《雲笈七籤》Vol. 63

The principles of the Metal Tiger and of lead and mercury cannot be separated from the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and from the patterns by which the myriad things are generated. The myriad things are formed through the condensation of Yang Qi (vital energy) and are born through the nourishment of Yin Qi. Yin is the foundation of the great Dao (the Way); Yang is the beginning of fullness and arising. Yang cannot stand alone, nor can Yin alone transform and generate the myriad things.

Humans and the myriad things all receive the same primordial Qi. Primordial Qi differentiates into the Qi of Heaven and Earth; after the primal chaos first opened, the myriad things gradually appeared and established their foundations, underwent contraction and extension, and finally received bodily form through the power of creation and the Qi of father and mother. The transformations of the myriad things ultimately return to their source, each returning to its root.

Only through the interaction of Yin and Yang do the forms and natures of the myriad things take shape. The Kan trigram belongs to water and Yin; the Li trigram belongs to fire and Yang. From Yin returning to Yang is expressed as fire one, water two; from Yang returning to Yin is also embodied as water two, fire one. The former speaks of symbols; the latter speaks of actual natures. If viewed from the perspective of internal cultivation in the human body, this is the profound principle within the true source of cultivating the Dao: by way of pairing Yin and Yang, it explains the two medicines, lead and mercury. Mercury belongs to Yin and symbolizes water, and its number is two; fire in nature ascends, lodges in a particular direction, and each occupies its proper place, symbolizing fire, and its number is one.

The myriad things between Heaven and Earth can be correlated with the Five Phases; within the human body, the heart lies below the lungs and is the fire organ; the kidneys are the water organ, situated on either side of the Mingmen (life gate). Therefore the number of the heart’s fire is one and the number of the kidneys’ water is two. This precisely shows that “fire one, water two” is the foundation of cultivating the Dao. Understanding this and cultivating accordingly, becoming an immortal is not difficult.

The Mysterious Pearl (symbolizing the Neidan—the inner elixir of the mysterious Dao) drifts leisurely in the Red Water and gradually condenses into an embryo; the Reverted Elixir is likewise transformed from the Mysterious One (the undifferentiated primordial Qi). When Yang Qi is stirred and rises, it forms the Flowing Pearl. This shows that three, five, and one are all the most refined powers between Heaven and Earth, capable of transforming in an instant.

For example, the “one” obtained through inner cultivation is the Qi of the Yin Elixir; Qi can sustain life. The “one” obtained through outer cultivation is the Yang Elixir; once the elixir is refined and taken, it can consolidate nature and life and can also cause the five metals to undergo transformation. From this we know that the path of cultivation is not twofold, and the most precious medicine is also only one. When humans unite with Heaven and the Dao, affairs and principles accord with nature: without Yin Qi, the myriad things cannot be born; without Yang Qi, the myriad things cannot be completed. The principle by which the Reverted Elixir joins Yin and Yang is nothing more than the pairing of the Five Phases—water, fire, metal, wood, and earth. As long as it is operated according to the correspondences and seasonal timings, the elixir will naturally be refined.

The foundation of the elixir lies in the “one”; the key is to distinguish the two medicines, true lead and true mercury; they represent true Yin and Yang, which is the great Dao. Therefore, the text borrows the trigram images of the Yi (Classic of Changes) to explain this. The dosage of the medicine need not be measured in jin; instead, the number of three hundred eighty-four zhu is established to symbolize the waxing and waning changes such as the first and last quarter moons.

Combine the opposing numbers on both sides: two times eight makes sixteen, so it is fixed at sixteen liang; a little more or a little less does not meet the standard.

The image-numbers of the trigrams and lines are used to regulate and coordinate practice. Kan and Li (the trigrams symbolizing water and fire) serve as the medicine; Heaven and Earth serve as the furnace and cauldron; Qian, Kun, Zhen, and Xun (the four trigrams) are used for circulation. When the trigram images combine, the Yin qi transforms into the “white horse tooth,” while the Yang qi transforms into “golden sand.” When the golden sand enters the five viscera, the mist disperses like wind and rain.

Even without relying on external things, one can exercise inexhaustible wondrous functions. These are all methods of long life and transcendence from the world, the highest Daoist method of Huandan (Neidan cultivation). Yuanjun (the Primordial Lord) and the Sanjing Zhenren (Realized Persons of the Three Radiances) gather to deliberate every New Year’s Day; for those destined to attain the Dao, they resonate with the edict of the Red Emperor Lord of the Heavenly Bureau, write it on golden slips in cinnabar, and transmit this oral formula.

If inner cultivation is not genuine and one harbors hesitation, agreeing with the mouth while opposing in the heart, ultimately one cannot grasp its principle. For those who study the Dao, if only they are single-minded without distraction, the master will naturally come in person. This is meant to warn later cultivators of the Dao.

Secret Formula for the Internal Application of the Five Phases in the Essential Teachings

The oral formula says: The methods for identifying the medicine and mastering the fire regimen, together with their symbolic laws, are all found in the Shangqing Zhen Jing (Scripture of Supreme Purity), the canonical texts and secret records of the immortals, and compiled songs and oral formulas. The numbers of the Five Phases are fixed as follows: Water one, Fire two, Wood three, Metal four, Earth five. Earth has no fixed direction and operates among the four seasons.

The Five Phases arise from Earth: Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire. When the essence of Jia Wood combines, the ten thousand things thereby take form; the life and death of all things ultimately return to Houtu (Sovereign Earth). Earth governs yellow gold, and Metal governs white. Observe an egg: inside it is yellow and outside white; the two qi resonate with each other and naturally differentiate and take form. What need is there to rely on external objects to bring about such transformation?

First, the north is black, corresponds to the Zi position, and belongs to Water; Metal lodges here. It is the beginning of the Five Phases and the foundation of the Dao. The “tooth” naturally generated within black lead and cinnabar, when illuminated by the sun and moon and when the fire regimen is sufficient, remains within the cinnabar and assumes a white nature. After being refined and subdued by fire, it is called “Heaven-born Lead.”

Second, the south is red, corresponds to the Wu position, and belongs to Fire; Fire here occupies its proper position. Zhudan (Cinnabar Elixir) is another name for the south. Cinnabar is the parent of lead and is called the “upward-facing moon.”

Third, the east is green, corresponds to the Mao position, and belongs to Wood; Wood is the fundamental source of the Dao and the parent of Yin-Yang. The ten thousand things each receive the same original qi and all obtain nourishment from this root, turning their backs on Yin and embracing Yang. The essence of Jia Wood is called the “root of Fire”; its parents are the sun’s soul.

Fourth, the west is white, corresponds to the You position, and belongs to Metal; Divine Water lodges here. It is transformed from the north and becomes the west. Mao and You stand opposite each other; Metal and Wood overcome each other; Water and Fire alternate in operation, and thereby the great Dao is accomplished. The moon’s po is the essence of Yin.

The Center belongs to Earth and has yellow as its emblem. Wu and Ji belong to Earth; Earth is where Huachi (Flower Pond; an alchemical term for the locus that carries and harmonizes the medicinal agents) lodges. Yellow Earth can control water, preventing it from scattering, so water coagulates. Earth is the parent on which the refining of the Huandan (Returned Elixir) depends: life and death both depend on this pair of parents. Here the “father” is fire and the “mother” is earth; fire and earth restrain and regulate each other, so that the ten thousand things do not disperse, and therefore they are also called the Golden Cauldron and the Earth Cauldron. The phrase “three, five, and one” means that these numerical correspondences match one another exactly, without error.

The oral instructions say: The sun is the essence accumulated from yang qi, and its number is nine. In heaven it forms the image of the sun; on earth it takes bodily form, harmonizing the ten thousand things and spreading qi so that life grows. The crow-black color within the sun symbolizes the northern Ren and Gui water; therefore the sun is called “yin essence within yang,” that is, yin contained within yang. Thus the Li trigram, which symbolizes fire and is matched with the Bing and Ding fire palaces, is named by nine; qi condenses into Zhu Ying (Vermilion Blossom), and through refinement it can solidify form. When “three, five, and one” combine, Dragon and Tiger—alchemical terms for paired yin and yang qi—come to meet. The ancient immortals refined the essence of the sun, causing themselves to return to pure yang, and flew and roamed in Taiqing (Great Clarity, the heavenly realm).

Mercury belongs to the water category, yet it contains a yang nature: outwardly it is yang, inwardly it is yin. Yang has yellow as its emblem and yin has white as its emblem, so mercury is red outside and white inside. Mercury is born within cinnabar; that is to say, mercury is produced from lead. This explains that yang contains yin, and that yin and yang are not isolated from each other.

The oral instructions also say: The moon is the essence accumulated from yin qi; it forms the Kan position, and its number is one. Yin and yang contain and sprout, and the hun and po souls correspond to each other. The sun and moon each have the toad and the golden crow as images, representing the two qi of yin and yang. The moon’s double-white image corresponds to the western Geng and Xin metal; therefore it is called “yang essence within yin,” that is, yang contained within yin. The Kan trigram, matched with the Ren and Gui water palace, is named by one. Qi condenses into Xuan Ying (Dark Blossom); this is used to explain that all people are formed because parents transmit qi, and that they contain and nurture one another—this is the natural Dao.

The medicinal agents take their image from the moon: it receives yin qi from within yang, and after conception it contains yang essence, being yin outside and yang inside. Yin has white as its emblem and yang has yellow as its emblem, so it is white outside and yellow inside. White metal is born within the River Chariot; “River Chariot” refers to cinnabar, which is fire-red in color. Therefore it is said that cinnabar is produced from metal. This explains that yin contains yang, and that yang and yin are likewise not isolated from each other.

The oral instructions say: When the two substances, cinnabar and lead, are placed in the furnace and melted together, their essence is extracted and then added into the elixir’s soul in order to establish Qian, the trigram symbolizing yang strength. Its efficacy is wondrous, so it is called Channü (the Maiden); here it refers to lead. Cinnabar is called white metal. The root of metal belongs to yellow and to light; terms such as “yellow” and “light” are used here to describe its nature.

The oral instructions also say: One is the foundation of the elixir; it belongs to water, and lead is within it. Two is the foundation of fire; it belongs to wood ...

The Five Phases within internal Fulu (talismans and registers) are the foundation of cultivation. If one merely cultivates metals within the body without understanding the principle of the True One (Zhenyi), one will speak of metals and minerals as medicinal substances; and if one further does not know how to control the fire timing (huohou) as indicated by the Fulu, how can one even speak of the returning elixir (huandan)?

The instructions say: the Great Elixir (Dadan) is not gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, or tin, nor is it luqing, realgar, the five alums, or other metals and minerals. These things each have their toxicity; after proper compounding and regulation they may perhaps cure illness, but they have no efficacy for making people immortal.

The instructions also say: if cinnabar (zhusha) is subdued only by heterodox methods, it can treat worldly diseases and temporarily preserve the complexion, but it cannot make people immortal. Why? Because it has not obtained the fundamental parent Qi, nor does it accord with the yaoxiang (line-images, the symbols of Yin-Yang change in the hexagrams of the Yi), and so it loses its original primordial Qi (yuanqi).

The instructions say: “mercury” (gong) is the name of the essence of water; it receives and stores the Qi of talismanic correspondence, and when it rises and flies it is called the Flowing Pearl (Liuzhu). Therefore it is said that mercury flows out from cinnabar; its father is Wu-Ji (the Heavenly Stems Wu and Ji, representing the central Earth Qi), and its mother is yellow gold.

The instructions say: condensing the Flowing Pearl produces white gold. This means that white gold takes form from the One. The Dao of metal and water cooperate with each other; taking metal as black lead, one causes Yang to be born within Yin. Returning from old age to youth is the result of things of Yin essence transforming after reaching their extreme. Mercury is born in the north, comes to the fire-associated direction, and combines with fire Qi, thereby refining the Great Elixir.

The instructions say: the supreme sage (the saint who attained the Dao) concealed the true instructions, and foolish people then go astray on their own. If one takes ordinary lead, black gold, mercury, and silver as the River Chariot (heche, a term for circulating elixir Qi), takes realgar as earth, and takes gold and silver as the mother substance, none of these is the root of the supreme medicine. The commentary explains: ordinary lead includes lead contained in copper, iron, and plants, as well as mineral lead; true lead is Zimu lead (mother-child lead). Only lead that contains silver is called the mother substance of the Great Elixir’s divine water metal; only when mother and child unite does one obtain its true essence.

The instructions say: Metal is the Jing of the moon and occupies the Yang position; mercury contains the Qi of the Li trigram and corresponds to the six yao. The numinous Qi of Heaven and Earth gestates the essence of the sun and moon: when Pi (Stagnation) reaches its extreme, Tai (Peace) arrives; when Yin is exhausted, Yang is born—all are formed in accordance with the Dao of Heaven.

The instructions say: from the first day of each month one receives the talismanic Qi; the six Qi, from original nature (xing), form the conditioned state (qing). By the sixteenth day, the lunar phase turns from fullness to waning, and the conditioned state again transforms into original nature, taking the shape of a crescent moon (yanyue) and symbolizing the moon’s change from rising to concealment.

The instructions say: Metal is father, wood is mother; the Zhen trigram represents the eldest son, and the Dui trigram represents the youngest daughter. “White” is the name for returning to the One; “Metal” is the designation for attaining its proper position; “black” indicates that its nature contains the color of water; “lead” is of the same category as Metal; “yellow” symbolizes earth; “ya” (sprout) governs generation and growth; “zi” refers to nine.

The so-called “River” in turning and circulation is the foundation of water; the “Chariot” is the instrument by which Fu (talisman; here referring to the alchemical talismanic instructions or rules) gestates and exerts its effect.

The instruction text says: People do not understand that cinnabar is the mother of lead and Fu is the father of the elixir medicine.

Birth and death both return to Houtu (the Earth deity or the Earth phase). Yellow can subdue water, so that water no longer flows; the generation and dissolution of the myriad things likewise occur in accordance with the transformations of Earth. Birth relies on Earth, and death also relies on Earth. Earth is the mother of fire.

The instruction text says: Cinnabar is the ancestral source of lead and the foundation for refining the Huandan (the Daoist elixir of returning to the root and restoring the origin). Lead is born from cinnabar; therefore it is said that mercury is produced from lead and cinnabar is generated from metal. Among ten thousand, scarcely one can comprehend its principle.

The instruction text says: Cinnabar contains Yin mercury; Fu causes Yin-Yang to circulate and gestate, and when the Qi of the sun and moon becomes sufficient, Yang mercury naturally arises. This is Yang as ruler and Yin as minister. Yin mercury and Yang mercury are originally one and the same substance, not two things.

The instruction text says: The Precious Elixir is generated from a single substance; it is not made by mixing in something else from outside. It is like a mussel absorbing the Qi of moonlight and forming a pearl within its body—where would it need another kind of thing to create it?

The instruction text says: The Great Elixir (Ta Dan) is divided into three grades: the upper grade is called mercury, the middle grade is called elixir, and the lower grade is called cinnabar. Those who understand unify them into one body and know there is no difference. The Metal Tiger (Jinhu) conceals Yin Qi and belongs to the west; true Qi is stored within and lodges in Taiyin (Great Yin). Mysterious Lead (Xuanqian) is the most refined substance, and so it is called the “Dragon.” Mao and You overcome each other, Zi and Wu oppose each other; this refers to the axis of the movement of Heaven-and-Earth Yin-Yang and the law by which creation turns.

The instruction text says: The ninefold turning of elixir refining requires two hundred and seventy days in all, with the cauldron changed once each month; when the ninth cauldron is reached, one attains the subtle and wondrous state. Even without changing the cauldron, one may still receive the Fu mandate. The nature of metal has high and low grades; after fifteen days the metal nature is completely exhausted; by the thirtieth day the path of cultivation reaches its end and returns again to the Zi position. Kun Yuan (the fundamental Qi of Earth) receives the Fu mandate, and the three substances sink together into the earth. The Yang Fu ascends to the ancestral temple, then descends to the Xun position and issues forth. Between the positions of Qian, Kun, Zhen, and Xun, dragon-shaped Qi coils up and down; the Five Phases hide and lie dormant, Yin-Yang harmonize, and movement proceeds back and forth. This is the operation of the Way of Heaven, circulating without cease.

Inscription on Making the Golden Cauldron

In the Houtu golden cauldron, birth and death both move enduringly. The seven spirit chambers are bright; the three are perfectly fused, the five converge, and they return to Hundun (primordial chaos) and repeat. Between Heaven and Earth the Five Phases move; the two ends of Yin-Yang unite; the shape is like an egg, its form complete without defect. Yellow and white substances (materials such as gold and silver used in alchemy) are stored within it, even in thickness. Seal and secure it by the “Six-One” method; firmly guard the Wu gate, and only then can one accord with the principles set forth in the Cantong qi (The Seal of the Unity of the Three), a classic of Daoist alchemy.

The instruction text says: “One” is the beginning of the Five Phases and the seat of the moon’s Yin soul; it resides in the center of the Kan position. The medicine is generated in dark and hidden places, yet people do not understand the principle of Jingong (Metal Lord). “Metal” is another name for Taibai (Venus), and “gong” is a title for the noble among things; therefore lead is called Jingong.

This scripture elucidates the principles of mutual generation and restraint among the Five Phases (Wuxing) and the methods of elixir refinement in Daoist alchemy. The phrase "metal entering the central palace" refers to metallic substances occupying the central position (the "central palace" denoting the central orientation), combining with Taiyi (the cosmic origin) and Dagen (a metal-associated constellation) to form a configuration where a crimson bird guards a yellow crow. The Azure Dragon (Qinglong, representing eastern wood energy) lies dormant, while the White Tiger (Baihu, representing western metal energy) exerts control. Substances of the same kind naturally coalesce—this is what is termed "coordinated unity" (referring to the harmonious interaction between materials).

Black lead (a key alchemical material) pairs with the crescent moon (symbolizing yin energy) like husband and wife, where the yang soul and yin spirit merge seamlessly in natural harmony. Ordinary people fail to grasp this principle, mistaking the numerical combinations of the Five Metals (gold, silver, copper, iron, tin) and Eight Minerals (eight types of ores)—all yin substances—as the true path of elixir refinement. The Eight Minerals correspond to the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), while the Five Metals align with the fire phases (refining temperatures) of the Five Phases.

The "unyielding wood" (a special timber) is the progenitor of yang wood (Jiamu) yet remains subdued by metal. Metal generates water, and water inevitably clings to metal; wood generates fire, but controlling fire requires wood. Lead-water (a liquid extracted from lead) is the naturally occurring yang fluid within cinnabar, while mercury-water (quicksilver) is the yin fluid extracted from cinnabar. Lead-water can restrain mercury-water.

Lead-water symbolizes talismanic incantations (Fulu), and mercury-fire (the fiery nature of quicksilver) is also a liquid derived from cinnabar. Lead-fire can subdue mercury-fire, with water harmonizing its nature and fire shaping its form. When these two substances are governed by genuine talismans within the alchemical cauldron, they will not dissipate. As their Qi intermingles, consumes, and transforms, they give rise to the "Great Returned Elixir" (the supreme alchemical product).

Cinnabar (Dansha) is the essence of wood, achieving perfection only with the cooperation of metal. When measured precisely without deviation, it attains a state of utmost sanctity and potency. Ordinary people, unaware of this truth, regard gold as no different from dirt. This substance is called the "Supreme Mysterious Yin Talisman," born from the Dao through yin and yang, which in turn generate the Five Phases, ultimately coalescing into the Returned Elixir—hence its designation as the Dragon and Tiger. The Dragon represents yang energy and wood nature; the Tiger embodies yin energy and metal nature.

After mastering these two wood-based methods, the adept may subdue mercury, though this alone does not yield the Great Elixir. One may first ingest such substances to cure ailments and prolong life. After nine cycles of refinement, the elixir takes on a bluish-wolf yellow hue. Guarding it for three more years until the Taiyuan Qi becomes abundant, its color shifts to northern black. Consuming a minuscule amount (a "knife-point," an ancient minimal measure) grants longevity. This tiny quantity can subdue a full pound of mercury, refining it into a white elixir. Guarded for five years, ingesting three zhu (an ancient weight unit) ensures immortality, while one zhu can transmute a pound each of iron and mercury into a crimson elixir. After nine years of refinement, consuming two zhu bestows eternal life and the power to transform mercury and varicolored tiles—each pound requiring one zhu of the elixir—into treasures matching their original hues.

The supreme Great Elixir, guarded and circulated for three years, becomes fully charged with Qi. Formed into sesame-sized pills with honey, it is ingested in measured doses. When taking the elixir, kneel facing east, silently invoking the Celestial Truth (the primordial True One Qi) as you consume it.

Tie nine elixir pills behind the arm; when coming and going, they can be used to present memorials and petitions. When ascending the altar to pay homage, people will all respect and admire you; when encountering rebellious and evil people, they will scatter of their own accord. When entering mountains, forests, and wild places to dwell, fierce beasts, poisonous insects, and the spirits and prodigies of the mountains and forests will all be subdued and hide away, not daring to do harm.

Even in battle against enemies, with five hundred people surrounding and guarding you, you will not be injured by bows, arrows, swords, or blades. Wherever you may be, the local earth deities will come to guard you.

From ancient times to the present, when people make divine mirrors, or when they make mirrors from ordinary copper or iron, as long as they take one pill of the medicine and rub it on the mirror, the mirror will naturally become numinous. If one takes one pill and uses it to write Fulu (talismans and registers) and perform rituals, reciting incantations orally, one can summon the heavenly immortals of the Five Peaks, dragon deities, and all spirits, causing them to arrive immediately and obey one’s commands.

If people in the world suffer from illness, write one character and swallow it, and it is said they will be cured. If within seven days after a person’s death the corpse has not yet decayed, placing two pills in the nose can restore the soul and bring the person back to life; if more than seven days have passed since death, placing one pill in the mouth before burial will prevent the corpse from decaying. The same applies to birds and beasts.

If the medicine is kept for nine years, take four zhu (an ancient unit of weight), mix it with one jin of yellow earth, and boil it in water for three days; it can then be made into gold. If it is used improperly, it will bring disaster and punishment, and the spirits of seven generations of ancestors will become lowly ghosts. This method is a secret art of the Heavenly Dao and must not be lightly divulged. If it is leaked to the world, it will surely bring the censure and punishment of immortal officials, and all matters will go poorly. One should accord with the principles of the deities and act cautiously, and only then will there be no misfortune.

The Zhengyin Jia Method: According to the image of the Heavenly Talisman, use fire with metal to refine elixir and make cauldron vessels.

Zhouhou Fang, Lower Chapter

The scripture says: “Jia belongs to Wood and is the root of Wood and Fire. Its generative number is three, and its completed number is nine. Jia’s proper position is in the East and belongs to the color green; Bing and Ding lodge here. It is the teacher of the myriad things, the parent of fire, the essence-soul of the sun, and the beginning of Yang Qi. It shines brightly and causes the myriad things to take form; it is called the ‘Hun’ (ethereal soul).

“The sun in Heaven is the talisman envoy that presides over the day and can cause the myriad things to sprout and grow; on Earth it is the Earth Talisman and can cook the myriad things with fire. Yang Qi is differentiated from this, and therefore it is called Wood essence. The Green Waist Envoy (a deity associated with Wood and the color green) represents the union and mutual verification of the yin and yang natures.

“When golden sand combines with fire, and three, five, and one return to a single place, Huandan (returned elixir) can be generated naturally. The so-called ‘three’ is the parent of the yang essence in Wood; yin mercury and yang mercury both belong to yang essence. Shining brightly, they unite and generate; it is provisionally called ‘golden sand,’ the most refined and pure substance between Heaven and Earth. The so-called ‘elixir’ is the yin mercury within yang; yang in turn becomes the minister, so it is called ‘two.’ Cinnabar is also called ‘fire lead.’ The so-called ‘five’ is Earth as mother, referring to the yang essence contained in yin; the yang mercury within yin in turn becomes the ruler, so it is called ‘one.’”

Black lead is called “Water Base” and contains nine zhu; the yang soul is called “True Water” and is likened to yin residing in the Li position (Li trigram, symbolizing fire). After three refinings, the yin soul is called “Yellow Silver” and is likened to yang residing in the Kan position (Kan trigram, symbolizing water); hence it is also called “Mercury.” When water and fire meet, the chaotic qi merges of itself and ultimately returns to oneness, condensing into form, with nothing else outside. Thus it is said that yin fire will come together of itself; the principle here must be grasped by people through regulating the firing times and advance and retreat, so that it accords with the Dao of Heaven.

The First Formula of the Superior Grade Golden Elixir says: Use fire-lead to subdue fire, and the fire naturally goes out. Yin and yang advance and retreat according to the numbers seven and eight; receiving qi and separating, passing through half a month, it circulates thirty degrees, and when it reaches the end it returns to the beginning. After nine months of nurturing, the elixir becomes numinous.

It also says: The two mercuries of yin and yang (an alchemical term referring to yin and yang mercury-type substances) are originally one body; when later and earlier are combined, they naturally respond. Through the return of metal they transform into divine water; the Huachi (Flower Pool—an alchemical term figuratively denoting the place that receives and nurtures the elixir) obtains its mother-qi, originating from the essence of wood. The Direct Talisman shifts its operation according to the times; those who understand its principle through the yao images (the changes symbolized by the hexagram lines) can make the elixir spiritualize itself and refine it into a treasure; after ingesting it, one embarks on the path of long life. Heaven and earth revolve repeatedly, returning to the Three-One (a Neidan term for the state of returning to unity), mutually joining and conforming to the heavenly tally and cosmic models.

The formula text says: In cultivating the Golden Elixir, one should make the talismanic method concord with the cosmic models of heaven and earth and deduce it through the Dao of Changes (the way of change expounded in the Zhouyi). In the initial stage of conducting the talisman (applying the talismanic method or firing times according to time), take the month of Jianzi (the eleventh lunar month) as an analogy: the yang yao is activated, symbolizing the Kan position’s first nine line, “the hidden dragon—do not act”; yang qi is still within chaos, and heaven and earth have not yet divided. After the winter solstice, one yang rises and moves to Jiazi, which is called the Upper Primordial. Beginning at the zi hour, it symbolizes the first birth of one yang; when it reaches the time of “the dragon appears in the field,” the yao image is activated. At Jingzhe, when yang qi begins to stir and take charge, it is called the birth of one yang. Encountering a jia day is the parent qi of fire. Therefore, the firing used in alchemy takes its model from this: taking the eleventh month’s reception of yang as the image, from the zi hour it transcends darkness, and yang qi arises within it; the talisman of the ren-gui palace also operates accordingly. When it reaches the month of Jianwu (the fifth lunar month), yin is born within yang, and the operation of the talisman changes correspondingly, symbolizing that yang qi is now complete.

The scripture says: In calculating the conducting of the talisman, the zi hour is compared to the catty and tael; when the first yao is activated, the qi of yin and yang begins to change, and the fire of the sun and the talismans of yin and yang confirm each other. (The phrase “four-five inscribed and the two combine” is unclear in the original.)

The scripture says: The mysterious spectacle of the sun and moon’s movement embodies the rise and fall of the Five Phases. Taking the first birth of one yang as the beginning symbolizes the unfolding and transformation of heaven and earth and the mutual communication of the principles of all things; the sprouting of all things at Jingzhe also corresponds to this.

The scripture says: Taking only the spring equinox, when day and night are evenly divided, as the standard, one conducts the yang yao according to the talisman, and yang qi gradually increases until the Dazhuang hexagram; using the numbers from one to fifteen as the image, this indicates that spring and summer are governed by fire and wood. The method of practice turns from civil to martial: by the sixteenth day, taking the autumn equinox, when day and night are evenly divided, as the standard, the yin yao gradually increases until yin qi reaches its height and the month ends; this symbolizes that autumn and winter are governed by metal and water, and the method turns again from martial to civil.

The celestial bodies, from the Zi hour to the Hai hour, are divided into one hundred ke and thus correspond to the movement of celestial phenomena: they lie hidden and become visible, until on the hui day (the last day of the lunar month) the moon disappears. The establishment of intercalary months serves to reconcile the synodic month (the cycle from one new moon to the next) with the moon’s uneven speed; this is the principle by which the degrees of the sun and moon, though differing, can still accord with the calendar.

The scripture says, “The talisman begins from Zi.” Here “Zi” does not mean that it is the father and mother of fire, but refers to the initial yao within the yin yao. The Zi hour serves as a metaphor for the chief pivot of the jin and liang and of the operation of creation, and it is the starting point of the ascent and descent of Yin-Yang. The so-called “method of rising and falling” means arranging things according to the sequence of the talisman’s movement, clepsydra timekeeping, and the changes of the solar terms; “using the talisman to match the jin and liang” means coordinating the talisman’s movement with the weights of the medicinal ingredients. The talisman begins to circulate between the Chen and Si hours, completes two and a half cycles, begins to divide Qi at the start of the Wu hour, and ends at the Xu and Hai hours; it does not operate at the due position of the Zi hour.

The scripture says, “The return elixir’s running of the talisman models the image.” This borrows the movement of the celestial talisman and the Yin talisman to analogize the laws of the sun and moon’s movement; it changes with the clepsydra, the Five Phases, and the turning of the four seasons, corresponds to the positions of the twenty-eight lunar mansions, the handle of the Northern Dipper, and the assembled stars, and is also linked to omens of good and ill fortune, auspiciousness and inauspiciousness. What the cultivation of the return elixir takes as its model is precisely these laws of celestial movement; it is not limited by ordinary numerical ranges. The fixed method when running the talisman is to place fire below; this is the ancient method’s way of using talisman movement to analogize celestial phenomena.

The scripture also says, “Yin Changsheng turns the talisman above.” This uses the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang, above and below, at the winter and summer solstices as an analogy. Therefore, when the talisman is placed above, one must carefully guard the elixir tripod, advance and retreat according to the yao images, and control the jin and liang. One may also adopt the method described by Yin Guzi: cover it with ash and then use tea dust as a lining; this is better. However, no matter how it is regulated, one must make Yang Qi rise upward and Yin Qi remain hidden, with the two penetrating each other; it should be sealed as tightly as a mud wasp’s nest, not allowing Qi to leak.

The scripture says, “From the first to the seventh and a half day.” This is used to analogize the time of one season. Running in sequence to the Zi position, one yao is added; the Zi position belongs to Kan and symbolizes one Yang being born within Yin, thus explaining the method of “starting from Zi” as Yang born within Yin. Thereafter the number of yao gradually increases, until the Beginning of Summer and the Summer Solstice, symbolizing the flourishing of fire Qi and the separation of Yin-Yang. On the fifteenth and sixteenth days, the talismans used total sixty. Before the full moon it belongs to Yang; after the full moon it belongs to Yin. Yin Qi begins on the seventeenth day and joins with the fourteenth day; thereafter it gradually decreases until the Beginning of Winter and the Winter Solstice, when the numbers of the Five Phases have run their course.

Thirty days make one complete actual cycle; the total talisman days used are all calculated according to the numbers by which the six yao generate above and below and recur from end to beginning. The actual number of days on which talismans are used must accord with the numbers of the Five Phases; when the celestial talisman has completed its movement through the six hou (six stages), this constitutes the total number for the Yin talisman and Yang talisman, each guarding its boundary and receiving Qi.

The scripture says, “Rising and falling model the image.” This uses the ascent and descent of the Yang talisman and Yin talisman to analogize the law of movement. The quantity of the medicinal ingredients must not exceed one jin; therefore the number of the “Great Expansion” (Dayan, an ancient set of numbers used to deduce transformations) is combined into a single cycle and repeated cyclically. The great principle of the movement of Qian and Kun is like a turning axis, and the total number used also accords with the Qian ce (strategy number) of 216 and the Kun ce of 144.

Overall, this explains how to correlate the patterns of celestial movement with the numerical timing of advancing and retreating the fire timing (huohou)—that is, how, in elixir refining, one masters the fire timing according to the progression of the seasons.

The first phase is two and a half days: one Qi moves through thirty double-hours (shi), and after two and a half circuits the Qi divides at the noon hour; then after five circuits the total is sixty double-hours. The tally (fu) runs for five days, and when the first phase is complete one should use five yao lines and ten tallies. The second phase is also two and a half days: one Qi moves through thirty double-hours, and after two and a half circuits the Qi divides at the noon hour; then after five circuits the total is sixty double-hours. When the tally runs to the tenth day, the two phases are complete, and one should use ten yao lines and twenty tallies. The third phase is still two and a half days: one Qi moves through thirty double-hours, and after two and a half circuits the Qi divides at the noon hour; then after five circuits the total is sixty double-hours. When the tally runs to the fifteenth day, the three phases are complete, and one should use fifteen yao lines and thirty tallies.

The scripture (jing) says: the first fifteen days of each month are called the “white month” and belong to the yang tally, being governed by Fire and Wood; the latter fifteen days are called the “black month” and belong to the yin tally, being governed by Metal and Water. The fire timing gradually recedes and is calculated in sequence, and when combined it returns again to the number nine. When the yao positions are activated and counting begins, this must correspond to the rule that yang numbers are odd and yin numbers are even; and according to the inscribed instructions of the six yao lines and Four Images, one makes the two functions coincide with the two categories of tally numbers. The first yao line is used to determine the starting point: on encountering the Zi hour one adds the value; on meeting yin one subtracts, and the cycle repeats.

This method takes as its model the Heavenly Tally (symbolizing the law of celestial timing), with jianzi—taking the Zi month as the beginning of the year—as the starting point, indicating that yang Qi is beginning to activate. At this time Hundun is about to divide, and the hidden dragon has not yet appeared; one must encounter a Jia day, because Jia is the beginning of yang. The dividing Qi belongs to the yang path; the Upper Primordial (shangyuan), the stage in which yang Qi first arises, begins to activate, and the tally moves accordingly, governed by the Qi-mechanisms symbolized by the Zhen and Fu (Return) hexagrams. This is comparable to the activation of the First Nine yao line, and together with the solar terms it explains the season of the first month of spring.

Each time the tally travels through the twelve earthly branches, it runs one and a half circuits and reaches the Si hour at thirty double-hours; two and a half days later, at the noon hour, the Qi divides, and after another two and a half circuits it reaches the Hai hour, totaling sixty double-hours. This is used to analogize mid-spring. Then, taking the image of the two-nine number, one follows the conjunction of the Qi-mechanisms of the Kun and Dui hexagrams. The first phase is five days; the second phase is compared to the rise and fall of Yin-Yang and the first union of Heaven and Earth, belongs to late spring, and is assigned to the stage governed by the Top Nine yao line. Thereafter, when the dividing Qi is encountered, one must calculate the tally numbers according to the yao positions and convert them: from Zi to Si, and again from Wu to Hai; after the circuit is completed, one starts counting anew.

When the third phase reaches the dividing Qi of the First Nine, it turns to the yin path; the yin Qi of the Upper Primordial begins to arise, and the tally numbers gradually recede. It is governed by the Qi-mechanisms symbolized by the Xun and Gou hexagrams, comparable to the first month of autumn. The fire timing gradually decreases until the number of thirty-five movements is exhausted. The key to cultivation lies in mastering the use of fire; failure lies in improper drawing and adding (choutian)—increasing or decreasing the fire timing—which causes the timing of Qi to become disordered. If one can follow the wondrous celestial movements without error, the spirits will naturally respond. If one cannot grasp even a single symbol, it is like rubble and meaningless. As long as one understands advance and retreat and keeps to the timing, so that fire timing and seasonal timing coincide, the elixir will naturally be refined. In cultivating a superior elixir, one must use true lead and true mercury, causing lead and mercury to unite like mother and child…

The Qi of primordial chaos supports itself in mutual dependence, flickers and responds in resonance, and changes according to the seasonal Qi; Metal and Water converge and return to Wu-Ji (the central Earth in Five Phases terminology), blending together.

This process is like an infant receiving Qi from the mother’s body: the mother hides the fetus in her womb, and the fetus in turn is hidden in Metal. Conception, gestation, and generation arise from natural spontaneity. Metallic Jing and stone fluid (substances used in alchemy) interact; one ascends, the other sinks and lies hidden; Yang Qi impels Yin Qi.

Their image is like an egg: the Jing and Qi of the yolk are stored within, while the outer layer is white. When the Heche (River Chariot, a Neidan term for the method of circulating Jing and Qi) operates for a moment, it is as if emerging from the womb; it is also like a sprout extending and bending. The myriad things each receive one Qi and take form, but at first they do not yet have the capacity to transform, and Shen and Qi are not sufficient to exert their function. Therefore, processes of nurturing and resonance are established so that the Great Elixir (dadan; the elixir or Neidan being cultivated) gradually matures.

To explain the principle involved, natural images (faxiang, taking natural phenomena as metaphors) are borrowed; only thus does it accord with the sage’s original intent. It further borrows the Dao of the Yi (the principles of Yin-Yang change expressed in the Zhouyi), using the five metals and eight minerals (mineral materials used in alchemy) and the six yao (the six lines of a hexagram) to explain generation and transformation, causing Qian and Kun to interact and circulate true Qi.

The regulation of fire timing (huohou) is determined by five cycles: it begins at the Wu noon hour and ends at the Hai hour; from the Zi hour one advances or retreats, coordinating with the increase and decrease of yao positions and the seasons of concealment, so as to conform to the heavenly Dao and natural change. One must rely on the water clock (genglou) to control the time for applying fire, so that it matches the tally and credential without error; one simply follows the day-night sequence in applying the tally, and when the Zi hour is reached within the twelve double-hours, the tally is applied according to regulation.

A one-month cycle can be used to compare with the four seasons; there are also accounts that completion comes after nine months, three years, or, according to the complete method, nine years of cultivation. These periods serve as metaphors for the Dayan numbers (the numerical principles for deriving change in the Zhouyi), the nine cycles, and the numbers of Taiyi’s combined configuration of ruler, minister, and people. After the elixir is refined, it manifests spiritual efficacy: inwardly it can consolidate nature and life (xingming); outwardly it can transform the five metals. As for how to change its color, how much to ingest, and how to refine it into worldly treasures, relevant explanations are found in the Bianyao (Discriminating Medicines), Longhu (Dragon and Tiger), and Zhouhou Fang.

Yunji Qiqian (Seven Slips from the Cloud Satchel), fascicle 63.