《秤星灵台秘要经》

The natures of the Five Phases (Wuxing) each differ: Wood is firm, strong, and upright; Fire is fierce and violent; Earth is generous and gentle; Metal is strict, upright, and resolute; and Water is modest and yielding.

A Method for Warding Off Calamitous Stars

The Classic of Human Relations (Renlun Jing) says that the two directions Shen and You belong to the “Eight Killings positions” (directions regarded as the abodes of baleful influences), and that fire is especially unsuited to these directions. Guo Jingchun held that this is because fire vanishes in the west, and from this he inferred that fire should not be allowed to appear there; he therefore employed a ritual method to ward off calamity.

Before the ritual is performed, one must first put a latrine in order, regularly burn incense there in ordinary times, and allow no one else to enter—only oneself may go in. When performing the ritual, one lets one’s hair hang loose, holds a precious sword, and stands inside the latrine. If for about a quarter of an hour one meets no one else, the sword is left in the latrine; it is said that in this way the calamity can be averted. If someone sees the ritual being performed, it is said that neither party can avoid misfortune.

At the time, Huan Xuan once saw Guo Jingchun performing the ritual. Guo Jingchun said to him, “Neither you nor I can avoid misfortune.” Later this was indeed fulfilled. Guo Jingchun was unwilling to make the method public and kept it secretly treasured like a precious jewel. Later the monk Yixing and Li Quan compiled notes and included this passage in the scriptural scrolls.

The author feared that shamans would use the method as a means of seeking profit, and so, when examining the memorial texts in the Qianning years, deleted it and did not record it in full. Now, fearing once more that after many years the original might be scattered and lost, he has copied it out again, still keeping it secretly treasured like a precious jewel.

When Mars moves into the “Yuanshou Palace” (Yuanshou gong), and the degree it occupies is the same as the degree at one’s birth, while the degrees of its distance likewise coincide with a given date, one should first renounce cravings and desires. From morning one stays in a quiet chamber; after the morning meal, one waits until noon, then may remove one’s clothes, take a precious sword in hand, and enter the latrine to perform the rite. When the rite is finished, one leaves the latrine weeping softly, returns to the quiet chamber to bathe, lies down for a time, and observes what appears in one’s dreams; in this way the calamity can be removed. This rite may be performed twice.

If the dream is indistinct, and one dreams of disaster arising from official affairs or of falling ill, one should use cypress wood, carve it into one’s own likeness, and dress the wooden figure in one’s own clothes. When Mars appears, one lets down one’s hair, holds the precious sword, calls out one’s own name, faces the star and chants the form of the wooden figure, and calls in succession upon one’s servants and concubines, then burns the wooden figure. Afterward one returns to the quiet chamber, sits upright, and visualizes one’s own person; one distributes wealth as alms to the poor, relieves those in want, and practices goodness in secret.

The wooden figure should be three chi and two cun in length. When a carpenter is commissioned to make it, he should be given extra money and goods, and must not be allowed to disclose the matter to outsiders. The clothes for the wooden figure should be cut to its length. During the rite it is taboo for monks and nuns, or for chickens and dogs, to see it.

If Saturn moves to the “Yuanshou” position, the calamity will be especially severe. If this is an evil portent of the first rank, the disaster will fall upon one’s parents, wife, and children, and may bring illness, death, and loss of property; a person of high standing may thereby lose power and go into exile. The particulars depend on whether the configuration of destiny at birth is strong: if the star governing one’s natal destiny (benming) is powerful, auspicious events come first and the calamity only afterward.

Method of Averting Calamity (rangzai fa)

This method is the same as the preceding method for averting the calamity of Mars. If a certain year or the “Yuanshou” position brings calamity, place one’s cap and clothes in a bamboo grove. When the corresponding day and month of calamity arrive, have someone make a bamboo figure, dress it in one’s own clothes and cap, and set it facing the relevant star.

If it happens to be an overcast, rainy day, make a human figure above the latrine, call out one’s own name, cut the bamboo and wood, and throw them into the latrine; in this way the calamity can be eliminated. At this time it is likewise taboo for anyone to see the rite; if someone sees it, the calamity cannot be averted.

The phrase at the end of this passage, “rang huo chu Jiuzhi jing,” means that the method for averting fire is found in the Jiuzhi Jing (scripture).

Take seven grains of red sesame, five grains of red rice, three red adzuki beans, seven hairs from a red donkey’s tail, and a small amount of red copper filings, and place them in a red pouch. The words that follow, “腓栈子出九执经,” are suspected of textual corruption, and their meaning cannot be determined.

Place the items above in a pouch and tie it to the arm; this portends great good fortune. One may also draw the relevant images and make offerings to them, which is regarded as auspicious. Then recite the Scripture of Salvation (Duren Jing) and the Scripture for Dispelling Calamity (Xiaozai Jing). The “诽头” that is worn must be made with cinnabar. Phrases such as “诽头” and “云汉日” are suspected of corruption, and what they specifically refer to is unclear.

The Scripture of Precious Life (Baoming Jing) says: Ride a red horse and wear red clothing; prick the body in seven places to draw blood, and also draw blood from a red donkey. When Mars appears and is regarded as an omen of disaster, construct an octagonal altar, and at each of the four sides and four corners set arrows of the four directions, with the colors representing the four directions tied to the arrows. Then mix one’s own blood and the red donkey’s blood with powdered sandalwood and drip the mixture onto the altar. At the five directions of the altar, light red sesame-oil lamps, five in all; the lamp stands must all be red as well, and the items mentioned earlier are to be used. Tie the pouch to the arm; wearing the “头” is believed to bring good fortune. Here the wording “袋用徘索子击在臂上” and similar phrases are suspected of corruption, and the specific procedure is unclear.

The Scripture of the Nine Seizers (Jiuzhi Jing) further says: Take five kinds of fruit and firewood corresponding to the person’s own age, and licorice in a quantity corresponding to that age, and burn them together with the offerings mentioned above. Wear a red-copper bracelet on the arm; place a jar of water beneath the southern altar; at noon erect a pole, hang a red banner, and bury six jin (catties) of red charcoal.

The Method of Averting Calamities of the Earth (Rangtu)

“Rangtu” means seeking, through ritual, to eliminate disasters connected with the earth. Take the “头” and wear it, which is held to bring good fortune. The later account of the offerings described in the Jiuzhi Jing, together with the burning, the red-copper bracelet, the jar of water, the red banner, the burying of charcoal, and related procedures, repeats what has already been set out above.

Take seven black sesame seeds and seven black beans, place them in a black damask-silk bag, and tie it to the left arm with a black cord. This is said to drive away all manner of ghosts, specters, and evil spirits, as well as the calamities brought on by curses.

On the first day of each month, cook porridge with black sesame juice, eat a little of it yourself, and give the rest as alms to the poor and to Daoist priests and Buddhist monks. The scripture (Jing) says that Saturday (the stellar luminary associated with Saturn) governs those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) and those who seek the Dao through austere practice, and that almsgiving therefore brings good fortune. Do not harm the filial or the elderly, and it is not advisable to make music to excess. The scripture holds that Saturday delights in mourning and weeping and does not like music.

The Jiuzhi Jing (the classic that recounts the nine stellar luminaries) further says that one may cast a piece of iron from a plow into an image of Saturn, seven cun (Chinese inches) long, place it in a black pottery jar, and set it at the head of the bed. Whenever it is a “Jihuan duty day” (the day when Jihuan is on duty; the stellar name and the dating terminology used in the original are unclear), drip black sesame juice onto the head in the early morning, and after continuing this for a full year one may stop. One may also paint an image of Saturn for worship and offer fruit harvested that year; black fruit is especially good. The prayer says: “Jihuan is my sovereign; I, your servant so-and-so, earnestly beg you to extend your protection and help me pass through calamity and distress.” One then bows in worship and makes the offerings, and when the rite is over eats the offerings oneself.

The scripture also says that sour, bitter, and similar foods are suitable to eat; one should read the Bayang Jing, wear xiongzhu (a red, cinnabar-like substance), burn benzoin incense, and dress in black. Do not enter temples in which evil gods are enshrined, do not eat beef, and also avoid vessels made of horn.

Averting the Dark Luminary (averting the calamities brought by the Dark Luminary)

The scripture says to forge the iron implement used to take life in slaughter into a bracelet shaped like a snake, the snake’s mouth holding its own tail, and wear it on the left arm. Wear feiyi (the garment named in the original is unclear). Avoid eating at night, and do not walk in places where there is malign Qi (vital energy). Take one dou (a traditional measure of volume) of soil from a high ridge and place it under the bed; take another dou of yellow earth, cook it until done, and send it to feed the “long-lived geese and crows.” The wording of this passage in the original is suspected of corruption and omission, and what is to be fed is unclear. The scripture declares that doing this is greatly auspicious.

Method for Averting Wood

Take seven white hairs of the du, place them in a white bag, and tie it to the left arm. While wearing it, abstain from eating du meat, and do not take life. Separately take one liang of silver, cast it into the corresponding image, offer it, and use it when reading the Jing (scripture/classic). Do not bring it into a temple of the gods, nor use it to condole the dead or inquire after the sick; offering it to Daoist adepts is auspicious.

The Dongwei Song of the Limits

A person’s wealth and honor, or poverty and low station, can be inferred from the stellar luminaries. As the limit-count moves through different palaces, each has its corresponding time. If one meets Luohou, Venus, Jupiter, the Sun, the Purple Qi (Ziqi; Qi, vital energy), or the Moon, and the limit-course also falls in the Palace of Office and Emolument, this generally indicates promotion and the gaining of salary. When the limit-count meets Venus, Jupiter, the Sun, the Moon, the Purple Qi, or Luohou, it likewise indicates joyful occasions.

If one meets Mars or Saturn, there is danger. For a person born at night, Saturn does not count as a governing star; for a person born by day, Mars does not count as a governing star. When the limit-count meets Mars or Saturn, if they are the stars that rule the natal destiny, this indicates death; if they only occupy a position of three-directional mutual regard, there will be calamity and injury, yet life can usually still be preserved. When those born at night take Saturn as principal and those born by day take Mars as principal, then even if the limit-count meets them, there is only disaster, not death.

Unrest in the household may be caused by Yuebei (a baleful luminary in Daoist star-divination); a person may also become dull-minded and distracted because of it. If Jidu (another baleful luminary of star-divination) loses its proper position, one must also take heed: should it meet the Kui or Lou lunar mansions, this indicates removal and change. When Jidu falls in the palace of Pisces or the Bi mansion and the limit-count encounters it, this indicates the joy of promotion, because these places are regarded as better stellar positions; if it is only in the Shi or Kui mansions, joy is also indicated, yet the degree of auspiciousness does not equal that of the Bi and Lou mansions.

When Luohou is in a Yang palace (Yang within Yin-Yang), the response of good fortune comes quickly; when it is in a Yin palace, that response comes more slowly. Jidu is the opposite: in a Yin palace, the response of good fortune comes quickly; in a Yang palace, it comes more slowly.

When judging a limit-course, one must see whether the luminaries enter a palace exactly, and whether they stand in trine or in direct opposition. If none of these positions holds a luminary, it is called an empty limit. Meeting an empty limit indicates listless spirits and difficulty in carrying affairs through successfully. If the Palace of Office and Emolument meets an empty limit, there is an omen of death, which should ordinarily fall around the age of forty-six or forty-seven; if it is met only at the age of fifty, one should not infer by the age of forty-six or forty-seven.

If, in a limit-course presided over by auspicious stars, a taboo star is caught in among them, a person may suddenly meet disaster at the very moment of success; this is precisely the crux. If an auspicious limit-course meets a malign star, yet no taboo star accompanies it, then fortune, longevity, and good or ill remain unsettled, and one must still judge by carefully examining the combination of luminaries.

The stripping away of office and loss of position indicated by Yuebei and Jidu must also be inferred together with the limit-course. When malign stars meet one another, each has its own time of fulfillment. When the cyclical limit encounters these luminaries, one must carefully reckon in which month a death-calamity falls, and whether one loses one’s life through failure in duty. Those born by day take Saturn as principal; those born at night take Mars as principal. If the limit-course meets auspicious luminaries, the official career proceeds smoothly, and one may transfer office and rise in rank. It is especially auspicious and subtle when Mars occupies a Yin palace and Saturn a Yang palace.

When judging the stars, if a star occupies a palace in which it holds its proper office, flourishes, or stands in noble distinction, the indication is auspicious. If, within a fortune period (yunxian), a person encounters Ziqi (Purple Qi, an auspicious star in the Daoist art of astral fate), its power surpasses that of the other stars and indicates command of important authority. When two stars in one fortune period stand in auspicious temple positions, life may be lengthened by four years; this should be known. If two malefic stars in one fortune period occupy the same auspicious position, life may also be lengthened by two years; and if they further come into harmonious conjunction, life may be lengthened by four years.

When inferring calamity and blessing, if the case is one of delay, the reward of blessing comes slowly; when the stars move in direct motion, blessing comes quickly. When malefic stars linger in station or move retrograde, calamity arrives with urgency; when they move directly, it comes slowly. If a fortune period reaches the place where a malefic star resides and two malefic stars appear at the same time, the calamity is at its heaviest and is hard to turn aside. If one fortune period contains two malefic stars, the disaster is likewise severe; other cases may be inferred in the same way.

When one first enters the fortune period of the palace and lodge where an adverse star (jixing) resides, if the natal destiny (benming), the bodily destiny (shenming), and the annual progression (liunian) are further attended by malefic stars, the month in which those malefic stars linger and move retrograde is the month of mortal peril; if they fall in the Five Weak Palaces, the calamity is still less open to doubt. If one has only just entered the fortune period of an adverse star, and the annual progression, natal destiny, and bodily destiny all meet the illumination of the adverse star while standing in a weak palace, then in the month when the adverse star lingers and moves retrograde one may die, without waiting until the following year. This is an omen of the gravest disaster.

If the fortune period meets with what is baleful, yet the annual progression, natal destiny, and bodily destiny have auspicious stars, the situation is better; but after the auspicious stars have passed, danger may still appear. A star situated in its own palace has greater force than when it occupies any other position; on entering the Seven Strong Palaces, the power of blessing increases; when it stands in the Five Weak Palaces, calamity increases and the power of blessing wanes. The student should carefully distinguish the auspicious from the inauspicious and draw inferences with caution.

The methods of judgment in this book have already been set forth with great concision, and the rules fixed by the worthies of former times are clear and definite. If one can reckon life and death by them, one will display the ability to see into what is hidden and subtle.

Song of Weal and Woe in the Great Numbers of Penetrating the Subtle (Dongwei Dashu Xiujiu Ge)

The years of the Mao palace are fifteen, and those of the Chen palace are ten; the Si palace is eleven years, and the You palace is reckoned by the same number. The Wu palace has fifteen years and is the most vigorous of all. The Shen palace has seven years and the Wei palace eight; these too must be calculated with care.

The three palaces Xu, Hai, and Zi are each four and a half years; the two palaces Chou and Yin are each a little more than five years. For example, if a person born in the daytime has the Fire Star in the Si palace, then the four palaces Wu, Wei, Shen, and You are all treated as kongwang (void and loss).

When the allotted lifespan reaches twenty-five years, it comes to its end; otherwise, one meets with ruin in a foreign land. When Jupiter falls in the Wu position and Mars falls in the You position, good fortune becomes illustrious at the age of thirty-seven.

Fortune declines at the Shen position, which precedes the You position, and at the age of sixty-six one encounters calamity. A person’s lifespan takes one hundred years as its upper limit. In study, these teachings should be carefully remembered and not forgotten.

A person’s lifespan is calculated with one hundred years as the upper limit. The stars in the fate chart are either auspicious or inauspicious, and the lifespan is to be increased or decreased accordingly; thus the actual lifespan often falls short of one hundred years. In reckoning, one begins from the Palace of Destiny (the palace in the fate chart that represents an individual’s fate). For every fifteen years in which one passes an auspicious star, one calculates according to the number of the original palace in which that star resides. When passing through an inauspicious palace, one must carefully examine the palace opposite it and include in the calculation the numbers of the trine palaces (palaces in the fate chart separated from one another by three palaces and forming a triangular relationship). On meeting an inauspicious star one subtracts half; on meeting an auspicious star one adds half. This is the method of calculation.