《清微元降大法》Vol. 16

This passage describes the divine generals system within the Thunder Rituals (Leifa) of the Qingwei lineage (an important Daoist school), divided into five main groups:

The first group comprises three principal generals from the Purple Heaven system: Marshal Li Chang (also called Zhaoyao Tongguang) wears golden armor with black robes and red shoes, riding a white horse while wielding a sword; Perfected Lord Wei Kai dons a helmet with full golden armor carrying a great axe; Perfected Lord Dong Qing wears a flame crown with a blue face, golden armor, and halberd. These three serve as high-ranking commanders of the Thunder Department.

Next are four deities overseeing specific thunder functions: Thunder Duke Yan Jianqing wears a boar-head crown with a blue face, golden armor, red robe, and black shoes, standing on a thunder chariot holding an axe and drill; Lightning Mother Zhang Jing appears as a jade maiden in green clothes and red shoes wielding a sword; Rain Master Fang Lie wears a dragon crown with a white face and three-strand beard, golden armor, blue robe, and red shoes controlling a water chariot; Wind Earl Liu Yuanrui sports a flame crown with red face, blue hair, golden armor, blue clothes, and red shoes commanding a wind chariot.

The Five Directional Thunder Kings follow: Eastern Azure Spirit Thunder King Lü Zhong (blue robe, axe), Southern Cinnabar Spirit Thunder King Gao Liang (red robe, sword), Western Bright Spirit Thunder King He Yi (white robe, axe), Northern Mysterious Spirit Thunder King Guo Yi (black robe, iron tablet), and Central Yellow Spirit Thunder King Zheng Gong (yellow robe, halberd). All wear heaven-reaching crowns with golden armor and red shoes.

The Yin-Yang Mutual Spirit Division features two thunder deities: Yang Thunder Spirit Gou Liuji wears a golden crown with red hair, golden armor, red robe, black shoes, and golden hammer; Yin Thunder Spirit Bi Zongyuan wears a jade crown with faint redness, beardless, golden armor, black robe, black shoes, and axe.

Finally, the Ding-Jia Division includes the Six Ding Jade Maidens (Dingmao Rengui, Dingchou Jiangjing, Dinghai Xuehui, Dingyou Jufang, Dingwei Keju, Dingsi Zhaoyao) and General Guan Gongchen of the Jiazi cycle. The Six Ding Maidens all appear as jade maidens in golden armor and red robes wielding swords, while the Jiazi Great General serves as the Thunder-Proclaiming Commander. These deities each fulfill specialized roles, collectively forming the complete Thunder Ritual system.

This scripture documents the Thunder Department deity system and related talismanic incantations of the Qingwei lineage (an important Daoist school). It first enumerates five Thunder Generals associated with the Jia days: General Kang Fu of Jiaxu day, General Wang Yan of Jiashen day, General Zhang Yuan of Jiawu day, General Xu Jichang of Jiachen day, and General Ou Zhe of Jiayin day. All are described as wearing silver armor with bows, arrows, and swords, presenting awe-inspiring visages.

Next, it describes four duty officers of the "True Celebration of Heavenly Unity" system: Year Officer Wen Rong, Month Officer Zhou Yong, Day Officer Zhao Liangbi, and Hour Officer Yan Jinchang. They wear crossed-feet headscarves (ancient headwear) with red forehead bands, golden armor over black robes, and wield blades. Four "Flying Mystic Emissaries" are also listed: Year Emissary Wang Jun, Month Emissary Long Shen, Day Emissary Bu Jin, and Hour Emissary Lu Jushen, similarly adorned in majestic attire and carrying small axes.

Yang Geng is portrayed as the presiding figure of "Heavenly Unity's True Celebration, Transforming and Moving the Dao," clad in golden armor, red robes, and black boots, wielding an axe to convey divine commands.

The latter part of the scripture records various incantations and ritual procedures:

• The summoning chant "Yu Mo Zhao Dan"
• Multiple jade talismans and precious edicts (Daoist ritual implements), such as the Qingwei Hunzhen Jade Talisman and the Primordial Beginning's Decree of Truth Jade Edict
• The Purple Sovereign and Purple Firmament series of sigils
• The Five Thunder Righteous Qi Talisman, applicable for exorcism, healing, aiding childbirth, and other purposes
• The method for using the Purple Firmament Divine Date Talisman: for males, remove the date's tip; for females, remove its core. Form the Maowen hand seal (a Daoist mudra) with the left hand while holding the date in the right, inhale, exhale into the date while reciting the incantation—this can cure illness and preserve life.

These contents reflect the religious practices of Daoist Thunder Magic (rituals harnessing thunder's power), which involve summoning deities and employing talismans to exorcise evil, heal diseases, and protect the people. Each talisman has specific functions and application methods, demonstrating the systematic and ceremonial nature of Daoist ritual arts.

This scripture documents the Thunder Method system of the Qingwei lineage (one of Daoism's major schools), primarily containing summoning rituals for Thunder Department deities and related talismanic incantations.

The Thunder Department's divine marshals system comprises two main divisions. The first features the Red Spirit Yang Thunder God of Fierce Majesty Gou Xie (commander of Yang Thunder forces) and the Black Spirit Yin Thunder God of Transformative Majesty Bi Suan (commander of Yin Thunder forces), who respectively lead 30,000 and 50,000 thunder soldiers. Their summoning requires specific incantations ("Yu Hong Yu Chang") and Fulu (talismans), including seven distinct types such as the Tianyi Jade Talisman and Shangqing Qiongtai Talisman, each serving different purposes like healing illnesses or pacifying land.

The second section details the complete pantheon of the Purple Emperor Taiyi Rapid Five Thunder Marshals, each with distinctive iconographic features:

1. True Lord of Myriad Blessings Fang Quan: Wears a celestial crown with pale face, golden armor over red robes and boots, holding a ritual tablet while riding a black dragon

2. Song Xi Xuan: Flame-adorned crown, blue face with golden armor and purple robe, wielding a sword

3. Liao Ba: Tiger-patterned crown, red face with golden armor and green robe, bearing a halberd

4. Yun Ju: Five-cloud crown, green face with golden armor and white robe, carrying a halberd

5. Ma Guo: Phoenix-winged helmet, blue face with third eye, red beard/hair, golden armor and purple robe wielding twin axes

6. Wang Lie: Heaven-piercing headscarf with yellow forehead band, handsome features with golden armor and green boots, holding an axe-bladed weapon

When employing these talismans, practitioners must coordinate specific hand mudras (Chen position finger formations) and Qi absorption methods (drawing breath from the southeast direction to infuse the talisman). The crucial incantation is "He Ming Tian Di Ri She." Talisman activation further requires burning them with Yuqing secret sigils (Daoism's most esoteric glyphs) alongside bamboo leaves. These rituals exemplify the Qingwei Thunder Method's characteristic integration of anthropomorphic deity systems with concrete ritual operations.

This passage describes the iconography and ritual protocols of several Thunder Department deities within the Qingwei lineage (an important Daoist school). The primary divine generals are depicted with these distinctive features:

The talisman envoy Lü Jinqing wears a dark crown with a red face and golden armor, clad in blue robes and black shoes while holding a fiery wheel. Zhang Fuxuan appears with a pale face and golden armor, dressed in red robes and black shoes while wielding an axe. Shen Mingxuan displays a blue face with golden armor, black robes and shoes while carrying a saber. Zheng Qingxuan bears a purple-tan complexion with golden armor, white robes and black shoes while brandishing a sword. These three all wear bows and arrows.

Other significant deities include: Han Jun, the Envoy of Purple Emperor's Supreme Unity Rapid Talismans, and Xun Kuang, the Supreme Unity's Mystically Penetrating Talisman Envoy. Both wear upright headscarves (a type of turban) with red forehead bands, golden faces and armor, red robes with green boots, holding goose-feather sabers. Guo Jie, the Flying Celestial General, appears with unbound hair in a youthful male form, silver armor over red robes and shoes while gripping a fiery sword astride a jade dragon.

The text records various Daoist talismanic applications: The "Purple Emperor's Supreme Unity Thunderclap Cavern Chapter" is used for heaven-opening ceremonies; the "Purple Emperor's Supreme Unity Purple Jade Cavern Chapter" possesses divine power to penetrate celestial principles and transform creation. Specialized talismans include: summoning talismans for invoking deities, expedient talismans for immediate effect, thunder-hastening talismans to accelerate lightning, healing elixir talismans for curing ailments, and suppression talismans for warding off malignant forces.

Notable talismanic protocols specify: During emergencies, write with cinnabar on yellow paper; for extreme urgency, use cinnabar on blue paper—these methods should never be employed lightly. Finally mentioned is the Western Terrace Thunder Department pantheon of the Shenxiao lineage (a major Thunder Ritual tradition), whose presiding deity is Emperor Zhao Deyuan (also called Hui), depicted with flowing red hair, golden armor over black robes and red shoes while wielding a sword, governing the authority of thunderous transformations.

This scripture describes the divine generals of the Thunder Department (the Daoist pantheon governing thunder and lightning), each with distinctive attire, physical features, and ritual implements representing different Five Phases (Wuxing) attributes and divine powers.

Qi Yingqing, the Heaven-Soaring Majestic Commander of Blazing Thunder, wears a celestial crown with a slightly reddish complexion and three eyes. Clad in golden armor over deep crimson robes with a jade belt and boots, he wields a great axe.

Shi Kuang, the Heaven-Illuminating Commander of Raging Thunder, sports a golden lion helmet with blue-green skin and red hair. His golden armor covers emerald-green robes fastened with a golden belt, and he carries a precious sword while wearing boots.

The text then details the Five Directional Thunder Gods:

• Eastern Blue Thunder God Lei Fangzhong wears a celestial crown with a stern countenance, golden armor over blue robes, holding a golden drill-hammer, with thunder chariots behind him.
• Southern Red Thunder God Xin Lie dons a dark crown with blue face, golden armor and red robes, brandishing a halberd while radiating light.
• Western White Thunder God Wu Huayuan has disheveled hair with yellowish complexion, golden armor over white robes, gripping a fiery sword.
• Northern Black Thunder God Yinghua wears a cloud-piercing crown with purplish skin and three eyes, his golden armor layered under black robes as he holds a wild goose-feather saber.
• Central Yellow Thunder God Bu Huichen sports an upturned official's hat with fair, handsome features, golden armor over yellow robes, wielding a fiery wheel.

Nine Fierce Thunder Deities follow, each corresponding to specific Five Phases combinations:

• Wood phase (Jia-Yi) deity Mu Fang
• Fire phase (Bing-Ding) deity Long Juqing
• Metal phase (Geng-Xin) deity Chen Xun
• Water phase (Ren-Gui) deity Jin Jiyuan
• Earth phase (Wu-Ji) deity Ma Shen

All appear with blue faces and disheveled hair, golden armor under variously colored robes, holding axes, fire wheels, swords and other ritual implements.

The Western Terrace Tiger Subordinate Generals conclude the pantheon, including eight envoys like Lightning-Snatching Wind-Chasing Emissary Yang Ying. These wear crossed-feet hats with blue-black faces, black robes over golden armor, armed with axes, sabers, spears, fire swords, drill-hammers, fire chariots, qi chariots, bows and arrows. Together, these deities form the formidable divine hierarchy of the Thunder Department.

This passage describes the thunder magic talismans (Fulu) and deity summoning rituals used by the Shenxiao School (a major thunder ritual lineage from the Song Dynasty). It primarily contains the following types of information:

First are the visual descriptions of thunder department generals: There's a thunder envoy named Guan Liang, wearing a Xiezhi crown (a mythical beast-shaped hat symbolizing justice), with a blue face and three eyes, clad in golden armor and green robes, a golden belt at his waist, and wielding a great axe. Another envoy named Zhong Kuang appears midair wreathed in thunderous flames, similarly armed with an axe.

Next are listed various functional talismans and their designs:

1. High-level thunder magic talismans like the "Divine Empyrean Jade Purity Elixir Chapter" and "Jade Purity Thunderous Wind-Summoning Verification Talisman," featuring "▲" symbols and special character combinations (such as secret phrases like "Hu Lu Ding Xin Ying")

2. Universal prayer talismans capable of commanding wind, clouds, thunder, lightning, hail, rain, and mist

3. Specialized function talismans: Five Thunder Talismans that command lightning and clear dragons, childbirth-inducing talismans divided by the twelve earthly branches, and healing talismans from the Western Terrace (a thunder department office)

4. Unique command talismans: like the "Thunder Decree for Executing Evil" bearing the character "敕" (imperial decree) with secret inscriptions like "Feng He Yuan" on the reverse

Finally, the accompanying ritual documents and seals:

• Formal documents like the "Divine Empyrean True King's Edict" and "Great Primordial Cave Chapter"
• The Western Terrace official seal (from the thunder department bureaucracy) with its full institutional name: "Supreme Divine Empyrean Jade Mansion Western Terrace Branch Office"
• Summoning incantations like "Ge Su Zha" paired with command talismans for directing thunder, accelerating elixir refinement, or healing

(Note: Symbols like ▲ and ( ) in the text represent esoteric markings unique to Daoist talismans, typically used in conjunction with visualization practices and hand mudras)