《清微元降大法》Vol. 17

This scripture from the Qingwei lineage (an important Daoist sect) records the pantheon of divine generals and their esoteric talismanic methods. It first describes the appearance of the principal deity Zhao Gongming: wearing a crossed-foot turban (an ancient headdress), a red forehead band, with a ruddy complexion, round eyes, and handsome beard. Clad in black armor over iron plates, girded with a golden belt, booted feet, and wielding an iron whip, he is accompanied by a black tiger. This divine general's full title is "True Lord of Expansive Sageliness and Sublime Mystery Who Supports Heaven, Penetrates Purity and Harmonizes All," also known as "Jade Origin General Who Summons Truth Along Five Directions' Cloud Paths" or "Western Forbidden Precinct Officer of the Divine Empyrean Command."

The text then enumerates the five directional generals, each with distinct iconographic features: General Huiqi of the East has a green face, red hair, and wears blue robes; General Song'an of the South has a red face, yellow hair, and vermilion garments; General Shiwu of the West has a white face, black hair, and white attire; General Yuanbin of the North has a black face, blue hair, and black vestments; while General Gonghong of the Center sports a golden face, white hair, and yellow robes.

Subsequent passages detail various Daoist talismanic (Fulu) techniques:

• Talismans like the "Jade Talisman of Qingwei's Original Dao" require vermilion-brush calligraphy
• The "Jade Talisman of Great Unity's Twilight Concealment" must be stamped with the Dipper Seal (a Daoist ritual stamp) after completion
• Versatile talismans such as the "True Talisman of Divine Empyrean's Myriad Responses" serve diverse purposes—exorcism, healing, household protection, or epidemic prevention
• Invocations for summoning the Mystic Altar (ritual platform) must accompany specific incantations: "Great Power of Mad Rage, Om Chi Lin Chi Lin Bu Lin Bu Lin Command and Subdue"
• Specialized talismans exist for treating equine diseases, livestock ailments, and bezoars (ox gallstones)

The text concludes with methods of the "Five Thunders of the Northern Pole's Celestial Heart" and the "Talismanic Arts of Yu" connected to the Grotto-Solar Imperial Lord (Solar Deity, alternatively named Lord Riluo). These contents reflect Daoism's characteristic fusion of military hierarchy with natural divinities in its religious system.

This passage describes the divine pantheon and talismanic practices within the Thunder Rituals (a Daoist method for summoning winds/rains and exorcising evils) of the Qingwei lineage, an important Daoist school.

First, it enumerates the distinctive iconography of key deities: The Lunar Sovereign of Dongyin appears in empress attire, while the Celestial Pivot Emperor (deity of the Big Dipper) manifests as a celestial youth with imperial countenance. Both the Celestial Virtue Divine Lord and Lunar Virtue Divine Lord exhibit regal postures. These deities possess the power to command the Three Realms (heaven, earth, and water) and mobilize the Five Thunders (representing the Five Phases of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth).

The text then details the iconography of Thunder Ministry marshals:

• Marshal Deng Xie (courtesy name Bowen), the Flashing Fire Commanding Fiery Emperor, wears a celestial official's headdress with blue face, crimson robe, and vermilion shoes, wielding hammer and chisel while riding a golden dragon.
• Marshal Xin Zhong (courtesy name Hanchen), the Jade Mansion True Lord of Thunderous Commands, appears in Earth Official attire with golden armor, jade belt, and vermilion shoes, holding a jade register while mounted on a xiezhi (mythical unicorn-like beast).
• Marshal Zhang Ya (courtesy name Yuanbo), the Solar Valley Divine Commander, wears Water Official garb with golden armor and black robe, carrying a goose-quill saber astride a black bear.
• Marshal Gou Xie (courtesy name Liuji) of the Celestial Pivot Fire Thunder has red hair and crimson face, clad in scarlet robe with golden armor and black shoes, gripping a drill hammer.
• Marshal Bi Suan (courtesy name Zongquan) of the Celestial Pivot Water Thunder displays a wrathful black visage in black robe and golden armor, brandishing an axe.

Five additional thunder envoys including Liu Juqing, Commander of Northern Dipper's Five Thunders, all appear with azure faces, dark crowns, golden armor, red garments, black boots, holding ritual tallies and wearing precious swords.

The text records summoning talismans (magical diagrams) and scriptures for invoking these deities:

• The Mysterious Radiance Banner (a ritual flag-type implement)
• The Jade Talisman of Three Lights' Unified Qi from Shangqing (used for fertility prayers, healing, and exorcism)
• The Shangqing Flaming Light Jade Talisman
• Three Cavern Scriptures: "Dongyang Flaming Light Scripture," "Dongyin Primal Radiance Scripture," and "Resplendent Primal Imperial Scripture"

Finally, it describes the core deities of the Celestial Pivot Fire Thunder Great Method:

• The presiding deity is the True Lord of Celestial Pivot's Transformative Governance, who manifests with red hair, white face, and three eyes (left eye emitting blue light, center white light, right red light), clad in white robes while wielding a sword and rotating the Dipper's handle (the Big Dipper's tail).
• The divine battalion includes General Mu Zong'e, Left Vanguard Commander of Celestial Pivot's Thunderfire Charge.

(Note: Terms like "manifestation" describe deities' appearances, while "headdress," "robe," and "footwear" denote divine vestments. "Mount" and "wield" refer to their sacred vehicles and ritual implements—all crucial identifiers in Daoist iconography.)

This passage describes the divine generals and their functions invoked in the Thunder Rites of the Qingwei lineage (an important Daoist school during the Song-Yuan period).

The text first depicts two principal thunder deities in majestic forms: One wears a flaming crown with red hair and a blue face, possessing three eyes and clad in golden armor with a crimson battle robe, wielding a thunder hammer while often riding a fire dragon to command thirty thousand thunder troops from the Fire Department. The other dons a black crown with a red face and golden armor, dressed in black robes while holding an axe, sometimes mounted on a giant qiu (a legendary hornless dragon), leading fifty thousand thunder troops from the Water Department. Both can freely traverse the Three Realms of heaven, earth, and humanity.

Next are listed four Time Messengers (divine officials responsible for year, month, day, and hour): Wen Rong, Zhou Yong, Zhao Liangbi, and Yan Jinchang. All wear crossed-feet futou (a Song dynasty official hat style) and stand ready with swords.

The passage then enumerates various Daoist talismans (fulu) and divine king titles:

• The talisman for summoning Tiangang (the handle of the Big Dipper)
• The Qingwei lineage's exclusive jade talismans with specialized functions like suppressing evil (zhisui) and mobilizing primordial qi (yunyuan)
• The Tiangang Baoyuan Dongzhang talisman, which can be ingested to cure illnesses or used to facilitate childbirth
• The Five Directions Divine Kings system: Each cardinal direction (east, south, west, north, and center) has five guardian kings, such as the Changsha Divine King of the east's yin-mao position or the Longbrow Divine King of the south's si-wu position, each bearing specific titles.

The text particularly highlights two Yang-clan True Lords (high-ranking divine officials):

1. True Lord Yang Xian, embodying fire virtue (huode), wears a soaring crown with a red face and long beard, clad in golden armor with red boots while wielding an axe atop a golden dragon, renowned for his "swift responsiveness" in executing divine decrees.

2. True Lord Yang Jie, embodying lunar essence (yuebo), has a pale face with phoenix eyes, similarly wearing a soaring crown and golden armor, presiding over flame-summoning talismanic commands.

These divine forms and talismanic systems reflect Qingwei Thunder Method practices that employ specific deity invocations and fulu to exorcise evil, heal illnesses, and harmonize yin-yang. Titles containing characters like "chang" (long), "bo" (wave), or "luo" (net) represent Daoist nomenclature for divine energies.

This scripture describes the ritual protocols of the Qingwei School (an important Thunder Rites tradition during the Song-Yuan period) for summoning various thunder deities. It primarily records the visual characteristics and functions of multiple Thunder Department generals:

First mentioned is the True Lord of Taiyi's Bright Sacred Fire Thunder, who manifests in green robes with red shoes, wielding either a sword or battle-axe while riding a white jade dragon. This deity is responsible for transmitting Thunder Department commands and swiftly executing talismanic orders.

The text then details several Thunder Envoys (deities who implement thunder rituals):

The Wu Lie Envoy appears as a majestic male figure wearing a golden helmet, red armor and shoes, holding a sword while astride a giant qiu-dragon (a dragon variant), specializing in thunder techniques that shatter mountains and split rocks.

The Wang Lie Envoy manifests as a female figure wearing a celestial dragon crown, golden armor with red shoes, wielding an axe while riding a roc bird, primarily assigned to urgent thunder ritual tasks.

Several other important envoys are enumerated:

Zhou Xiang Envoy - green face with three eyes, red robes holding an axe;

Wang Xiao Envoy - white face with green robes, wielding a sword;

Yu Ying Envoy - dignified countenance carrying a unique multi-pronged "goose-quill" blade;

Zhong Liang Envoy - red face with blue robes, bearing a halberd;

Zhang Qi Envoy - black face with red robes, holding a sword;

Yue Liang Envoy - auspicious features with willow-leaf eyebrows, red robes carrying a saber;

Zhao Yi Envoy - date-red face with large eyes and handsome beard, black robes wielding an axe.

All these generals wear chongtian headscarves (Song dynasty headgear) with yellow forehead bands, golden armor and boots.

The concluding section records the summoning incantation "Geng Wei Zhao She" and lists several envoys with specialized functions:

Zhang Envoy governs thunderbolt techniques;

Shuo Envoy oversees rapid execution;

Qiao Envoy specializes in heaven-shaking thunder rites;

Bi Envoy serves as the flying general of the Shangyang lineage from the Immortal Capital.

These records reflect the Qingwei Thunder Method practice of "summoning spirits through form" - practitioners visualize the deities' appearances while holding specific ritual implements to resonate with corresponding thunder powers. Each general's distinctive features correspond precisely to their assigned thunder functions, forming a complete ritual system.

This text documents the divine general and talismanic (fulu) systems of the Qingwei lineage (an important Song Dynasty talismanic tradition). The Celestial Envoy of the Hengchong Trust Talisman from the Upper Yang Division of the Immortal Capital is named Changchen, while the Celestial Envoy of the Chongming Martial Talisman from the same division is named Bo—these two serve as divine generals responsible for transmitting celestial talismanic decrees.

The Great Ritual General Tong of the Imperial Heroic Nine Earths, the True Talisman of the Imperial Heroic Nine Earths, and the Jade Talisman for Earth-Pacifying and Calamity-Averting (Maotong) of the Imperial Heroic Earth Guardians all represent advanced talismans used to stabilize the earth and avert disasters. Among them, the Three Sovereigns' True Talismans for Earth-Pacifying consist of three types, corresponding to the Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Sovereigns (venerated ancient sage-kings in Daoism), each possessing the power to stabilize terrestrial energies.

The text then records several divine generals from the Nine Heavens system: the summoning talismans for Lin Yu, the Swift Messenger of the Nine Heavens, and Ding Wu, the Life-Observing Messenger of the Nine Heavens—both envoys specialize in rapidly delivering celestial commands. Also included is the summoning talisman for Shang Gaoying, the Fierce and Luminous Messenger of the Nine Heavens, used to invoke celestial messengers for special missions.

The final section documents talismanic systems related to the Imperial Brilliance Earth-Pacifying Great Ritual, including the Luminous Jade Talisman (with variants: Brilliant Yang for Stabilizing Fortunes and Transforming Light for Daoist Peace) and the Imperial Brilliance Cavernous Origin Jade Chapter (with variants: Imperial Radiance Cavernous Pivot and Jade Numinous). These represent crucial ritual documents in the Qingwei tradition for stabilizing terrestrial energies and harmonizing yin-yang. Parenthetical notations indicate different variants or functional descriptions of the same talisman.