《太上老君混元三部符》

The Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Sanbu Fu is a Jing (scripture/classic) of the Daoist ritual-methods category included in the Zhonghua Daozang. What follows is a vernacular interpretation of the passages listed.

Chief Artisan Talismans (Dujiang Fu), three in all

Whenever Fulu (talismans and registers) are to be put to use, one first takes the Chief Artisan Talisman. If it is to be used for a sick person, the patient must likewise swallow this talisman first.

The scripture further says: “In the hall, write this talisman on the same day, set it beneath the knee, and place one talisman in the brush tube for writing talismans; it is greatly efficacious.” The wording of the original is not fully clear. The general sense is that the talisman is to be written on the same day and placed in the manner described, while another talisman is kept in the brush tube and used for writing Fulu, which is said to be highly effective.

When the Sanbu Fu and other Fulu are written, they are all stamped with the talisman seal mentioned above.

Talismans for Dispelling Impurity (Jiehui Fu), eleven in all

The scripture lists the following uses. The second talisman is called “Huanglao Jiaoye.” When the talisman method is performed, this talisman is swallowed first. The talisman is placed in water, and the water is used to rinse the mouth; another edition reads “shen qingming” (“the spirit clear and bright”). The talisman is placed in water and drunk, which is regarded as highly auspicious.

The third talisman is for a person who bears impure Qi (vital energy) on the body: one bows twice facing east and then swallows the talisman, which is thought to remove impurity and bring good fortune. When a woman meets what the scripture calls “yehui” (impure Qi or unclean Qi), she swallows this talisman, which is said to be beneficial. The talisman is placed in water used to wash the hands and face, which is said to stop impurity. The talisman is put into water and drunk, which is held to drive out every kind of filth and evil within the body and to make the person auspicious. The talisman is written in cinnabar on paper and swallowed after two bows toward the east; it may also be placed in water for bathing, which is said to dispel all manner of impure Qi.

Talismans for Securing the Dwelling (Anzhai Fu), thirty-one in all

The scripture lists where these talismans are placed: on the gates and doors, in the central court (the middle of the courtyard), and at the northwest and southwest corners of the residence. Written in cinnabar on peach-wood boards, they are set to guard the four corners of the dwelling, which is said to make the residence stable and auspicious. Further talismans, placed at the southeast and northeast corners, are called respectively “jili” (auspicious) and “daji” (greatly auspicious).

Talisman of the Green Emperor of the East

The Green Emperor of the East presides over the east. Among the five musical notes he corresponds to the jue note; he rides the Green Dragon and belongs to Wood. The scripture says that this talisman benefits the residence and lets members of the household go out and come in just as they wish. It applies to the three months of spring and also favors the planting of the five grains. When used to settle the deities of the twelve directions of the household, it is further said to be suitable for raising silkworms. Written in cinnabar on a peach-wood board and set to guard the east, the talisman can avert calamity for the home.

The south corresponds to Fire and to Wood and governs the three months of spring. This talisman benefits the residence, so that members of the household go out and come in without hindrance and find matters to their liking. Written in cinnabar on a peach-wood board and set to guard the east, it can dispel calamity and pacify the twelve spirits of the dwelling; it also benefits the rearing of silkworms and the harvest of the five grains.

The note of the talisman of the Red Emperor of the South (the deity of the south) belongs to Zhi. This talisman rides a red dragon, benefits the residence, and governs the three months of summer. Written in blue-green pigment on a white board and set to guard the south, it can dispel calamity and avert fire as well as quarrels and gossip; it also benefits silkworm rearing and the securing of the house.

The note of the talisman of the White Emperor of the West (the deity of the west) belongs to Shang. Riding a white dragon, it benefits the residence and governs the three months of autumn, and it can also cause the twelve kinds of spirits in the house to bring good fortune. In autumn, written in cinnabar on a board and set to guard the west, it can make the household prosper and the six domestic animals thrive, and it wards off the calamity of war.

The note of the talisman of the Black Emperor of the North (the deity of the north) belongs to Yu. The divine general Gouchen attends Xuanwu (the divine beast of the north); this benefits the hundred spirits and can avert flooding. This talisman governs the three months of winter and makes what one seeks proceed smoothly. Drawn on a board and set to guard the north, it can ward off pestilence, thieves, and sudden fright, and eliminate baleful evil.

The note of the talisman of the Yellow Emperor of the Center (the deity of the center) belongs to Gong. The deity Gouchen suppresses and holds the four directions, rendering the household auspicious and flourishing, removing disasters, and pacifying the twelve spirits of the dwelling; it also presides over the four seasons. If jealous ghosts or malign spirits are present in the house, write the talisman in cinnabar on a yellow board and set it to guard the center of the courtyard, so as to avert disturbance by the earth Qi (vital energy) of the eight directions.

Setting the talisman board out in the open at the center of the courtyard is auspicious.

The divine talisman can cut off the departed souls and dead ghosts of a given household, so that they cannot harm the men and women of the family. The scripture further mentions the names of ghosts such as the “Five You” and the “Five Chou,” and states that none of these ancient ghosts can trespass where the talisman stands guard. If ghostly evil violates the talisman’s prohibition, the officials will be petitioned to execute the offenders in the capital.

The talisman for securing the house can subdue the hundred ghosts, settle the residence, and bring great good fortune.

Setting the talisman board out in the open at the center of the courtyard is auspicious.

The divine talisman can cut off the departed souls and dead ghosts of a given household, so that they cannot harm the men and women of the family. The scripture further mentions the names of ghosts such as the “Five You” and the “Five Chou,” and states that none of these ancient ghosts can trespass where the talisman stands guard. If ghostly evil violates the talisman’s prohibition, the officials will be petitioned to execute the offenders in the capital.

The talisman for securing the house can subdue the hundred ghosts, settle the residence, and bring great good fortuneThe south corresponds to Fire and also to Wood, and it governs the three months of spring. This talisman (fu) benefits the residence, so that members of the household may go out and come in smoothly and as they wish. Written in cinnabar on a peach-wood board and installed in the east, it can dispel calamity and settle the twelve deities of the dwelling; it is also beneficial for raising silkworms and for the harvest of the five grains.

The note of the talisman of the Red Emperor of the South (the deity of the south) belongs to zhi. Riding a red dragon, this talisman benefits the residence and governs the three months of summer. Written in blue-green pigment on a white board and installed in the south, it can dispel calamity and ward off fire as well as quarrels and gossip, and it is also beneficial for raising silkworms and for securing the house.

The note of the talisman of the White Emperor of the West (the deity of the west) belongs to shang. Riding a white dragon, it benefits the residence and governs the three months of autumn, and it can also cause the twelve classes of deities in the dwelling to bring good fortune. In autumn, write it in cinnabar on a board and install it in the west; the household may then prosper, the six kinds of domestic animals flourish, and the disaster of warfare be avoided.

The note of the talisman of the Black Emperor of the North (the deity of the north) belongs to yu. The divine general Gouchen attends upon Xuanwu (the divine beast of the north). This benefits the hundred spirits and can avert floods. The talisman governs the three months of winter and makes what is sought proceed smoothly. Draw the talisman on a board and install it in the north; it can ward off pestilence, thieves, and fright, and dispel baleful evil.

The note of the talisman of the Yellow Emperor of the Center (the deity of the center) belongs to gong. The deity Gouchen suppresses and holds the four directions, making the household auspicious and prosperous, removing disasters, and settling the twelve deities of the dwelling; it also presides over the four seasons. If jealous ghosts or malignant spirits are present in the home, write the talisman in cinnabar on a yellow board and install it in the center of the courtyard, so as to avoid disturbance by the earth Qi (vital energy) of the eight directions.

Leaving the talisman board exposed in the center of the courtyard is auspicious.

The divine talisman can cut off the departed souls and dead ghosts of a given household, so that they cannot harm the men and women of the family. The scripture (jing) further mentions ghost-names such as the “Five You” and the “Five Chou,” stating that none of these ancient ghosts can intrude where the talisman suppresses and protects. If ghostly evil violates the talisman’s prohibition, the authorities are to be petitioned to execute the offenders in the capital.

The talisman for securing the dwelling can subdue the hundred ghosts, settle the household, and is greatly auspicious.

Leaving the talisman board exposed in the center of the courtyard is auspicious.

The divine talisman can cut off the departed souls and dead ghosts of a given household, so that they cannot harm the men and women of the family. The scripture further mentions ghost-names such as the “Five You” and the “Five Chou,” stating that none of these ancient ghosts can intrude where the talisman suppresses and protects. If ghostly evil violates the talisman’s prohibition, the authorities are to be petitioned to execute the offenders in the capital.

The talisman for securing the dwelling can subdue the hundred ghosts, settle the household, and is greatly auspicious.

If one believes that a ghost harmful to people lies beneath a house pillar, write the talisman on plain white silk and hang it below the pillar. The scripture says that after ten days the ghost will perish.

This talisman benefits the residence and drives off ghostly evil. Once written, affix it to the door; this is greatly auspicious.

A new dwelling may be secured with this talisman. It settles seven deities, increases the number of people in the household, and brings wealth, honor, and prosperity. Write the talisman on a peach-wood board and place it at the four outer corners of the house; this is greatly auspicious.

The talisman of the Tianlou star is used when old or new demonic evils in a residence delude people. Tie the talisman to a divine image or a spirit tablet in order to seize and restrain the malign ghosts of the dwelling. The method of writing the talisman is the same as before.

This talisman benefits oxen and horses.

This talisman is used to cut off illness and to avoid the calamities of loss and death.

This talisman benefits the preservation of property and goods. Once written, affix it to the door; this is auspicious.

This talisman benefits male and female servants. Once written, affix it to the door; this is auspicious.

The divine talisman of Laozi is used to suppress malign Qi and evil ghosts in a baleful house and to eliminate harm from ghostly evil. It is the seal-form of the divine talisman, and the seal is used to enclose and suppress the baleful house.

Two talismans (fu) may be used to settle a residence and keep the household at peace: they are hung in the hall or on the windows, and the Residence-Benefiting Talisman may also be pasted on the door.

The two talismans are pasted separately on the eastern gate and the western gate, and both are auspicious.

Libationers (jijiu) and register students (lusheng)—clerical offices in Daoism—may hang this talisman at the altar ground in order to avert calamity and drive off the Qi (vital energy) of evil ghosts. Hanging it on the doors and gates is also auspicious.

The disaster-averting inscription is written on a wooden board five cun (Chinese inches) long and hung on the central beam of the northern hall and on the doors and gates—greatly auspicious.

There are twenty-nine Earth-Qi-Averting Talismans in all, used to meet the earth Qi that arises when the ground is broken.

The Four-Directions Earth-Qi Talismans are written on the beams when a house is being roofed, so as to avoid harm to women; once written, they are auspicious. The Four-Directions Ground-Breaking Talismans are written in cinnabar (dan) on white material, pasted on the roof, and turned toward the place where the ground is broken—auspicious.

The Central Earth-Qi Talisman is written at the left flank; after it is swallowed, it benefits the household.

The disaster-averting inscription is written on a wooden board five cun long and hung on the central beam of the northern hall and on the doors and gates—greatly auspicious.

There are twenty-nine Earth-Qi-Averting Talismans in all, used to meet the earth Qi that arises when the ground is broken.

The Four-Directions Earth-Qi Talismans are written on the beams when a house is being roofed, so as to avoid harm to women; once written, they are auspicious. The Four-Directions Ground-Breaking Talismans are written in cinnabar on white material, pasted on the roof, and turned toward the place where the ground is broken—auspicious.

The Central Earth-Qi Talisman is written at the left flank; after it is swallowed, it is likewise greatly auspicious.

When the ground is broken in different directions, the five planets respectively stand in to suppress and protect: if the ground is broken in the east, Taibai (Venus) takes its place; if in the south, Chenxing (Mercury); if in the center, Suixing (Jupiter); if in the west, Yinghuo (Mars); if in the north, Zhenxing (Saturn).

The Earth-Repressing Talisman is hung on the doors and gates on a geng day or a xin day, and may also be swallowed—greatly auspicious. It is used to suppress the adverse effects brought by breaking ground in the west, and is auspicious when a house is being built.

When the earth is suppressed, stones of different colors are also used according to direction and double-hour: at the zi hour, yellow stone; at the chou hour, yellow stone; at the yin, mao, and chen hours, white stone; at the si, wu, and wei hours, black stone; at the shen, you, and xu hours, red stone; at the hai hour, yellow stone.

After the Four-Directions Earth-Qi Talismans have been written, they face the corresponding directions. They may also be written on the four walls of the house.

Three talismans whose chief function is to suppress earth Qi are written on the doors and gates—greatly auspicious. When one has newly moved into a residence, if the ground is broken in the four directions and earth Qi rises, these talismans may be used to suppress and protect; what they address is the Jing (essence) Qi of earth that appears at the hai position.

After the Four-Directions Earth-Qi Talismans have been written, they face the corresponding directions; they may also be written on the four walls of the house. Three talismans whose chief function is to suppress earth Qi are written on the doors and gates—greatly auspicious.

After one has newly moved into a residence, when the ground is broken in the four directions, the Jing Qi of earth may appear. The talisman may be written on a wooden board four cun wide and one chi (Chinese foot) and two cun long, and hung in the center of the courtyard. The scripture (Jing) says that in this way one can keep the earth Jing (essence) from harming good people without cause.

Note: In the original, “二＋九道” is understood literally as “twenty-nine talismans.” In the phrase “盖屋□梁” one character is missing, and from context it is rendered as “written on the beams when the house is being roofed.”

The upper talisman (fu) may be worn on the body to ward off baleful influences; the lower talisman is used for the direction of Taisui. The scripture (Jing) says that when one breaks ground to build a house in the direction where the Great General Taisui is located, or in any other taboo direction, the talisman may be written on a white board, inserted into the earth according to that direction, and set so that its characters face that way. The opening lines are damaged, and the precise method of use cannot be fully determined.

The Earth-Averting Talisman: If others break ground, conduct a burial, or build a house and happen to offend someone’s direction of punishment and harm, so that the person suffers bereavement, calamity, illness, or unfavorable lawsuits, then on the day the ground is broken or the house is built, write the talisman in cinnabar on plain white silk, affix it to the doorway and the center of the courtyard, and let the talisman extend three chi beyond the house. The scripture holds that in this way earth Qi (vital energy) will withdraw and no longer harm people; hung on the wall, it can also bring a great harvest of the fields and of silkworms and mulberry.

Another passage says that if breaking ground, building a house, or burial offends a person’s direction of punishment and harm, bringing bereavement and disaster, illness, lawsuits, and quarrels, one may on the day of breaking ground write the talisman in cinnabar on plain white silk, affix it to the doorway and the center of the courtyard, and let the talisman extend three chi outside the house, so that earth Qi will not dare to do harm.

The Relocation Talisman, the talisman used when moving house, is three in all. When moving, each person carries a talisman in order to seek good fortune; it may also be swallowed, so as to avoid earth Qi.

Laozi says that receiving this talisman means that, in marriage, funerals, and relocation, a person can in every case restore his or her own life-destiny Qi. Wearing this talisman can cause vital Qi to return to oneself. The scripture also says that the talisman should not be written on plain silk, but should be worn, and one may thereby attain long life.

The Fire-Averting Talisman, the talisman for avoiding fire, is ten in all. Written in cinnabar and hung at the corners of the house, they may be used to seek good fortune; there is also the practice of writing them in ink and affixing them to the four walls. A talisman written in ink and affixed to the north wall, facing south, is likewise regarded as auspicious. If a household meets with misfortune year after year, the talisman may be written on plain silk and worn, in the hope of long life.

If a household catches fire year after year, the scripture calls this “fire-infusion,” an ominous sign that fires occur again and again. The talisman may be affixed to the stove, which is held to be greatly auspicious. There is also a talisman for averting fire-infusion; once written, it is affixed in the main hall and to the left and right beneath the stove. If a fire breaks out nearby, one takes out this talisman, and it is said that the fire will extinguish itself. This talisman is also said to be able to drive away evil ghosts and the calamity of weapons.

The seal used by the Most High (Taishang) for governance is stamped with white seal paste and regarded as auspicious. To guard against fire, talismans may be written on the four walls. There is a further fire-averting talisman, written in blue-green pigment on a white board and hung or posted on the doorway; it is said to be greatly auspicious.

Spell of the Envoy of the Eastern Sea: The Envoy of the Eastern Sea calls himself Yuge, his body a thousand zhang long and his head a hundred chi wide, taking the rivers as his home and the sea as his dwelling. In the space of a breath and an exhalation he can spout ten thousand shi of water. When the fire Jing (essence) hears the spell, it is covered by the “Eastern Well” a hundred chi beneath the ground. “Western Well, assent; Well, assent”—quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

Another spell says: The Envoy of the Eastern Sea calls himself Yubo, his body a thousand zhang long and his head three chi long. In the space of a breath he can spout ten thousand shi of water. When the fire Jing hears the spell, it is covered by the “Eastern Well” a hundred chi beneath the ground. “Western Well, assent; Well, assent”—quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The envoy of the Eastern Sea is named Yubo. He stands a thousand zhang tall, and his head is three chi long. In a single breath he can spout ten thousand shi of water. When the Fire Essence hears his name, it burrows a hundred chi underground.

When household servants are prone to run away and property is hard to accumulate, carefully hand over the documents and employ the “White Thorn” talisman (fu), carrying it out in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

When an object has been lost, write the talisman on white silk, place it where the object disappeared, and cover it with clothing. After three days the object will return of itself.

When a servant runs away or one meets with thieves, write the talisman in cinnabar on white paper, wrap the paper, and lay the sheet bearing the talisman over it. What is written is the same as a memorial. Hang it in a well. There is no need to search; the things will come back of themselves.

To suppress thieves, funerals, and calamities, write the talisman in cinnabar and place it inside the collar before the heart. This is greatly auspicious.

When an object has been lost, place the memorial-talisman where it disappeared and cover it with a zeng (an ancient vessel for steaming food). Tell no one. After three days the thing will return of itself.

When an object has been lost, present the talisman as a memorial and then set it where the object disappeared. The thing will return of itself.

When a household is unsuited to raising pigs and sheep, and the pigs and sheep readily sicken and die, tie the talisman to them and stamp it with the “Seal of Supervising Harm.”

The talisman for suppressing the spontaneous death of the six domestic animals (pigs, oxen, sheep, horses, chickens, dogs, and other household creatures) is placed where they died. This is greatly auspicious.

When a horse is assailed by malign Qi (vital energy), write the talisman on the ground and have the horse lie upon it.

Place two talismans where thieves come and go, and cover them with a zeng. Do not give chase; the thieves will come of themselves.

When oxen or horses suddenly suffer swelling of the belly, have them swallow the talisman. This is greatly auspicious.

When chickens die of themselves, write the talisman beneath the coop. This is greatly auspicious.

When oxen or horses have swelling of the belly, have them swallow the talisman.

When oxen or horses fall ill, put the talisman into water and have them drink it.

Place the talisman on the heads of oxen and horses to drive off epidemic ghosts.

If a horse wears this talisman, it is greatly auspicious.

When oxen or horses fall ill, have them wear this talisman.

When oxen or horses take fright, have them wear this talisman.

When oxen or horses are assailed by malign Qi, have them swallow two talismans.

When oxen or horses fall ill, affix the talisman to the gate.

Oxen and horses….

Place the talisman on the heads of oxen and horses to drive off epidemic ghosts.

If a horse wears this talisman, it is greatly auspicious.

When oxen or horses fall ill, have them wear this talisman.

When oxen or horses take fright, have them wear this talisman.

When oxen or horses are assailed by malign Qi, have them swallow two talismans.

When oxen or horses fall ill, affix the talisman to the gate.

When oxen or horses fall ill, affix the talisman to the gate.

Have the oxen and horses swallow the three talismans above to treat swelling of the belly. This is greatly auspicious.

Have oxen, horses, and donkeys wear this talisman on their heads. This is greatly auspicious.

When an ox falls ill, write the talisman in cinnabar on a peach-wood board and hang it on the gate or on the ox’s head. This is greatly auspicious.

Place the talisman on the zhi of the loom. This is greatly auspicious. (Zhi is the character used in the original; precisely what it refers to is unclear.)

Place the talisman on the loom to slay the hundred ghosts. This is greatly auspicious.

This is the talisman chiefly used for the loom; it is employed by being placed upon the loom.

Talismans for sowing the fields, eight in all.

Use them when rats eat the rice.

When insects and rats gnaw the seedlings, place the talisman in the center of the field.

When locusts eat the rice, write the talisman on a peach-wood board and use it to suppress them. This is greatly auspicious.

This work, the Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Sanbu Fu (Supreme Lord Lao’s Three-Part Talismans of Primordial Chaos), collects the formulas and methods of posting Fulu (talismans and registers) used to protect fields, drive out rats and insects, and pray for success in raising silkworms. In many places the text uses “so-and-so” in place of a specific personal name, place name, or date, indicating that these are to be filled in according to the actual circumstances.

Protecting the Fields and Driving Out Rats and Insects

The talismanic text first makes a prayerful announcement to the local deities of soil and grain and the spirits of the four directions, stating that the crops in the fields are suffering harm from rats, insects, and the like, and asking the deities to restrain them so that the damage ceases at once, taking this as proof that the Fulu has taken effect. The text further requires that mountain sprites, lords of the land, and others must not harm the grain in the households of the common people, and it takes the “Statutes and Ordinances of the Great Mysterious Capital” as the authority for the command. “Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances” is a common imperative closing formula in Daoist talismanic spells, indicating that the order is to be carried out at once.

The two talismans above are used to prevent rats from gnawing crops such as rice seedlings. The talismanic text states that once the talisman is put into effect, the rats may not return. One should select a year, month, day, and hour, and make a prayerful announcement to the mountain sprites and lords of the land, forbidding them to harm the grain of the common people.

The related Fulu may be placed at the four corners of the fields, or the talisman may be set in the center of the field. There is also a method for driving out insects and rats and protecting the crops: write the talisman in cinnabar on a peach-wood board one zhang in length, and hang it seven chi above the ground; when hanging it, do not look back. One may also place a wooden slip inscribed with the talismanic text in the center of the field, facing the four directions.

Praying for Success in Raising Silkworms

The Jing (scripture/classic) next lists thirty talismans beneficial to raising silkworms. The Fulu may be posted or worn according to their different uses. Silkworms consuming large quantities of the mulberry leaves on the silkworm trays—the bamboo utensils or mats on which the silkworms are placed during rearing—is regarded as an auspicious sign. To pray that the colony of silkworms flourish, one may hang the talisman in the silkworm room or post it above the doorway of the silkworm household. Some talismans should be written in cinnabar by the silkworm mother—the person who presides over the work of raising silkworms—and worn on the person; others are affixed to the silkworm trays, to the four walls of the silkworm room, or at its four corners. Talismans for preventing harm from rats may be placed at the four corners of the silkworm room or posted inside the room; still others are worn by the silkworm mother. The Jing further uses the titles “Nüzhen,” “Nuyang,” “Nüqing,” “Nücheng,” and “Nühuang,” of the east, south, west, north, and center respectively, to designate talismans beneficial to raising silkworms. These are the names of directional deities within the Fulu.

Some talismans are said to be able to remove the calamities brought by difficulties in raising silkworms, unfavorable transactions, and the like. The Jing also records talismanic phrases of the type “Laozi benefits the silkworms ten-thousandfold,” which may be posted on the north wall of the silkworm room, roughly level with a person’s waist. The talisman may also be placed among the cocooning frames, above the doorway of the silkworm household, or worn by the person raising the silkworms.

Finally, it mentions the “Heavenly Six Harmonies Talisman,” together with the names of stars such as the Soldier Star, the Zi-day Star, Yang, the Army-Breaker Star, and Sheng, and links them with prayers for success in raising silkworms.

Silkworm-raising households that use this talisman (fu) will enjoy great good fortune.

This talisman can ward off evil and strike down baleful spirits.

This talisman can make a family prosper, and it is especially beneficial for the northern quarter of the house. Great good fortune.

A silkworm talisman should be made on a yin day in the first ten days of the third month (a yin day being a day in the stem-and-branch reckoning whose earthly branch is yin). Place the talisman to the south of the silkworm frames—the stands on which silkworms spin their cocoons—and by day affix it to an interior wall; it is said to help the silkworm stock flourish. Every talisman connected with sericulture should be made on this day. Great good fortune.

What follows are thirty-five talismans for ritually averting death, calamity, and zhu illness. Zhu illness means sickness believed to be caused by the harassment of ghosts and evil spirits.

This talisman is used to guard against calamity and zhu illness invading the house from the four directions. If one fears that they will enter and harm the household, one may reverently write out the talismanic script and hang it at the center of each of the four walls. After seven days the ghostly zhu will perish of itself.

If someone in a neighboring household to the left or right dies suddenly, the talisman may be hung in the center of the courtyard.

Affixed to the residence gate, it brings great good fortune.

Write these three talismans on boards of peach wood and hang them at the four corners of the house. This can keep bereavement, zhu illness, and disaster from arising again within the residence, and can drive calamity away.

This talisman is used to avert bereavement among the four neighbors, disasters of killing and injury, and zhu illness; affix it to the door.

When there is a death in the household, every member of the family wears this talisman, or it is affixed to the door; it is said that the ghostly zhu then perishes of itself.

If someone in a neighboring household to the left or right dies suddenly, the talisman may be hung in the center of the courtyard.

Affixed to the residence gate, it brings great good fortune.

Write these three talismans on boards of peach wood and hang them at the four corners of the house. This can keep bereavement, zhu illness, and disaster from arising again within the residence, and can drive calamity away.

This talisman is used to avert bereavement among the four neighbors, disasters of killing and injury, and zhu illness; affix it to the door.

When there is a death in the household, every member of the family wears this talisman, or it is affixed to the door.

This talisman is used to avert the calamity of death. Whether the deceased is male or female, hang it upon the doorway; it is said that the disaster will then not occur again. Auspicious.

When someone dies, place the talisman in the deceased person’s hand; it is said that the dead will then no longer implicate others.

If the residence suffers bereavement, zhu illness, and calamity, the talisman may be written on boards of peach wood and placed at the four corners of the house.

If there is a death among the four neighbors, the talisman may be written on white cloth or white paper and concealed in the hair knot, so as to avert bereavement, disasters of killing and injury, and zhu illness.

If someone in the household dies, the talisman may be affixed to the door. Auspicious.

If calamity and zhu illness have not been eliminated, write the talisman and affix it at the four corners of the house.

If calamity and zhu illness have not been eliminated, write the talisman and hang it in the main hall.

If someone dies on a chen day or a xu day, the ghost is named “Heavenly Spirit.” The seven stars of the Northern Dipper (Beidou) can know the ghost’s name. One petitions the Huangshen Yuezhang—the divine seal used in Daoist ritual arts to subdue ghosts and evil—to issue the command. The spirit of the Heavenly Prison acts on that command, and the hundred ghosts may not trespass. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances (jiji ru lüling).

If someone dies on a si day or a hai day, the ghost is named “Heavenly Spirit.” The Northern Dipper can know the ghost’s governing name. One petitions the Huangshen Yuezhang to issue the command, ordering the hundred ghosts all to perish. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

If someone dies on a zi day or a wu day, the ghost is named “Heavenly Thief.” The seven stars of the Northern Dipper can know the ghost’s name. One petitions the Huangshen Yuezhang, Zhongyou, Yeguang, the Gate Assistant, and the Door Commandant to pursue and seize the ghostly evil and drive away what is inauspicious. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

If someone dies on a chou day or a wei day, the ghost is named “Heavenly Seizer.” The seven stars of the Northern Dipper can know the ghost’s name. One petitions the Huangshen Yuezhang to issue the command, suppressing the ghostly evil with awesome radiance, opening passage through the Heavenly Gate in all four directions, and causing every trace of the hundred ghosts to vanish. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

If someone dies on a yin day or a shen day, ghostly evil works its harm. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

For a person who dies on a Chou day or a Wei day, the ghost is named “Tianshou” (Heavenly Collector). The seven stars of the Northern Dipper know the ghost’s name. The “Huangshen Yuezhang” (Yellow Spirit Transcendent Seal) talisman (fu) is used to suppress the ghost’s radiant Qi (vital energy). The Gate of Heaven stands open through the four directions, and the traces of the hundred ghosts all disappear. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

For a person who dies on a Yin day or a Shen day, the ghost is named “Tianli” (Heavenly Principle). The seven stars of the Northern Dipper know the name of the lord of ghosts. The “Tiandi Shenfu” (Divine Talisman of the Celestial Emperor) is used to seal the doors and dispel ghostly hauntings. The Santai (Three Terraces) stars and the planet Yinghuo (Mars) manifest their numinous power, and the hundred ghosts all restrain themselves and withdraw. Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The “Sangche Shache Fu” (Funeral-Carriage Slaying-Carriage Talisman) is written on plain undyed material and affixed to the head; this is held to be greatly auspicious.

The three talismans above can ward off the baleful Qi brought by funeral matters and protect the four neighboring households. If someone among the four neighbors dies, this talisman may be written and pasted on the door; this is held to be auspicious.

The three talismans above are to be used together with the three talismans that precede them. They can ward off baleful Qi and protect the four neighbors. When someone among the four neighbors dies, they are written and put to use; this is held to be auspicious.

The “Shenfu” (Divine Talisman) is used to suppress ghostly hauntings. It may be worn on the person, and it may also be placed upon the door.

This talisman is used to resolve the calamities and the intrusions of illness brought by funerals from outside. It may also be pasted at the four corners of the residence.

If calamities and illnesses from the four directions enter the household, the talisman paper may be pierced and hung on the walls of all four sides.

The “Songzang Fu” (Funeral-Sending Talisman): wearing it may be used to seek good fortune.

On the day of burial, four talismans are written in cinnabar, each one chi and two cun in length, and laid crosswise upon the coffin.

If a deceased woman returns and causes her husband or members of the family to fall ill, or if a woman has died and has not yet been buried, this talisman may be used to drive off baleful misfortune. According to the prescribed method, it is written on plain undyed material and pasted at the center of both sides of the house.

If a deceased husband returns and causes his wife or members of the family to fall ill, or if a man has died a violent death and has not yet been buried, this talisman may be used to drive off baleful misfortune. It is written according to the prescribed method and pasted at the center of both sides of the house.

The “Yan Baiguai Fu” (Talismans for Suppressing the Hundred Anomalies), fifty-three in all, are used to suppress all manner of strange things.

When the hundred anomalies are encountered, the talisman may be pasted on the door.

The “Baiguai” talisman is written out and pasted on the stove; this is held to be auspicious.

The “Baiguai Fu” is pasted on the door; this is held to be auspicious.

If the residence is not at peace, this talisman may be written in the center of plain undyed material.

The “Yan Baiguai Fu,” fifty-three in all, are used to suppress all manner of strange things.

When the hundred anomalies are encountered, the talisman may be pasted on the door.

The “Baiguai” talisman is written out and pasted on the stove; this is held to be auspicious.

The “Baiguai Fu” is pasted on the door; this is held to be auspicious.

If the residence is not at peace, strange phenomena are often seen, and incidents arise without cause, the talisman may be written and pasted facing the place where the anomaly appears.

Two talismans are used to suppress the hundred anomalies.

This talisman is used to suppress all manner of strange things and may be pasted at the place where the anomaly appears.

“Sanzhen Shiyong” (Three Perfected Ones for Worldly Use) is used to cut down baleful ghosts. If demonic anomalies change again and again, or if all kinds of objects are seen undergoing abnormal transformations, this talisman may be written and pasted facing the place where the strange manifestation appears.

If strange transformations appear in the household, the head of the family wears this talisman; this is held to be auspicious.

An anomaly is seen on a Zi day. An anomaly is seen on a Chou day. An anomaly is seen on a Yin day. An anomaly is seen on a Mao day. An anomaly is seen on a Chen day. An anomaly is seen on a Si day. An anomaly is seen on a Wu day. An anomaly is seen on a Wei day. An anomaly is seen on a Shen day. An anomaly is seen on a You day. An anomaly is seen on a Xu day. An anomaly is seen on a Hai day.

The “Quanguai Fu” (Dog-Anomaly Talisman) is used to suppress the strange phenomenon of a dog climbing onto the bed. The talisman is placed on the bed and is held to ward off evil and seek good fortune.

If a dog climbs onto the bed, this talisman may be written and placed where the dog ordinarily lies down to sleep; this is held to be auspicious.

If a dog jumps onto the bed for no reason, paste the talisman (fu) on the door or on the bed; this is believed to bring good fortune. When a dog howls and its nose contracts, pasting the talisman on the door is also held to be highly auspicious; placing the talisman in the center of the dwelling is used to deal with the anomaly of the dog’s nose contracting.

When a dog leaps onto the roof without cause, the talisman may be placed on the doorway. When a dog looks about from the roof, place the talisman in the Xu position (one of the twelve earthly-branch directions); when a dog howls, place the talisman in the Xu position. If a dog urinates on the stove for no reason, use a talisman for ritual expulsion (driving away inauspiciousness by means of talismanic methods).

If a dog bites a person without cause, or carries a person’s zeng (a vessel for steaming rice) or similar objects on its body, the talisman may be written on the doorway and the stove. If a dog shows anomalous behavior on the bed, in the hall, or on the stove, a talisman may also be pasted in the corresponding place. If a dog rumples the clothing and shoes on the bed, or lies on the bed in a way regarded as disturbing the master of the house, the talisman may be pasted where the dog appears or rests, and it may also be pasted on the doorway. In strange cases such as the dog injuring itself, the Beidou seal (Northern Dipper seal) is used to seal and suppress the anomaly. When a dog carries a person’s clothing or the like on its body, the matter may be handled with a talisman at the place where it occurs. If a dog howls toward its master or its nose contracts, the talisman may be pasted on the door. When a dog looks at a well, the talisman may be placed beside the well; if a dog howls inside the dwelling, the talisman may be pasted in the hall.

If a dog keeps getting up and lying down and causes disturbances in the house, a talisman may be written where this appears; one may also write the talisman on a peach-wood board three cun long and place it where the strangeness occurs or on the doorway.

If strange events arise in the household—a dog getting onto the bed, a pig of its own accord eating its young with a rope, and the like—and prayer still brings no relief, the text says one should promptly hold a cisi (sacrifice and prayer for ritual expulsion) in order to dispel the inauspiciousness.

Nineteen Talismans for Rat Anomalies

When rats cry out inside the hall, hang the talisman in the hall; talismans may also be placed where the rats cry, or on the left and right sides of the house or of the hall, so as to carry out a ritual expulsion. When rats gnaw and damage people’s clothing, a talisman is used to suppress them. When rats make a sound like the call of a hen, place the talisman where they cry. A spirit talisman may also be put into a rat hole so that the rats give off a foul smell.

If a rat bites a person, paste the talisman on the wound. If a rat bites a person’s clothes or cap, write out the talisman and paste it on the clothes or cap, so as to seek good fortune. If a rat bites a person and draws blood, wear the talisman on the body. If a rat damages silkworm cocoons, write the talisman on a bamboo screen. If a rat cries like a brooding hen, paste the talisman where the strange sound appears, and also paste it in the hall. If a rat damages a person’s silk fabrics, paste the talisman on the silk, so as to seek great good fortune. If rats overrun the homestead, so that a place once perfectly sound gradually falls into ruin and the household is unsettled, paste the talisman on the door.

To stop rats from crying, paste the talisman at the four corners of the bed-curtains; this is held to be auspicious. Of two talismans, the upper one is used when a rat cries like a brooding hen, and is pasted where the sound appears; the lower one is used when a rat gnaws a person’s clothes, and is written inside a white collar. To drive away a multitude of rats, a talisman may be used for exorcistic dispelling—that is, to drive off calamities and anomalies by means of Fulu (talismans and registers). If the yinshu, a kind of rat so named in the scripture, enters a person’s house or cultivated land and disturbs things, paste the talisman where the anomaly appears. If a rat bites a person’s hands or feet, write the talisman on a peach-wood board four inches long, tie it to the left arm, and write the character “ghost,” in order to dispel the harm. If the yinshu works mischief on cultivated land, paste the talisman on the door, or paste it where the creature appears, in order to dispel it.

Nineteen talismans against ghosts and anomalies

Of two talismans, the upper one is used when a ghost cuts off a person’s hair, and may be swallowed or worn; the lower one is written on a peach-wood board and hung on the door. When a ghost shaves a person’s hair, it is called “Jing death” (death of essence). If a ghost shakes a person’s door, paste the talisman where it has been shaken.

Nineteen talismans against ghosts and anomalies

Of two talismans, the upper one is used when a ghost cuts off a person’s hair, and may be swallowed or worn; the lower one is written on a peach-wood board and hung on the door. When a ghost shaves a person’s hair, it is called “Jing death” (death of essence). If a ghost shakes a person’s door, paste the talisman where it has been shaken. If a ghost shakes a person’s bed, paste the talisman at the center of the bed, so as to seek good fortune. If a ghost steals a person’s clothes, paste the talisman on the door, so as to seek good fortune. If a ghost calls to a person in the night, paste the talisman on the door. If a ghost sets out cups and tables inside the room, paste the talisman on the door. If a ghost pushes a person’s wall, paste the talisman where it has been pushed, so as to seek good fortune. If a ghost gathers blood inside the house, paste the talisman on the door, so as to seek good fortune. If a person suddenly sees a ghost, paste the talisman on the door, so as to seek great good fortune. If a ghost howls and leaves people frightened and uneasy, paste the talisman on the door, beside the well, or by the stove, or place it inside the collar.

Of four talismans, the upper three are written on peach-wood boards and hung in the doorway; the lower one may be swallowed. The scripture says that this talisman can also deal with a ghost’s “bo,” and that swallowing it seeks great good fortune. What “ghost bo” refers to is unclear. What chiefly treats a ghost opening and closing a person’s door for no reason is pasting the talisman on the door, so as to seek good fortune. What chiefly treats a ghost opening the door and entering the house is placing the talisman on the door, so as to seek good fortune. If ghosts and anomalies gather in the house, write a talisman to dispel them, so as to seek great good fortune.

Seven talismans against snake anomalies

If a snake enters the doorway for no reason, use a talisman to dispel it, so as to seek great good fortune. If a snake enters the home, paste the talisman on the door, so as to seek great good fortune. The talisman descends from Heaven, and the divine master carries out this method. The scripture says that the anomaly of the “yuehao snake” departs after sixty days, going as far as ten thousand li. When the method is performed, one intones: “Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.” This talisman chiefly treats snake anomalies and drives away mountain Jing.

If a snake enters the house, one that is red, blue-green, white, or black in every case portends worry and distress, while a yellow one is an auspicious omen. Suppressing and warding it off with a talisman (fu) brings great good fortune.

A talisman affixed to the door can bring great good fortune.

The talisman comes down from heaven, and the divine master puts it into effect. The snake anomaly of the month will depart within sixty days, going as far as ten thousand li. Jiji ru lüling (a set phrase in Daoist talismanic commands urging the spirits to obey the order and act at once).

This talisman chiefly treats snake anomalies, and it can also drive away mountain Jing (essence; the essential spirits of the mountains).

If a snake enters the house and is red, blue-green, white, or black, all of these portend worry and distress, while yellow is an auspicious omen. Suppressing and warding it off with a talisman brings great good fortune.

If a snake enters the stove, one may affix the talisman at the place where the snake anomaly is found, and the matter can turn auspicious.

With the second talisman one can suppress and remove the various strange manifestations into which a snake has transformed; affixing the talisman at the place where the strangeness was discovered brings great good fortune and great benefit.

Talismans against fox anomalies, ten in all.

This talisman chiefly treats anomalies such as the crying of foxes. If one encounters the cries of wild beasts, insects, snakes, or foxes, one may direct the talisman toward them, or apply it toward the place from which the sound comes, and the result will be auspicious.

If wild beasts, insects, snakes, or foxes cry inside a residence or a house, or in a tree, one may write out the talismanic spell and hang it at the tip of a pole, and this brings great good fortune.

When a fox cries, one may write the talisman on a board of peach wood and apply it facing the place from which the cry comes.

The cry of a fox brings baleful calamity; turning the peach-wood board toward the place of the cry can dispel the disaster and turn the outcome auspicious.

The method of applying the talisman is the same as for the one above; it is used to suppress and ward off anomalies.

When a fox cries, write the talisman in cinnabar upon a knife and apply it facing the place of the cry; this brings great good fortune.

When a fox cries, one may write the talisman on a board of paulownia wood and apply it facing the place of the cry; this brings great good fortune.

When a fox cries, one may write the talisman on a board of peach wood and affix it to the door, and this is auspicious. The talismanic text says: “The fox cries and alarms the Heavenly Pass and the Earthly Door (the gate of Heaven and the gate of Earth); the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper drink up all the fox’s blood. Jiji ru lüling.”

This talisman can drive the anomaly ten thousand li away; if the talisman is affixed at the place where the anomaly cries, the monstrous creature will die, which is greatly auspicious.

This talisman chiefly treats foxes and bird anomalies that fly into people’s homes.

When a fox cries, one may write the talisman on a board of peach wood and affix it to the door, and this is auspicious. The talismanic text says: “The fox cries and alarms the Heavenly Pass and the Earthly Door; the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper drink up all the fox’s blood. Jiji ru lüling.”

This talisman can drive the anomaly ten thousand li away; if the talisman is affixed at the place where the anomaly cries, the monstrous creature will die, which is greatly auspicious.

This talisman chiefly treats foxes and bird anomalies that fly into people’s homes; writing out the talismanic spell to suppress and ward them off brings auspicious fortune.

End of the upper fascicle of the Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Sanbu Fu (The Talismans in Three Parts of the Primordial Chaos of the Most High Lord Lao).

Middle fascicle of the Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Sanbu Fu.

Contents

Talismans against the hundred anomalies, talismans for protecting the person, talismans for resisting adversity (talismans that ward off calamity and misfortune), and talismans against chicken anomalies, eleven in all.

If a chicken dies without cause, one may suppress and ward off the anomaly with a talisman, which brings great good fortune.

When a hen crows like a rooster, affix the talisman to the door; this brings great good fortune.

When a chicken is frightened at night, affix the talisman at the place where the chickens roost; this brings great good fortune.

If a hen crows like a rooster at night, one should kill the chicken at once and hang the talisman on the door, and this is auspicious.

If a chicken falls into a well without cause and dies, one may suppress and ward off the anomaly with a talisman, and this is auspicious.

When a hen crows like a rooster, kill the chicken and affix the talisman to the door, and this is auspicious.

If a chicken crows at night without cause, one may affix the talisman to the door, and this is auspicious.

With the second talisman one can deal with cases in which chickens, without cause, start up in fright and fly about, scatter in disorder, and will not settle to roost; once the talisman has been written and affixed to the door, they can be calmed.

When a rooster crows at night and urgent business has arisen at home, yet one cannot go out, a talismanic spell (fuzhou) may be written within thirty days in order to suppress the anomaly. The talisman (fu) is affixed where the anomaly appeared, or upon the door, and this is held to be auspicious.

Talismans for Anomalies in the Well, four in all

When the well water boils, the talisman is cast into the well, and this is held to be auspicious.

If a dragon is seen in the well and the talisman is directed toward it, this is held to be greatly auspicious.

When the well water boils, a talismanic spell is written to suppress it, and this is held to be greatly auspicious.

Talismans for Anomalies in the Pot, five in all

When the pot gives out a ringing sound, the talisman is placed on the stove, and this is held to be auspicious.

When the pot gives out a ringing sound, the talisman is written on a peach-wood board five cun long and placed in the pot, and this is held to be auspicious.

When the pot gives out a ringing sound, the talisman is written on plain silk and placed in the pot.

When a fire is lit and the cooking smoke does not rise, the fire going out of itself, a talisman may be written and affixed to the doorway, and this is held to be auspicious.

When food is being cooked and does not cook through, the fire going out of itself, a talisman may be used to suppress it, and this is held to be auspicious.

Talismans for Anomalies of the Hundred Birds, twenty-three in all

When an owl or a myna—that is, the crested myna—manifests an anomaly, a talisman may be used to suppress it, and this is held to be auspicious.

When the pot gives out a ringing sound, the talisman is written on a peach-wood board five cun long and placed in the pot, and this is held to be auspicious.

When the pot gives out a ringing sound, the talisman is written on plain silk and placed in the pot.

When a fire is lit and the cooking smoke does not rise, the fire going out of itself, a talisman may be written and affixed to the doorway, and this is held to be auspicious.

When food is being cooked and does not cook through, the fire going out of itself, a talisman may be used to suppress it, and this is held to be auspicious.

If owls and crested mynas gather in the dwelling for no reason and call, a talisman may be used to suppress them, and this is held to be auspicious.

If an owl calls around the dwelling, the talisman may be affixed to the doorway, and this is held to be auspicious; the talisman may also be directed toward it.

If turtledoves or pigeons call inside the house, the Yubu (a Daoist ritual pacing method) may be performed to the left and right within the room, and a talisman written to send them away. The scripture (jing) states that after this is done, the birds will die.

If turtledoves or pigeons gather at a household, the talisman may be affixed where they perch, and this is held to be auspicious.

When turtledoves or pigeons call, a talisman may be written at the place where the anomaly appears.

If a wild bird flies into a household for no reason, the talisman may be affixed to the doorway and at the place where the anomaly appears.

If bird droppings fall on a person, they may be carried on the body, and this is held to be auspicious.

If a bird flies into a household, a talisman may be written on the door, and this is held to be auspicious.

If small birds manifest an anomaly, a talisman may be directed toward them, and this is held to be auspicious.

If an owl, jackal, wolf, tiger, or leopard cries out, a talisman may be directed toward them, and this is held to be auspicious.

If an owl or a fox calls or laughs upon the dwelling, a talisman may be written on the doorway, and this is held to be greatly auspicious.

If birds in a flock fly into a household, a talisman may be used to suppress them, and this is held to be greatly auspicious.

If an owl laughs, the talisman may be affixed to the doorway, and this is held to be auspicious.

If an owl calls or laughs, flies into a household, or calls and laughs upon the dwelling on a jia day or a yi day, a talisman may be written on the doorway, and this is held to be greatly auspicious. If it calls and laughs on a jia day or a yi day, the scripture further says that this may foretell distress from official affairs, and the talisman may be affixed at the relevant place in order to seek auspiciousness.

If a pheasant flies into a household or alights on the roof, the corresponding talisman may be placed where the anomaly appears and on the door, and this is held to be auspicious.

There are, in addition, talismans used respectively to suppress anomalies of such birds as the old kite, the earth-owl, the mountain magpie, the turtledove, the pigeon, the hawk, the osprey, the crested myna, the shrike, the hill myna, and the quail.

The Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Sanbu Fu (the Three-Part Talismans of Hunyuan, Primordial Chaos, of the Most High Lord Lao) lists a number of uses of Fulu (talismans and registers) for anomalous signs in the household, and states that placing a talisman where the anomaly appears, beside a well, or upon a doorway can avert and dispel what is inauspicious.

If birds such as wild sparrows, geese, or ducks intrude into the home, one may place a talisman where the anomaly appears or paste it on the doorway. If ants gather and enter the house, the talisman may be placed where they appear; if a spider spins its web upon the door, the corresponding talisman is used. When a whirlwind stirs clothing, lifts the roof, or snaps trees, the talisman may be placed where this occurs; if a returning wind blows into the house, the talisman is pasted on the doorway.

The scripture further lists talisman methods for anomalies such as dragons and rainbows. If a dragon rests on a tree in the household or inside the house, a talisman may be used to avert it; if a dragon enters a well, one inscribes a talisman above the well or employs a talisman to dispel it. If a rainbow in clear weather appears in a well, or a rainbow seems to enter the well to drink, the talisman may be set beside the well or upon the doorway. Should one see dragon-like prodigies such as the jiao and the chi, the scripture says they may foretell the decline of the household or illness and death among its people, and states that wearing a talisman can ward them off.

Other household anomalies likewise have corresponding talisman methods. If, while going out or in the course of daily activity, one suddenly encounters abnormal traces of blood, the talisman may be placed where they appear; if clothing or utensils in the home are stained without cause by strange blood, a talisman may be used to dispel it. If a rabbit enters the house, the talisman may be placed where it appears. When bows and arrows, knives, or staffs give forth sound without cause or open and close of themselves, so that one fears thieves are about to arrive, a talisman may be used to avert this.

If sounds, strange lights, or uncanny gleams appear in the dwelling, or if flying bees, moths, or ants appear in the house without cause, one may, according to the scripture, paste a talisman on the doorway or place it where the anomaly appears; if ghost fire burns toward a household, it too may be dealt with by means of a talisman.

If a strange light or other anomalous apparition suddenly appears in a dwelling, this talisman (fu) may be placed where the anomaly occurs and upon the door; this is auspicious.

If wild beasts, strange insects, or other creatures that cannot be identified force their way into the house, this talisman may be set upon the door; this is greatly auspicious.

For anomalous conditions among the six domestic animals (livestock kept in the household) and for all manner of strange phenomena, there are twenty-four talismans in all.

A talisman for suppressing anomalies that concern pigs and dogs.

The two talismans above apply when the six domestic animals die suddenly or cease to breed. Using the talismans to ritually dispel the trouble is greatly auspicious.

If a sow, after bearing her young, turns about and eats them, the talisman may be written upon the door; this is auspicious.

If the six domestic animals of the household bear young and then eat them, a talisman may be used to dispel this; it is auspicious. Another account says that if a sow bears young and then eats them, a talisman may be used to suppress the matter; this is auspicious.

If the trees, the six domestic animals, the crops, and the like of a household die without cause, a talisman may be used to dispel this; it is auspicious.

If the trees of a household wither and die without cause, the talisman may be affixed to the trees to dispel the trouble; this is auspicious.

If the six domestic animals die in a place that cannot be identified, this too is held to be auspicious. (What “weidi” refers to is unclear; the sense of the original wording is retained.)

A canine anomaly once appeared in the palace of Emperor Wu of the Han. The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) ordered that talismans be affixed to the walls on all four sides so as to remove the calamity; this was auspicious.

The two talismans above: if flies or bees fly into the house, the talismans may be written out and affixed to the wall; this is auspicious.

If doors open and shut of themselves without cause, a talisman may be used to suppress this; it is auspicious.

If strange traces of blood are seen, the talisman may be affixed where the blood lies; this is auspicious.

If a wildcat has eaten the chickens, the talisman may be affixed beneath the chickens’ roost and at the four corners of the fence; this is auspicious.

The three talismans above: if an anomaly is seen, they may be written in cinnabar upon white silk; a man wears the talisman on the left, and a woman wears it on the right; this is greatly auspicious.

If a fiery light suddenly appears in the house, the talisman may be affixed to the door and at the place where the anomaly appears; this is auspicious.

If a radiance suddenly shines within the dwelling, or if ghost-fire appears, if vessels and implements are damaged, if the crops grow poorly, or if there is even anxiety over bloodshed, a talisman may be used to suppress this; it is greatly auspicious.

If a woman encounters an anomaly, she may wear the talisman on the right; this is greatly auspicious.

If a fiery light suddenly appears in the house, the talisman may be affixed to the door and at the place where the anomaly appears; this is auspicious.

If a radiance suddenly shines within the dwelling, or if ghost-fire appears, if vessels and implements are damaged, if the crops grow poorly, or if there is even anxiety over bloodshed, a talisman may be used to suppress this; it is greatly auspicious.

When an anomaly appears, affix the talisman to the door; this is auspicious.

If spiders gather without cause and spin webs together, this is regarded as a household anomaly and may be suppressed with a talisman.

If a strange bird flies into the house and cries, this talisman may be affixed to the walls on all four sides to dispel it; this is auspicious.

If ants suddenly appear in the house and gather into lines, the talisman may be affixed where the ants appear; this is auspicious.

If a whirlwind blows into the house, the talisman may be affixed to the door; this is auspicious.

If vessels and implements break during the first month, the talisman may be written upon the door; this is auspicious.

Seasonal talismans, four in all.

The Azure Dragon (Qinglong) talisman is used during the three months of spring, suppressing all manner of anomalies; this is greatly auspicious.

The Vermilion Bird (Zhuque) talisman is used during the three months of summer, suppressing all manner of anomalies; this is greatly auspicious.

The White Tiger (Baihu) talisman governs the three months of autumn and is used to dispel all manner of anomalies; this is auspicious.

The Dark Warrior (Xuanwu) talisman governs the three months of winter and is used to dispel every anomaly; this is greatly auspicious.

Talismans for encountering anomalies on the twelve day-markers: concerning talismans for meeting anomalies among the twelve day-markers (days reckoned by the Twelve Earthly Branches), there are twenty-three in all.

On a zi day, if one encounters a strange apparition, the householder will be seized with fear and may also meet with thieves or calamities of water and fire, and suffer loss of property. Within fifty days a talisman (fu) may be used to suppress it: place the talisman where the anomaly appeared and on the door, so as to ritually avert what is inauspicious. This is auspicious.

The Xuanwu (Dark Warrior) Talisman is suited to the three months of winter and is used to ritually avert all manner of anomalies; it is highly auspicious.

Talismans for anomalies encountered on the twelve branch-days (two shi, three talismans).

On a zi day, if one encounters an anomaly, the householder will be frightened and may meet with thieves, calamities of water and fire, or loss of property. Within fifty days a talisman may be used to suppress it; affix the talisman where the anomaly appeared and on the door. Greatly auspicious.

On a chou day, if one encounters an anomaly, the householder will worry over imprisonment or illness, and the misfortune will occur within fifty days. The talisman may be affixed where the anomaly appeared and on the door in order to suppress it. Auspicious.

On a yin day, if one encounters an anomaly, one must be careful in speech and guard against gossip and disputes, matters of the authorities, and illness; within ninety days the calamity will not be cleared away. Write a talisman and affix it where the anomaly appeared. Greatly auspicious.

On a mao day, if one encounters an anomaly, one must beware of gossip and disputes, official documents, and illness; these affairs may continue for ninety days. Affix the talisman where the anomaly appeared and on the door. Auspicious.

On a chen day, if one encounters an anomaly, the householder will worry over a lawsuit, and a young child in the family may suffer harm, or there may be a bereavement in the household; within ten days the calamity will not occur. Write a talisman and affix it where the anomaly appeared. Greatly auspicious.

On a si day, if one encounters an anomaly, a young member of the family may fall ill, gossip and disputes may come from outside, and the household spirits (Shen) will be unsettled; within fifty days no calamity will occur. Write a talisman and place it where the anomaly appeared. Greatly auspicious.

On a wu day, if one encounters an anomaly, one should fear calamities of water and fire and grave illness, which may endanger life; a person may also fall into distress involving ancestral matters or gossip and disputes. Within thirty days a rite of aversion may be performed. Auspicious.

On a wei day, if one encounters an anomaly, one may fall ill, and in a severe case life may be endangered; within ten days the calamity will not occur. Affix the talisman where the anomaly appeared and on the door. Auspicious.

On a shen day, if one encounters an anomaly, there may be an arrest by the authorities; it will not take place within seventy days. Write a talisman and affix it where the anomaly appeared and on the door. A you day uses this same talisman as well.

On a xu day, if one encounters an anomaly, a rite of aversion may be performed within thirty days. Auspicious.

On a wei day, if one encounters an anomaly, one may fall ill, and in a severe case life may be endangered; within ten days the calamity will not occur. Affix the talisman where the anomaly appeared and on the door. Auspicious.

On a shen day, if one encounters an anomaly, there may be an arrest by the authorities; it will not take place within seventy days. Write a talisman and affix it where the anomaly appeared and on the door. A you day uses this same talisman as well.

On a xu day, if one encounters an anomaly, the household will be unsettled. One must guard against matters of death and defilement, which are unfavorable to the elders of the family; one may also fall ill, and gossip, disputes, and many troubles may arise. One must further be cautious about official matters, and women may be distressed. Within ten days the talisman may be directed toward the place where the anomaly appeared. Greatly auspicious.

On a hai day, if one encounters an anomaly, there may be calamities of water and fire, fright, and sudden emergencies, and there may also be illness and quarrels. One must be careful in speech and guard against official matters. If the anomaly is seen within fifty days, the talisman may be placed where it appeared. Auspicious.

On a zi day, if one encounters an anomaly, its appearance in the morning will harm the elders of the household, while its appearance in the evening will harm the young. Within sixty days one may write the talisman in ink upon white cloth or silk and hang it at the four corners of the house, as well as where the anomaly appeared and on the door. Greatly auspicious.

On a Chou day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will harm the elders of the household, and in the evening it will harm brothers, women, and pregnant women. The misfortune will occur within sixty days. Write a talisman (Fu) in ink on white silk and paste it on the four corners of the house and on the latrine; this can ritually avert the harm and turn it to good fortune.

On a Yin day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will harm the second son, and in the evening it will harm the mother; another account holds that it will harm the young. If official affairs or livestock are involved, that too is inauspicious. The misfortune will occur within sixty days. Paste the talisman at the place where the anomaly appeared, and also on the gate, the well, the dui (a tool for pounding rice), and the millstone; this can ritually avert the harm.

On a Mao day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will impair women, and in the evening it will harm livestock; another account holds that it will harm the young. If official affairs or livestock are involved, that too is inauspicious. The misfortune will occur within sixty days. Paste the talisman at the place where the anomaly appeared, and also on the gate, the well, the dui, and the millstone; this can ritually avert the harm.

On a Mao day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will impair women, and in the evening it will harm livestock. Write the talisman on crimson silk (a red silk fabric) and paste it on both sides of the doorway and on the four corners of the house; this can ritually avert the harm and turn it to good fortune.

On a Chen day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will affect those traveling afar, and in the evening it will impair the second son; another account holds that it will affect the parents and the livestock. Write the talisman on crimson silk and paste it on the four corners of the house and on both sides of the doorway; this can dispel the harm.

On a Si day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will harm the head of the household, and in the evening it will impair the young. Write the talisman on crimson silk and paste it on the four walls of the main hall; this can dispel the harm and is highly auspicious.

On a Wu day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will harm the adult men of the household, and in the evening it will impair the women; another account holds that in the morning it will harm the women, and in the evening it will harm the parents. The misfortune will occur within one hundred days. Write the talisman on crimson silk and paste it on the latrine; this can dispel the harm.

On a Wei day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will harm the women, and in the evening it will impair the young; another account holds that it will impair the parents. Write the talisman on cloth and place it in the four corners of the house, then hang another talisman cloth on the latrine; this can dispel the harm and is highly auspicious.

On a Shen day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will harm pregnant women, and in the evening it will harm livestock and property; another account holds that it will harm a child born in the morning, and still another that it will harm the young. The misfortune will occur within eighty days. Write the talisman on white silk and paste it on the four corners of the house and on the doorways; this can dispel the harm.

On a You day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will impair the eldest son, and in the evening it will harm the young. The original text then records several differing accounts: some say it will harm women and cause a fire; some say that in the evening it will impair the parents, the livestock, and property; and another account holds that official affairs will be involved. The misfortune will occur within sixty days. Write the talisman on the four walls in the southeast of the house and on the well and the dui; this can dispel the harm.

On a Xu day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will impair the head of the household, and in the evening it will harm the young; another account holds that in the morning it will impair pregnant women, and in the evening it will impair women. The misfortune will occur within eighty days. Place the talisman inside the latrine building and paste it on the four walls and the doorways; this can dispel the harm and is highly auspicious.

On a Hai day, if one sees an anomaly, in the morning it will harm the head of the household, and in the evening it will harm pregnant women; another account holds that in the morning it will impair the children, or possibly the mother, and that in the evening it will harm the young and cause a fire. Write the talisman on cloth and paste it on the four walls of the main hall; this can dispel the harm and is highly auspicious.

The Earth Talismans of the Twelve Periods number sixteen in all.

The Laojun (Lord Lao) divine talisman of the Zi position is charged with registering and seizing the jing-sprites (Jing, essence) of mountain ghosts. They falsely claim to be celestial officials; by talismanic command they are escorted to the prison of the Nine Heavens, to be dealt with at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The Laojun divine talisman of the Chou position is charged with registering and seizing the ghosts and monsters of the mountains in the lower realm, including the likes of the Six Lords, who live on blood offerings, haunt through lewd and perverse acts, and give themselves over to song and dance. They are escorted to the prison of Beichen (the Northern Asterism) to be beheaded, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The Lord’s divine talisman of the Yin position is charged with registering and seizing ghosts and monsters bound up with death, funerals, and recurrent death-infusions, and also with seizing the tiger and wolf ghosts that harm children and come and go between the realms above and below. They are escorted to the prison of the Celestial Emperor to be beheaded, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The Lord’s divine talisman of the Mao position is charged with registering and seizing, among the ghosts and spirits of Heaven and Earth, those ghosts and monsters associated with water, fire, and death, together with the departed souls of those who died of penal injury. They are escorted to the prison of the Beidou (Northern Dipper) to be beheaded, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The Laojun divine talisman of the Chen position is charged with registering and seizing demonic sprites that have become jing through long years, deceased kings and marquises, and, as the original text lists them, the “Five You,” those who died by fire, and the jing that harm children. They are escorted to the prison of the Nandou (Southern Dipper) to be beheaded, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances. The Laojun divine talisman of the Si position is charged with registering and seizing the jing-sprites that cause ghostly disturbances in the household to break out again and again and make people endlessly ill, together with chaotic ghosts that harm people. They are escorted to the prison of Taishan (Mount Tai) to be beheaded, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The Laojun divine talisman of the Wu position is charged with registering and seizing the jing-sprites of deep waters, the chimei of the waters, and the kinds of ghosts that injure people. They are escorted to the prison of the Eastern Sea to be beheaded, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The Laojun divine talisman of the Wei position is charged with registering and seizing the departed souls of those who died by drowning. They are escorted to the prison of Hebo (the River Earl) to be beheaded, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The Laojun divine talisman of the Shen position is charged with registering and seizing the jing-sprites in tombs, the spirits of high mountains, and five kinds of ghosts that injure people. They are escorted to the prison of the Qiucheng (Mound Assistant) to be beheaded, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The Laojun divine talisman of the You position is charged with registering and seizing what the original text calls the “ghosts of male □ and female □.” They are escorted to Pingshen Prison; some say this prison is the prison of Gaoyao, and that they are beheaded there, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances. The Laojun divine talisman of the Xu position is charged with registering and seizing former clerks who died for breaking the law, injured ghosts who were put to death, and five kinds of ghosts that injure people. They are escorted to the prison of the Qiucheng to be beheaded, to be carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The original text lists the divine talisman of the You position once again: it is charged with registering and seizing the “ghosts of male □ and female □,” escorting them to Pingshen Prison—also said by some to be the prison of Gaoyao—where they are beheaded and the sentence is carried out at once in accordance with the statutes and ordinances.

The divine talisman of Laojun (Lord Lao) for the Xu position is charged with seizing the ghosts of former officials who broke the law and died, handing them over to be dealt with under the law, committing them to prison, and executing them. When the talisman is put into effect, one recites, “Quickly, quickly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances,” signifying that the command must be carried out at once.

The divine talisman of Laojun for the Hai position is charged with seizing ghosts who died in the marketplace and delivering them to the prison of the metropolis to be executed.

The divine talisman of Laojun on the gate is charged with seizing ghosts and spirits (Shen) that have broken the law within the past forty-nine days and delivering them to the prison of Ziran (the Natural) to be executed.

The divine talisman of Laojun in the central courtyard is charged with seizing ghosts and spirits that have broken the law in prison within the past fifty days and delivering them to the prison of Xuwu (the Void) to be executed.

The divine talisman of Laojun on the door is charged with seizing ghosts and spirits that have broken the law in prison within the past forty-nine days and delivering them to the prison of the Forty-Nine Heavens to be executed.

The divine talisman of Laojun is charged with seizing copper concealed in the earth, every kind of aged Jing (essence), timber sunk and buried, the Jing of gold, silver, copper, and iron, dead dragons, rotten bones, huan-stone, and the essence-specters of numinous things within the house, and with delivering all of them, none omitted, to the prison of Chongming (Deep Darkness) to be executed.

The sixteen talismans above are made as seals on peach-wood boards one chi and six cun in length and sealed inside the chamber. The talismans are drawn in cinnabar, and the words “Taishang zhi yu” (“The Most High Administers the Prison”) and the like are written in ink. The prognostic inscriptions beneath the talismans must all first be submitted in an upward memorial. When the ritual is finished, the earth talismans of the twelve hours are placed each in its corresponding direction.

There are forty-five protective talismans in all.

The Immortals’ Divine Talisman for Protecting the Body and Preserving Life is written in cinnabar at the center of the chest, its meaning being to settle mind and spirit and to bring great good fortune. In making it, one uses a seal one chi and six cun in length, sealed inside the chamber; the talisman is drawn in cinnabar, and the words “Taishang zhi yu” and the like are written in ink. The prognostic inscriptions beneath the talismans must all first be submitted in an upward memorial. When the ritual is finished, the earth talismans of the twelve hours are placed each in its corresponding direction.

There are forty-five protective talismans in all.

The Immortals’ Divine Talisman for Protecting the Body and Preserving Life is written in cinnabar at the center of the chest, to pray that the spirit be calmed and life preserved.

The Great Divine Talisman for Protecting the Body and Preserving Life is written in cinnabar at the center of the chest, and one notes the astral field-allocation of one’s region, the gods of the local altar, the deities of Heaven and Earth, the Five Marchmounts and the Four Waterways, the twelve river sources, and the spirits of the soil, praying that the gods will come and assemble to guard the wearer of the talisman, so that this person may preserve body and life and obtain auspicious fortune.

There is also a talisman in vermilion script placed upon the heart. It is said to obtain at once the protection of divine spirits for body and life, and to bring blessing and auspicious fortune.

There is also a talisman in vermilion script placed upon the heart. Its function is the same as that above, and it can bring auspicious fortune.

The nine talismans above are written in cinnabar upon the heart. They are said to bring blessing, to protect the body and life, and to add years and prolong one’s lifespan.

The Earth-Release Talisman (Dishi fu): once worn, it can protect the body and bring auspicious fortune.

Protective talismans for children.

Protective talismans for princes and dukes and for officials of the two-thousand-shi rank: written in cinnabar upon the heart.

Talismans of the Immortals for Protecting the Body and Preserving Life. Talismans for Protecting the Body and Preserving Life for Bondservants.

For persons of the rank of two thousand shi and below, placing a vermilion-script talisman—a talisman (fu) written in cinnabar—over the heart and wearing it is greatly auspicious. A body-protecting talisman written in cinnabar and placed over the heart can protect the body. Evil ghosts and evil spirits will flee ten thousand li away, and sprites together with every kind of monster will be driven off, bringing great good fortune.

Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart can protect the body and preserve life, securing blessing and respectful regard, as though one had personally seen the Most High Lord Lao. Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart and wearing it on the person brings blessing. Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart is greatly auspicious. Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart can drive off the hundred ghosts. The talisman bears a dipper-shaped design, which can make a person safe and robust, and this is greatly auspicious. Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart is as though one had personally seen the Most High Lord Lao. Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart and wearing it on the person brings blessing. Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart is greatly auspicious. Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart can drive off the hundred ghosts. The talisman bears a dipper-shaped design, which can make a person safe and robust, and this is greatly auspicious. Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart can drive off the hundred malign influences, so that whatever one seeks is fulfilled as wished, and this is greatly auspicious.

The seventeen talismans above, written in cinnabar and placed over the heart, can protect the body and bring blessing, with great good fortune. Placing the vermilion-script talisman over the heart can protect the body and preserve life and grant longevity; one may travel in safety through mountains and forests, and the culpability incurred after death can also be removed.

Nineteen Talismans for Warding Off Calamity.

The talisman of the Greedy Wolf star (Tanlang), one of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, comprises the Greedy Wolf star that settles the will, the five zi for warding off calamity, and the talisman of long endurance. Place the talisman in a white pouch and tie it at the elbow; this is greatly auspicious. Wearing a talisman for warding off calamity can withstand disaster and adversity.

The talisman of the Quelling Star (Zhenxing), the star that guards the Central Palace, comprises the Quelling Star, the five chou for warding off calamity, penetrating reach and majestic joy, and the talisman of auspicious protection and long endurance. Write it in cinnabar, place it in a pouch of one’s own, and tie it at the left elbow; this is greatly auspicious.

The talisman of the Year Star (Suixing), the talisman of Jupiter, comprises Heavenly Unity for warding off calamity, the Heaven-born five yin, and the talisman of long endurance. Place it in a deep-red pouch and tie it at the elbow.

The talisman of the Great Gate star (Jumen), one of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, is the talisman of the right po-soul’s long endurance. Place it in a blue-green pouch and wear it, men tying it on the left and women on the right; this is greatly auspicious.

The talisman of the Pure and Upright star (Lianzhen), one of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, comprises Heaven’s five celestial markers for warding off calamity and the talisman of long endurance. Place it in a yellow pouch and tie it at the elbow, men on the left and women on the right; this is greatly auspicious.

The talisman of the Dazzling Deluder (Yinghuo), the talisman of Mars, comprises the five si for warding off calamity, the subduing of the ten thousand malignities, the dispelling of disaster, misfortune, and uncanny prodigies, and the talisman of long endurance. Place it in a scarlet pouch and wear it, both men and women tying it on the left; this is greatly auspicious.

The talisman of the Army-Breaker star (Pojun), one of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, comprises the seeking of supremacy, the forcible removal of the Qi (vital energy) of the Six Harms, and the talisman of long endurance. Place it in a yellow pouch and tie it at the elbow, men on the left and women on the right; this is greatly auspicious.

The talisman of the Dazzling Deluder (Yinghuo), the talisman of Mars, comprises the five si for warding off calamity, the subduing of the ten thousand malignities, the dispelling of disaster, misfortune, and uncanny prodigies, and the talisman of long endurance. Place it in a scarlet pouch and wear it, both men and women tying it on the left; this is greatly auspicious.

The talisman of the Army-Breaker star (Pojun), one of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, comprises the seeking of supremacy and the forcible removal of the Qi of the Six Harms, together with the Heaven-born five wu for warding off calamity and the talisman of long endurance. Write it in cinnabar, place it in a deep-red pouch, and wear it tied behind the elbow; this is greatly auspicious.

The Wuqu Star Talisman (the talisman of the Wuqu star) can bring good fortune, as though one were sheltered beneath the canopy of Heaven. Placed in a yellow pouch and tied to the arm, it can ward off calamity and disaster, keeping a person in lasting health and peace. Greatly auspicious.

The Taibai Star Talisman (the talisman of the Taibai star) is said to enjoy the protection of five spirits (Shen), who examine and guard a person’s allotted span of life. Placed in a white pouch and tied to the arm, it can ward off calamity and disaster, keeping a person in lasting health and peace. Greatly auspicious.

The Lucun Star Talisman (the talisman of the Lucun star) is said to be tended and protected by celestial spirits. Placed in a white pouch, it is worn on the left by men and on the right by women. It can ward off calamity and disaster, keeping a person in lasting health and peace. Greatly auspicious.

The Chenxing Talisman (the talisman of the Chen star) is said to have the aid of the Thunder Spirit and to guard the Six Palaces. Placed in a yellow pouch and tied to the arm, it can ward off calamity and disaster, keeping a person in lasting health and peace. Greatly auspicious.

The Wenqu Star Talisman (the talisman of the Wenqu star) is a talisman of long life. Placed in a white pouch and tied at the elbow, it is greatly auspicious.

It is used to pass through the calamities of each day, and is auspicious.

Worn on the person, it allows one to pass through the calamities of the year, and is auspicious.

The Talisman of the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) for Prolonging Years, Increasing Longevity, and Passing through the Calamities of the Month: men wear it on the left and women on the right. Auspicious.

The two talismans above may be used to pass through calamities of every kind; wearing them is greatly auspicious.

Lord Lao’s Six Jia Yang Talisman (Liujia yangfu) for Warding Off Calamity is said to avert the disasters of warfare. Tied upon the chest, it is auspicious.

End of the middle volume of The Three-Part Talismans of Primordial Chaos of the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Sanbu Fu).

Lower volume of The Three-Part Talismans of Primordial Chaos of the Most High Lord Lao

Contents: Talismans for Prolonging Years; Talismans for Repelling Ghosts; Talismans for Settling the Soul; a Yang talisman for warding off arms, auspicious when tied upon the chest.

End of the middle volume of The Three-Part Talismans of Primordial Chaos of the Most High Lord Lao.

Lower volume of The Three-Part Talismans of Primordial Chaos of the Most High Lord Lao

Contents: Talismans for Prolonging Years; Talismans for Repelling Ghosts; Talismans for Settling the Soul; Talismans for Cutting Off Evil Dreams; Talismans for Repelling Pestilence; Talismans for Seeking Offspring and Calming the Fetus; Talismans for Difficult Childbirth; Talismans for Driving Off Mosquitoes and Horseflies; Talismans of a Hundred Deliverances; Talismans for Seeking Office; Talismans for Managing Wine and Fermented Sauces; twelve Talismans for Prolonging Years.

The Great All-Penetrating Spirit Talisman is said to prolong the years and increase longevity, curing illness with divine efficacy. Even when there is no other illness, wearing it with reverence or otherwise using it is auspicious.

Two talismans can lengthen life and make the body light and vigorous. They may be written on white silk and worn; it is also said that they may be swallowed.

They can prolong the years and increase longevity, and may also be tied upon the head.

Tied upon the head, they can extend life, and are auspicious.

Two talismans, when swallowed, can confer long life.

Once worn, they can bring long life and carry one through calamity and disaster, and are auspicious.

The Talisman for Returning Essence (Jing) and Seizing It for the Brain: wear it or swallow it. Greatly auspicious.

Once worn, it can prolong the years and increase longevity.

The Talisman of the Spirits of Heaven and Earth: once worn, it can bring long life.

The upper part of this talisman is written in ink and the lower part in cinnabar. Hung upon the door, it can repel the hundred ghosts, and is auspicious.

Talismans for repelling ghosts, twenty-eight in all.

Hung upon the door, they can repel ghosts. Greatly auspicious.

Hung upon the latrine, they can repel ghosts and strange beings of every kind. Greatly auspicious.

The ghost-repelling talisman (fu): when the talisman is written inside the collar, it can ward off ghosts and is auspicious. Hung on a doorway, it can keep away all kinds of ghosts and specters, which is greatly auspicious; worn on the person, it can likewise ward off ghosts. Placed on the left and right sides of the bed, it can also keep away all kinds of ghosts and specters, which is auspicious.

Two talismans hung on the door to the east can expel mouth ghosts, which is greatly auspicious. Two talismans affixed to the eastern door can ward off ghosts; they may also be written on boards of peach wood and placed on the left and right sides of the bed. When the talisman is written on a peach-wood board and set beside the bed, it can ward off ghosts and is auspicious. The talisman may further be used to guard against the hundred ghosts, mountain sprites, earth gods, and the like, by placing it on both sides of the doorway; it may also be written and then posted on the door or on all four walls. Writing the ghost-repelling talisman inside the collar can likewise ward off ghosts and is auspicious.

Guanwen (writs used for notification and transmission, or talismanic documents): when ghost-repelling talismans are posted on all four walls, it is auspicious.

Talismans for within the canopy: they may be placed respectively at the southeast corner of the tent or bed-canopy, at the foot on the western side, at the northeast corner, at the four corners, and in the directions of east, south, west, north, and northwest.

There are thirty-three soul-calming talismans in all. Four talismans may be used to settle the hun and po and are to be ingested; two talismans serve to strengthen the hun and po, the upper one written at the eyes and the lower one written at the ears. The talisman for restoring the hun and po, placed inside the lapel, is greatly auspicious; worn on the person, it can settle the hun and po. When the heart is unsettled, the talisman may be written out; when one is afraid at night, it may also be written on both hands. The talisman for restoring the hun and po may be worn or ingested, which is auspicious. The six talismans listed above are used to treat fright, and ingesting them is greatly auspicious; the talisman may also be written over the heart. Three talismans may likewise be ingested or worn.

Placed at the head of the bed or kept inside the clothing, they are auspicious. When one feels alarm, the talisman is written on the chest; when the heart is afraid, it is written inside the lapel of a plain-colored garment. If one is suddenly startled, it may be written on the left hand; if the heart is fearful, it may be written on the right arm. In a state of fright, writing the talisman inside the lapel of a plain garment is auspicious. Whether the written talisman is hung beside the bed or placed inside the lapel, both are auspicious; writing it at the head of the bed is also auspicious. Three talismans may be worn together. If one feels fright, they may be worn or ingested.

There are twenty-nine nightmare-severing talismans in all. The six talismans listed above, once written and hung at the head of the bed, can stop nightmares. Two talismans are used for nightmares: written on a red silk ribbon and tied at the chest, they may also be placed at the head of the bed, which is greatly auspicious. When at night one dreams of ghosts and specters or suffers nightmare oppression, placing the talisman inside the pillow is auspicious; in the case of nightmares, placing it inside the pillow is likewise auspicious.

Twenty-nine Talismans for Stopping Nightmares

The uppermost six talismans (fu) are used to bring nightmares to an end. Once written, they are hung at the head of the bed and may preserve auspiciousness. The second talisman, after it has been written, is tied to the chest with a red silk ribbon; it may also be placed at the head of the bed, which is held to be highly auspicious. When one dreams of ghosts, is startled in a dream, or feels mentally clouded and heavy, the talisman is placed inside the pillow so that peace and safety may be sought. When a nightmare occurs, the talisman is put inside the pillow to seek good fortune; it may also be swallowed, or affixed in front of the bed curtain or at the upper end of the quilt, and any of these is said to bring good fortune. The talisman may be affixed on the left and right sides of the head of the bed, above the curtain, to seek good fortune, or it may be affixed at the four corners of the curtain.

Two of the talismans may be swallowed when a nightmare occurs, and this is considered still more auspicious; they may also be worn on the chest. When one dreams of meeting a ghost, or is drowsy and unclear in a dream, the talisman is placed at the head of the bed to seek good fortune. If one dreams of consorting with ghosts, the talisman is written and laid upon the pillow. When a person falls asleep and does not easily wake, the talisman is written on the head to seek good fortune. In the case of a nightmare, it may also be written on a piece of yellow silk two cun in length and tied to the chest. If one sleeps restlessly at night, the talisman may be affixed at the four corners of the bed. There is, in addition, a talisman used for “great sighing” (daxi), which may be swallowed or written on the chest; “great sighing” refers to disturbance of the breath and of Qi during sleep and dreaming. If at night one dreams of drawing near to ghosts, the talisman may be written before the bed; when a nightmare occurs, it may also be written and affixed upon the doorway.

Fifty-three Talismans for Warding Off Pestilence

The pestilence-warding talisman, once written, is affixed to the door. The five pestilence-cutting talismans listed on the right are written and affixed to the doorway, so that auspiciousness may be sought. The “Imperial Shoulder Armor” (Dijianjia) talisman is worn on the left by men and on the right by women; it may also be written near the eyebrows or the eyelashes. A pestilence-warding talisman hung before the courtyard may be used to seek good fortune. There is one pestilence-warding talisman of which it is held that, if a single person carries it on the body, a hundred people will not contract illness. The talisman may also be tied behind the elbow or worn on the person in order to ward off pestilence. Tied upon the arm and worn by men according to the left and right positions, it may be used to seek good fortune; it may also be written on the wall beside the door.

Two pestilence-warding talismans may be written on boards of peach wood and hung on either side of the door, or worn upon the head. Wearing this talisman is said to drive away ghosts and specters; written on peach wood and hung at the doorway, it may also ward off pestilence. The pestilence-warding talisman may be affixed to the door, or written and hung upon it. Two further pestilence-warding talismans, when worn on the body, may be used to seek good fortune. Such a talisman may be placed in the ear, or written on peach wood and set beside the well and upon the stove. Whether swallowed or worn, it is held to have the effect of warding off pestilence. Placed inside the collar of the garment, the pestilence-warding talisman may be used to seek good fortune. There is also a talisman for benefiting life (liming), used to remove pestilence; written on peach wood and placed at the doorway, it may be used to seek auspiciousness.

During an epidemic, a plague-averting talisman may be pasted on the door to seek good fortune and ward off illness. If the talisman is written on a peach-wood board three inches long and tied to the head, one may hope to escape infection; a plague-averting talisman may also be worn. The east and the south each have a plague-severing talisman that can be used to drive out pestilence. Before entering a sick household, one may swallow the first talisman and then wear the second, seeking safety.

The scripture further lists plague talismans facing south, the center, west, and north; together with the Fulu (talismans and registers) already mentioned, these make five in all, said, when swallowed, to avert plague.

Next come the talisman methods for seeking a child and securing a pregnancy, twenty-eight in all. The first fourteen are said to enable the childless, if swallowed, to seek a child; when the fetus is slow to be born, the talisman may be written on the hand; two further talismans are said, when swallowed, to bring labor on. Swallowed during illness, they are said to bring recovery within three days; taking a talisman on the third day after childbirth is likewise called auspicious. There are also four pregnancy-protecting talismans which, when swallowed, may calm and secure the fetus.

The scripture also records talisman methods for seeking the birth of a boy: after conception, Fulu are swallowed and are said to be able to turn a girl into a boy; at three months of pregnancy the talisman is written out and worn beneath both sides of the ribs, and is said to yield a boy. There is also the practice of wearing it and then swallowing it, as well as the claim that taking the talisman seeks to change a female fetus into a male. Wearing Fulu just after conception is likewise called auspicious. Those without children may write in cinnabar on yellow silk and wear it on a gengzi day. If a woman is sorrowful and unhappy, weeping and raging as if mad because she has no child, the talisman may be written on a piece of red silk five inches long and tied to the arm, or placed where she lies at rest, to seek good fortune.

Finally come the talismans for difficult childbirth, twenty-five in all. The first eight are said to be usable in difficult labor; two more are for a transverse birth, and two are to be swallowed when the fetus has died in the womb. If the afterbirth does not descend, the talisman may be written beneath the armpit; in a reversed birth, Fulu may be swallowed. There is also the practice of burning a zeng strap—the band on a vessel for steaming rice—into ink, writing the talisman, and placing it beneath the breast. Three further talismans for aiding childbirth are written in ink and swallowed, and are said to help the birth proceed smoothly; when the fetus has died in the womb there is likewise a method of swallowing. The talisman for an easy delivery is written in ink and swallowed, and is said to make the birth go smoothly. When the afterbirth does not come down, the zeng strap may also be burned into ink, the talisman written, and then placed beneath the breast.

When the afterbirth (the tissue that remains attached to the placenta after the fetus is born) is slow to be expelled, one swallows this talisman (fu); it is said to be greatly auspicious. If the fetus has died within the womb, one writes this talisman in cinnabar and swallows it; it is said to be auspicious. The three talismans above are to be swallowed when the afterbirth will not descend.

Talismans for Repelling Mosquitoes and Gadflies, five in all: Place the talisman inside the pillow. It is said that this can drive away mosquitoes and other insects, and that the result is greatly auspicious.

Talismans for Warding Off Gu, two in all: They are said to enable one to avoid gu sorcery and gu poison. There are two further talismans said to guard against every kind of gu poison and venomous insect.

Talismans of a Hundred Resolutions: Two talismans are used to resolve cases in which a dwelling or its gates and doors give forth sounds. When a dwelling produces abnormal sounds, one writes a talisman at the corresponding place to suppress them; when gates and doors produce abnormal sounds, one likewise writes a talisman at the corresponding place to suppress them. This is said to be greatly auspicious. The talisman must be written on a piece of mulberry wood one chi and one cun in length, and then placed where the suppression is required.

Talismans for Seeking Office, twenty-three in all: Four of these talismans are for audiences with superior officials. They may be swallowed or worn, and are said to be greatly auspicious; worn when seeking office, they are said to be advantageous. Worn when calling upon a princess to request that some matter be attended to, they are said to bring about what one wishes.

Talisman for Causing Others to Love Oneself: Written in cinnabar and then worn, by men on the left and by women on the right, it is said to make others fond of oneself.

There are twenty-three talismans for seeking office in all. Four of them are used for audiences with superior officials and may be swallowed or worn; they are said to be greatly auspicious, and wearing them when seeking office is advantageous. Worn when calling upon a princess to request that some matter be attended to, they are said to bring about what one wishes. The talisman for causing others to love oneself is written in cinnabar and then worn, men on the left and women on the right, and is said to be greatly auspicious. When calling upon a cishi (a prefectural-level official) to request that some matter be attended to, one carries this talisman in the bosom; it is said to be auspicious. When having an audience with the sovereign, one wears two of these talismans; this is said to be greatly auspicious. Placing the talisman inside the collar may serve for an audience with a superior official, and wearing it when attending to all manner of affairs is said to make those affairs proceed smoothly and in harmony. When calling upon a person of high rank, contending over a point of principle, calling upon a lingzhang (a local official), or seeking office, one wears this talisman; it is said to be auspicious.

Talisman for Assisting the Body: Written on white silk and worn by men on the left and women on the right, it is said to be greatly auspicious.

Talisman of the Divine Immortals for Protecting the Body, Resolving Adversity, and Removing Calamity and Every Harm: Written in cinnabar and worn by men on the left and women on the right, it is tied upon the arm and left behind the elbow. This is said to be greatly auspicious.

Talisman for Protecting the Body and Prolonging Life: Both men and women may wear it, and it is said to protect the body and extend one’s years. Wearing this talisman is said to make the flesh and bones firm. The scripture (Jing) further states that wearing it for three years can summon jade maidens (female immortals in Daoist belief) and the xingchu (spirits placed at the service of the immortals to convey food and drink). This talisman is written with lingsha (a cinnabar-like alchemical material so named in Daoism), fastened to a red sash, and placed in the clothing at the chest or at the back. Others must not be allowed to know of it, and the face of the talisman should be turned outward. This is said to be greatly auspicious.

Talisman of the Immortals for Protecting the Body: It is said to relieve every kind of adversity and illness and to drive off and slay evil ghosts and baleful influences. Both men and women may wear it.

Talismans for Treating Wine and Sauce, ten in all: Wearing this talisman when going out is said to enable one to drink wine without becoming drunk. When sauce turns foul or spoils, one writes the talisman and places it upon the sauce jar, or puts it inside the jar; this is said to be auspicious. Applied to wine, this talisman is said to make the wine delicious; taken before drinking, it is said to make one not easily intoxicated.

After this talisman is swallowed, one may drink wine and still not become drunk.

The Buzui Jiujiang Fu (Talismans Against Intoxication by Wine and Sauce) comprise ten talismans in all. Wearing Fulu (talismans and registers) when going out can keep a person from becoming drunk while drinking. If the wine or sauce turns foul and spoils, the written talisman may be placed on the wine jar, which is regarded as auspicious, or it may be pasted inside the jar. Putting the talisman into wine or into distilled liquor is said to make the drink more agreeable. Swallowing this talisman enables one to drink wine without becoming drunk.

If, after the wine has been drunk, the intoxication has still not passed, this talisman may also be swallowed. Placing the talisman inside the wine jar is said, moreover, to make the wine rich and mellow.

From the lower scroll of the Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Sanbu Fu (Three-Part Talismans of Primordial Chaos of the Most High Lord Lao).