DREAM GLOW

矢, shǐ. the arrow.

arrow; dart; old variant of 屎.

大, dà. the big. 

big; great; vast; large; high.

泡, pào. the bubbles.

bubbles; suds; blister; soak.

替, tì. the change.

change; replace; substitute for.

雲, yún. the cloud.

cloud.

创, chuàng. the create.

to begin; initiate; inaugurate; start.

闇, àn. the dark.

close; shut; dark; dismal.

驱, qū. the dash.

* 駆 (jp) ku, kakeru 駆ける.

to expel; urge on; drive; run quickly.

夢, mèng.  the dream.

dream; visionary; wishful.

地, dì. the earth.

earth; soil; ground; region.

消, xiāo. the erase. 

vanish; die out; melt away.

闘, dòu.  the fight.

struggle; fight; compete; contend.

火, huǒ. the firey. 

fire; flame; burn; anger; rage.

浮, fú. the float. 

to float; drift, waft; to exceed; superfluous.

花, huā. the flower.

flower; blossom.

翔, xiáng. the fly. 

soar; glide; hover; detailed.

霧, wù. the mist.

fog; mist; vapor; fine spray.

冻, dòng. the freeze.

freeze; to feel very cold; congeal.

灯, dēng. the glow.

lantern; lamp; light.

幻, huàn. the illusion.

illusion; fantasy; mirage.

跳, tiào. the jump.

to jump; to skip over; bounce;  leap.

秤, chēng. the libra.

balance; scale; to weigh.

光, guāng. the light.

light; brilliant; shine.

小, xiǎo. the little.

small; tiny; young; junior.

锁, suǒ.   the lock.

* 錠 (jp) jō じょう.

lock; padlock; shackles; chains.

輪, lún.  the loop.

wheel; to take turns; to rotate; classifier for recurring events.

迷, mí. the maze.

to bewilder; lost; confused.

镜, jìng. the mirror.

mirror; lens; glass; glasses.

移, yí. the move.

change place; shift; move about.

力, lì. the power.

power;  strength; capability; influence.

雨, yǔ. the rain.

rain; rainy.

返, fǎn. the return.

返回, fǎnhuí.

* 戻 (jp) modoru 戻る, もどる.

return; revert to; restore; come (or go) back.

砂, shā. the sand.

sand; pebbles; gravel; gritty.

影, yǐng. the shadow.

shadow; image; reflection; photograph.

盾, dùn. the shield.

shield. 

撃, jī.  the shot.

strike; hit; beat; attack; fight.

静, jìng. the silent.

calm; quiet; still; motionless; gentle.

眠, mián. the sleep.

close eyes; sleep; hibernate.

雪, xuě. the snow.

snow; wipe away shame; avenge.

歌, gē. the song.

song; lyrics; sing; chant; praise.

风暴, fēngbào. the storm.

* 嵐 (jp) arashi あらし.

storm; violent commotion. fig. crisis (e.g. revolution, uprising, financial crisis etc)

甘, gān. the sweet.

sweet; willing.

剑, jiàn. the sword.

* 剣 (jp) ken.

sword; dagger; saber.

抜, bá. the through.

拔出, bá chū.

(jp) nuku 抜く, ぬく.

to surpass; to seize;  to go beyond; to rise; to put forth.

雷, léi. the thunder.

thunder; mine (weapon). (Internet slang) terrifying; terrific.

时, shí. the time.  

 time; season; era, age, period.

双, shuāng. the twin. 

set of two; pair; couple; both.

声, shēng.  the voice. 

sound; voice; tone; noise; reputation; classifier for sounds.

水, shuǐ. the watery. 

water; river; liquid; beverage; additional charges or income (of clothes); classifier for number of washes.

波, bō. the wave.

wave; ripple; storm; surge.

風, fēng. the windy.

wind; air; manners; atmosphere.

樹, shù. the wood. 

tree; plant; set up; establish.

notes:

* these kanji are the logographic used for the title on their respective card. i understand this is logical given CSS is a japanese work. however, the character in the story that created the cards is chinese and the cards themselves are based on daoist concepts. for this reason i did my best to translate them as this is a list of the chinese names that would be (in my opinion) the cards “true” names. the rest of the infographics are mutually understandable between chinese and japanese kanji. 

not listed by hierarchy, just sorted alphabetically for easier navigation.

In turn, both the four cardinal directions and five relative directions relate to the five phases, or Wǔ xíng. The Wǔ xíng refers to the basic Chinese cosmological concept of five phases that consist of dynamic moving elements

The Wu Xing expresses the five basic transformations forming the physical concept of mass-energy equivalence, the scientific concept that mass is a measure of energy content, reliant on the speed of light. 

While E= mc2 is the realm of physics, in the realm of metaphysics, at least according to Chinese esotericism, Wǔ xíng expresses the five phases of energy as it transforms into matter. Those five phases are expressed as Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.

Western practitioners who have studied Eastern esotericism often translate the Wǔ xíng as five elements, likened to the Western concept of four elements, Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. I also draw comparisons between the Wǔ xíng and the Western four elements because it’s easier, but a more precise characterization of Wǔ xíng would be as phases, not elements.

The Chinese have a different understanding for the Wǔ xíng. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water are not parts of a whole. They are how Qì energy expressed as yīn and yáng move, change, shift, interact, and relate to each other as they form the Bā Guà trigrams and finally into a whole, whether that whole is a microcosm or macrocosm. 

Whereas Fire in Western cosmology is active yang, Fire in the Wǔ xíng can be either yīn or yáng and represents one of the five ways in which yīn and yáng interact with one another. Wǔ xíng would be better compared to the concept of elemental dignities, the chemistry of how elements interact with one another, than the concept of elements. 

The Western four elements represent parts or components. The Eastern Wǔ xíng represents how the parts or components move. Thus, while the Fire, Earth, Water terminology sounds the same, it is like trying to equate wind as a noun, “air in motion,” with wind as a verb, “going in a circular or spiral direction,” just because both are expressed with the same word and spelled the same way, or drawing an equivalence between bear, the animal, and bear as in “carrying a burden.” Fire, Earth, and Water in the Western four elements just happen to be homographs of Fire, Earth, and Water from the Chinese Wǔ xíng.

An understanding of yīn and yáng will result in a strong foundational knowledge of Eastern metaphysics and how Qì energy flows, but to master the art and science of craft requires a full understanding of Wǔ xíng. Utilizing Wǔ xíng is one of the most powerful techniques at a practitioner’s disposal. It instructs the practitioner on how to defeat and protect against any affront. It shows how to fortify and support any desired result. Wu Xing is the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine, inner body cultivation, alchemy, fēng shuǐ, Chinese fortune-telling and divination, the social and political cycles of human civilization, the cycles of the universe, the cycles of every individual life path, and, of course, the metaphysical art of craft.

Taoist craft is also based on the four compass or cardinal directions and the five relative directions. The four compass directions are north, south, east, and west, corresponding with the Black Tortoise, Red Phoenix, Azure Dragon (sometimes translated to Green or Blue), and White Tiger, respectively. The four directions have also been referred to as the Four Imperial Palaces (四御殿, Sì Yù Diàn) or the Treasured Ones of the Four Corners (四方寶人, Sì Fāng Baŏ Rén). These are the four quarters that are called upon at the start of ritual work.

In craft, the four directions, or Four Guardians, also command four powers that a practitioner invokes, and by invoking the four powers during ritual, assumes those qualities. The Black Tortoise can endow the practitioner with the power of clairaudience; the Red Phoenix with the power to create and bring growth; the Azure Dragon with the power of control over events; and the White Tiger with the power of clairvoyance.

There are also the five relative directions (五方, Wŭ Fāng), which relate to and can be superimposed over the four cardinal directions. As an independent principle, the five relative directions are expressed as above, below, left, right, and center, and also as front, back, left, right, and center.

In the Zhou Dynasty, the five relative directions were expressed as five deities, referred to as the Five Emperors (五方上帝, Wŭ Fāng Shàng Dì) or the Five Lords (五 君, Wŭ Jūn). In most traditions of Fu craft, the Five Emperors for the five relative directions had to be invoked, right along with the Four Guardians for the four compass directions. The Five Emperors are typically called upon in unbinding spells, or to neutralize the spells of another witch or sorcerer. Such a practice is found across several Eastern esoteric traditions.  

The five relative directions have also been personified as the Five Celestials of Wealth (五 路 財 神, Wŭ Lŭ Cái Shén), similar to the Five Emperors in mechanics, though the Five Celestials of Wealth are invoked for craft and cultivation that is specific to attaining prosperity. How the five relative directions are characterized varies from lineage to lineage, and even changes according to the nature of the Fu to be crafted, for example, invoking the Five Celestials of Wealth for prosperity sigils.

A practitioner’s ritual begins by calling upon the four compass and five relative directions. Doing so forms a multidimensional sphere around the practitioner and his or her sacred space while the ritual takes place. More traditional or orthodox traditions personify the four compass and five relative directions into deities, spirits, or lords. How you choose to express the concept must resonate with you and your ontology. Yet the serious practitioner will not omit integration of these concepts into the opening of a ritual.

The push and pull between yin and yang then give rise to a trinity, represented in Taoist cosmology by Heaven, Earth, and Man. The vesica piscis represents the trinitarian relationship of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Heaven and Earth together create Man. Thus, at least according to esoteric Taoist cosmology, were the origins of universe and likewise, through the biological union of father and mother, creating child, the origins of every human life. Across many cultures, ancient civilizations have espoused a relational connection between Heaven and Earth, with the advent of astrology as the study of that connection.

Science today proposes the same idea, albeit with different vocabulary. We now know that stars, when nearing the end of their lives, can synthesize complex organic compounds, which are then dispersed throughout the galaxy. The chemical composition of stardust particles resembles the organic solids of meteorites, and meteorites are the remnants of primordial solar nebula. In the early part of Earth’s history, meteorites bombarded its surface, implanting the Earth with the seeds of primordial organic material from Heaven. Thus the zygote for human life, for Man to arise, was formed. In that sense, Man is literally made up of Heaven (stardust) fertilizing the Earth (water), and on Earth (the womb) came life.

When calling upon the energies of Heaven in Taoist craft, Heaven is characterized as deity (or deities) and also as the sun, moon, and stars. Earth is the physical, natural world, the four compass directions, and the five relative directions, which I will address later in this section. Man is the human, the sentient being occupying Earth, created from the union of Heaven and Earth.

Within any given circuit of Qì, either personal or cosmic characterizations, the Qì life force subdivides into the dichotomy of Yīn and Yáng. Yīn is represented by dark and Yáng represented by light. The two are opposites and they are complements. They are in concord and they are in discord. Yīn is curved, while Yáng is straight. Yīn is soft, yielding, while Yáng is hard, pushing. Yīn is potential, and Yáng is kinetic. Qì is the current that runs through all components of the universe, and all components possess Yīn and Yáng.

There are significant distinctions between the esoteric Taoist expression of Yīn and Yáng (for the purposes of craft) and exoteric Taoist philosophy. In exoteric Taoist philosophy, Yīn is soft, yielding, and intuitive, and Yáng is hard, linear, and logical. The Tao Te Ching explains the wisdom of Yīn—that to yield is to overcome. Yīn is a passive, internalizing contraction, whereas Yáng is an active, externalizing force. 

In esoteric Taoist craft, Yīn is expressed as it would be in exoteric Taoist philosophy, but in addition to those expressions, also embodies the energy that ghosts, hungry ghosts, and demons thrive upon. Yīn relates to the spirit world and the underworld. To draw entities of these other realms toward you, you raise stronger Yīn energy to create an environment conducive to such spirits. Yīn is also the realm of the occult. 

Yáng relates to the celestial realm of deities, patron saints, and higher vibrational guardian spirits, or guardian angels. To exorcise, dispel, or banish ghosts, hungry ghosts, or demons, strong Yáng energy needs to be raised. Thus, in many historical documentations of Fu craft, symbols for Yáng energy, such as the Chinese character for “sun” (日) are used. Also, in the Fu talisman on the left (example), a guardian spirit or deity is being invoked, hence the character for “monarch” (君), in this context indicative of a celestial monarch, one reigning in the heavens.

Fu talismans are ideograms and writings typically rendered on paper and empowered by means of invocations, ritual, and transferences of energy, or Qì as this book will refer to such energy. Qì is life force, the breath that brings vitality. Qì is the unseen impetus behind all change, creative or destructive, whether it is initiation, continuation, transformation, or cessation. 

A theoretical principle presumed by the craft that will be presented in this book is the relationship between two characterizations of Qì that I’ll refer to as personal Qì and cosmic Qì. Personal Qì is the individual circuit of vital energy flowing through each one of us. Cosmic Qì is the principle that each one of our individual circuits is connected to every other, and a unifying connection of circuits emerges to form a collective energy force. The transactions and occurrences of cosmic Qì have a direct and relational impact on each individual circuit of personal Qì. That concept can be likened to the Western occult maxim, “As above, so below” where events that happen at the macrocosm will also happen at the microcosm. 

Thus, a practitioner who understands his or her own personal Qì, who understands the self, can gain the wisdom of fully understanding the cosmic Qì, or understanding the universe. To know yourself is to know the universe. Study of the universe and the physical and metaphysical realities of the universe is thus a study of yourself. When the way of the macrocosm is veiled to you, look to the way of the microcosm, and then the mystery will be unveiled. That is the foundation from which you will build your knowledge of craft.

Taoist theory is essential to understanding the principles and mechanics of craft. Craft is the skill and knowledge of exercising will over manifestations in the universe, a science that may resemble religion, but is one based on experimentation and observations recorded over thousands of years, though such records are often kept secret and passed on only to the few.

The Fu talisman is the crown of esoteric Taoist craft, one of the most potent manifestations there is of craft. To craft potent Fu talismans, all of the following ontological principles must be  utilized. Thus, before a discussion can take place on what a Fu talisman even is, there must be a discussion of Qì, yīn and yáng, the Wǔ xíng, and the Bā Guà. Without an understanding of those principles, there can be no understanding of the Fu.