《道法會元》Vol. 243

This is the ritual practice of the "Secret Method of Marshal Wang, the Numinous Officer of the Southern Pole's Fire and Thunder" as recorded in the Daoist compendium Daofa Huiyuan. It primarily describes how to summon Marshal Wang Shan (a Daoist guardian deity also known as Wang Lingguan), the commander of the Southern Pole's Fire and Thunder Department, along with his lieutenants to the ritual altar.

Marshal Wang is depicted with a reddish-purple complexion, wearing a yellow headband, a red robe with golden armor, sporting tiger-like whiskers, eyes as piercing as a tiger's, and green boots. His left hand forms the Thunder Mudra (a Daoist hand seal), while his right holds a golden whip. His two lieutenants are Generals Chen Wei and Qiu Xian, both bearing the appearance of talismanic messengers (divine officers responsible for delivering sacred decrees).

The summoning ritual requires first calming the mind and focusing the Qi (vital energy), visualizing fiery clouds churning in the southern sky. The specific steps are:

1. First, use the gaze to inscribe the character "轰" (hong) in the air above the incense

2. Then write the character "聻" (jian, a Daoist exorcism sigil) in the air

3. Merge the two characters into golden light

4. After reciting the summoning incantation, Marshal Wang will manifest before the ritual altar

The incantations include:

"Fiery thunder shakes heaven and earth, earth and heaven tremble before the thunder's might" — this chant mobilizes the power of fire and thunder

"Kuai zhan mo ni she" — to be recited seven times

There is also a descriptive chant of Marshal Wang's attributes: "Essence of the Southern Pole, god of fire and thunder, dragon-rope girded at the waist, commissioned by the Supreme Purity..."

The ritual employs various Fulu (talismans and registers):

• Marshal Wang's natal talisman (represented by special symbols in the text)
• Dragon-binding rope incantation: "Om thunder decree chariot hong heavenly lightning decree subdue capture" etc.
• General-summoning talisman: "Pu dao meng fa" (also called the Golden Well Barrier)

The complete procedure requires three acolytes to sit at the ritual altar, holding incense in their right hands while meditating in stillness. The ritual master must use the tongue tip to trace the character "轰" on the upper palate, then write "聻" with the gaze before merging both characters into golden light to be inhaled into water, while simultaneously dissolving the natal talisman into the water. The ritual concludes with the incantation: "Heaven (Qian) bewildered, earth (Kun) bewildered, humans (Xun) bewildered, ghosts (Gen) bewildered."

This magical practice is primarily used for exorcism and spirit-binding, employing the divine power of the Southern Pole's Fire and Thunder Department to subdue malevolent entities. The entire ritual emphasizes the integration of internal visualization with external talismanic techniques, embodying the distinctive characteristics of Daoist Thunder Method cultivation.

This scripture describes a Daoist ritual for exorcising evil spirits and subduing demons. The general meaning is that when heaven, earth, humans, and ghosts become confused and indistinguishable, the ritual master (fashi) summons deities to possess a medium through specific ceremonial steps.

First, it mentions three crucial time periods: "Midday Radiance" (wushi, noon), "Dusk Obscurity" (shenshi, 3-5 PM), and "Dim Dawn Vigor" (zichoushi, midnight to 3 AM), along with the use of "Thunder Mudra" (leiju, a specific hand gesture). The master must gather their three hun (ethereal souls) and seven po (corporeal souls) to return to the dantian (the lower abdominal energy center, a vital focus in Daoist cultivation).

Next comes the summoning of deities like Kuixing (the Big Dipper deity governing literary fortune) and the Net Host (one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions) to capture malevolent entities and interrogate ghosts. Emphasis is placed on adhering to celestial statutes (cosmic laws) and inscribing talismans with black ink. When invoking the Divine Guardians (lingguan, protector deities), the master experiences full-body tremors.

The specific procedure involves having the possessed medium sit quietly for a while. The master then visually traces the character "聻" (a common Daoist exorcism sigil) in the air at the medium's "Heavenly Eye" (tianmu, the third eye between the eyebrows) before spraying consecrated water. As the deity prepares to possess the medium, the master feels intense surges of qi (vital energy) within their body. If possession doesn't occur, the steps are repeated until successful, followed by prayers and divination.

This passage demonstrates the complete "Deity Summoning and Possession" process in Daoist ritual magic, involving multiple elements: timing selection, mudra techniques, talismanic writing, and qi circulation.