《雲笈七籤》Vol. 54

The Perfected of Orthodox Unity (Zhengyi), revered by Daoists, lived in a cave on Mount Heming and told Zhao Sheng:

The human body contains three Hun souls. One is called “Fetal Radiance” (Taiguang), the Qi of Great Clarity and Yang Harmony. One is called “Bright Intelligence” (Shuangling), formed through the transformation of Yin Qi. The third is called “Hidden Essence” (Youjing), a mixture of Yin Qi.

When Yin Qi suppresses Yang Qi, the human mind cannot remain clear and tranquil. When the turbid Yin Qi grows too strong, the mind becomes clouded and dim. If Shen and Qi are insufficient, the Kidney Qi cannot be replenished, and the Spleen and Stomach and the five vessels become obstructed; illness then afflicts every part of the body. With disease clinging to you and your allotted years nearly spent, you lie like a corpse day and night, and may pass away in an instant. How could this not be lamentable?

If people can always preserve clear Yang Qi and avoid being controlled by the Yin Qi among the three souls, their Shen and Qi will remain bright and vigorous. They will be free from the constraints of the Five Phases and untouched by the harassment of the hundred evils. Disease will not cling to them, and they will be able to cultivate the Way of longevity.

Zhao Sheng bowed twice, then bent forward and asked: “How can I master the turbid Yin Qi and bring down clear, harmonious Qi? I am willing to cultivate this teaching with care and reverence, guiding and replenishing the Qi of life, strengthening my failing body, and protecting myself from the intrusion of hidden ghosts.”

The Perfected said: “Sit down again, and I will tell you. The human body is supremely precious: Heaven and Earth bestow its form, and the true Qi of the Three Origins sustains it. If you can harmonize the three kinds of Qi and bring the hundred spirits back to their proper places, you need not die.

“Among the three souls, the first, Fetal Radiance, belongs to Heaven. It always wants people to remain pure and clear, to live long, and to put an end to impure and confused thoughts. If Fetal Radiance dwells in the body for a long time, the Way of life will be complete.

“The second, Bright Intelligence, belongs to the Five Phases. It constantly makes people scheme and labor over all kinds of affairs, and drives the hundred spirits. For this reason, it readily brings calamity or good fortune, misfortune and decline, punishment, and injury.

“The third, Hidden Essence, belongs to Earth. It constantly makes people crave beauty and desire, sink into impurity, confusion, and darkness, and sleep on without waking. Bright Intelligence wants people to develop calculating intentions. Once such intentions arise, the mind grows weary; when the mind grows weary, it drives the hundred spirits; when the hundred spirits are driven, Qi disperses. When Qi disperses, the One Qi of Great Clarity can no longer remain in the body, and the person is on the verge of death. Hidden Essence wants people to sink into desire and distracting thoughts. Once they sink into them, they indulge in sensual pleasures; and when they indulge in sensual pleasures, their vital essence is depleted…”

(The scripture continues beyond this point.)

When a person’s name is entered in the Black Register and their offenses are recorded in the ghostly ledgers, their time of death is near. Those who prize physical beauty and indulge their desires will surely become confused in mind and spirit, and foul influences will gather around them. They will not escape the notice of the Three Lights—the sun, moon, and stars—or of the gods of the Four Directions and the spirits of thunder. Their deeds will be recorded by the Four Administrators, the four divine officials who oversee human offenses, and will bring punishment from the Five Emperors, the celestial rulers of the five directions. Their offenses will implicate their ancestors across nine generations and seven forebears, as well as their parents, condemning them to languish for a long time on the shadowy road of the underworld. Wealth, honor, and the way to long life will then be out of reach.

Zhao Sheng, a disciple of Zhang Daoling, was startled when he heard this. He asked for the roots of these calamities to be explained, so that those headed toward ruin might see the Great Way that preserves life. The Perfected One of Zhengyi, Zhang Daoling, said: “The Embryonic Light (Taiguang) was originally born in the palace of the Primordial Pure Lord, the Holy Mother, and descends each year on the seventh day of the first month. The Luminous Spirit (Shuangling) was originally born in the palace of the Great Unity and descends on the seventh day of the seventh month. The Hidden Essence (Youjing) was born in the dark palace of the Supreme Ultimate and descends on the fifth day of the tenth month. On the days they descend, the Three Souls each return to their own palace and report a person’s good and evil deeds. These are called the ‘days of the Three Souls’ assembly’; they are the days on which the souls traditionally gather. There are also smaller assemblies: the Embryonic Light ascends on a Jiazi day, the Luminous Spirit on a Gengshen day, and the Hidden Essence on a person’s birth-sign day—the sexagenary day corresponding to the year of their birth. They report a person’s good and evil deeds, calamities, and blessings. If the Three Souls cannot restrain one another, each returns to its own palace and gives its own account.

“If a person’s heart is pure and they give rise to no evil thoughts or deeds, the Three Souls will remain constantly by their side. Their spirit and vitality will be vigorous, the hundred gods will follow them, and all they seek and wish for will go as they desire. The Four Administrators in the underworld will be unable to enter a record of their offenses; calamities, dark influences, and illness will not dare approach their body. I have explained this to you in detail. Follow it carefully, and the True Way will appear at once.”

The Perfected One of Zhengyi continued: “In cultivating the Dao and nurturing life, before sunrise each morning, knock your teeth together three times and call upon the Three Souls three times. At night, just before going to sleep, call upon them three times in the same way and recite this incantation:

‘Embryonic Light, prolong life; Luminous Spirit, increase fortune and rank; Hidden Essence, put an end to death. Act swiftly, in accordance with the law!’

“Do this every day, and the Three Souls will not leave your side. Sudden disasters, evil ghosts, and malevolent spirits will be unable to harm you; wandering in dreams and strange transformations will cease as well. You should also moderate sexual activity. On each of these days, observe ritual purity for the three days before and after: cleanse yourself the night before, keep a reverent and solemn fast for three days, and after bathing submit a memorial, recounting your merits, expressing regret for your offenses, and declaring the good you have done. Then the Luminous Spirit and the Hidden Essence will be unable to impose their restraint upon you, the primordial Qi of True Unity will be easier to cultivate, and the Great Way can be attained.”

The Perfected One of Zhengyi instructed Zhao Sheng: “Practice must continue without interruption. Keep your inner vision focused and your guarding of the One steady and unwavering. Constant diligence is the aspiration of those who cultivate the Dao.” The Perfected One of Zhengyi then said to Zhao Sheng: “Within the human body are three places where divine spirits dwell. The discussion now begins.”

The soul is called the “Three Fates”: one soul governs lifespan, one governs wealth and rank, and one governs calamities.

Ordinarily, each of the three souls dwells in a different place: one in the stellar mansion associated with a person’s birth fate, one among the Five Peaks of the underworld, and one in the watery realm.

On a person’s birth-fate day—the day corresponding to their birth—the souls return and descend into the body. The Seven Po are always within the body and do not disperse. When the souls return, they join with the Po and examine whether the person is debilitated or vigorous. If the three souls keep returning in turn, the person will remain safe and free from illness.

On the birth-fate day, one should keep both mind and body calm and pure, abstain from alcohol and sexual activity, put on fresh clothes, burn incense, and do good deeds. If one wishes to sleep, one may rest briefly. Once the souls and Po have joined, the souls will depart. If one indulges in sexual activity or gets drunk that day, leaving the mind confused, the souls will withdraw more than three paces from the body when they return and will be unable to join with the Po. If struck by impure influences, the souls will depart and never return. If the souls return three times without being able to join with the Po, the Po will leave the body, and the person will die.

The Po belong to Yin and often wish for the souls not to return. If the souls do not come back, the Po will communicate with ghosts. The souls want the person to live, but the Po want the person to die. The souls grieve, while the Po laugh and say, “Go back; there is no place for me there.” Then the Five Ghosts—here, five kinds of ghostly malign influence—invade the house. When the three souls are cut off and no longer return, the Po keep company with the Five Ghosts, giving the person strange and ill-omened dreams. This is called “wandering souls”: the body has lost its governing power. The person acts in confusion, sleeps excessively, and suffers calamities. Even if they wish to seek a longer life and prolong their years, they cannot.

Every sixty days, the souls return to the body six times. They restrain the Yin Po and prevent them from communicating with Yin forces, bring the hundred spirits together, and protect the body from calamities. If the souls fail to return for sixty days, the Po will take the opportunity to plot with Yin ghosts against the person, who will soon die.

Whenever the birth-fate day comes, one soul descends from the stellar mansion associated with the person’s birth fate. Although the other two souls are not on duty, they come along with the presiding soul. Each soul has four officials from its own bureau, making twelve in all. On that day, the person’s birth parents also descend with the souls. Therefore, at the birth-fate hour, one should divide money, wine, and dried meat into twelve portions and offer them in sacrifice. After the sacrifice, the bureau officials will not obstruct the joining of the souls and Po, and the souls will descend at their appointed time. The blessings gained from this are boundless; to do this regularly is the gateway to long life.

The Perfected Wang said, “I heard my former master, a Perfected One, say that the primordial beginning of chaos was originally a single Qi, which divided into thirty-six thousand divine Qi. These divine Qi circulated and gathered, and only then did they roughly take on this number. The divine Qi between Heaven and Earth continually renew themselves and pass on without end—how could they be confined by a fixed number? The hundred rivers, too, flow because Qi moves and…” The surviving text breaks off here.

Heaven and Earth endure through Qi. When the Northern Dipper (the Wei Dipper) receives this Qi, it can move without stopping or end. The breath of Qi flows on without interruption, passing from one to another, and all things between Heaven and Earth are thereby born and reborn without end. The sages taught that one should take “One Qi” as the root and source, allowing Qi to meet and pass between things, descending and spreading in season. In this way, people may live long and escape death. Ordinary people, however, do not understand these essentials; they concern themselves only with seeking death.

Heaven and Earth complete one cycle of movement between day and night, passing through thirty-six thousand periods of seasonal Qi. When these periods meet without disorder, the sun and moon remain properly placed and bright, the winds and clouds are not dim, the four seasons bring their benefits, and all things grow. But if the seasonal Qi arrives at the wrong time, fails to pass on from one period to the next, falls short in number, or cannot respond between above and below, thunder will rage, the movements of the sun and moon will go awry, the stars will stray from their positions, droughts and floods will occur, and all things will be unable to grow.

The human body takes Heaven and Earth as its model. It completes one cycle each day: by day, the Qi of the kidneys rises to the spleen and stomach. Throughout day and night, thirty-six thousand breaths continue without interruption. The Qi above and below responds in turn, circulating through the channels and filling the five viscera, nourishing the Qi of the nutritive and defensive systems. In this way, a person becomes light and agile, clear-minded, strong in memory, and free of illness; learning the Dao also becomes easier. But if the three Qi, five Qi, ten Qi, and other Qi fail to pass on continuously, the body falls ill. Pathogenic Qi enters the channels, causing intense fever and loss of appetite; the hun and po souls become frightened, and the Shen Qi falls into disorder. If the illness settles in a particular organ, treatment according to the regional correspondences may come too late, and the patient will be left exhausted.

Therefore, those who cultivate the Dao should take in fresh Qi and expel stale Qi, keeping the breath in continuous succession. Then the Shen Qi can remain firm, its essence will not be depleted, and the person will not grow old or be afflicted by illness; even ghosts and spirits will fear them. The Five Spirits will stand guard, Jing Qi will fill the whole body, and the person will also be able to repel the hundred evils and Yin poisons from outside. When Qi is pure and sharp, every force of restraint will yield. Since vigorous, sharp Shen Qi can subdue the “Five Weapons” (here meaning the might of a formidable army), it is likened to a valiant general; for this reason, Shen Qi is called “the General.”

Method for Restraining the Three Hun Souls

On the nights of the third, thirteenth, and twenty-third days of each lunar month, the Three Hun Souls are prone to becoming unsettled: the Shuangling Hun wanders, the Taiguang Hun leaves the body, and the Youjing Hun grows restless and calls out. Shuangling, Taiguang, and Youjing are the names of the spirits of the Three Hun Souls. It is said that on these nights all three Hun Souls leave the body and wander, darting far away. Sometimes other souls or outside ghosts see them and detain or subdue them; sometimes they are seized and carried off by demonic beings; sometimes they cannot return to the body, leaving its form and abandoning its shell. They may also encounter spirits from outside, whose Qi struggles against theirs, leaving the person agitated and uneasy.

The Red Child (here referring to a person’s original spirit or soul) is then drawn along by distracting thoughts. Thoughts come and go without a trace, and the mind and spirit become unsettled and troubled. Daoist practitioners should therefore restrain and subdue the Three Hun Souls.

This can keep them from wandering freely. The method for restraining them is as follows: Lie down calmly without a pillow, stretch out your legs, fold your hands over your body, and lie on your back. Close your eyes, hold your breath three times, then click your teeth together three times. Visualize a mass of red Qi, about the size of an egg, at the center of your body. It rises from within and streams out through your eyes. The red Qi turns into flames that circle and burn around your whole body, making you glow inside and out, like red-hot charcoal. When the visualization is complete, you should feel your body grow slightly warm. Then click your teeth together three more times and visualize the Three Souls—Taiguang, Shuangling, and Youjing—settled quietly inside your body. Then softly recite the invocation:

“Within the Dark Palace of Taiwei, the shadowy yellow first became blue. Through inner refinement, let the Three Souls be still, and let Taiguang be at peace. The divine treasure and jade chamber were born together with me; do not move recklessly. The Great Spirit watches and observes. If you wish to fly, go only to the Upper Clarity of the Supreme Ultimate; if you feel hungry or thirsty, drink only the jade essence of Huai Water.”

Method for Controlling the Seven Po

The nights of the first and fifteenth days of each month, and the last night of the month, are the proper times to perform this method. Daoism holds that the Seven Po—the seven spirits associated with the physical body—wander at these times and come into contact with impure things. Sometimes they consort with blood offerings and ghosts, or attach themselves to corpses; sometimes they trouble infants, damage dwellings, or report people’s offenses to the Three Officials, the divine beings who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, and to the River Earl. They may also take the form of wangliang, spirits of mountains and rivers, inflict nightmares, or lead ghosts into homes, bringing evil influences and illness. The text attributes these harms to the Seven Po’s misconduct, and says that they delight in seeing people die and cause illness. Daoist practitioners should restrain and admonish the Seven Po, reform their behavior, and govern, correct, gather, and intimidate them.

The first Po is called Corpse Dog, the second Hidden Arrow, the third Sparrow Yin, the fourth Swallowing Thief, the fifth Non-Poison, the sixth Removing Filth, and the seventh Stinking Lung. These are the names of the Seven Po, which the text regards as turbid ghosts within the body.

To restrain the Seven Po, lie straight on your back without a pillow and stretch out your legs. Rub your palms together until warm, then cover your ears with your hands, fingertips touching, and fold your hands over the top of your head. Hold your breath seven times. Visualize a small mass of white Qi, the size of a bean, appearing at the tip of your nose. It gradually grows until it covers your whole body in nine layers, extending from the crown of your head to your feet. When this is complete, visualize the white Qi suddenly transforming into celestial beasts: two green dragons within your eyes and two white tigers within your nostrils, all facing outward… (The original text ends here unfinished.)

Turn your attention upward and imagine a blue-green turtle in your mouth and a numinous serpent beneath your left foot. In each ear is a Jade Maiden dressed in black brocade, standing at the entrance to the ear. In each hand, hold a ball of flame. After a while, when the visualization is complete, swallow your saliva seven times, click your teeth seven times, and call the names of the Seven Po (the seven souls of a person) in order. Then offer this prayer:

“Pure Qi turns nine times, subduing the evil and deceitful impulses among the Po. The heavenly beasts guard the gates, and the lovely maidens keep watch at the passes. May the Seven Po be harmonious, gentle, and still, and live in peace with me, without moving recklessly. Keep watch over the roots of my body. If you feel hungry or thirsty, drink freely of the radiance of the moon, Yellow Essence, and the radiance of the sun.”

In this way, the Seven Po will be sealed within the body and remain there, held in check. If you practice this often, turbid and disordered Po-Qi will disperse, their nature will return to goodness, and they will be brought into accord with the body. The upper, middle, and lower palaces (the three abodes of spirits and Qi within the human body) will also be harmonized and united with primordial Qi.

Within the human body are the spirits of the Three Primordial Palaces, the Great Lord of the Mysterious Pass at the Gate of Life (the root of life), and the spirits of the Three Hun. Together, these are seven spirits, all residing within the body. For practitioners who seek long life, these spirits are benevolent and auspicious rulers. Yet the Seven Po, though endowed with life and born within the body, can turn against it and cause harm. They must therefore be restrained. Daoists who seek only the means to become immortals, without knowing how to subdue the Seven Po, may well labor in vain.

The Three Primordial Palaces are located as follows: the Upper Primordial Palace is in the Niwan (within the head). Its spirit is the Red Child, whose courtesy name is Yuanshian and who is also called Lord Diqing. The Middle Primordial Palace is at the center of the Crimson Chamber. Its spirit is the Perfected One, whose courtesy name is Zidan and who is also called Guangjian. The Lower Primordial Palace, the Dantian Palace, is three inches below the navel. Its spirit is the Infant, whose courtesy name is Yuanyangzi and who is also called Guxuan.

These are the Three Ones. To restrain the Hun and Po, first silently recite the names of the three spirits in your heart and visualize them as the color of jade, shining with golden light. Picture the Infant’s appearance: the spirits of the Middle and Upper Palaces wear red robes, while the spirit of the Lower Palace wears yellow. Their heads all resemble those of newborn infants.

Method for Facing the Sun and Visualizing the Three Hun

The Perfected One of the Great Void said: “My late master taught me that on a day of the Five Jian, when the sun has risen about three or four zhang, I should stand upright facing it and visualize the spirits of the Three Hun entering my heart together with the sunlight. After a while, hold your breath for three counts, swallow your saliva three times, and then offer this prayer:

‘The sun radiates its brilliance and sends down purple-blue light. It enters my Hun and illuminates my five forms (the human body), drives away ghosts and demons, and makes my heart upright. Within, it courses through the Nine Qi; without, it reaches the womb and life. I ascend into immortality and receive the Jade Register of the Upper Clarity (the register of immortals in the Shangqing tradition).’

When the prayer is complete, rub your eyes with your hands and click your teeth fourteen times…”

The original text ends here.

Once all seven steps are complete, practicing in this way can settle and brighten the three souls, straighten the heart, and keep evil spirits at a distance.

This is a method of cultivation kept in secret. It should be practiced with care, as an important path of Dao cultivation, and performed regularly. On the “Five Establishment Days” (auspicious days for cultivation selected according to a particular calendar), face the sun and try to make yourself sneeze. If you cannot, gently stimulate your nose in the sunlight with something soft; this, too, can bring on a sneeze. After sneezing, recite this prayer:

“May heavenly light descend, and the six embryos connect above. May the three souls guard the spirit, and the seven Po souls never perish. Receiving the sun’s light, as I sneeze may I ascend with the Sun Spirit, take my place in Highest Clarity, and become a True Lord.”

After the prayer, rub your eyes fourteen times. This brings the inner Jing and Qi into communion with the sunlight, causing the three souls to shine within the body. It opens and brightens the heart, clears the spirit, and sets the various forms of Qi moving through the body’s organs. If it is not a Five Establishment Day, there is no need to do this.

On a Five Establishment Day, face north and bow five times. Silently invoke the names of the Supreme True Sovereign Lord and Lady three times, then click your teeth five times. When you are finished, remove your headscarf and kneel upright to make this petition:

“With reverence, I address the Sovereigns Above of the Five Stars, Sun, and Moon; the High Emperor Dao Lord and Lady; the Most High One of Jade Clarity; the Supreme Emperor of Highest Clarity; and the Sage Lord of the Great Dao. I confess the thousand crimes and ten thousand transgressions committed by me, from my seven ancestors and parents down to myself. From the worlds of the past onward, I ask to be released from them. May the Three Officials report upward to the Celestial Emperor, so that my name may be cleared of its offenses and erased from the Black Register, the record of transgressions. May I journey with the True Immortals of the Five Stars to Huachen, ascend to Highest Clarity, and travel with the assembled Perfected through the Jade Gate.”

Paying Reverence to the Nine Heavens and Seeking the Way to Immortality

At dawn on the third, ninth, and sixteenth day of each month, face the sun and make nine bows and nine salutations. You may also bow silently in your heart while raising your head and clicking your teeth twenty-four times. Then recite this prayer:

“Ninefold coils of the Heavenly Soul, revered spirits of the Supreme Emperor, solar essence of the sun, transform me into an immortal at the Golden Gate. I, the humble seeker [a self-designation used by a Daoist practitioner], so-and-so, presume to offer these few words. Today is an auspicious day, and I respectfully state my eight wishes, asking that they be received with favor. May I receive the grace of the Mysterious Dao and ride in a carriage drawn by the Azure Dragon and Vermilion Phoenix, traveling in a purple cloud chariot. May five-colored auspicious clouds surround and shelter me, while the Six Qi brush away all dust. May the High and Supreme spirits look upon me with favor. May the three lights of sun, moon, and stars send down their True Qi, and may the two radiances of sun and moon coil around and protect me. May my heart in the Dao grow joyful and bright; may my hearing and sight grow keen, my complexion clear, my body light and strong, and my bones rise aloft. May my face shine with radiance, robes of feathers form upon my body, and I soar straight to the Emperor’s Dawn.”

After the prayer, raise your head toward the heavens, draw the sun’s essence into your body, and swallow forty-five times; then stop. After three years of practice in this way, your eyes will grow bright, seeing clearly and missing nothing. Your face will take on a golden sheen, and Jade Fluids will arise in your body. After nine years of practice, your body will cast no shadow in the outer world.

Even when the sky is overcast and the sun is absent, one may focus on visualization in a quiet chamber and practice according to the instructions. One can still attune to the Qi of nature. Another option is to face the moon on the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth days of each month, once people have settled down for the night, and perform nine bows and nine prostrations. One may also worship silently in the heart. Facing upward toward the moon, click the teeth sixteen times, then pray:

“Soul Essence and Spirit of the Corporeal Soul share life with the Nine Heavens. Stone Radiance and Water Mother, the Moon’s bright light shines clear. They wander through the lunar palace, refining themselves in the Golden Court. The radiance of sun and moon joins as the source. The auspicious hour is clear and blessed; the eight directions converge. May I wear this talisman and see my heart’s desire fulfilled. May I gain radiance, dignified appearance, beauty, and flourishing prosperity; may I gain divine powers, become an immortal, and ascend in flight to Shangqing.”

When the prayer is finished, face upward, draw in the moon’s vital essence, and swallow it forty-five times. Then stop.

The Soul Essence Method

The Lord of Soul Essence is the Director of Destiny of the Nine Heavens. He commands the souls of the Nine Heavens and also governs the destinies of those who cultivate the Dao in later generations. He guards the Golden Court within the Gate of the Sun. The Lord of the Spirit of the Corporeal Soul is the Chancellor of the Nine Heavens. He commands the spirits of the corporeal souls of the Nine Heavens and also governs the registers and records of those who cultivate the Dao in later generations. He guards the Luminous City of the Moon Palace.

Those who cultivate the Supreme Dao should, whenever they sit up, rise, lie down, or rest, visualize the sun above their heads and the moon within their mouths; the Lord of Soul Essence in the Mudball Palace, the inner divine abode in the head, and the Lord of the Spirit of the Corporeal Soul in the Bright Hall, another inner divine abode in the head. They should hold these images in the heart and behold them with the eyes, letting them appear faintly and persistently. After practicing in this way for more than a year, they will see the figures in their true forms, clearly distinguished in blue and white. After completing nine years of practice, they will be able to fly through the air, ascend to the Hall of the Morning Lamp, and feast and roam upon Rainbow-Reflecting Mountain.

The Shangqing Method of Flying Through the Seven Stars with the Souls

A formula orally transmitted by the Perfected One of Great Simplicity says:

The first star of the Northern Dipper, Tianshu, is the Soul Spirit; the second star, Tianxuan, is the Soul Spirit; the third star, Tianji, is the Soul Essence; the fourth star, Tianquan, is the Corporeal Soul Essence; the fifth star, Yuheng, is the Corporeal Soul Spirit; the sixth star, Kaiyang, is the Corporeal Soul Essence; the seventh star, Yaoguang, is Great Radiance.

These are the names of the souls associated with the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, collectively called the “Spirits of the Seven Origins.” In practicing this method, one should visualize the souls moving among the stars. This is called “flying as an immortal.” The immortal flies by stepping through the Dipper, directing the souls to move among the stars. After circling three times, face the Star of Yangming, hold the breath, and pray silently:

“Yangming, Great Dipper…”

When the prayer is finished, first step onto the Star of Yangming with the left foot. For the second step, advance the right foot and step onto the Star of Yinjing. Finish the prayer. For the third step, place the left foot on Xuanming…

After reciting the “Star Invocation,” step on the Dan Yuan Star with the right foot for the fourth time, then on the North Pole Star with the left foot for the fifth time. Once the prayer is complete, step on both Kaiyang Stars at once with the right foot for the sixth time. Then step on the Yaoguang Star with the left foot as well. Next, steady your breathing and pray with solemn intent:

“The Five Phases—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—shift and transform in turn. The seven stars of the Northern Dipper shine brilliantly, and the Celestial Order, the guiding pattern of the Dao’s workings, is supreme in majesty. The Assistant Star guards and brings prosperity; the Aide Star supports those in decline. The Nine Perfected, the Most High, the Supreme Ultimate, the Jade Emperors of the Three Palaces of Taiwei, and the Three Venerable Ones: please clear away evil and wrongdoing for me, set Heaven and Earth in motion, and let my hun and po souls follow me.

“May I become a flying immortal, surrounded by true light; may my name be entered in the Golden Chamber, and the Jade Gate opened for me. Riding a dragon, I ascend through the sky, shining with the same brilliance as the sun and moon. I travel through Taiqing, the pure realm of Heaven spoken of in Daoism, clad in emerald robes, with bells ringing. My left foot treads upon streaming lightning; my right hand steers the rushing stars. All evil spirits on earth bow down and vanish, daring not to pursue me. Should any look upon me with malice, may they be struck down and broken.

“By imperial command, may the Jade Maidens attend me diligently and help reunite my true hun soul and spirit with my po soul, so that my body may rise and fly away.”

The ritual is now complete.