《道法會元》Vol. 237

This passage describes the divine hierarchy and summoning rituals within the Daoist "Mystic Altar of Perfect Will Great Method." The presiding deity (zhufa) is the Celestial Master (Tianshi) Zhang Daoling, revered as the "Great Emperor of Infinite Radiance Governing the Six Directions."

The text provides detailed descriptions of the guardian deities' iconography:

Zhao Gongming (Chief Commander of the Orthodox Unity Mystic Altar's Golden Wheel) wears ordinary attire. His deputy Huang Yin (Vice Marshal of the Golden Wheel) dons a Heavenly Warrior's crown, golden armor with red robe and green boots, holding a golden wheel in his left hand and a golden spear in his right.

The Great Black Tiger Deity Guo Qi wields a sky-cleaving axe. The Five Directions Harmony General He Meng wears a Heavenly Warrior's crown, white cloak with yellow robe and purple cloud boots, holding a ruyi scepter.

Three additional generals from the Soaring Wind-Fire Court include: Marquis Zhaolie Tian Da (with fair complexion and smiling face, black ruyi patterns near his mouth), wearing a three-peaked hat and dual-colored red-green coin-patterned robe with black boots, clasping a golden box; Marquis Zhaoxin Tian Er (also fair and smiling) in yellow-purple brocade robe with white boots, holding a silver ingot in his left hand with right sleeve draped; and the joyful-faced Deputy General Guo.

Judge Dou wears a Tang-style hat with green robe and black boots, holding a record book (inscribed with "Perfect Will") in his left hand and a brush in his right.

Before the Mystic Altar stands the talisman messenger Li Ji bearing a battle-axe.

The summoning incantation states: "By the decree of the Divine Empyrean, we summon ten thousand spirits—swift as wind-fire, fast as thunderbolts..." This means burning incense to invite Li Ji from before the Golden Wheel altar to attend the ritual platform.

The specific method involves: forming the Chen-Xu Dipper Mudra (a Daoist hand seal) with the left hand pointing southeast, visualizing a mass of azure clouds flying from that direction to the altar, then "splitting" them with a sword mudra to reveal the divine messengers. The recitation continues: "Our summons has been answered—we humbly request transmission to the Divine Empyrean Jade Mansion to invite Golden Wheel Perfect Will Grand Marshal Zhao Gongming, bearing his golden whip, leading Deputy Huang Yin, Black Tiger Guo Qi, and all generals of the Soaring Wind-Fire Court..."

This scripture comprehensively presents a complete Daoist summoning liturgy, including the divine hierarchy, iconographic details, and concrete invocation methods—serving as crucial material for studying Daoist ritual practice.

This scripture describes a Daoist ritual for summoning deities. First, deities including Field Marshal Tian, General Guo, and Judge Dou Jian are invoked to assist, requiring them to move swiftly between realms and manifest clear karmic retribution.

Next comes the incantation to summon the Supreme Marshal of Divine Empyrean, the Great General Ruyi (a protector deity in Daoism). This deity is depicted wielding a golden whip that gleams like stars, his iron chains shaking mountains, accompanied by officers and attendants, with a black tiger manifesting its awesome power. The ritual master declares he is invoking them by order of the True King of Divine Empyrean (a high-ranking Daoist deity) through incense offerings, demanding the deities reveal their true forms immediately.

Subsequently, the ritual summons Marshal Zhao, Commander of the Golden Wheel, along with his deputy Marshal Huang and the Great Black Tiger General Guo, urging their swift descent. The master recites a threefold mantra beginning with "Om" (唵), followed by another eightfold secret incantation.

During the ritual, the practitioner must visualize: in the golden wheel's radiance from the southeast (Xun position) appears a beautiful maiden. Using the tongue tip to trace the character "鑛" (kuang) which is then exhaled, the maiden transforms into a golden orb. This is inhaled through the nose into the lungs, then exhaled while chanting "Om" - whereupon Marshal Zhao manifests his true form, flanked by his black tiger and attending officers.

When summoning Field Marshal Tian, the master proclaims the Sun Lord (solar deity) upon his left shoulder and the Moon Lord (lunar deity) upon his right, with thunder, lightning, wind and clouds guarding front and rear. The incantation commands Marshal Tian to lead all divine troops to the ritual altar to demonstrate karmic retribution visibly. This is accompanied by ritual pacing (Daoist ceremonial steps) and talisman drawing, visualizing wind-fire rising from the southeast - three finger snaps will make the two marshals appear smiling.

The ritual concludes with two final mantras: "Om da na" compels immediate divine descent and harmony, while "Om mo na ni" serves as a summoning command. The entire ceremony is sealed with the "Soaring Celestial Wind-Fire Talisman."

This scripture records the specific drawing methods and usage instructions for Daoist talismans (Fulu, the graphic symbols used in Daoist rituals to summon deities and expel evil), focusing particularly on "harmonizing" talismans (magical practices for reconciling interpersonal relationships and resolving conflicts).

First, the names of the deities to be summoned are listed: the Celestial Harmony Deity (Tian Hehe Shenjun), the Earthly Harmony Deity (Di Hehe Shenjun), the Harmony Commander (Hehe Taiwei), and the Wind-Fire Envoy (Feng Huo Langjun). A chant is then recited to invoke their swift descent, mentioning that these talismans derive their power from the "Celestial Master Ancestor" (referring to Zhang Daoling, founder of the Zhengyi tradition) and the "Great Emperor of Infinite Radiance in the Six Directions" (an important Daoist deity), whose divine decrees govern their efficacy.

When drawing the talisman, the names of the dispatched spirit officers (divine soldiers and generals tasked with executing commands) must be inscribed within the talisman, along with annotations specifying the requested matters. The "As-You-Wish Talisman" section employs special symbolic arrangements, incorporating concepts like the "Celestial Stem" (Tiangang, referring to the handle of the Big Dipper, a key astral deity in Daoism), "Earthly Stem" (Digang), "Human Stem" (Rengang), and "Ghost Stem" (Guigang), each corresponding to resolving problems at different levels of existence.

Following this is the "Dispatching Harmony Spirit-General Chant," which requires specific hand gestures (forming the Wind-Fire Mudra, a particular finger configuration) and should be performed during the Si hour (9–11 AM) or Wu hour (11 AM–1 PM). The chant claims to disperse malign forces, eradicate all anomalies, and compel evil spirits to retreat, while summoning millions of divine troops carrying wind-fire energy to the ritual altar to bring harmony and auspiciousness to all affairs.

The final section describes the "Summoning Merit Officer Talisman" (Gongcao, divine messengers who transmit information), where the name of the executing spirit officer, "Li Ji," must be written. The chant explains the principle of Qi (the fundamental energy constituting all things in Daoism) gathering and dispersing between heaven and earth, commanding this officer to arrive swiftly and fulfill the task. All talismans ultimately derive their authority from the decrees of Celestial Master Zhang.

In practice, these talismans often require accompanying actions such as burning the talisman paper, forming mudras (ritual hand gestures), reciting incantations, and finger-snapping, with their potency activated through specific ceremonial procedures.