Space Cleaning With Beans (五色豆驱鬼法)

Beans are not only good as food, but beans can also be used to exorcise a haunted building too if you know the way. We will need green beans, red beans, white beans, black beans and finally yellow beans. The number of beans use varies according to traditions however.

 

Well there is a prerequisite for everything, in order to employ the beans to do exorcism; one must already a practitioner of 5 ghosts (五鬼) or 5 legionnaire armies (五营兵) ．

 

If one is using the 5 ghosts system, then use 1 bean each for green, red, white, black and yellow. If the person is using the 5 legionnaire armies, for general cases, one shall use 5 beans of each color. Otherwise use 99 green beans, 88 red beans, 66 white beans, 55 black beans and 33 yellow beans.

 

First, those who have installed 5 color flags in the altar must bring these 5 color flags to the site to be exorcised. At the place, first each flag must be installed in all 4 corners and centre of the area together with some food offerings and incense. The center portion should always be the main offering site. One must not forget to put the color beans on 5 plates in all 5 places hence blocking the passage of whatever spirits there may be present.

 

When the setup is done, the ritual proper should be started by first inviting the military spirits to enter and enjoy the offerings:

 

In the east/south/west/north/center corner:

 

“青/红/白/黑/黄旗操起东营军…”

 

(I am raising green/red/white/black/yellow flag to evoke armies in the east/south/west/north/centre…)

 

At this point, one should wait until the incense and candles are burnt half length before continue with the following:

 

“五旗操起五营军…”

 

(I am raising all 5 flags to evoke armies of all 5 camps…)

 

Now the person must pick up the plate filled with green/red/white/black and yellow beans in turn and pour the beans into a new plate. After all beans are collected and before the incense and candles are burnt out, those 5 color beans must be thrown out through the main door with a shout: “get out!”

 

In most cases, one ritual session is sufficient to throw out any wandering spirits except those earthbound spirits whose bones are still buried under the foundation. In this case, a tantric fire ceremony (密宗火供) coupled with deliverance ritual (超度法) will be more appropriate.

 

Once I performed the 5 beans exorcism ritual for a friend troubled by a female hung ghost during one night. The next day, my friend’s neighbor who is a nanny told him that she actually ‘saw’ the hung ghost flew out from his house as if being thrown out by an invisible force. Thus I stand by the effectiveness of the above method in casting out spirits with one exception of course.