《雨旸气候亲机》

The Yuyang Qihou Qinji (Intimate Mechanisms of Rain, Sunshine, and Weather) is a classic of Daoist method devoted to observing celestial phenomena and predicting clear or rainy weather. "Yuyang" refers to rain and clearing skies, while "qihou" refers to changes in the weather.

The Sun

Before sunrise, go to the eastern place where the sun rises and observe. If black clouds appear shaped like eggs, banners, or mountain peaks, or like flocks of crows, a hanging fusi (the latticed screen ornament before a palace gate), a dragon's head, a snake, a fish, a lingzhi mushroom, or a peony, all of these portend thunderstorms that day during the wei and shen hours (1 to 5 p.m.). Purple-black clouds crossing the sun, or appearing above or below it, likewise take effect that same day. If black clouds resemble fish scales, wind is the main sign, and thunderstorms will come only three days later.

The Moon (Taiyin)

If the moon is red and bright, a great thunderstorm will follow the next day. If the moon is bluish-red and ringed by a circular halo as large as a cartwheel, strong wind will rise the next day, though the sign will only be fulfilled after three days. If white clouds gather outside the moon in a circular halo that is not very bright, strong wind will also come that same day.

Tiangang (the star at which the handle of the Northern Dipper points)

If the Gang star appears red and flickers, there will be thunderstorms. If it appears blue-green and flickers, a severe atmosphere of harsh, withering desolation will appear the next day. If white clouds rise over the star, there will be great thunder the next day. If yellow clouds rise over it and the cloud-qi (qi) passes through the Wenqu star (one of the stars of the Northern Dipper), a great thunderstorm is coming. If cloud-qi envelops the star, or white clouds surge out of the Northern Dipper, there will be a great thunderstorm the next day, arriving in the wei hour. If the star's light is white and steady, there will certainly be no rain the next day.

The Northern Dipper (Beidou)

This is the heading of an entry that uses the appearances of the Northern Dipper to judge the weather.

White clouds covering the Big Dipper (Beidou) foretell a marked change in the weather the next day, which may be fulfilled during the Wei and Shen hours (about 1 to 5 p.m.). If fish-scale clouds appear above or below the Big Dipper, the weather will also turn the next day. If white clouds envelop two or three stars of the Big Dipper, there will be a heavy thunderstorm the next day.

If white cloud-Qi (vital energy) within the Big Dipper takes the shape of ripples on water, a strong wind will blow the next day. If clouds like tangled floss appear above the Big Dipper, there will be wind only. If black clouds surge upward beneath the Big Dipper, wind and rain will arise that very night. If purple-black cloud-Qi appears below the Big Dipper, at the mouth of the Dipper (the opening of the ladle-shaped part of the Big Dipper), there will be thunder and rain after three days. If the cloud-Qi is blue-green, this portends fulfillment on a Wood day (a day corresponding to Wood among the Five Phases [Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water]); if it is red, fulfillment on a Fire day (a day corresponding to Fire among the Five Phases); and cloud-glow of other colors follows in the same way.

Yellow clouds like tangled floss bring wind only. If black clouds surge upward beneath the Big Dipper, wind and rain will arise that very night. If purple-black cloud-Qi appears below the Big Dipper and at the mouth of the Dipper, there will be thunder and rain after three days. If the cloud-Qi is blue-green, this portends fulfillment on a Wood day; if red, fulfillment on a Fire day; and cloud-glow of other colors follows in the same way. If yellow clouds stretch across the Big Dipper, heavy rain will fall within three days. White cloud-Qi stretching across the Big Dipper will also bring rain within three days. Black cloud-Qi stretching across the Big Dipper means that wind and rain will arise very soon. If lightning appears below the Big Dipper and passes through the Big Dipper and the mouth of the Dipper, rain will fall that night.

Dragon Qi (Longqi) (dragon-shaped cloud-Qi, or an omen of cloud-Qi)

At dawn, look toward the east. If five-colored cloud-Qi is seen extending like a fine thread and crossing the sky all the way to the west, wind and rain will come that day, together with cloud and mist. If the cloud-Qi remains in the center of the sky, a corresponding change in the weather will occur after three days. When the sun sets in the evening, if five-colored cloud-Qi appears and stretches across the east, the weather will change after three days.

White Tiger (Baihu) (here referring to a weather omen of white cloud-Qi)

On rising in the early morning, if white cloud-Qi appears in the east, not far from the sun, emerging in the Yin hour (about 3 to 5 a.m.), then moving with the sun and ceasing at the Shen and Si hours (about 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.), the weather will change after three days.

When the sun sets in the evening, if five-colored cloud-Qi appears and stretches across the east, the weather will change after three days.

On rising in the early morning, if white cloud-Qi appears in the east, not far from the sun, emerging in the Yin hour, then moving with the sun and ceasing at the Shen and Si hours, there will be thunder and rain during the You and Xu hours (about 5 to 9 p.m.).

River Qi (Heqi) (river-shaped cloud-Qi, or a related omen of cloud-Qi)

A broad mass of black cloud gathering into a single clump foreshadows wind. If the clouds take the shape of a pig, or if black clouds resemble rotting clumps of cotton floss or withered trees, look like colored sunset clouds, cover the moon, or rise upward from beneath the moon, all these foreshadow thunder and rain the next day. White clouds like cotton floss foreshadow light rain. Fish-scale clouds moving from south to north foreshadow a south wind the next day; if they move from another direction, the wind is foreshadowed in the direction corresponding to the movement of the clouds. These phenomena may be observed and verified after sunset.

The Thunder Tablet (Leipai)

In the early morning, look toward the south. If there is a single mass of black cloud standing highest, it is called the “Leixin” (the cloud image that foreshadows thunder and rain). The next day, during the si and wu hours (from nine in the morning to one in the afternoon), after the cloud reaches the center of the sky and then disperses, thunder and rain are foreshadowed in the east during the wei and shen hours (from one to five in the afternoon). If the head of the cloud towers high, the thunder and rain are foreshadowed as coming from the east; the other directions follow in the same way.

“Chuhuo” (a deity in the Thunder Rites) sets out from Shenxiao (the celestial realm of which Daoism speaks) and issues commands. That same day, during the you hour (from five to seven in the afternoon), there will be raging wind and crashing thunder, rain pouring down in torrents, wind and sand flying, and trees torn up by the roots.

“Qinhuo” descends to the Water Palace (the divine mansion amid the waters of which Daoism speaks), raises its banners, and issues commands. If it appears during the shen and you hours (from three to seven in the afternoon), it will break out that night during the zi hour (from eleven at night to one in the morning); the next day thunder and rain will pour down, and on land, too, it will be as if streams of water are rushing and surging.

When “Chuhuo” goes out on patrol, just as the sun has risen, black clouds appear that look like a chicken’s head, or like banners and trees.

“Qinhuo” descends to the Water Palace, raises its banners, and issues commands. If it appears during the shen and you hours, it will break out that night during the zi hour; the next day thunder and rain will pour down, and on land, too, it will be as if streams of water are rushing and surging.

When “Chuhuo” goes out on patrol, just as the sun has risen, the black clouds are shaped like a chicken’s head or a banner-mountain, or like ranks of crows hung upon a net frame; they may also resemble a dragon’s head, a snake, a fish, lingzhi, or a peony. This foreshadows thunder and rain during the wei and shen hours. If the clouds take the form of fish scales, there is only wind.

When “Chuhuo” rides the wind and bursts forth, if it appears during the si and wu hours (from nine in the morning to one in the afternoon), there will be thunder and rain at the wei hour; if it appears only at the wei hour, the sign is fulfilled during the shen and you hours.

When “Chuhuo” goes forth together with the “Golden Tiger” (Jinhu; a deity or divine general in the Thunder Rites), bearing the killing Qi (vital energy) of thunder, the next day, during the wei and shen hours, there will be great wind, thunder, and rain, which may harm people and livestock and destroy temples. Heaven and earth grow dark, sand flies, and trees are uprooted. If the sunlight is veiled and long remains unseen, there will be thunder and rain that very day.

When “Chuhuo” goes forth together with the “Golden Tiger,” appearance at the si hour is fulfilled at the wu hour, and appearance at the shen hour is fulfilled at the you hour; both foreshadow violent wind and sudden rain. If it appears from the Qian direction (northwest), it foreshadows the calamity of slaughter; if it enters from the Xun, Gen, or Kun directions (southeast, northeast, and southwest), there is no sound of thunder; if it enters from the Kan direction (due north), the thunder, lightning, and the force of the rain are fearsome; if it enters from the Li or Dui directions (due south and due west), matters are comparatively peaceful.

When “Chuhuo” goes out on tour, there is rain during the wei and shen hours. If it appears from the Qian direction, it foreshadows the calamity of slaughter; if it enters from the Xun, Gen, or Kun directions, there is no sound of thunder; if it enters from the Kan direction, the thunder, lightning, and the force of the rain are fearsome; if it enters from the Li or Dui directions, matters are comparatively peaceful.

When “Chuhuo” goes out on tour, during the wei and shen hours thunder and rain rage in full force, and on land, too, it is as if streams of water are rushing and surging.

When Chuhuo (a divine general of the Thunder Department), taking the White Tiger with him, goes out on tour, a violent thunderstorm will break out the next morning or during the Shen hour (3 to 5 p.m.).

When Chuhuo joins the Great Baleful Spirit of Thunder (the fierce divine general who commands thunder and lightning), known as the “Red Rooster and Purple Goose,” fierce thunder and lightning erupt around the beginning of the Wei hour (about 1 p.m.), snapping trees, injuring people, and bringing torrential rain.

After the Thunder Office (the divine office of the Thunder Department) transforms into water, thunder and lightning break out in an instant and rain pours down in torrents.

When Chuhuo issues a command, all the baleful spirits of the Thunder Department obey. During the Wei hour (1 to 3 p.m.) and the Shen hour, fierce winds send sand flying and stones rolling, thunder and lightning rage, and heavy rain falls; temples of illicit cults are also destroyed, trees are uprooted, and the sky grows as dark as night.

Chuhuo dispatches the Golden Tiger (a divine general of the Thunder Department) to transmit the order: if a solar halo appears on a Si day or a Wu day, and beyond the halo there are clouds shaped like dragons and serpents, a violent thunderstorm will occur within three days. In the southeast, temples of illicit cults will certainly be destroyed, the wicked will be punished, and the sky will darken as if it were night.

When Chuhuo and Taiyi (a deity of the Daoist pantheon) meet, if a solar halo appears that same day, the next day will bring violent wind and torrential rain that punish evildoers, destroy temples of illicit cults, and uproot trees.

When Chuhuo moves into the region of a given asterism, the cloud-Qi (vital energy) may join into a continuous stretch, or it may hang like a cloth screen, as far as several thousand zhang away. This portends severe drought and fierce winds. After this sign appears, on a “closed day” (a particular day in the traditional calendar), there will be thunder and rain during the Wei and Shen hours. If clouds cover the sun and the cloud-Qi extends toward the Xun direction (the southeast, one of the Bagua, the Eight Trigrams), people will be struck and Jing-specters (essence-beings) destroyed.

When the Faint Crow (a kind of celestial omen) appears and moves—also called the “Red Rat Roaming the City”—and five or six days later this sign appears in the south, while that night there are no clouds in the Celestial River (the Milky Way), it portends a prolonged and extremely severe drought. This is fixed by Heaven’s mandate and cannot be averted by prayers for rain.

When the Great Killers of Metal and Fire (baleful spirits associated with Metal and Fire, two of the Five Phases) clash, a violent thunderstorm breaks out during the Wei hour; tremendous thunder roars and exterminates demons and evil; trees are snapped and fierce winds arise. In the winter months there may be heavy snow; even when there are no clouds, thunder will be heard.

When the Envoy of All Waters of the Northern Dipper (a divine messenger under the stellar lord of the Northern Dipper, charged with water affairs) appears in the south, if that night there are no clouds in the Celestial River, it portends a prolonged and extremely severe drought. This is fixed by Heaven’s mandate and cannot be averted by prayers for rain.

When the Great Killers of Metal and Fire clash, a violent thunderstorm breaks out during the Wei hour; tremendous thunder roars and exterminates demons and evil; trees are snapped and fierce winds arise. In the winter months there may be heavy snow; even when there are no clouds, thunder will be heard.

When the Envoy of All Waters of the Northern Dipper goes out on tour, it brings great wind and rain, causing water to spread everywhere and the river channels to flow freely. So long as the stars of the Northern Dipper are nearby, or close to the Celestial River, this usually comes to pass around the second watch of the night (about 9 to 11 p.m.).

When the “Nine Dippers’ Yang Rays” (Jiudou Yangmang) appear, the Fire-Bell General (Huoling Jiangjun), a Daoist divine general, casts forth firelight in the shape of a red rat. If such cloud-Qi (vital energy) appears within the six days from the renzi day to the dingsi day in the fifth, sixth, or seventh month, it portends drought, and rain generally cannot be obtained through prayer.

The Great Baleful Spirit of Qian Jing (essence)—a malevolent baleful spirit spoken of in Daoism—transforms into cloud-Qi like a black dragon, moving in a pair like fish and passing from the Xun direction (the southeast). Within three days fierce winds will rise and torrential rain will fall, with roaring thunder and flashing lightning; it will also slay demons and evil beings and harm people and livestock.

In winter, if the Thunder God travels toward the directions of shen, you, xu, hai, zi, chou, and the like, and a north wind and heavy snow appear, with many anomalous signs manifesting in the four quarters, thunder and lightning may occur.

When Lord Xin (Xinjun) goes forth on tour, the Great Baleful Spirit of the Metal Tiger (Jinhu Dasha), a Daoist baleful spirit, appears. The four quarters, originally without cloud, suddenly give rise to black clouds shaped like dragons and snakes, sometimes covering the moon. On the following day, at the wei or shen hour (about one to five in the afternoon), there will be thunder and rain. If cloud-Qi gathers from three places to cover the moon, it portends the punitive destruction of temples and the taking of human lives.

At the zi and chou hours (about eleven at night to three in the morning), if cloud-Qi covering the moon appears at night, it portends snowfall and the forming of ice. In summer and autumn, if there are wind and cloud, thunder and rain, and flashes of lightning, they may bring plagues of insects and locusts, and people will also meet with calamity. During the three months of spring, if lightning like electric snakes is frequent, the sixth and seventh months readily have much wind and rain.

When Lord Xin and the envoys go forth on tour, on the following day at the wei or shen hour there will be crashing thunder and peals of lightning, with violent wind and rain, and they will slay evil spirits and cut down and destroy trees.

When Lord Xin meets with locusts, it portends that people will suffer calamity. During the three months of spring, if lightning like electric snakes is frequent, the sixth and seventh months readily have much wind and rain.

When Lord Xin and the envoys go forth on tour, on the following day at the wei or shen hour there will be crashing thunder and peals of lightning, with violent wind and rain, and they will slay evil spirits and cut down and destroy trees.

When Lord Xin tours the palaces together with the Great Baleful Spirit of Thunder (Leiting Dasha), black clouds shaped like dragons and snakes enter the place of the moon from the Gen direction (the northeast). There will then be raging wind and sudden rain, the felling of trees and the slaying of demons, and the common people of this region will suffer many disasters.

When the Great Baleful Spirit of the Metal Tiger arrives at the palaces, wind and rain will soon arise in spring; in summer and autumn, on the following day at the wei or shen hour there will be thunder and rain. If many halos of light appear around the moon, it portends the disaster of striking and punitive attack.

When Lord Xin tours the Moon Palace, black clouds like snakes enter the place of the moon from the Dui direction (the west), and within three days heavy rain will fall.

When the envoys lead the Great Thunder and the Envoys of the Five Thunders forth on tour—that is, when the envoys set out together with the Thunder Dukes of the Five Qi—on the following day at the wei or shen hour there will be violent thunder and rain.

When the envoys meet with the Envoy of the Waters of the Northern Dipper, on the following day at the wei, shen, xu, or hai hour (about one in the afternoon to eleven at night) there will be great thunder, trees will be felled and evil spirits slain, and people and livestock may be harmed.

When the envoys command Tiangang to drive away baleful Qi, within one or two days there will be violent thunder and rain.

When the white Qi (vital energy) of the Wind Earl pays court to the Dipper—when the white atmospheric manifestation of the Wind Earl is oriented toward the Northern Dipper—violent winds will rise the next day, sending sand and stones flying, together with thunder and rain.

When the envoy goes forth together with the Thunder Master, the next day there will be fierce winds, heavy rain, and thunderbolts, employed to smite and eliminate demonic evils.

When the envoy meets the Crystal of the Directorate of Waters, the Shen (spirit) who governs the affairs of water, the next day there will certainly be thunder and rain.

When the Envoy of the Directorate of Waters goes forth, heavy rain will fall the next day during the wei or shen hours (about one to five in the afternoon).

When the Inspector of Purple Tenuity appears, the deity of the Purple Tenuity Enclosure who patrols the human world, rain is certain within three days.

If thunderbolts occur while it is raining, this is the Thunder smiting and eliminating demonic evils.

When the envoy meets the Crystal of the Directorate of Waters, the next day there will certainly be thunder and rain.

When the Envoy of the Directorate of Waters goes forth, heavy rain will fall the next day during the wei or shen hours.

When the Inspector of Purple Tenuity appears, rain is certain within three days.

When Tiangang, a stellar deity of the Northern Dipper, meets Taiyi, a Daoist stellar deity, there will be heavy rain within seven days, and water will stand upon the land as though it were a river. There will also be thunderbolts that smash shrines and temples and smite and eliminate specters of Jing (essence), and that may also harm people and livestock.

When Taiyi moves into another palace, if black Qi appears like cloud, gathering from all four sides and turning toward the Northern Dipper, and if black cloud covers the stars of the Dipper, rain will fall that very night. After the black cloud disperses, there will be rain the next day during the wei or shen hours, accompanied by strong wind, thunder, and lightning. If it rushes like mist toward the mouth of the Dipper, the portent is the same.

The appearance of a blue-green radiance indicates that the drought will last for a count of nine nines, that is, eighty-one days. At this time even prayer cannot obtain rain, and insect plagues and locust plagues will break out on a large scale. The longer the blue-green light persists, the more severe the disaster.

If the envoy is seen in the likeness of a black pig, crossing a river or gathering into ranks, there will be a great thunderstorm the next day during the wei or shen hours. If a sound like the wind comes from within the Heavenly River, it is called “the envoy rolling up the water”; the next day heavy rain will fall, and water will surge across the ground as if waves had risen.

When Xuhuo, a spirit-general of the Daoist Thunder Department, spreads cloud-Qi like wings, there will be a great thunderstorm that same day during the shen or you hours (about three to seven in the afternoon).

The portents of the various kinds of thunder Qi

Celestial Thunder rises from the xun direction (the southeast), and a tremor appears above the Ghost Gate. If the sound of thunder is low, deep, and faint, and the thunderbolt sounds only once before entering the earth, this is the portent of “Celestial Thunder releasing its shock.”

When Xuhuo descends, the cloud-Qi resembles phoenix wings and at times also takes a scaly form. The cloud-Qi first appears above the blue-green clouds and turns black only when it reaches mid-heaven. It may also appear during the shen hour, or when the sun is setting.

When Shen Thunder descends, it sounds in the east.

When Xun Thunder—thunder associated with the Xun direction, that is, the southeast—descends, the clouds come from the east, sometimes bearing toward the southeast and sometimes toward the south, and the cloud layer spreads flat like a straight line. Some clouds brighten and some turn black; when the clouds reach the center of the sky, wind rises and rain falls. If black clouds form a straight line across the center of the sky while white clouds stand in the southeast, it will not rain.

When Water Thunder—thunder corresponding to water vapor and rain clouds—descends, the cloud Qi (vital energy) surges upward, and from within the black clouds blue-green clouds sometimes emerge, shaped like waves of water. When this occurs, wind and rain soon arrive.

When Taisui Thunder—thunder associated with Taisui (the Grand Year)—descends, the clouds are one mass of deepest black. If Water Thunder descends alongside it, the cloud Qi surges upward, blue-green clouds emerge from the black clouds in the shape of water waves, and wind and rain arrive at once.

When Taisui Thunder descends, the clouds are one mass of deepest black, with a little white cloud along the edge whose luster resembles the tip of a brush. After a short while there is sudden thunder and violent wind.

When Sheling Thunder—thunder associated with the altar gods and the Sheling—descends, the clouds are dim and dark, like a pale black. The original phrase “lei mai zhong” (蕾买中) is difficult to interpret with certainty; what is said here is that within them appear powder-white clouds as if painted. If clouds of this kind appear, whether on a clear day, a rainy day, or an overcast day, there will in every case be a great wind and rain lasting seven days, after which the weather turns to a settled pattern.

What follows lists entries pairing certain star lodges—names by which ancient astronomy divided the regions of the sky—with sexagenary days. The sexagenary cycle is formed by combining the Heavenly Stems and the Earthly Branches and is used to record days. The original enumerates them as “lodge name plus day names such as jiazi”; a few graphs or copies may be in error, and what follows is retained as in the original.

For the Xu (Emptiness) lodge: jiazi, gengzi Wei (Stomach), gengchen Yi (翌), renwu Jiao (Horn), guiwei Kang (Neck), yiyou Fang (Room), gengyin Bi (Net), guimao Jing (Well), and guihai Bi (Wall, written 璧). For the Kui (Legs) lodge: jiazi, guiwei Wei (Tail), gengyin Shi (Encampment), renchen Kui (Legs), gengzi Gui (Ghost), gengxu Xin (Heart), renzi Ji (Winnowing Basket), guichou Dou (Dipper), and yimao Nü (Girl). For the Bi (Net) lodge: jiazi, gengwu Xing (Star), renshen Yi (翌), guiyou Zhen (Chariot), yihai Kang (Neck), gengyin Kui (Legs), gengzi Gui (Ghost), gengxu Xin (Heart), renzi Ji (Winnowing Basket), guichou Dou (Dipper), and yimao Nü (Girl). For the Bi (Net) lodge: jiazi, gengwu Xing (Star), renshen Yi (翌), guiyou Zhen (Chariot), yihai Kang (Neck), gengyin Wei (Stomach), guichou Wei (Rooftop), gengshen Bi (Net), and renxu Shen (Triaster). For the Gui (Ghost) lodge: jiazi, guiyou Fang (Room), gengchen Xu (Emptiness), renwu Shi (Encampment), gengyin Shen (Triaster), gengzi Di (Root), renyin Xin (Heart), guimao Wei (Tail), and gengshen Kui (Legs). For the Yi lodge (翌, retained as written): jiazi, yichou wo (斡, retained as written), gengchen Kui (Legs), guiwei Mao (Hairy Head), guimao Nü (Girl), gengxu Wei (Stomach), renzi Bi (Net), and guihai Zhang (Extended Net). For the Di lodge (氏): jiazi, gengwu Dou (Dipper), renchen Xu (Emptiness), and gengchen Bi (Net).

Gengyin corresponds to the Horn mansion (Jiao); Renchen corresponds to the mansion 氏; Guisi corresponds to the Room mansion (Fang); Yiwei corresponds to the Tail mansion (Wei); Gengxu corresponds to the Three Stars mansion (Shen); and Guichou corresponds to the Willow mansion (Liu).

The Winnowing Basket mansion (Ji) corresponds to Jiazi. Gengwu corresponds to the Encampment mansion (Shi); Guisi corresponds to the Dipper mansion (Dou); and Gengzi corresponds to the Legs mansion (Kui). Renyin corresponds to the Stomach mansion (Wei); Gengxu corresponds to the Star mansion (Xing); Gengshen corresponds to the Winnowing Basket mansion (Ji); Renxu corresponds to the Dipper mansion (Dou); and Guichou corresponds to the Girl mansion (Nü). Names such as Horn (Jiao), Room (Fang), Winnowing Basket (Ji), and Dipper (Dou) are those of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, while Gengyin, Renchen, and the like are pairings of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

When a Yin day meets Yi, there are waves and billows; Gengwu bears a fire image. On the days Chen and Yin, waves rise, and Ji and Geng answer to the same. If a Si day meets Gui, an image of blazing light appears. At the hours of Wu and Wei, the Ren and Gui within Yang Qi (vital energy) likewise become visible. When the hour of Shen meets Geng, Yin Qi is reduced by half. The mansions Room (Fang), Star (Xing), 赀, and Encampment (Shi) show a red sign four times. River waters pour forth, and the mansions Net (Bi), 赀, Legs (Kui), Bond (Lou), and 璧 respond in turn; 翌, 斡, Neck (Kang), Winnowing Basket (Ji), and Dipper (Dou) change in the manner of a dragon.

The Miaodong Yin says:

The Qi of the Wondrous Cavern hides and shows itself in ceaseless change, courses like a dragon, and holds the essential workings within. One must also watch the black Gui Qi coming from the east, and the fiery light that appears. Banks of cloud spread out and then draw together; at evening the west sinks from sight once more, dark as if covered by a curtain of cloud.

One should know that when the color is faint, it often resembles the signs of dusk; only when the water Qi grows heavier do the portents show themselves again. The pivot of Yang Qi opens and closes, and when it appears its shape is like the Winnowing Basket mansion and like a human head, with a powerful force.

Whether the response falls on human beings, oxen, or other livestock, the disaster of arms and the damage that follows cannot be escaped. The Qi of wrath shows black shot through with red, together with an image of fierce outcry. Only when this principle is clearly understood will the judgment hold firm.

The Qi of the Northern Dipper appears from above, and crows fly down. Three places vanish, and what remains displays four signs. The image called “the Two that Remain” is wondrous, with colors rising upon it. When the upper part appears and the lower part is hidden, a small wind stirs.

When the Yang school—the side that judges celestial signs by Yang Qi—has just withdrawn from the northwest, the signs may split into two or three strands, or into two paths. If they rise straight along the middle road, that is the enemy. The atmospheric signs on the east and the west press in by turns and stretch far off.

The clouds remain dense as a wall, and half their mass rises high. The Qi of Heaven and Earth joins in secret, and wind and waves are met as well. When the signs of the Net mansion (Bi) and the Winnowing Basket mansion (Ji) combine, this is called “Thrusting Out the Tongue.” When the season reaches Guichou, there is the sign of the “Black Ape’s Cry.”

(In the original, the sense of a number of expressions, such as “氏,” “赀,” and “翌斡,” is unclear. The rendering above keeps the original characters and translates as literally as the context permits.)

On the head of the Black Ape two kinds of signs appear, and when the advance is toward the southwest and toward the east there is fierce fighting as well. First come garments of crimson and yellow, and then a black robe is put on; the written words “son of the dragon” are proclaimed, and this is called “Banbie.”

Those who are just beginning to learn must first commit these matters to memory, and must also use the Lingshu—the pivot and key point of Daoist methods—to distinguish the most subtle sounds.

The Jade Chapter of Thunder of the Primordial One Qi (vital energy)

Heaven is endowed with the regularities of the stellar images, while the earth moves according to the Five Phases (wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, the ancient divisions of the celestial regions, are arrayed lengthwise and crosswise, and there are also the creative transformations of the three hundred and sixty thunders. The lofty heights above are overspread by sun, moon, and stars; in the profound depths below, wind, rain, and dragon-spirits lie hidden.

The droughts that occur in the course of a year each have their corresponding regions. When the Qi of Heaven descends and the Qi of Earth has not yet risen, rain may come first; yet in a time of extreme drought, even when the season of the “six nines” arrives—before the light of day has risen and the Qi of the sun has not yet stirred—an appearance of rain may still show itself first. This condition is called the “spirit of the drought demon,” and therefore drought is governed by Heaven. If one does not set one’s own creative transformations in motion so that they accord with the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth, how can rain be brought?

The sun is the spirit of Xuhuo, the sudden fire; Taiyin, the moon, is the spirit that commands the fierce officers. There is besides the Directorate of Waters and Flame, which likewise has its corresponding statutes. If these are not dispatched and transformed, no sympathetic response can be obtained. The sun is the spirit of Xuhuo, the sudden fire; Taiyin, the moon, is the spirit that commands the fierce officers. There is besides the Directorate of Waters and Flame, which likewise has its corresponding statutes. If they are not dispatched, there will be no verification.

The Lord of the Thunder Head and the Qinhuo Statutes and Commands is styled the Great Baleful Spirit of the White Tiger. If one day this baleful force appears, even a vajra being that encounters it will be reduced to dust.

If black Qi in the shape of a dragon shows itself beside the sun, wind and rain are sure to come before long. When cloud-Qi rises in the east and enters toward the west, passing through the sun, then, if this occurs in the hours of xu, hai, wei, and shen—the ancient double-hours—heavy rain will fall.

The red chicken and the purple goose are also among these signs. When the signs are severe, thunder and lightning strike that very day. Raging winds snap the trees and exterminate Jing-specters (essence anomalies), and the awesome sound of the thunderbolt resounds through the sky.

In a year of drought one must observe the Rain Master. When the Rain Master stands, he is as heavy as a mountain, and in the blink of an eye thunder and rain burst forth. Before the black clouds have released their rain, a dense rainbow has already appeared.

If wind and rain arise in the wei and shen hours, they exterminate Jing-specters, ruin altars and temples, and thunder roars. The black pig spews fire, attended by the spirit of lightning, and the wind and rain of the wei and shen hours likewise punish the Jing-specters. When the signs are severe, thunder booms and thunderbolts crash; when the ninth and tenth months of winter arrive, these congeal into frost and snow.

In summer the clouds of the south are like flame, rising tier upon tier, bright and flashing, and driving straight up into the sky.

If the Heavenly River—the river of stars in the sky, usually the Milky Way—shows no confluence of cloud and Qi (vital energy), a drought of nine successive “nines” is fixed by Heaven’s reckoning. When yin frost appears on the Jiashen and Bingzi days, only then does one know that light rain will come.

Between the Hai and Zi hours (from about nine at night until one in the morning), one should observe with a quiet mind: it is as if a black ox crosses the Heavenly River at midnight. Look again, and dark clouds stretch across the Dou mansion and the moon; at this time wind and rain will spread over mountains and rivers.

On the Six Jia days (represented by the six Jia days, such as Jiazi and Jiaxu), a clear sky usually portends drought. If on the Renzi and Dingsi days a “red dragon” appears—red cloud-Qi, or a luminous form—one looks up at the sky, and only then knows that light rain will come.

Observe quietly between the Hai and Zi hours: it is as if a black ox crosses the Heavenly River at midnight. If one also sees dark clouds stretching across the Dou mansion and the moon, wind and rain will spread over mountains and rivers.

A clear sky on the Six Jia days indicates drought. When a red dragon appears on the Renzi and Dingsi days, one looks up at the Heavenly River; if the stars and the Dipper are sparse, this portends that the drought will continue, and that rain will be hard to see within a short time.

If early morning is veiled by dark clouds, their color black and heavy, churning and surging, the sight is unsettling. By the Wei and Shen hours (from one to five in the afternoon) there will be wind and rain, thunder, and lightning. The scripture says that at such a time there may also be “smiting the altar, breaking the temple, and further slaying Jing (essence)”: thunder and lightning will strike and destroy altars and temples, and will also drive out Jing-specters.

If a solar halo appears in the Si and Wu hours (from nine in the morning until one in the afternoon), and the halo seems to hold the shapes of dragons and snakes, then on the third day there will be wind, rain, and sudden thunder. Thunder and lightning from the southeast will strike humans and ghosts; ancient trees and temples of evil spirits may also be destroyed.

When Taiyin (the moon) sinks westward and passes through the Xun direction—one of the directions of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), roughly the southeast—if only a single beam or band of moonlight is seen, wind and rain will rise the next day. Thunder and lightning flying through the sky portend lightning strikes; at the same time one must also watch the movements of the six domestic animals and of demons, malign spirits, and ghosts.

If two beams or bands of moonlight pass side by side through the Xun direction, this is called the “Qianjing Dashashen,” the Great Baleful Spirit of Qian’s Jing (a shensha name in the scripture). It portends wind and rain on the third day, with crashing thunder that shakes heaven and earth.

If dark clouds cover the sun like the glow of sunset clouds, dimming the sunlight, or spread for a thousand zhang like a curtain, this is called “Guanbo” (a shensha name in the scripture). It portends that heaven and earth will shake; in the Wei and Shen hours there will be thunder, rain, and violent wind.

The sun stands in a clear sky, yet clouds invade it. A red halo appears around the solar disk, as if a dragon form were moving. Suddenly the red halo withdraws several dozen zhang, and another bright red sun appears.

The scripture goes on to say that if two luminous forms stand side by side, heaven and earth will shake, and in the Wei and Shen hours there will be thunder, rain, and violent wind.

The sun in a clear sky is again invaded by cloud. A red halo appears around the solar disk, as if a dragon form were moving; the red halo suddenly retreats several dozen zhang, and another red sun appears.

If two solar images travel side by side, this is called the “Leiting Qianshashen,” the Fore-Sha Spirit of Thunder (a shensha name in the scripture). When this celestial sign appears on a Wei day, rain falls on the Shen day. Violent wind pulls up trees, and thunder and lightning act as if punishing ghosts and monsters.

In a year of drought one should observe “Mulang” (a shensha name in the scripture) and trace the changes of the various shensha and of the celestial signs. If one suddenly sees a form as if two feet were moving along the mountain, one may infer from this that the drought of the present year will still continue.

In a clear sky, if a few patches of cloud-haze appear beside the sun, wind and rain will fall continuously over the next three days during the wei and shen hours (roughly from 1 to 5 in the afternoon). Fierce winds will snap the trees, as if punishing sprites and goblins; oxen, horses, and unfilial persons will likewise suffer Heaven’s punishment.

When the clouds look scattered and broken, this foretells that a great wind is about to rise. Mist lifts, veiling heaven and blotting out the sun, and the sky grows dim. Before long, a sky that had been clear roars with thunder and lightning, and wind and rain sweep across mountains and streams.

When mist veils the sky in a form like a dragon appearing, the sign is fulfilled on the third day after it appears, during the wei and shen hours. If on a yin day (in the sexagenary day-count) the cloud vapors disperse, rain will fall when the chen day comes; demons and the six kinds of domestic animals will all suffer Heaven’s punishment.

In the early morning, if clouds to the east and west look like flames and also like an ox blocking the way, rain will fall during the wei and shen hours. If toward evening clouds in the northwest cover the sun and the moon is likewise veiled by cloud, then within that ten-day period (xun) there will be sudden, driving rain.

If clouds like a dragon-horse rise in the southeast, wind and rain will come that very day. If clouds like a goose beating its wings appear in the northwest, rain will fall three days later during the shen and you hours (roughly from 3 to 7 in the afternoon).

When the clouds are thick and black like smoke, their weight differs, and so do the omens. When the cloud mass is heavy, there will be wind, cloud, thunder, and lightning. Jet-black, lustrous clouds shaped like mountains and resembling beasts mean thunder first and rain afterward—this is certain.

When fog and dew descend from the mountains, this foretells that Heaven is about to rain. If the mist is heavy, there will be thunder and rain within three days; if the mist is light, heavy rain will fall within seven days. If mist veils the sky, rain will continue for seven days.

If at dusk one sees cloud-feet like rain banners—the hanging lower edges of the cloud layer—this foretells rain; otherwise, watery vapor will pass beyond Tianjin (the name of an asterism). During the wei and shen hours wind and rain are sure to arrive, with thunder and lightning roaring across the whole sky, as if they were also about to execute sprites and goblins.

When clouds gather toward a great ridge like crows returning to the nest, even a true immortal cannot make the rain stop. There is also something laughable: some people do not understand the mystery in this, yet know only how to draw talismans (fu).

Within the lodges of Taiyin (lunar mansions associated with the moon) there is a fierce clerk-spirit who presides over rewarding the good and punishing the wicked and over judging fortune and misfortune. It is also called the “Golden Tiger Baleful Spirit” (Jin Hu Sha), and it is especially efficacious when one prays for clear skies or seeks rain.

When there are no clouds on any side and the sunlight is bright, and a cloud canopy suddenly comes in the shape of a dragon, this foretells that the sign will be fulfilled during the wei and shen hours. If it rains without thunder, one may thereby tell whether the rain will be heavy or light.

Before black clouds have spread densely, a rainbow halo appears around the moon. This kind of rainbow is called “Flowing Metal” (Liujin), and it is a great baleful spirit. Tradition says it destroys temples and altar grounds and executes demons and prodigies; when it appears on a spring night, wind and rain at once pour down in torrents.

In autumn the sign is fulfilled during the wei and shen hours; in summer and winter it foretells continuous heavy rain. When the moon passes through the Tail mansion (Weixiu) and dragon-shaped cloud vapors appear, this foretells disease, disaster, and sudden violent rain.

At the end of the original text, several sentences running from “spirit” through “pour down” are repeated.

In autumn, on days of Wei or Shen, the weather often bears out the signs; in summer and winter, the indication is more often prolonged overcast rain. When the moon passes near the Tail mansion (Wei, one of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions) and takes on a dragon-like form, it foretells disease, calamity, and sudden downpours.

Raging winds will snap trees and whirl up sand and stones; swift thunder is said to punish the wicked and put the guilty to death. A halo around the moon, or an anomaly among the stars, foretells drought. In spring and winter, if a Xu or Hai day further coincides with the hours of Zi or Chou, the weather is especially of this kind.

If, on going out, one meets cold Qi (vital energy) congealing, there may be snow and freezing; rain, thunder, lightning, hail, and severe frost may also appear. Disease, insect blight, and locust plagues will cause people to suffer. The quarter in which the omen is fulfilled must be carefully inferred in relation to the directions of east, west, south, and north.

When the moon passes near the Net mansion (Bi, one of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions), it commonly foretells wind and rain. A dim, darkened moon is called “Tianyi jing” (the Essence of Heavenly Unity), referring to a kind of celestial portent. In spring—the first, second, third, and fourth months—the sign of the “dragon’s appearance” is often seen, foretelling frequent wind and rain in the sixth and seventh months.

When the sun and moon are dim, this often foretells wind and rain; a halo around the moon, or the moon’s passage near the Winnowing Basket mansion (Ji) and the Net mansion, foretells a raging wind. When wind and rain occur on Wei or Shen days, they may be accompanied by crashing thunder and lightning. The scripture (Jing) speaks of this celestial phenomenon as Heaven’s awe punishing altars and temples, mountains and rocks, as well as horses, oxen, and human beings.

When dragon-like mist appears around the moon and is seen in the hours of Zi or Chou, a Chou day may bring prolonged overcast rain; if not, Yin or Mao days may also see rainwater overflowing, forming waters like “lakes and seas.” Wei, Shen, Xu, and Hai days are said to bring Heaven’s awe chastising and striking down demonic evil.

The “Lord of the Northern Dipper, Deity of Fire and Thunder” (Beidou jun) refers to the spirit who governs thunder and fire and is associated with the Northern Dipper. The scripture says that he holds the pivot of the movements of Heaven and Earth, decides good and ill fortune, and oversees the affairs of the people, and is therefore styled the “Great Baleful Deity of Yin-Yang.” This deity rewards the good and punishes the wicked, acts swiftly, and brooks no disrespect.

If cloud Qi suddenly rises and passes through the region of the Dipper mansion (Dou), Xu, Hai, Wei, and Shen days may bring violent wind and rain. Ancient trees and temples harboring evil influences may be struck by lightning; sheep, oxen, horses, and human beings are also regarded by the scripture as liable to suffer Heaven’s punishment. When the Qi of black clouds passes through the Lianzhen star (a star of the Northern Dipper), it foretells rain, and within three days lightning may strike and injure people.

When white clouds pass through the Tanlang star and the Jumen star (stars of the Northern Dipper), they foretell a great wind but no rain, and the sky turns a clear red. When the Qi of black clouds passes through the Lucun star (a star of the Northern Dipper), wind and rain may rise suddenly on the following Wei or Shen day.

Thunder together with wind and rain that shake Heaven and Earth is explained as Heaven’s awe punishing temples and exterminating evil influences and malign ghosts, and it may also chastise people and livestock. If cloud Qi rushes toward the Pojun star (a star of the Northern Dipper) like a black turtle, then after the portent of the Pojun star appears, Wei and Shen days may bring wind and rain, with no clearing for seven days in succession. Within those seven days the rainwater may overflow like lakes and seas; thunderbolts will also punish people and livestock and the sprites of mountains and rocks.

Crimson cloud-Qi (vital energy) shoots straight toward the Northern Dipper (the group of stars the ancients used in observing the heavens). If its force is comparatively weak, wind and rain will arise at the wei and shen hours (roughly from one to five in the afternoon); if its force is strong, thunder will issue its command, pursue sprites, punish baleful specters, and send down heavenly punishment. Rain may continue for seven days without clearing; in that time the waters gather into lakes and seas, and thunder and lightning will also destroy people, livestock, and the sprites of the mountains.

When crimson cloud-Qi shoots straight toward the Northern Dipper and its force is weak, wind and rain come at the wei and shen hours; when its force is strong, thunder issues its command, pursuing sprites and punishing baleful specters.

White cloud-Qi rushes toward the Northern Dipper as if in flight. From this one may observe whether thunder and rain are about to arrive, and whether there will be punitive destruction by thunder and lightning. All twenty-four solar terms may be observed by this method; if one then looks closely at the seventy-two pentads (the phenological divisions of the seasons in ancient times), the changes can be inferred.

When black clouds gather in masses, wind and rain are often about to break out; when black clouds pass through the Northern Dipper, they likewise bring prolonged rain. When white clouds rush in like mist, by the wei and shen hours wind and rain may turn into thunder.

If the moonlight is bright and a gentle breeze comes, the sky is free of any veil of cloud, there are no clouds round about, and starlight shines directly on the Northern Dipper, this shows that the Qi of Yin-Yang has not changed and that the Qi of baleful influences has not appeared. At such a time, even if one employs Fulu (talismans and registers), they will not prove efficacious.

By carefully examining the position, distance, and relative height of Nanchen (the stars of the south) and the Northern Dipper, and distinguishing the regions that correspond to them, and by further determining where auspicious and inauspicious stellar influences lie, one can infer the direction in which calamities and anomalies will occur, and will not judge amiss.

If the Five Stars (the five stars of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, as the ancients called them) display a clear, bright light and trail long tails like worn brooms for more than ten days, a fiercely blazing stellar force will take shape. A calamity of this force cannot be removed by prayers and rites of aversion; plagues of insects and locusts will bring suffering upon the people.

From three days before the winter solstice to four days after it, if thunder is heard and continuous rain and snow are also met with, this is an inauspicious omen; whether east, west, south, or north, the judgment is the same.

When Mars (that is, Yinghuo, the ancient name for Mars) appears in the south, the growth of all things may wither because of it. If it appears red, this is an inauspicious sign and may bring disaster together with insects and locusts, causing people to suffer.

From three days before the winter solstice to four days after it, if thunder is heard and continuous rain and snow are met with, this is an inauspicious omen; east, west, south, and north should all be judged in this way.

When Mars appears in the south, the growth of all things may wither. If the color of the star turns red, it foretells drought; by observing its red halo and its radiance, one can judge good and ill fortune.

When Mars moves into the Ji and Bi lodges (names of ancient stellar lodges), it mostly governs wind and rain; when it moves into other lodges, it mostly governs drought. One should constantly attend to the changes of wind and cloud on the six jia days; once these signs are mastered, the matter will be clear in the mind.

Morning and evening, one should carefully observe the heavens around mid-autumn. If no stars can be seen in the sky, there may be a prolonged drought. When stones are moist and flowing water increases, it shows that rain is about to fall; when hot vapor steams upward, this too foretells that rain is soon to come.

When water vapor rises, fish leap out of the deep water; when ants seal the mouths of their burrows, this often foretells that rain is about to arrive. If centipedes appear in the daytime walking along the road, wind and rain accompanied by thunder may arise the next day at the wei and shen hours.

When a rainbow (hongni) appears in the west, it will rain that same day. During the Wei and Shen hours (roughly one to five in the afternoon), one should subdue the tree spirits. If the rainbow appears in the east, one must also observe how high or low it stands; if there are clouds but no rain, a drought demon (hanba) is at work.

When the qi of the earth rises to the heavens, rain will fall after three days; when the qi of the heavens descends to the earth, the rain will continue without cease. If the qi of the earth does not reach the heavens, there will be no rain; if the qi of the heavens does not descend to the earth, drought will come.

A rainbow in summer may mean that no rain falls throughout autumn; a rainbow in spring may bring six or seven heavy rains in succession. In summer, clouds gathering in the north bring rain; in autumn, clouds gathering in the south mean that more rain will follow after the first.

When a south wind blows in winter, snow will fall from the sky; when the wind turns west after long rains, the weather will clear.

This chapter is a Jade Writ transmitted by Yuanshi (Primordial Beginning, a revered Daoist deity), and is no ordinary secret text of the secular world. Those who can grasp it must have deep foundations and an affinity with the Dao (the Way). This book should be passed on to people of benevolence and righteousness, to those of virtuous conduct, and to cultivators of immortality. The oath sworn to the Thunder (leiting, the thunder rites of Daoist ritual practice) is of great weight and must not be lightly conferred. Practitioners may work the thunder methods in the palm of the hand, so that wind and rain answer as if right before their eyes. This is a method of conveying Heaven's transformations on its behalf, of aiding all beings and bringing blessings to the world, and it should be treasured and its precepts kept.