《法海遺珠》Vol. 18

Plain-Language Interpretation

This section comes from volume eighteen of Pearls Left in the Sea of Methods, a Daoist compendium of ritual arts. It belongs to the “Generals’ Roster” in the Great Method of the Nine Heavens’ Kui Gang Generals Pursuing and Seizing Through the Cloud Road. The roster gives the names and appearances of the divine generals to be invited and represented in the mind or on the altar, for the ritual master to visualize, inscribe on talismans, and summon or dispatch.

The Generals’ Roster: Names and Appearances of the Divine Generals

Chief General: General Xu Shouzhong, the Nine Heavens’ Kui Gang General Who Pursues and Seizes Through the Cloud Road

His face is the color of red dates. He wears a crossed-leg futou headcloth, a red forehead band, and a blue-green robe, and carries an iron whip.

Chief General: General Jiang Juyuan, the Zhengyi General of the Nine Heavens’ Kui Gang Who Pursues Souls and Seizes Ghosts

His face is red. He wears a robe that is yellow in the middle and black elsewhere, and carries an axe.

Chief General: General Zhai Shining, the Nine Heavens’ Cloud Road General Who Pursues and Seizes, Communes with Spirits, and Smashes Temples

His face is purplish black. He wears a crossed-leg futou headcloth, a crimson forehead band, and a blue-green robe, and carries a fire rope.

Deputy Great General Zhao Ziyu

He has a red face and wears a gold crown, a black robe, gold armor, and boots with decorated edges. He carries a sword and rides down on a black cloud from the mouth of the Dipper. (“The mouth of the Dipper” usually refers to the direction of the Northern Dipper or celestial Dipper, the route by which the general descends.)

Deputy Great General Zhu Yun

He has a red face and disheveled red hair. He wears a yellow forehead band and a deep red robe, carries a fire sword, and descends on a black cloud.

Deputy Great General Zhu Qi, the Southern Fire Wheel General Who Burns Ghosts and Brings Retribution

His face is the color of blazing red fire, and he has vermilion hair. He wears a red robe and appears like a swift flame. He has no wings, rides a fire chariot, and raises a fire wheel in his hand as he descends from the southern fire clouds.

Talismans and the Ritual for Summoning Generals

Talismans are written on full sheets of yellow paper using the Seal of the Northern Pole’s Office for Driving Away Evil, a Daoist seal used to ward off evil. When writing talismans or dispatching attendants—that is, sending out divine generals—the ritual master uses hand seals and recites the Purification of the Mouth and Purification of the Body incantations.

Transformation of the spirit: The ritual master transforms into the Celestial Master of Zhengyi, Zhang Daoling, revered as the founding master of the Daoist talisman tradition. The left hand forms the Yin hand seal, the right hand holds a brush, and the ritual master stands facing north to summon the generals.

Next, the ritual master recites the Summoning the Generals incantation:

By command of the Jade Clarity, swiftly summon all spirits. Reach upward to the Limitless; descend below into the netherworld. Seize demons and capture ghosts; let none remain or delay. By the summons of the Supreme Emperor, swiftly carry out the command.

Then the left hand forms the Jade Clarity hand seal, and a breath of northern Qi is blown into the talisman. The ritual master visualizes the celestial generals descending from the mouth of the Dipper, then forms the Dipper hand seal and writes the talisman.

Talisman of Marshal Xu, the Chief General

Written in ink on yellow paper, this talisman is burned in front of the sick person’s bed, and the smoke is directed over the person’s body. The phrases commonly used in the talisman, accompanied by hand seals and steps as they are written, are not meant to be recited aloud in full: “General Xu Shouzhong, the Nine Heavens’ Kui Gang General Who Pursues and Seizes Through the Cloud Road”—form the Chen hand seal—“swiftly leave the realm above”—“I”—“by command of the Supreme Emperor”—form the Jade hand seal—“behead and seize evil spirits”—“the body clad in fierce flames”—form the Wu hand seal—“wielding the iron whip,” and so on.

Reading Note

Texts of this kind give practical instructions for talismanic spells and ritual liturgies. The appearances of the divine generals are provided for visualization, while incantations and hand seals accompany the writing, stamping, and burning of talismans. The text records a traditional method for warding off evil and pursuing or capturing harmful spirits; “sick person” refers to someone who is ill or believed to be afflicted by an evil influence. Specialized names such as Kui Gang, Zhengyi, Jade Clarity, and the Northern Pole’s Office for Driving Away Evil come from Daoist divine hierarchies and talismanic traditions. They are best understood as descriptions of ritual procedures and their intended uses, without making claims about whether they are effective.

Pearls Left Behind in the Ocean of the Dao: A Plain-Language Interpretation

(Kui-Gang gesture; pinching the Zi formula)

Today I pass judgment on you: may demons and ghosts be utterly destroyed, and body and spirit perish.

(Pinching the Yin formula)

I dispatch you as a divine general. On a yang day, use the star generals such as Tanlang and Jumen.

On yang days, use generals such as Lucun, Wenchang, Lian Zhen, Wu Qu, and Po Jun. On yin days, instead use names of generals associated with Kui-Gang. (The original text is badly damaged here; it may run together the names of star generals and ghosts.)

I command Xu Shouzhong to go at once, seize and capture the fifteen kinds of defiant, lawless lower-realm evil ghosts within the afflicted person, [name], and escort them beneath Kui-Gang.

Hasten and obey this command. Spirits and sages, swiftly bring retribution.

Incantation of Command

The Azure Dragon is paired with the Lou constellation, and the White Tiger with the Kang palace. The Northern Dipper binds demons; open your mouth and drink the wind.

Wangliang, the Nine Ugly Ones (names of malevolent spirits), communicate with the Four Great Ones—Jiedi, Jiedi, dark and shadowy.

Hasten and obey. I respectfully summon Xu Shouzhong and Zhao Ziyu to go to the home of [name], seize the ghostly thieves, and make retribution manifest in full.

Method for Using the Talisman

For the talisman on the right: make the Chen and Si hand gestures and draw in the astral energy to the talisman. Hold the Dipper gesture in the left hand and the talisman in the right. Focus inward in silence, then dispatch it.

Talisman of the Chief General, Marshal Jiang

(Burn at the head of the afflicted person’s bed.)

Jiang Juyuan, great general of the Nine Heavens’ cloud roads, Zhengyi, who pursues souls and captures ghosts (also called Marshal Jiang):

(Pinching the Hai formula) Quickly depart from the upper realm.

(By the command of the Supreme Lord; pinching the Jade formula) Slay and capture evil spirits.

(Clad in blazing fire; pinching the Wu formula)

(Holding Kui-Gang in your palm; pinching the Zi formula)

I now dispatch you to capture and bind ghostly essences. I respectfully summon Jiang Juyuan, together with his deputy general Zhu Yun, to go to the afflicted person’s home and search for and seize the fifteen kinds of defiant, lawless ghosts within them, bringing them beneath Kui-Gang to meet their death.

The form of the Great Void; Tuoluo Lizhen (a Sanskrit incantation phrase; the original repeats sounds resembling “chacha,” perhaps reflecting oral transmission)—the essence of the sea tiger. Heavenly Dipper Spirit, Heavenly Dipper Sage, Great Sage Heavenly Dipper: swiftly pursue the soul, possess the body, and bring retribution.

Hasten and obey this command.

Dispatching Incantation

By command of the Jade Clarity, swiftly summon all spirits: soar through Heaven and overturn the Earth; drive thunder and race through clouds; bind and seize evil ghosts; shatter the ranks of demons. Hasten and obey.

I respectfully summon Jiang Juyuan and Zhu Yun to go to the home of [name], seize and bind the evil spirits causing affliction and haunting the person, and escort them beneath Kui-Gang.

Hasten and obey this command.

Talisman of the Chief General, Marshal Zhai

(Written in vermilion on yellow paper and dispatched from within the ritual altar.)

Notes for Reading the Original

Kui-Gang refers to astral energy and directions used in ritual liturgy to suppress baleful forces and bind ghosts. It often appears alongside the hand gestures called “pinching the formula” and “holding the Dipper.”

“Pinching a certain pattern” or “making a hand gesture” refers to a secret method in which the fingers and joints of the left hand correspond to the solar terms and earthly branches. The gestures are performed together with chanting incantations and writing talismans.

Tan, Ju, Lu, Wen, Lian, Wu, and Po usually refer to star names or general names on the Northern Dipper or a Dipper chart, selected according to whether the day is yin or yang.

Xu Shouzhong, Zhao Ziyu, Jiang Juyuan, Zhu Yun, and Marshal Zhai are the names of chief and deputy generals in the talisman; in practice, they are the divine generals invoked at the altar.

Where the text says “[name]” or “the afflicted person, [name],” the original leaves a blank. The practitioner fills in the sick person’s name and address when performing the rite.

A long passage in the middle contains damaged and variant characters, many of which are likely ghost names or strings of hidden terms. Its general meaning can be understood from references to capturing ghosts, bringing them beneath Kui-Gang, and exacting retribution, but the individual characters should not be translated with unwarranted certainty.

The Pearl Collection of the Dharma Ocean: A Plain-Language Interpretation

(Nine-Heavens Cloud Road Spirit-Communing Pursuer and Captor / Great General of the Ruined Temple, Zhai Shining) (Depart swiftly / Above)

I obey the Jade Emperor’s decree and act according to the Jade Writ, slaying and capturing demons. Clad in blazing fire, I follow the noon character; grasping the Kui-Gang, I follow the zi character. Holding the decree in my hands, I summon and seize demonic spirits. I respectfully invite Zhai Shining, the Nine-Heavens Cloud Road Zhengyi Spirit-Communing Pursuer and Captor, Great General of the Ruined Temple, to join Zhu Qi, the Southern Fire-Wheel General Who Burns Ghosts, and speed to the afflicted household. Capture every ghostly thief within the patient, whether a family spirit or an outside ghost, and bring them all before the Kui-Gang. Hurry and obey the statute!

The divine dragon transforms, the essence of utmost Yang. It soars through the Three Realms and leaps ten thousand li; ghosts and demons are utterly destroyed and all turn to dust. Hurry and obey the statute!

Outer Circuit

Om, he, tou, su (Xu); xi, po, duo, ni (Hai); shou, zhong, ju, yuan (Zi); Shi, Ning;

Zi, Yu (Dui); qu, lü, ni, ye (Kun); zhi, luo, na, ye (center / Wu); duo, po, he, she (Chen). Hurry and obey the statute!

Ritual instructions: Begin reciting from the Chen position, then return from Chen to Xu. Visualize a stream of fire rushing northwest while reciting the inner-circuit incantation.

Inner Circuit

Om, zhuan, su, ye (Chen); hong, chi, bo, li (Mao); ni, xi, luo, zhe (Kun); gather and drive out ghosts and spirits (Li); urgently bring down true Qi (Dui); swiftly attach to the human body (Zi); establish and communicate your name (Xu). Hurry and obey the statute!

I respectfully invite the Lord of the Mysterious Dao, the Nine-Heavens Adjutant, and the Venerable Spirits of the Five Sacred Peaks to bring down true Qi at once and infuse it into the talisman. Hurry and obey the decree of the Great Emperor of the North Pole!

Next, recite aloud and flick the fingers of the hand, forming the appropriate mudras for each direction:

Om (Zi), he (Chou), po, sha, su (Chen), luo (Si), she (Wu).

Ritual instructions: Draw upon the Qi of the Northern Dipper and blow it over the altar. Visualize the officers and generals riding red and black clouds down from the Gate of Heaven.

Incantation for Sending the Talisman

In the south there is a general named Zhu Qi. Above, he reaches the Limitless; below, he enters the netherworld. Outside, he summons and controls demons and ghosts; he slays demons and kills monsters. Transforming his body, he enters the earth to seize and bind the spirits. He responds to the talisman’s summons and quickly communes with the spirits. Hearing my call, descend and arrive swiftly. Hurry and obey the statute! Seize them!

Plain-Language Interpretation

(A spell for pursuing and subduing ghosts with fire and bells)

The essence of the blazing Fire Bell refined by the Supreme Worthy Divine One: its flowing flames can illuminate ten thousand miles, leaving ghosts and spirits nowhere to hide. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the command of the Red Emperor of the South, the deity of Fire’s Virtue. I respectfully summon Zhai Shining and Zhu Qi, marshals named in the talisman, to accompany it to the home of a certain person, seize every ghost and bandit, and bring them beneath my Kui Gang—the direction indicated by the handle of the Dipper, which governs subjugation and execution—to be put to death. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands.

Use of the talisman above

This talisman can restore the dead to life, pursue the soul, and return it to the body. Write it in cinnabar on yellow paper, and place the Yellow Dragon Soul-Seizing Talisman on top of Marshal Zhai’s talisman. In an emergency, use cinnabar mixed with the blood of a rooster to write it. Then burn paper money and a paper horse, made to carry offerings and communicate with the spirits. Write another talisman and place it over the patient’s face. When breath from the patient’s face makes the talisman move, the soul can return to the body.

Yellow Dragon Soul-Seizing Talisman (diagram of the talisman’s divided panels)

• (Jade Clarity / Supreme Lord), (Highest Clarity / Great Emperor), (Great Clarity / Great Emperor), (Jade Emperor / Supreme Lord)
• (Heavenly Emperor / Great Emperor), (Born of August Heaven / Formed by Houtu)
• (Open Heaven’s Gate and close Earth’s Door / Keep the human gate open and block the ghost road)
• (Pierce the ghost’s heart / Split the ghost’s belly)
• (Ghosts, demons, baleful generals, the Eight Great Vajra Guardians, Flying Heavenly Divine Kings / Heavenly officers, strongmen, countless troops, officials, lords, generals, and clerks)
• (Set the deadline: this year, this month, this day, this hour)
• (Swiftly retrieve a certain person’s three Hun souls and seven Po souls and return them to the body)

Ascend to Heaven, descend swiftly into Earth, to the shadowy waters below, and to the spirit altars of the Five Temples. Go everywhere the source of the hatred or affliction may lie: among mountain cliffs and caves, earth and stone spirits, and places connected with family curses. Pursue and seize the three Hun souls and seven Po souls, return them to the body of a certain person, and immediately make them regain consciousness.

(The Three Heavenly Emperors and the Southern Dipper’s Fire Official command and supervise), (the Life-Giving Great Spirit and the baleful spirits / join forces to rescue and heal)—swiftly.

(Communicate upward to the highest summit and downward to the boundless depths; swiftly retrieve a certain person’s soul and return it to the body, without disobedience)

(Swiftly / urgently)

(The Yellow Dragon is a thousand feet long / its transformations are endless)

(Write the three characters Wang Zhaozong within / then recite the Tianpeng Incantation thirty-six times)

Turn the writing into a talisman. If the matter is more urgent, add the middle section. Make the hand sign for a formal Daoist petition, then write: (The Great Emperors of the Three Heavens command and supervise the Life-Giving Great Spirit: swiftly return a certain person’s soul to the body. When the work is done and the matter accomplished, return it to this office. Swiftly, swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands.)

Commanding incantation (recited while carrying out the ritual, in conjunction with the writing above).

Note: This text belongs to Daoist ritual talismanic instructions. It presents the pursuit of ghosts, retrieval of souls, and their return to the body as parts of a single procedure. The bracketed text mostly indicates the titles to be written in separate talisman panels or additional clauses for emergencies. In practice, it should be used according to the complete liturgy and a teacher’s transmission; the talisman should not be used on its own.

This text comes from Pearls Left Behind in the Sea of Rituals, a compilation of Daoist ritual arts. It describes rites for pursuing and summoning souls. These rites hold that when someone falls ill or their spirit is unsettled, the soul has left the body or been carried off by evil beings or the underworld authorities. The soul must be brought back to the body with the aid of divine generals, written summonses, and incantations. The explanations below follow the original text. Key divine names and phrases from the incantations are retained for comparison with the source.

First incantation: The Tiangang and He Kui generals pursue the soul

In essence: The ritualist invokes the generals Tiangang and He Kui to pursue the soul swiftly and return it to the body, so that the three hun souls return to their proper place and the seven po souls return to their source. The incantation then declares: On hearing my summons, leave the Taiyi Palace at once—the Daoist abode of the soul spirits. Act with all haste, in accordance with the Supreme Emperor’s decree.

Second incantation: Treating a corpse’s soul and an evil altar

In essence: The August Heaven gives life, and the Sovereign Earth brings it forth. The soul of a person who died violently must not be disturbed or frightened. To evil-altared spirits, wicked ghosts, beings bound by spells, oaths, hatred, and resentment, and all manner of spirits and monsters, I command you: destroy your forms, release the soul at once, and deliver it to the Dragon Lord, the deity who governs the waters and receives souls. The Most High commands you; you must not linger. Act at once in accordance with the decree.

The ritual officer enters and performs the rite

The ritual officer—the Daoist who performs the rite—first enters and closes his eyes. He visualizes Heaven and Earth in darkness, with his eyes flashing like lightning. He has the patient or a family member silently or softly call for the Yellow Dragon Messenger, a soul-pursuing general under the Northern Emperor, to bring the living soul of a named person. With his left hand, he makes twelve circuits through the positions from Yin to Chou, corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches. Then, using two fingers, he presses the transverse crease of his thumb and commands aloud: “Yellow Dragon Messenger who pursues souls and seizes lives, go at once!” He then recites: “By command, General Xuanwu, the household gods dare not open the way; ghosts and demons cannot resist. First close the gate of the night yakshas. Act at once in accordance with the decree.”

Soul-pursuit summons: A formal written invocation

A talisman of the Thunderclap Bureau. This Bureau, acting under imperial command, dispatches Wang Zhaozong, together with the officials and generals of this Bureau, to pursue and retrieve the true soul of a named person, born at a specified year, month, day, and hour, and return it to the ailing body. Act at once in accordance with the decree.

By the decree of the Northern Emperor—the northern celestial sovereign under the governance of the Great Emperor of the North Pole and Purple Tenuity—Yellow Dragon, the life-seizing general Wang Zhaozong, and a named general of this Bureau are specially dispatched to pursue and retrieve a named person’s soul and return it to the body, so that the illness may be treated without delay.

Issued on the specified year, month, day, and hour of the Grand Year. I, the ritualist of the rank and position of [name], receive the mandate and carry it out. The Great Emperor of the North Pole and Purple Tenuity is one of the highest deities of the northern heavens and is associated with Thunder Rites and soul-pursuit rites.

The method: Making a hand seal and receiving the decree

Make the hand seal called “Central Text” with the middle finger. Silently report the matter and receive the decree. Visualize the appointed Yellow Dragon Life-Seizing General following me down through the Gate of Heaven and entering the talisman, where the decree is written.

General principles of soul-pursuit methods

There are four kinds of soul-pursuit methods: first, “lost soul,” when the soul wanders outside the body and the spirit is unsettled; second, “bewildered soul,” when the soul is lost somewhere and does not know how to return; third, “seized soul,” when an outside force has forcibly taken it; and fourth, “soul taken by ghosts,” when ghosts or demons have carried it away. Each has its own method.

First: Lost soul

Symptoms include frequent dreams, a wandering mind, and falling ill after waking without remembering where one belongs. Use the Four Directs Soul-Pursuit Method to retrieve the soul, and also have the patient take the Four Directs Soul-Calming Talisman, used on Four Directs days.

The Four Directs Soul-Pursuit Method

The incantation says: “The commander general leads the host of gods, flying up and down to pursue the wandering soul at once. Act at once in accordance with the decree.”

Method: Take in and visualize the Qi of the Heavenly Gate, then blow it onto the clothes worn by the patient. A family member performs the rite by silently reciting the incantation.

Brief glossary of terms appearing in the text

“Three hun and seven po” refers to the traditional belief that a person has three hun souls, which govern the spirit, and seven po souls, which govern the body. In illness, the soul is said to become unsettled.

“Taiyi Palace” is the name of a celestial palace where soul spirits dwell or to which they return.

“Decree” is a common ending for Daoist incantations, meaning that an order from the gods must be carried out immediately.

“Four Directs” usually refers to the Four Directs days, associated with the Earthly Branches Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai. Methods of calculation vary among Daoist lineages. These days are considered suitable for pursuing and calming souls.

“Qi of the Heavenly Gate” is Qi visualized as entering through or summoned from the Heavenly Gate at the crown of the head. It is used to blow onto clothing or for protection.

This passage describes methods for treating three kinds of “soul illness”: loss of the soul, a disoriented soul, and the spirit’s seizure of the soul. It lists talismans for calming the soul, incense for summoning it, talismans for summoning it from the Three Realms, a talisman for opening the Gate of Heaven and sealing the Earth’s Portal, and the Supreme One’s talisman for capturing the soul, along with instructions for burning and swallowing talismans and reciting incantations.

Soul-Calming Talismans (four talismans)

Above the patient, toward the southeast, call them by their familiar name three times in succession. The talisman should be placed directly against the skin, then the patient should swallow the soul-calming talisman.

The four soul-calming talismans often bear phrases such as “By command of the Celestial One, the year and month officials calm the seven” and “The spirit lord calms the soul; the day and hour officials guard the po.” These refer to keeping the Three Hun souls safe and settled.

Write the talismans in cinnabar on yellow paper. If a patient is sorrowful, distressed, and unhappy, as though they had lost something, this is considered loss of the soul. They may have dreamed of wandering and, upon waking, be unable to remember where they went. First summon the soul with the Northern Emperor’s Soul-Summoning Incense, then have the patient swallow the soul-calming talisman.

Incantation for the Northern Emperor’s Soul-Summoning Incense

(Recite): Clear and pure, return to the body, soul. Let thunder come and lightning enter. Quickly, quickly, as the command decrees.

Method: Take a piece of incense and boil half of it in water. Have the patient swallow it together with the talisman. Burn the other half in front of the bed.

Disorientation of the Soul

This illness is said to arise when the mind remains fixed on something for a long time, or when a person is frightened by livestock or another person. Treat it by burning the Talismans for Summoning the Soul from the Three Realms.

Upper Realm Talisman — Incantation for burning the talisman: “By command of the True Lord Tianyou, summon the soul. Let the Four Duty Officials carry this out. Quickly, swiftly capture it.”

Middle Realm Talisman — Incantation for burning the talisman: “Let the Eight Baleful Forces descend and the Four Duty Officials ascend. Thunder Duke, pursue the soul. Quickly, swiftly, proceed.”

Lower Realm Talisman — Incantation for burning the talisman: “Through the dark pass and the road of the netherworld, pierce the earth and draw forth the soul. When the talisman arrives, obey its command. Quickly, as the command decrees.”

Write the first three talismans in cinnabar on yellow paper and stamp them with the Seal of the Great Celestial Ritual Master. Recite each incantation three times while burning its talisman, then have the patient swallow it.

After the first three talismans have been taken, have the patient swallow the talisman for Opening the Gate of Heaven and Sealing the Earth’s Portal. Its text invokes swift-flying messengers who pursue the soul and open the Gate of Heaven above, and messengers who race like lightning, roar like thunder, and drive a fiery chariot to seal the Earth’s Portal below. It also calls upon the Four Duty Officials and the Tiangang Generals to pursue the soul and return it to the body. Write it in cinnabar on crimson paper and swallow it.

The Spirit’s Seizure of the Soul

It is said that if someone has been cursed, ghosts or spirits may seize their soul, causing sudden death. The person may dream that underworld officials have come to take them, then fall unconscious and fail to wake. This is classified as a kind of sudden death and treated by burning the Supreme One’s Soul-Capturing Talisman.

The Supreme One’s Soul-Capturing Talisman often bears phrases invoking the Lord of the Great Clarity and the Jade Emperor to bring illumination, the Supreme One’s command to keep living beings safe and well, and the Celestial Dipper’s honored star, the Great General who communicates with spirits, and the dark thunder messenger to restore the soul at once.

These procedures from Daoist medical prescriptions in the Daoist Canon form a standard set of rites for summoning and calming the soul with talismans, incantations, and incense. The Four Duty Officials, Tiangang, the Northern Emperor, and the True Lord Tianyou are names of deities and generals used in talismanic rites; the instructions say to carry them out according to the scripture.

The Lost Pearls of the Sea of the Law: A Plain-Language Interpretation

Great Clarity Soul-Seizing Talisman

(Grand Supreme One, Pure and Mysterious Lord; Commander-in-Chief in the Clouds; Flying Cavalry in the Clouds; Orthodox Unity Thunder Lord Who Seizes Souls in the Clouds; Thunder Officer Who Subdues Ghosts—subdue them swiftly.)

These talismans may be used together. Write them on yellow paper with a vermilion brush and burn them beside the stove, or mix them with “Three Lights Talisman Water” and drink it.

Fourth Type: Ghosts Seizing the Soul

If a woman often has strange dreams that seem to involve intercourse with a ghost, followed by confusion and mental disorientation, dreams in which a ghost “feeds on her Qi,” and a scattered, disordered soul, the condition may prove fatal within three days if left untreated. She must be treated with the Taiyi Soul-Guiding Banner.

How to Make the Taiyi Soul-Guiding Banner

Make the banner from yellow silk, or yellow paper, and cut it to a length suited to the patient’s height:

• Top of the banner: Write the names of the Northern Dipper.
• Where the hands would be: Write the patient’s birth name.
• Where the feet would be: Write the patient’s address.
• Body of the banner: Write the Taiyi Soul-Guiding Talisman.

Have the patient lie quietly for about two hours, then burn the banner at the head of the bed.

Taiyi Soul-Guiding Talisman

When writing this talisman, form the Zi hand-seal with the left hand, draw in Qi from the Gate of Heaven, and blow three times toward the brush before beginning to write.

Incantation for Writing the Talisman

Eastern Florescence, Western Spirit, Southern Pole, Northern Truth; Gate of Heaven, Door of Earth, Gate of Humanity, Road of Ghosts; above Heaven and below Earth, Primordial Lord Taiyi, messengers bearing flying talismans: descend at once and restore the living soul. Let it not scatter or become disordered. May the Jade Rites bring peace to the people. Swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands.

Disheveled-Hair Talisman for Pursuing and Awakening the Soul

(The talisman commonly includes the names of ghostly deities such as the Kui Star, as well as phrases such as “Awaken the soul, awaken the soul; turn the body toward the Jade Capital,” “Yin and Yang obey the command; the Six Jia are at peace,” and “Let evil Qi depart and righteous Qi remain; swiftly present this to the Great Emperor Ziwei for his command.” It ends with “subdue and seize” and “ascend above,” along with a signature such as “Yang Yao.” Much of the text in the original manuscript is damaged.)

Commanding Incantation

Numinous Spirit of Tiangang, Sagely Lord of the Dipper: pursue the living soul and respond with haste. Swiftly, in accordance with the statutes and commands.

Method: Write the talisman in vermilion on yellow paper. Visualize the divine general wearing a yellow headcloth and red robes, and carrying a sword. Then imagine the light of the Tiangang stars descending into the talisman together with the divine general.

Note: This text belongs to the Daoist traditions of liturgy, talismans and incantations, and soul-guiding and soul-seizing rites. In the medical and Daoist traditions of the time, conditions described as “ghostly intercourse” or “soul seizure” were often associated with mental confusion, nightmares, debility, or hysteria. Treatment involved talismanic banners, incantations, and visualizing divine generals. Today, the text should be read as a source for the history of religion and folk customs; do not attempt these practices or use them in place of medical care. Several parts of the original text are damaged, so this plain-language interpretation follows only the legible portions.