《太上洞淵神咒經》Vol. 18

This scripture describes how the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun, the supreme deity in Daoism), during the Dragon-Han era's first year, inspected the virtues and vices of the human realm alongside numerous immortals. Later, in the Shanghuang era's jiawu year, he descended upon the Central Plains. At that time, calamities were frequent—pestilence raged, people were displaced, while floods and droughts caused widespread crop failures. Moved by compassion for suffering beings, the Celestial Worthy manifested his divine powers, summoning seven thousand two hundred celestial beings including immortals, dragon kings, jade maidens, and the deities of mountains and rivers to assemble. Suddenly, mighty winds and rains arose, showering sweet dew to cleanse inauspicious energies and restore peace to the land.

A senior Daoist named Mingluo stepped forward to inquire: "From whence arise the cyclical calamities of the sixty-year jiazi cycle?" (In ancient calendrics, the sexagenary cycle combines heavenly stems and earthly branches). The Celestial Worthy replied: "When heaven and earth first parted, the tripartite order of celestial, terrestrial, and human realms established these jiazi cycles. The human realm's cycle divides into upper, middle, and lower eras of sixty years each." He then expounded in detail the auspicious and inauspicious omens for each year, instructing Mingluo to record them as warnings for posterity. During calamitous years, virtuous individuals who pray with sincere hearts may receive divine protection.

The text concludes with a prophetic verse about jiazi-year disasters: "In jiazi's autumn ploughing season, people shall endure bitter hardship; crops will fail to bear fruit as calamities blight the fields. When autumn wanes, even highland farms cannot preserve their harvest." This scripture primarily conveys the Daoist salvific doctrine that sincere prayer during disastrous years can transform misfortune, embodying the religion's core mission of delivering beings from suffering.

(Note: Technical terms like "jiazi" (甲子) and "shanghuang" (上皇) are rendered in pinyin after their initial translation, following standard Daoist studies conventions. The translation preserves the original's rhythmic prose style while clarifying cultural concepts like the sexagenary cycle for English readers.)

This scripture depicts a series of natural disasters and human sufferings, recording various calamities year by year using the traditional Chinese sexagenary cycle (an ancient 60-year calendrical system).

In the spring of Yichou year, plague struck, forcing people to flee their homes and separating fathers from sons, brothers from brothers. Summer brought another epidemic, with Chu region (modern Hubei) and Lu region (modern Shandong) particularly devastated. People barely had enough to eat, and livestock perished too. While highlands could still yield some crops, seedlings in low-lying areas were completely destroyed.

During Bingyin year, packs of wild beasts roamed freely as floods inundated the land. Between the fourth and fifth lunar months, fish were seen swimming in courtyards—such was the severity of the deluge. Dingmao year brought spring drought followed by sudden autumn floods. Low-lying fields suffered greatly, though mountain slopes remained arable, yet harvests were meager and granaries stayed empty.

Wuchen year witnessed locust swarms and widespread sickness, with women suffering especially. Rice could only be planted on mountain slopes, as lowland crops inevitably failed. The Jisi year grew stranger still—flood dragons appeared in lakes while boats sailed on dry land. Flat plains were submerged, forcing those seeking safety to build tall shelters well in advance.

Gengwu year alternated between drought and flood: a hundred days of summer drought gave way to repeated autumn inundations. Xinwei year saw spring floods followed by summer drought, with Jing-Chu region (modern Hubei-Hunan) particularly afflicted. During Renshen year, even highlands couldn't escape disaster—granaries stood empty as plagues broke out simultaneously in the north and Deng-Lai region (eastern Shandong).

The spring of Guiyou year began with drought ending in flood, while autumn brought howling winds and wildfires, turning the Qi-Lu heartland (Shandong) into wasteland. Jiaxu year brought spring locusts followed immediately by summer drought. Through this year-by-year chronicle, the scripture paints a harrowing portrait of relentless calamities and human devastation.

This passage from the Scripture of the Divine Spells of the Dongyuan (Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing) presents prophetic verses foretelling agricultural fortunes and natural calamities according to the celestial stem and terrestrial branch calendar system. Each couplet corresponds to a specific year, detailing potential droughts, floods, insect plagues, epidemics, and regions suitable for cultivation.

For instance, in the early years of Yihai (an ancient stem-branch year), widespread water and drought disasters will emerge, with irrigation channels running dry—marking the beginning of calamities. Malevolent spirits (referring to baleful qi) will linger over towns, their influence persisting for a long time. Farmers must observe the lay of the land—higher elevations may still be habitable.

In the Bingzi year, forced cultivation will bring suffering as rivers overflow. Crops will be ravaged by pests, and field mice will multiply in hordes. Only sincere prayers to the divine can protect the harvest. The Dingchou year will bring hardship for peasants—though seeds are sown in spring, autumn may yield nothing as floods devastate the land, harming livestock, with the capital region bearing the worst impact. To discern where harvests might still thrive, one must study the previous year’s fields.

The Wuyin year will favor cultivation on mountain slopes, while roads turn into rivers. Starving refugees will perish by the wayside, fish and tortoises fleeing alongside wild hares. Lotus flowers will improbably bloom on high banks, and by early summer, courtyards will be navigable by boat. Come the Jimao year, elevated fields will flourish. Though spring brings water shortages, summer and autumn will see relentless floods, afflicting the Chu and Lu regions while the Wu and Kuaiji areas (modern Jiangsu-Zhejiang) receive unexpected blessings. Early sowing this year promises abundant harvests everywhere.

Later verses predict disasters for the Yan-Wei region (modern Hebei) in the Gengchen year, with crops devoured by pests; the Xinsi year, when fish swim through streets and rice thrives on hillsides; the Renwu year, marked by erratic droughts and floods, famine, and the looming threat of war, with plagues persisting year after year; the Guiwei year, where five households share a single well, and Wu-Chu and Shandong suffer renewed floods; the Jiashen year, as calamity strikes, carriages traverse lakes, and rice planting thrives around the Five Lakes; and the Yiyou year, with severe spring droughts, three families sharing a well, the Wu-Kuaiji region in distress, and people yearning to settle by the Five Lakes.

These prophecies reflect ancient observations of natural disasters, intertwining celestial phenomena, agricultural cycles, and spiritual beliefs to guide people in seeking auspicious outcomes and avoiding misfortune. The mentioned regions—Yan-Wei, Wu-Chu—were vital agricultural zones in ancient China.

This prophetic scripture describes potential natural disasters across regions from the Bingxu to Bingshen years (approximately a 60-year cycle), using agricultural harvests to foretell fortune and misfortune. Here's a line-by-line interpretation:

Speaking of the Bingxu year, high mountainous lands will turn barren, and wells will dry up by autumn. Though water remains at summer's onset, the land will later suffer drought. When cloud dragons appear this year, the Five Lakes region (referring broadly to Jiangnan's waterlands) may yield rice, but medium-altitude fields forcibly cultivated will inevitably face calamity.

In the Dinghai year, Wu region (modern Jiangsu-Zhejiang) will be suitable for settlement, with crops maturing in both high and low fields. However, cities like Hongzhou, Luzhou, and Sizhou will encounter misfortune, while Yan-Chu territories (northern and Hunan-Hubei regions) become most desolate. Though harvests will be meager this year, primary disasters will strike in early spring.

For the Wuzi year, farmers should work slope lands, as insect plagues will emerge by late summer, with more disasters in autumn. Floods and droughts will alternate, while pest infestations strike impartially. Low fields needn't be sown, while high-altitude lands may yield minimal crops.

The Jichou year will bring widespread calamity, with plagues ravaging Zheng territory (modern Henan). Peasants will use boats as horses (implying severe flooding), and livestock will perish. Cultivating mid-to-high fields may invite spectral hauntings causing strange illnesses that resist cure.

Gengyin years favor mid-to-high altitude cultivation. Despite minor droughts, water levels will match the previous year. Lowlands yield poorly while mid-high areas prosper. Wild beasts will roam in packs, yet roads across elevations remain passable.

During Ximao years, early planting is crucial but shouldn't be extensive, as autumn floods will wreak havoc. Mountain streams will surge, early crops face drought, and late planting brings poor yields. After autumn's passing, fish may even frolic on roads (indicating extreme flooding).

In Renchen years, ritual grains suffer insect damage, disasters afflict millions, and livestock perish. Lowland crops shouldn't be planted—focus on hillsides. Early plantings may barely succeed, late ones prove hopeless.

For Guisi years, harvests in both high and low fields become unpredictable, while mid-altitude fields suffer anew. Wheat must be planted in mountains amid frequent disasters, with lowlands flood-prone. Old grain stores deplete with no new reserves.

The Jiawu year begins with unrelenting floods and droughts—carriages traverse lakebeds (implying drought) while boats rest on mountains (indicating abnormal water levels). Even cultivated lowlands will lack winter stores. For habitable areas, only mountain reclamation offers hope.

During Yiwei years, cultivate at river confluences. The Wu region may still sustain people, but the capital's periphery faces continuous disasters—not just drought but successive supernatural calamities. Those adrift in storms may not survive long.

In Bingshen years, neither high nor low fields should be planted, though mulberries may grow around the Five Lakes. Where disasters strike, rice prices will skyrocket (a dou of rice worth thousands of coins). For safe havens, Jiangnan remains most reliable.

Presented through agricultural prophecy, this scripture reveals ancient Daoist observations of natural patterns, connecting celestial phenomena, climate, and human fortunes with strong divinatory overtones. The mentioned geographical names and disaster types reflect ancient ecological understanding.

This scripture describes a sixty-year cycle from the Dingyou to Dingwei years, chronicling natural disasters and human suffering across various regions through the Daoist lens of calamity prophecy.

In the Dingyou year, agricultural order collapsed as three households shared a single well. The lakes of Jing-Chu region dried up, yielding only thorns, while refugees from Jiangdong wandered homeless. In Qilu (modern Shandong), people scavenged for food. Western Longdi suffered devastating floods as turmoil gripped the southeast.

The Wuxu year brought bountiful harvests to Jiangnan, yet famine ravaged Yan-Wei (Hebei). For three consecutive years, houses stood empty—men conscripted into armies, families torn apart by desperate weeping, with scenes of separation everywhere.

Jihai marked Jiangnan's most tragic year, where disasters struck both highlands and lowlands, while western regions relived the previous year's famine. Border unrest intensified, heralding worse calamities ahead.

By Gengzi's end, people could no longer dwell securely. Crops failed as kin turned against kin, fighting over scraps. Though Jiangnan reaped harvests, misfortune still followed—abandoned homes littered the land.

In Xinchou, Wu-Yue (Zhejiang) endured thousand-mile summer heatwaves before autumn brought locust swarms. Starving refugees perished far from home, livestock sharing their fate.

Renyin witnessed wild beasts roaming freely, forcing farmers to till mountain slopes. Strangely, rice grew on high ground while Wei-Qin (Shaanxi) suffered disasters so severe that "boats sailed on dry land and floodwaters breached city walls."

The Guimao year brought three-year droughts to Jin-Wei (Shanxi-Hebei), with parched fields driving desperate struggles for survival.

Jiachen saw insect plagues devastate the Three Rivers estuary. Though spring allowed mountain farming, Jiangnan's harvests couldn't avert warfare's scourge.

Yisi brought earth-dragon calamities (floods or quakes) causing famine, again manifesting "land-sailing boats." While Suhu drowned, Wu territory somehow yielded crops.

Bingwu alternated unpredictable floods and droughts—waters might surge suddenly or wells parch completely. Bizarre transformations occurred: fish becoming rabbits, chickens turning into fish, rice growing unnaturally in lowlands.

By Dingwei, only mountain terraces could be farmed as lowlands lay barren. Starved corpses piled up—not just from nature's wrath but war's cruelty. Ironically, while Wu region remained relatively peaceful, its neighbors Yan-Qi-Chu fell to military devastation.

Using the celestial stem-earth branch calendrical system, this passage employs Daoism's distinctive disaster narrative style to depict agrarian society's worst fears—natural catastrophes and war's horrors. Phrases like "boats on land" and "aquatic creatures becoming beasts" exemplify the symbolic language characteristic of Daoist apocalyptic texts, reflecting the tradition's profound concern for human suffering.

This passage from the Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing (Scripture of the Divine Spells from the Abyssal Cavern of the Most High) presents prophetic verses forecasting auspicious and calamitous signs across different years, using the traditional Chinese sexagenary cycle (such as Wushen, Jiyou, etc.) to sequentially describe climatic conditions, harvest outcomes, and people's livelihoods for each year.

In the Wushen year (a specific cyclical year), the people of Jiangnan could sustain themselves independently, obtaining harvests regardless of terrain elevation. Insect plagues naturally receded, grain was abundant, both humans and livestock remained healthy, officials were promoted smoothly, and government decrees were effectively implemented everywhere.

During Jiyou, farmers worked contentedly in their fields. Though pests and epidemics occurred, recovery was swift. Hillsides proved suitable for cultivation, rice prices dropped drastically (only three coins per dou), and while low-lying areas suffered floods, higher grounds still yielded reasonable harvests.

The Gengxu year brought carefree autumns for the populace. Despite minor droughts in Jiangnan, no external grain was needed. Granaries overflowed with rice, farmers rejoiced, and peace prevailed under heaven.

Xinhai witnessed concentrated epidemics in specific regions. Rebellions erupted at Canglingkou (a place name), ominous signs manifested in Longyou (Gansu region), Jiangnan had meager harvests, and Wu's hilly terrain proved unfavorable for farming.

In the Renzì year, grain was plentiful yet found no buyers. Jiangnan remained habitable, eastern routes stayed open though post stations lay deserted. Famine spread widely, with only Wu's lands still arable.

For Guichou, suffering was destined for the people. Pestilence ravaged Penglai and Yingzhou (mythical islands here representing coastal areas), disasters plagued Qi and Lu (Shandong), jaundice epidemics ran rampant—every household barred its doors. Continuous calamities left fields abandoned before slowly returning to cultivation.

Jiayin saw Jiangdong barely scraping by—empty granaries, displaced refugees, and uncontrollable plague outbreaks. Lowlands flooded while middle and high elevations yielded nothing.

Yimao brought convenient transportation across the land, bountiful harvests in most regions, and diligent farmers. Shandong reaped abundant millet and wheat. Winds prevailed throughout the year favoring early planting—middle and lowlands thrived, while high grounds grew only wild grasses.

Bingchen witnessed crops planted on dry roads (indicating drought). Haochu (Anhui-Hubei) stayed peaceful as Qi and Jin (Shandong-Shanxi) suffered disasters. Floodwaters mingled deer, hares, and fish together—people starved with empty storehouses.

Dingsì bestowed prosperity and leisure upon Wu (Jiangsu-Zhejiang)—granaries brimmed, citizens lived idly. Under wise rulers, officials rose naturally through ranks. Both high and low lands flourished, leaving farmers untroubled.

Wuwu saw approximately three persons per household. Autumn harvests invited misfortunes—the young often complained, though most still reaped some yield as famines neared their end.

Note: The "▲▲" symbols indicate lacunae in the original scripture. These prophecies reflect ancient Daoist observations of natural patterns and societal changes, correlating celestial stems and earthly branches with agricultural and epidemic phenomena. They embody the agricultural society's worldview of "reading human affairs through celestial signs." Records of epidemics (including "jaundice plagues"), insect infestations, floods, and droughts authentically mirror common natural disasters of antiquity.

This passage from the Scripture of the Divine Spells of the Most High Dongyuan (Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing) presents agricultural predictions based on the celestial stem and terrestrial branch calendar system. The Celestial Venerable (Tianzun) imparted this forecasting method to immortal beings like Perfected Luo, emphasizing it should only be transmitted to virtuous individuals and never disclosed to the faithless.

The specific predictions are as follows:

In the siwei year (Snake-Goat combination), livestock will suffer calamities—five horses may barely trade for one ox. Though hardships arise, grain reserves remain sufficient. While field yields are modest, people won't face extreme distress.

During the gengshen year (Monkey year), upland rice paddies flourish, but summer brings floods. Low-lying fields suffer insect plagues—don't be deceived by lush appearances, as actual harvests prove poor. Painstaking cultivation in lowlands yields meager results, while mid-elevation fields fare moderately.

For the xinyou year (Rooster year), mid-level fields produce adequately, but highlands endure droughts and lakeside areas flood. Early rice crops face wind damage, particularly severe in Wu region (modern Jiangsu-Zhejiang). Neither high nor low fields stabilize—only mid-level lands may yield.

The renxu year (Dog year) shows stark regional variations. Spring-summer droughts block Jiangnan's waterways, while autumn-winter dryness continues. Lowlands suit cultivation, but highland efforts prove futile, yielding only weeds. Yangzhou, Chu lands (Hubei-Hunan), and Jiangdong suffer most severely.

In the guihai year (Boar year), Wu region remains stable—mid-level fields prove most reliable, while lowlands disappoint. Despite autumn-winter droughts, moderate harvests prevail overall.

The Celestial Venerable then reveals these predictions merely scratch the surface, with deeper mysteries withheld. This esoteric method forecasts grain prices and harvest fortunes, but transmission requires utmost discernment—only the morally upright may receive it, never the unscrupulous.

A supplementary technique concludes: If tiger or rabbit omens (possibly celestial phenomena) appear first on New Year's Day or Spring Commencement (Lichun), grain stays affordable and people thrive. But if signs emerge between the 7th-10th lunar days, rice prices soar amid drought-scarce rains.

The Celestial Venerable (the supreme deity of Daoism) addressed the attending immortals and perfected beings, saying: I have composed these verses to serve as an eternal admonition for my disciples. In years of famine and scarcity, provisions must be stored in advance; when calamity approaches, follow my methods for dispelling misfortune and seeking blessings.

These rituals may be performed on solitary mountain peaks, by rivers in remote valleys, at ancient sacred altars (sites of ancient worship), within government courtyards, or in secluded wilderness retreats (places of pure cultivation)—but always in clean locations, far from defiled spaces.

The altar must be established according to the strict standards of the Three Caverns (the classification system of Daoist scriptures). For blessings sought on behalf of kings, ministers, regional governors, or county magistrates, construct a three-tiered sacred altar with twenty-four gates, arrange incense tables facing the ten directions, and devoutly petition the Great Dao of the Three Pure Ones (the supreme triad of Jade Clarity, Upper Clarity, and Great Clarity), the Five Ancient Sovereigns of Primordial Beginning, the officials of the Three Originals (subordinates of the Heaven, Earth, and Water Officials), the forty-six cave-heaven immortals, and the deities of sacred mountains and rivers.

With utmost sincerity, conduct a three-day zhaijiao (Daoist ritual offering), concluding with a grand altar-dispersing ceremony. Adapt the scale according to your means—recite scriptures to summon dragons, submit memorials on yellow silk, or make oral petitions to the divine. The essential requirement is reverent and earnest practice; never behave like shallow worldly people who show disrespect—defiling the celestial deities while disregarding both officials and commoners. If the heart lacks sincerity or the offerings are impure, not only will the petitions go unanswered, but grave underworld punishments will follow. When practicing my teachings, maintain awe and reverence.

Hearing the Celestial Venerable's instructions on preparing for abundance and scarcity and receiving teachings on calamity-dispelling liturgy, the Perfected Being Mingluo and the assembled immortals straightened their robes and bowed devoutly. The host of perfected sages and exalted immortals then mounted their phoenix chariots and dragon carriages to escort the Celestial Venerable back to the sacred realm of Jade Clarity. All the attending deities and beings who came to hear the teachings likewise returned to their original abodes.