Getting Fortune From 5-Brothers (五鬼運財)

Many Mao Shan Taoists believe that asking ghosts to do their biddings is faster and smoother than asking gods or goddesses. The reason is that gods and goddesses will look down on a person as they already have what human belong or perhaps more. So why bother to accept just a little negligible offering from human world? The ghosts on the other hand, will do anything with some food offerings as the ghosts are normally poor and need shelter. Once a person satisfies “good brothers’” worldly needs, they will serve you faithfully.

 

There are many ways to get fortune from our 5-Brothers:

 

·         The 5 legionnaires (五營兵)

o   This is the strongest Taoist ritual for spirit manipulation, not for ordinary people. Need attentions and magic power to attend to the 5 legionnaires.

o   The army is controlled with a snake or dragon head whip.

o   Best to have a separate altar and not to keep with a Toyol or Kumantong as they will be consumed by the giants.

·         The 5 brothers (五鬼)

o   The 5 brothers are a step lower than the 5 legionnaire army, and this is the most widely used systems of all. There are many variants, but the most powerful type use 5 real human skulls.

o   The 5 brothers are controlled by a ghost king.

o   Best to have a separate altar, preferably in a quiet and dark corner.

·         The wandering spirits (游魂)

o   This is the ritual practiced by our grandmothers, and the easiest of all ghost rituals but the power is much lesser than the above two. The spirits come and go as they like, so ritual of this type is normally to appease the ghosts than to control them. The spirits may bring in small fortune at times.

 

Since the ghosts are unpredictable and they come in groups, ordinary people will not be able to handle them. If care is not taken, then mishaps such as accidents, bad luck, bad business or bad public relations. Below precautions must be taken before the ritual:

 

·         First one’s astrology chart is checked to make sure that the person is not undergoing his or her bad luck.

·         The ancestral tomb and house Feng Shui must be checked and space cleaning rituals carried out to clear away unwanted energies. If the Feng Shui is not good, then such ritual must be avoided.

 

Once a Taoist master is satisfied with all the findings, then one can choose the type of rituals he or she wishes to uphold. Once a decision is made, it is best to continue the rituals for at least one full year to see the results. For the first two: the 5-legionnaires and the 5-brothers; the altar is best to be set up in a factory or shop if one is in business. Whatever the choice is, once setup is done; the offerings are almost similar:

 

·         Incense, joss papers and candles.

·         Raw or cooked meat: chicken, duck, pork, fish and eggs. For businesses, use full offerings, for private premises, use smaller portions such as a drumstick. Remember the golden rule: “Strike a gong harder, then the sound would he louder.”

·         Other offerings such as rice wine, tea, fruits, and biscuits are also needed.

·         Some Taoist “Fu” or talismans coupled with incantations to force the good brothers to work. If none, then just say to them what is required of them. The key is that you must make a promise that if your situation gets better, then the good brothers will get more offerings.

·         The ritual is normally performed on the 2^nd and 14^th day of the Chinese calendar after 4pm. But many people will do that during lunch time for convenience or evening at 7pm.

·         Now to perform the ritual:

o   Arrange the food stuffs on a table or on the floor.

o   Light the candles and incense.

o   Invite the spirits using flipping coins method.

o   The joss paper should be folded accordingly.

o   Wait until the incense is burnt to half length, then pour the rise wine onto the floor and say your wish or recite mantras.

o   Flip the coins to get a favorable answer.

o   Burn the joss paper and pour the rice wine around the joss paper.

o   Bid the spirits farewell if one doesn’t have an altar, or ask the spirits to stay in the altar to help you.

·         Now prepare a vase with small opening and big body. Put the vase at your Local Lord’s altar, if none a quiet place. Keep 1% of your daily income in the vase and you will see your income gradually increases.

 

I have to nag that care must be taken on offering to the spirits and conditions of self and family members must be checked. If you do the rituals, kindly do so and keep me informed. I am not nosy; again I will help you to oversee your situation. As for the mantras and talismans, I will need to work closely with you.