Monday, November 26, 2012

The Altar Of Six Generals (六甲壇)


 
 
The altar of six generals is a famous altar set up a Maoshan Taoist must master before he/she can perform advance Taoist magic rituals and to control spirits. Straightly speaking, this is the altar for worshipping Chinese 12 zodiac animals. Taoist further subdivided the zodiac into 6 Yang generals and 6 Ying generals:

 

·         Yang generals: Rat, Dog, Monkey, Horse, Dragon and Tiger

·         Ying generals: Cow, Rabbit, Snake, Goat, Chicken and Pig

 

First, a Taoist must set up an altar as shown above, prepare required materials such as pen, paper, ink etc. Then he/she must perform below incantations 7x, twice a day, once in the morning and once at night:

 

“The heart is the master of my body, my left is the green dragon liver, to my right are the white tiger lungs, in front is the red bird kidney, and at my back is the tortoise asshole. My soul likes to enjoy and my Po is restless. I see with my eyes, I hear with my ears, I smell with my nose, my mouth and my tongue likes to talk good and bad things. The 36 divisions are my teeth, the mountain and jungles are my hairs, the 9 rivers and 8 streams are my intestines. My stomach becomes the lakes and oceans, all my ligaments and joints become the gates of cities. My hands float in the air while my legs sink in to the earth. Millions and millions of body hairs and my bile stays within my 5 organs. My spirit, my chi and my soul whatever belongs to me returns to Tao. I train myself to become god and break all the karmic bonds, breaking the boundaries of the sky; into the emptiness. If I have troubles, please protect me; if I have a job, please help to accomplish it. As my will and according to the order of master Shanshanjiuhou so mote it be.”

 

After the incantation, the Taoist should meditate for as long as he/she can. One of the generals will come and meet the Taoist to set up a pack. Finally the ritual is ended with “star walk” as below:

 

Ideally one should perform the above ritual for 49 consecutive days as his/her foundation practice. Only after that, his/her magic will work.
 
 

3 comments:

  1. Both walks are to be done? In the first walk, do you take a step back before going to the next step, or do you go straight to the next step? In the second walk after you walk the first line do you step back to do the second? Third? I'm curious because even though I'm a member of a Taoist Temple here in the Philippines, there's still so much I don't know (I'm kinda embarrassed to ask the priest about this.)

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    Replies
    1. Hmm... It's a little difficult to describe...

      The first walk (the triangle, face front):

      Center -> lower right -> center -> lower left
      (turn facing back)
      lower right->lower left...

      Continue with the second walk:

      (face front & step backwards)

      Start with 贪->巨->禄->文->廉->午->破.

      The '午' is missing in the diagram. It should be half way between the 廉 and the 破.

      I hope I have not confused u...

      BTW... There are many star steps for various purposes, the above are just two of the classic examples..

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  2. Yes, I know there are many star steps. I know a few, basic ones that my master taught me.

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