《道法會元》Vol. 102

This scripture documents the ritual of weather control talismans (fulu) from the Five Thunder Methods in Daoist practice. The ritual master must first report to the patriarchs and celestial generals, then sit in meditation to regulate breath before inscribing the talismans according to specific methods.

The sunshine-invoking section contains four talismans corresponding to the four directional Thunder Ministries:

The eastern talisman summons the Five Thunder Generals, commanding them to gather clouds and cease rain. This talisman is affixed to yellow ritual paper and presented to the Eastern Thunder Ministry.

The southern talisman mobilizes the Three Offices (Thunder Ministry's three officials) to immediately halt rainfall. The master must form the "Noon Mudra" (a Daoist hand seal), draw southern Qi (vital energy) into the talisman, and perform the "Flying Dragon Absorbs Water" sacred steps (a special ritual gait).

The western talisman invites the Woodland Deity (a Thunder Ministry general) to execute the Jade Pure (Yuanshi Tianzun) decree in gathering clouds and stopping rain.

The northern talisman summons the Five Directional Thunder Emperors to command the Thunder God to disperse clouds and mists.

The rain-invoking section employs seven black talismans:

Inscribed with black ink on black paper, these are placed before the ritual documents and presented to the Eastern Thunder Ministry to summon the Eastern Dragon Thunder for rainfall. The incantation commands the Dragon Lord of the Zhen position (east) to deploy clouds and release rain.

Similarly, seven black talismans are used in southern rain invocations to summon the Southern Dragon Thunder.

All talismans conclude with "urgently urgent as by the law's command" to indicate immediate execution. The ritual master coordinates specific mudras, sacred steps, and Qi techniques with the talismans to communicate with Thunder Ministry deities for weather regulation. Yellow documents are used for rain cessation while black documents summon rain, with color choices following the generative and controlling principles of the Five Phases (Wuxing).

This scripture records Daoist ritual procedures for rainmaking and exorcism, primarily involving talismanic incantations (fulu) and ceremonial protocols. The mentioned "Li Dragon Lord" and "Kan Dragon Lord" are rain deities governing different cardinal directions, while the "Great God Wood Youth" refers to a thunder department general from the eastern quadrant.

The rainmaking section prescribes seven talismans written in black ink on dark paper, corresponding to western and northern orientations. Each talisman requires specific incantations, such as "By solemn decree, Kan Dragon Lord dwelling in Kan position shall from Kan quarter summon rain, raising and lowering thunderous showers with urgent immediacy according to celestial statute" (jiji rulüling), commanding the northern dragon deity to immediately produce clouds and rainfall. These talismans must be affixed to ritual documents to summon thunder department deities and rain-bringing dragon spirits to execute orders.

The exorcism portion contains four "Demon-Subduing Talismans" aligned with the four cardinal directions. Each bears directional invocations—the eastern version using "By the Supreme Emperor's decree, swiftly summon azure thunder" while the southern variant commands "Swiftly raise crimson thunder to shake heaven and churn earth." These yellow-paper talismans invoke the "Savage Thunder Envoys" (thunder generals) to lead divine troops in exterminating demons and expelling malignant spirits.

The concluding "Five Thunders Earth-Qi Dispersal Talisman" serves geomancy purposes. Crafted from peach wood to precise dimensions (1 chi 2 cun 1 fen), this wedge-shaped tablet tapers downward and must be driven into the earth until reaching the inscribed "severance" character—likely a method for purifying terrestrial energies or suppressing earthbound baleful influences.

[Note: "With urgent immediacy according to celestial statute" (jiji rulüling) is a standard Daoist incantation finale denoting immediate enforcement of divine commands; "savage thunder" (manlei) signifies the thunder's fierce, unrelenting power.]