name is Hong; the Middle Primordial General’s surname is Ge, and his true name is Yong; the Lower Primordial General’s surname is Zhou, and his true name is Wu.

The true names of the Five Virtue Generals:

The Eastern Azure Dragon General’s true name is Mengzhang; the Western White Tiger General’s true name is Jianbing; the Southern Vermilion Bird General’s true name is Lingguang; the Northern Black Tortoise General’s true name is Zhiming; the Central Gouchen General’s true name is Huangting.

Whenever conducting the Examination and Summoning Rite, which calls upon divine generals to investigate and subdue spirits causing harm in order to heal the sick, the aim must be to help living beings. Keep the body and mind pure, observe the precepts, and accumulate good deeds. The same rules described earlier apply to receiving and upholding Fulu (talismans and registers).

When treating an illness, have the patient’s family describe the condition and how it began in detail. They should explain what they believe caused the spiritual disturbance, as well as the patient’s age and birth-year cyclical signs, one item at a time. Then carry out the examination, treatment, and healing according to the prescribed rites. For a serious matter, also establish an altar and recite the Purifying Heaven and Earth and Northern Emperor Divine Incantation twenty-one times—“three sevens” means three sets of seven—to cleanse defilement, dispel baleful Qi, and restrain the spirits. Pray as well to the divine beings of the heavenly realm, setting out the full circumstances. What matters most is sincerity of intention, through which merit is accomplished.

If ghosts, goblins, or strange spirits are causing trouble, first use the “Northern Emperor’s Universal Heavenly Covering Rite” to capture them within a ritual covering so they cannot escape.

Next, establish the altar and arrange the ritual implements. Form hand seals, click the teeth, and summon divine generals and their officials and troops to drive out and capture the spirits. Then use incantations to make the harmful beings reveal their forms, and use talismanic rites to dispel baleful Qi. Instruct the officials to investigate the source of the disturbance. If wicked and malicious ghosts still refuse to submit, confine them by establishing a spirit prison. Then memorialize the heavenly realm and submit documents according to the Heart of Heaven method, a Daoist magical practice. Form hand seals again to summon the power of the Northern Dipper to protect and shield the patient’s household. Finally, admonish and command the household deities to guard it.

Magic arts wield wondrous power: they can move Heaven and Earth, shift the stars, open the Gate of Heaven, turn the axis of the Earth, command mountains, and envelop ghosts and spirits. The arts I perform are no ordinary magic, but the righteous arts of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three supreme deities revered in Daoism. They reach upward to the farthest regions in all eight directions and downward to the Nine Springs; eastward to Fusang, the fabled divine tree of the East; westward to Yeni, the western region named in the scriptures; southward to the Gate of the Sea; and northward to Fengdu, the legendary realm of the dead. These arts set in motion the mighty baleful Qi between Heaven and Earth, making them tremble. Ghosts in Heaven cannot descend, and ghosts below cannot rise. I spread the net of Heaven above and lay the net of Earth below, preventing heavenly ghosts from descending and earthly ghosts from appearing. I patrol the four quarters of the world, trapping every evil ghost in my magical net.

I respectfully summon the Generals of the Three and Five, the Generals of the Five Lakes, the Generals of the Three Origins, the Generals of Huoluo, and the clerks and troops under the Three Masters; the clerks and troops of the Northern Dipper’s Dipper Stars, of the River, and of thunder and lightning; the emissaries of baleful ghosts from the Southern Dipper; the emissaries of the blazing furnace of the Northern Dipper; and the divine cavalry and armored troops—all come to my aid. They wield swords of tremendous power and beat fearsome drums. Among them are strongmen and heavenly soldiers with five eyes, three eyes, or six arms. With bronze teeth and iron claws, their eyes flash like lightning; they have nine heads and eight horns, vermilion hair and blue bodies, silver armor and golden spears, and fill the whole sky. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Victorious Serpent take their places in the ranks, along with fierce giant beasts, flying owls, hooked ropes, and other divine beings and ritual implements. Tianpeng, Huoluo, and the Mighty Flying Demon King, together with the Vajras of the Five Directions, the Strongmen of the Five Directions, the clerks and troops of the Five Directions, and the yakshas of the Five Directions, gather from every quarter. The attendants of the star gods of the Five Dippers set up their camps and ranks, and troops from all eight directions converge.

At the Five Lakes and Seven Marshes, the Five Sacred Peaks and Seven Temples, and the pits, hollows, caves, and other places within the Twenty-Four Governances, formations must be set in order and troops deployed at every step. The woods and trees must also be searched carefully. Every spirit must obey beneath my magical canopy; no ghost or monster can escape my net. Those who submit to me will prosper; those who defy me will perish. The benevolent may live; the wicked must be destroyed. Hasten to carry this out in accordance with the ordinances of the Northern Emperor of Great Yin!

When performing this spell, first visualize the heart fire within you igniting and circling your entire body, purifying your physical form and spirit. Next, visualize yourself becoming an “Apprehending and Summoning Officer,” a divine official commanded to hunt down and interrogate ghosts and spirits. Be stern and wrathful, with a roar like thunder. Then stand upright facing south, form the “Heavenly Net and Earthly Trap Seal,” a hand seal symbolizing the casting of a net to restrain evil ghosts, and exhale like a thunderclap. Quickly recite the incantation given earlier, then draw in a breath and blow it into the seal before casting the seal toward the place where the rite is being performed. Pray:

“Qi transforms into iron; the net spreads like a dark cloud. Gloomy mists fill heaven and earth, covering the place where the evil ghost dwells.”

To form the Net Seal, curl the third, fourth, and fifth fingers of the left hand around the corresponding fingers of the right hand. Press the right thumb against the spot beneath the nail of the left thumb, leaving the two index fingers apart. After reciting the incantation, bring the two index fingers together, then scatter the seal toward the patient’s home. Continue the rite by applying various methods of restraint and healing spells.

Method for Revealing Ghosts

First have the patient stand at the “Earth Gate,” the direction or position used for the ritual, and close their eyes for a short while. Holding a mirror in the right hand, the ritual master visualizes writing a talisman on its surface with the left eye. After writing it, place the mirror on the altar table, form the “Lion Seal,” a hand seal shaped like a lion, and press it onto the talisman on the mirror. Then pick up the mirror, hold it steadily before the chest, and recite:

“Heavenly gods and earthly spirits, may all the numinous beings return together. By the command of the Radiant Heaven Emperor, I summon the swift messengers who pursue ghosts in the eight directions. Quickly seize the evil ghost causing harm and make its form appear.”

Then call upon the divine names:

“Om, judge the evil spirit; om, judge the evil spirit. Panju-lun, Panju-lun; take Pan, take Pan; Xili, Xili; Dulu, Dulu. Seize the ghost and bring it here; seize the ghost and bring it here. Quickly, seize it and bring it here; quickly, seize it and bring it here. Hasten by command: swift messengers who pursue ghosts in the eight directions, quickly seize the evil ghost causing harm and make its form appear.”

The “Om, Judge the Spirits” incantation is chanted repeatedly to summon and capture ghosts and spirits. Then chant: “Come, capture the ghost! Come, capture the ghost! Quickly capture it and bring it here.” Next, recite the ritual formula: “Act with all haste, in accordance with the statutes and commands.” Reverently invite the local Patrol Envoy, the Earth God, and the Five Ways Envoy to pursue and seize the ghosts and spirits.

After chanting, turn the ritual mirror north and shine it once. Chant the incantation again and shine the mirror again, repeating until you have shone it three times and chanted three times. Then have the sick person breathe onto the mirror and open their eyes to look into it. It is said that they will see the troublemaking entity appear in the mirror and be able to tell whether it is a spirit creature, a deceased family member, or an outside ghost.

Incantation Inscribed within the Mirror:

Visualize these words inscribed inside the mirror: “Heavenly Sovereign, Earthly Sovereign, Human Sovereign, Heavenly-Human Sovereign, Earthly-Human Sovereign, Human-Human Sovereign; Om, Imperial Lord Zhali, command the local Earth God and the strongmen to seize and contain them. Heaven is Yang, Earth is Yin; ghosts and spirits have nowhere to hide, and all are revealed.”

Incantation Inscribed within the Mirror:

Visualize the words above inscribed inside the mirror once more, then continue visualizing: on the left, the Azure Dragon General slays ghosts; on the right, the White Tiger General slays ghosts. The Heavenly and Earthly Dings pin down the ghosts and spirits with nails. A canopy is above your head, and your feet tread the positions of Kui and Gang, the star positions used in the Daoist ritual of pacing the stars. Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui are the positions of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua). Then summon the Yellow-Headed General, Red-Headed General, Green-Headed General, Yaksha General, Sandalwood General, Fire-Wheel General, Fire-Headed General, Great-Power Heavenly Ding General, Immeasurable and Unfixed Perfected Lord, Southern Blazing Light Perfected Lord, All-Responding Red Emperor Perfected Lord, Fire-Wheel Emperor, and Fire-Shaft Emperor, among other divine generals. In the original text, “Fire-Wheel Emperor” appears twice in succession.

The talismanic design inside the mirror should be drawn on the inside of the scroll, its form gathered into the shape of a punishment, and written in cinnabar.

To perform this method, first purify the body and visualize yourself transforming into the Yin spirit of the North. Here, the Yin spirit refers to the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden. Hold the bright mirror in your right hand and make a hand seal with the first joint of your left index finger. Visualize the mirror releasing a round, five-colored light that shines through all four directions, leaving nothing beyond its reach. Summon the ghosts and spirits causing the trouble one by one, so they have nowhere to flee and are all revealed before the ritual mirror.

Water Divination Method

“The Water Official beheads ghosts, the Earth Official beheads ghosts, and the Heaven Official beheads ghosts. When they encounter water, the Water Spirit stops them; when they encounter earth, the Earth Spirit stops them; when they encounter heaven, the Heaven Spirit stops them. Make all waters cease to flow. Behead the fierce, wicked, and unrighteous ghosts, and send them to the foot of South Mountain to die. As urgently as the law commands!”

While performing the method, write the three characters “front mountain water” in the air with the middle finger of the right hand while reciting the incantation. Once the characters have been written, use the right hand to gather the Qi in the air and place it into a basin of clean water. Then have the sick person blow once into the water. Next, recite the incantation: “I respectfully summon the duty-serving Merit Officer envoy (the divine official who conveys the gods’ commands) and the Twelve Hour Spirits. Quickly summon the local earth god and regional righteous spirits here to pursue and capture the evil ghosts that are causing trouble and making people ill, and make them reveal their forms at once. Obey the command and be seized! As urgently as the law commands!”

After reciting the incantation, have the sick person blow into the water again. If the sick person sees any ghost or monster, they must describe each one clearly and conceal nothing. The practitioner says that they follow the method of the Most High in order to subdue ghosts and help the sick.

Method for Revealing Ghosts in Darkness

“I respectfully summon the Heavenly Zhen, the Dongtian Six Jia Yang Spirits, the Six Jia Yin Spirits, the Four Duty Envoys, and the Soul-Driving Envoy. Quickly compel the aggrieved souls to reveal their forms where the Qi gathers. As urgently as the law commands—obey the command and be seized!”

To perform the method, first have the sick person lower their head and close their eyes. The practitioner recites the incantation once, blows Qi over the crown of the sick person’s head, then guides the Qi toward a dark place. Blow in this way three times, then have the sick person look into the darkness and identify who is causing the trouble.

If the ghost or monster is to enter the sick person’s body, recite the preceding incantation again, but replace “reveal their forms in the darkness” with “quickly compel the aggrieved souls to come upon the sick person and speak through the sick person’s mouth.” It is said that in this way the ghost or monster will possess the sick person and speak through them.

Method for Controlling and Binding Ghosts

With reverence, I summon the Three-Heavens Strongmen and the Eight Slaughter Generals of the Supreme Clarity pantheon. Immediately restrain and bind the evil ghosts for me; do not let them escape. Swiftly, in accordance with the ordinances!

To perform this method, face north and steady your mind and spirit. With your left hand, form the hand seal at the Yin position of the second finger, corresponding to the Earthly Branch. Recite the incantation and inhale three times, then blow your breath toward the sick person. This will bring the evil ghosts under control and bind them.

Method for the Twelve Divine Generals to Capture, Shack­le, and Interrogate Ghosts

With reverence, I summon the twelve divine generals: Dengming, Hekui, Congkui, Chuansong, Xiaoji, Shengxian, Taiyi, Tiangang, Taichong, Gongcao, Daji, and Tianhou.

When performing the rite, visualize yourself transformed into the Noble Deity Tianyi, wearing the Three Platforms of the Northern Dipper on your head and standing facing west. Plant both feet on Dinggang, a type of Yubu ritual step. With your left hand, form the hand seal beginning at the Hai position and circling once to the Zi position; this is the hand seal for summoning the gods. Then summon the divine generals and say:

“Please swiftly pursue and capture, for me, the baleful spirits causing illness in the person known as [name]. Whether the cause of the illness is a shrine or altar, the Stove Lord, a household deity, the spirit of someone who died violently, or a demon ghost, pursue and capture each one in turn. Make them immediately attach themselves to the sick person, submit to my command, and, after interrogation, truthfully disclose the cause and their names. Whether they are far away among the Six Directions and the Eight Wilds, or nearby within or outside the household, they must all be captured. Swiftly, in accordance with the ordinances!”

This ritual should be performed on a Jia day—a day marked by Jia in the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches calendar—during the Hai hour, roughly between nine and eleven at night, beneath the stars. Set up an altar for a sacrificial rite. Sew a clean, square cloth from a length of blue-green fabric and spread a clean mat beneath it. For the offerings, prepare fresh seasonal flowers, clean fruit, date soup, clear wine, and thirteen sets of lamps and candles. Also prepare a written prayer to recite during the rite.

Begin the offerings at the Hai hour and continue for one full day and night. Recite the prayer, make supplications, and express your wishes for communion with the spirits, healing your own illness, and helping others. Purify the area around the altar by sprinkling it with a decoction of mugwort. Keep bystanders, chickens, and dogs away. After the rite, you may eat the offerings yourself; cast any leftovers into flowing water, and do not give them to anyone else.

If someone falls ill or faces an emergency, you may pray and invite the noble spirit-generals to come to their aid; it is said that a response will come quickly. Each of these spirit-generals commands its own troops and officers and relieves people of suffering. The key to performing the rite is sincere reverence and adherence to its procedures. Take care, and do not attempt it casually.

Method for Summoning the Mighty Celestial Officers to Pursue and Capture Evil Spirits and Demons (a ritual for summoning the Mighty Celestial Officers to capture evil spirits and demons)

First establish an altar, choosing a day on which Zhenwu, the guardian deity of the north, is believed to descend. Hold a Zhaijiao, a ritual in which an altar is set up to honor and petition the gods. Take a clean mat and spread a layer of clean yellow earth about half a cun high on the ground. Smooth it level and lay the mat over it. Set four incense burners on the mat. Divide seasonal fruits, dried venison, and clear wine into four portions and arrange them in the four directions. Then light lamps and burn incense. The ritual master prepares the rites required for the Zhaijiao.

The ritual master changes into clean ceremonial robes and comes before the altar. He lays a sword across it, faces north, and pays respects to the Most High Lord Lao, the Great Emperor of the North Pole, the Four Perfected Lords, and the various divine generals, officers, and troops. Next, he visualizes the Northern Emperor appearing in the sky above his head: dressed in black robes patterned with dragons, wearing a flat-topped crown and black shoes, and bearing a sword. His appearance is solemn, like a painted divine image, with the Four Perfected standing guard beside him.

The master then summons the four mighty Heavenly Generals, each leading their own officers and troops down from heaven to the altar site to receive the offerings and ritual observances. He reads the written petition, setting out in detail the matter being prayed for. The supplication is made three times, with incense offered and wine presented three times as well, but without kneeling or bowing. Once the ritual is complete, the spirit tablets are collected and enshrined in the hall of the divine generals. Thereafter, whenever the generals are summoned, the rites described below are performed. Their ceremonial appearances are as follows.

Wen Yu, the Eastern Mighty Heavenly General who pursues ghosts: He wears a blue, wide-sleeved robe and a blue headcloth. His face is scarlet, and he holds a pair of knives.

Li Gongda, the Southern Mighty Heavenly General who captures ghosts: He wears a red, patterned, wide-sleeved robe and a red headcloth. His face is reddish yellow, and he holds an iron staff.

Wu Tian’an, the Western Mighty Heavenly General who binds ghosts: He wears golden armor and a white headcloth. His face is yellowish white, and he holds iron chains.

Liu Wuzhen, the Northern Mighty Heavenly General who interrogates ghosts: He wears a black, wide-sleeved robe and a black headcloth. His face is dark blue-black, and he holds a halberd.

The preceding passage says that, facing the directions assigned to them, after summoning the deities and performing a Zhaijiao (purification ritual)—a ceremony in which an altar is set up to offer sacrifices and petition the spirits—if malevolent gods or ghosts are causing trouble, a spell is used to summon deities to pursue and interrogate them, making the spell’s efficacy apparent at once.

The Method of Distributing Qi from the Northern Dipper to Treat All Illnesses

To perform the ritual, the ritual master faces north and has the sick person stand before him. He visualizes the Star Lord Tanlang, one of the spirit deities of the Northern Dipper’s seven stars, as ten zhang tall, dressed in white silk and with hair hanging loose, exhaling green Qi. Once the visualization is complete, he asks what caused the illness, then draws out the patient’s pathogenic Qi as the patient answers. Next, he recites “Tanlang Om,” gathers the green Qi of the Star Lord Tanlang, and blows it toward the patient’s painful area. Then he uses his right hand to gather the pathogenic Qi and recites the incantation:

“Vague and dim, jia, yi, bing, ding, born of Heaven and Earth. The spirits do not return to nourish; the ghosts do not return to life. Swiftly respond to my words, swiftly respond to my voice. Swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands.”

After reciting it, he forms the hand seal and closes the ritual. The scripture says that the patient recovers immediately.

The Northern Emperor’s Method for Splitting Open Ghost Fetuses, Ghost Lumps, and Malevolent Qi

First face north and visualize yourself transformed into the Six Ding, the six protective deities in Daoism. Hold an iron axe in your right hand and form the Six Ding mudra with your left: press the thumb against the second joint of the middle finger. This mudra must not be moved casually, or it will lose its efficacy. Next, visualize the ground as …