Book of Shadows

The foundational Daoist understanding of cosmogony (emergence of the cosmos) and cosmology (underlying principles and patterns of the cosmos) centers on "correlative cosmology" or "systematic correspondences," on a worldview based on yin-yang interaction and the Five Phases. Etymologically speaking, yin ? depicts a hill (fu ?) covered by shadows (yin ?), while yang ? depicts a hill (fu ?) covered by sunlight (yang ?). At the root-meaning level, yin and yang are ways of speaking about the same place at different times/moments of the day. Yin and yang are not "polar opposites" or antagonistic substances; they are, in fact, complementary principles, aspects, or forces. As the characters suggest, yin and yang are used to represent different dimensions of the same phenomenon or situation. By extension, there are various associations: yin/female/earth/dark/heavy/turbidity/rest and yang/male/heavens/light/ light/clarity/activity. At times, "yin" is also used to designate negative or harmful aspects of life more generally (immorality, ugliness, disease, etc.), while "yang" becomes related to positive or beneficial aspects of life (morality, beauty, health, etc.). What must be emphasized is that these are relative associations, not absolute characteristics. Just because women are considered "yin" in one respect or in one context, it does not follow that they are also "immoral" or "turbid." There are also varying degrees of yin and yang in every phenomenon, in each moment or experience, and in every being. Because the universe is understood as a transformative process (zaohua ??), this also means that any negative or harmful pattern or manifestation may be transformed into a positive or beneficial pattern or manifestation.

Daoist cosmology also employs, emphasizes, and systematizes Five Phase (wuxing ??) cosmology. Conventionally rendered as "Five Elements," wuxing literally means something like "five activities" or "five movements." This dynamic and process-orientated aspect becomes more satisfactorily rendered in the designation of "Five Phases." The Five Phases are Wood (mu ?), Fire (huo ?), Earth (tu ?), Metal (jin ?), Water (shui ?). While these five do, in fact, relate to actual substances as well as related phenomena and energetic qualities of the "phases," the system is much more complex and dynamic than "elements" would lead one to believe. The Five Phases are the centerpiece of the so-called "system of correspondences" or "systematic correspondence." This system of correspondences consists of the following associations (phase/season/emblem/direction/life-stage/orientation/climate/orbs/spiritual dimension/color/flavor/ odor/sound/beneficial emotion/injurious emotion/ sense organ/ grain/planet/ tissue):

(1) Wood: spring: Azure Dragon: east: birth: outward: wind: liver/gall bladder: ethereal soul (hun ?): azure: sour: rancid: shouting: kindness (ren ?): anger (nu ?): eyes: wheat: Jupiter: ligaments.

(2) Fire: summer: Vermillion Bird: south: adolescence: upward: heat: heart/small intestine: spirit (shen ?): red: bitter: scorched: laughing: respect (li ?): excessive joy (xi ?): tongue: beans: Mars: arteries;

(3) Earth: late summer: —: center: adulthood: centering: dampness: spleen/stomach: intention (yi ?): yellow: sweet: fragrant: singing: honesty (xin ?): worry (si ?): mouth: rice: Saturn: muscles;

(4) Metal: autumn: White Tiger: west: maturation: inward: dryness: lungs/large intestine: corporeal soul (po ?): white: pungent: rotten: weeping: discernment (yi ?): grief (ku ?): nose: oats: Venus: skin and hair;

(5) Water: winter: Mysterious Warrior: north: old age: downward: cold: kidneys/bladder: vital essence (jing ?): black: salty: putrid: groaning: wisdom (zhi ?): fear (kong ?): ears: millet: Mercury: bones.

The Five Phases, including their various associations, are, in turn, understood to relate to each other in patterns of dynamic interaction. The so-called "production cycle" is as follows: Wood>Fire>Earth>Metal> Water>Wood>. Then there is the "destruction cycle": Wood>Water> Metal>Earth>Fire>Wood>. Finally, there is the "control cycle": Wood>Earth>Water>Fire>Metal>Wood>. These sequences may be represented as a circle (the production cycle) with a pentagram inside (the control cycle).

Daoist "theology" (discourse on the sacred) centers on emanation, immanence, and cosmological processes. In terms of the origins of the manifest universe, or the present cosmic epoch, the Dao represents primordial undifferentiation or pure potentiality. In a pre-manifest "state," the Dao is an incomprehensible and unrepresentable before. Chapter two of the Zhuangzi ??(Book of Master Zhuang) describes this "moment" as "the beginning not yet beginning to be a beginning" (you weishi you you shi ??????). Here the Dao is understood as Source of all that is. Through a spontaneous, unintentional, and impersonal process of unfolding or differentiation, this undifferentiation became the One or unity. That is, even unity or the wholeness of Being-before-being is not the Dao in its ultimate sense. The One represents the first moment or stage of differentiation. From this unity, separation occurs. In the next phase of differentiation, the one divides into two, yin and yang. Here yin also relates to terrestrial qi or the qi of the earth (diqi ??), while yang relates to celestial qi or the qi of the heavens (tianqi ??). At this moment yin and yang have not yet formed patterns of interaction. The interaction of yin and yang is referred to as "three;" this moment involves yin and yang in dynamic and continual interaction, resulting in further differentiation.

This further differentiation leads to the emergence of materiality as well as more individualized beings and forces, including human beings. Here the manifest universe is understood as an emanation of the Dao and the Dao is seen as immanent in the universe. From such an emanationist, immanence, and process-oriented cosmology, one may understand how Daoist theism (veneration of gods) is one way in which the Dao becomes manifest in the cosmos. Deities are simply differently differentiated aspects of the Dao, and worshipping deities is not, in and of itself, different than having reverence for the unnamable mystery which is the Dao. Such cosmology also reveals a continuum among gods, immortals, and physically-embodied beings, which may be charted on a spectrum from the most rarified to the most material.

Daoist practice is based on awareness and attentiveness. The Daoist practice of observation, often referred to as "inner observation" (neiguan ??), is both a specific meditation technique and an all-pervasive existential approach. Etymologically speaking, the character guan ? consists of "egret" (guan ?) and "to perceive" (jian ?). Observation is the quality of an egret remaining attentive to barely noticeable or unseen presences. Daoist observation is based on maintaining a similar stillness and readiness to respond to whatever arises. This is accomplished through awareness, agility, and non-attachment. The practice of observation is the foundation for cultivating attunement with the Dao, for making a lodging place for the numinous. It also allows one to gain a deeper energetic sensitivity to both internal conditions and external influences. An orientation towards self-observation keeps the adept in relationship with what is essential and real.

Daoist meditation may refer to any or all of the traditional four postures, namely, walking, sitting, standing or lying down. Daoist seated meditation consists of a wide variety of methods and practices, including inner observation, visualization, concentration, alchemy, and so forth.

A foundational Daoist meditation practice centers on clarity, stillness, and emptiness. One sits in a comfortable position either on a cushion or in a chair, and begins to draw the senses inward, to withdraw from the world of sensory phenomena and habitual reactivity. The spine is erect, and the crown of the head and coccyx relax away from each other. One allows breathing to be natural, for respiration to find its own rhythm. The hands are either placed palms down on the knees or joined in front of the navel in a Daoist mudra position. With the tip of the tongue touching the upper palate, one focuses on emptying and stilling. The ears listen to the center of the head. With the eyelids hanging and the eyes slightly open, the gaze rests on the tip of the nose. Then the gaze extends down the front centerline of the body to rest on the lower elixir field (lower abdomen). One allows emotional and intellectual activity to become stilled and to dissipate naturally. Over time, stillness deepens and clarity increases. In Daoism, this practice is often referred to as "entering stillness" (rujing ??), "quiet sitting" (jingzuo ??), "sitting-in-forgetfulness" (zuowang ??), or "fasting the heart-mind" (xinzhai ??). For those beginning Daoist meditation, daily practice in the morning and in the evening, lasting from twenty to forty minutes is recommended. Of these various parameters, commitment to daily practice is most important.

 

Traditionally speaking, Daoist ritual is divided into two broad categories: jiao ? ("offerings") and zhai ? ("purification") rites. In contemporary Zhengyi ?? (Orthodox Unity) Daoism, the former is sometimes referred to as "cosmic renewal rites." Most contemporary Daoist ritual has roots that go back to the Lingbao ?? (Numinous Treasure) movement. Zhai-rituals frequently involve confession or expiation and involve the purification of the body through bathing and fasting, the purification of the heart through confession of transgressions or moral impurity, and a communal feast celebrating the re-established harmony between human community and the spirit world. Usually, the zhai-ritual is a large-scale public affair carried out in the open air around a temporary Daoist altar (daotan ??) established for the occasion by the priests (daoshi ??). Jiao-rituals are acts of communal renewal, which are the main rituals carried out today. In contemporary jiao-rituals an altar is erected, written invitations are sent to the gods, the gods descend into the sacred space around the altar, incense is offered and an audience takes place between the sponsors of the ritual and the gods. The ritual can last from one day to several weeks. These Daoist rituals can have diverse aims.

In terms of contemporary Longmen ?? (Dragon Gate) liturgy (gongke ??), communal chanting is done before the main altar, usually dedicated to the Sanqing ?? (Three Purities), in the morning and in the evening. This is supposed to be performed daily, but often only occurs on the new and full moon, seasonal nodes, and major festival days. The centerpiece of the evening altar recitation and "merit undertaking" is the Eight Great Spirit Invocations (ba da shenzhou ????), which are ordered sequentially as follows: purifying the heart, purifying the mouth, purifying the body, purifying the earth, purifying the cosmos, offering incense, [activating] the golden light, and opening the scriptures in obscurity. Here one notices a movement from the innermost place in one's body to the outermost place in the cosmos and then back again. Emphasis is placed on self-purification and cosmological attunement.

Daoist ritual consists of both an external performance and an internal attentiveness. This microcosmic/macrocosmic relationship informs the Daoist understanding of daily practice as a form of ritual activity.