#taoist seals

[renegade-hierophant]

First lines of the Dao De Jing in the ancient Chinese Seal Script:

The Dao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Dao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. Having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; having a name, it is the Mother of all things.

[dongbangskies]

Back from the Brink Review

Finally got around to writing this review on this drama. I showed up for Zhou Ye because she stole the show as Gu Xiang in Word of Honor and I was blown away.

Its a 10/10. Top 10 dramas of all time. I LOVED IT.

Spoilers (obvy) ahead.

We're gonna skip over how Hou MingHao looks like if you put Wei WuXian Xiao Zhan and 2005 Rising Sun Jaejoong in a blender. He's stunning. Those fantastic facial expressions and that slightly villainous look <3 <3 Love it.

And Zhou Ye is just everything. She is a gem. If I see her in a drama I'll probably give it a chance. She can carry a drama with her acting alone. Yanhui was a funny and strong willed character and I loved her. what a great female lead.

Few reasons why this drama absolutely RULED despite its plot holes and absolute disappointment of a villain was essentially a 2006 Hot Topic ass emo kid.

the way they handle trauma. Fantastic. No notes. I'm about how they point blank had YanHui state she was afraid of TianYao after he stabbed her. Thats so good. Because that was all her, not the dark lord nonsense. He, by her knowledge at the time, killed her with no hesitation after she thought she was finally breaking through. and she's scared. and he has to face the consequences of it. it wasn't an oh, i found out you did for a good reason so I forgive you. She doesn't forgive him until he proves that he is there to protect her.

The way TianYao learned from his mistakes and fought for Yanhui's forgiveness and affection after the betrayal. Trust me, those 10 eps were PAINFUL, after the love bombing that was the first 16 eps, but it was so refreshing to see the male lead make his bed and then have to live in it. So often the "forgiveness" arch is so shallow. but in this drama, TianYao comes to realize why Yanhui was so afraid of him, how awful what he did was, and goes out of his way to change. He explains himself. He learned his lesson. And then when he was a baby dragon and remembering bits and pieces. We saw Ponytail TianYao and kind of how malicious he was. and Baby TianYao was APPALLED at himself. I love that they made him look in the mirror.

The fact that TianYao was not willing to sacrifice YanHui to do his "duty". The one time he "sacrificed her", it was to protect his people. But the whole "duty to the world" nonsense. Nope. I love that take. The drama took one look at the "villains make a better lover because a hero will sacrifice you for the world but the villain will sacrifice the world for you" and said, "what if the hero didn't." Deadass TianYao was like "oh I'm the only one that can defeat this Dark Chi? Okay I'm sure someone else will figure it out as I willingly give my life force to save my love."

the whole take that saving one person is just as important as wanting to save the world. the punchline of the third test is fantastic. (previous post made about it lol)

the jokes and the sounds effects landed so well. I was HOWLING through the drama. I dont know what was funnier: a) the TianYao fancam from the Fox Incense, b) Bai XiaoSheng underground forced couples therapy, c) her frenzy from the end of ep 11 to when Da ShiXiong gets kidnapped into the Misty Forest, or d) or the moth lady kidnapping TianYao

10/10 would watch again and again.

[yourmaidsp]

outta nowhere, east park dip design

Context:

Pip:

- Exchange student with archery skill (adds some bonus points to GPA)

- Grew up in Catholic environment so doesn't believe Damien is a Taoist deity (even when it's extremely obvious)

- Doesn't get bullied in this au bc good grades, but still lonely

- Thinks Damien must be lonely too and needs a friend, so tries to befriend him all the time

Damien:

- Send to earth by his dad to know the world better (also on a secret mission against other spirits in east park)

- Seals his power within right hand with talisman

- Doesn't want to make friends bc he's afraid of his power hurting anyone accidentally

- Other kids think he's some cosplay enthusiast (from some maho shojo anime) and trying to figure out which anime is that

- deep within acknowledge Pip's friendship

[kaeyx]

In any monster au chuuya would 1000% be a vampire. Blood in wine glasses, dark moody reds and black, hates bright lights, lives in extravagance with a night time job. Hes the refined, elegant type that has successfully integrated into human society but misses being an old romantic. Chuuya closely monitors the modern era, absorbing all kinds of information from technology to ethics. Initially it was to better blend in but now he has an appreciation for human tenacity and ingenuity. When he falls in love he falls hard, he cannot bare to part from you but he cant stand turning you into a cold monster such as himse-"but if im a vampire we can fuck forever" .....you make a good point and he will think on it. In all seriousness though he is a gentleman who considers your happiness and wellbeing above everything. If you come to the conclusion that you want to remain human he is absolutely going to dedicate an entire mausoleum and garden to you inside his castle- he leaves the city behind to stay with your corpse until he also returns to dust. Its the hardcore romanticism in him. For as long as your alive though, dont expect him to ever leave you alone

Dazai is harder for me to pin down but i feel like he would be genuinely unsettling/inhuman. Thinking drider/jorogumo, kelpie, jinkininki. I think kitsune also fits very well for the trickster aspects but the monster side needs to be beefed up for me to appreciate. Regardless he is found in the dark, dangerous, and empty corners of cities. On the surface he is completely adjusted to life as a human, especially when he is able to present in human form. But at his core he is still a monster who doesnt expend empathy or kindness to humans. His tricks, his traps, his appetite for human flesh are still alive and well. Thankfully at some point someone instilled in him the idea of morals so dazai's diet consists of human scum. He isnt romantic like chuuya but is devoted and tender. Unfortunately a true monster fell in love with you and he will find a way to make you immortal. There are plenty of talented witches and taoists that owe him favors. Theres no existence without you, he will bind his soul to yours so he never has to be alone again

Suffice to say both monsters are yandere and the sex is intense

LMAOOO CHUUYA WOULD BE SO TAKEN ABACK POOR THING

But yes that's me you're telling me I get to sleep during the day and wander around in low cut shirts with puffy sleeves?? Forever??? And also this hot man will bite me??? Sign me UP I'll work graveyard shift somewhere

Ugh it suits him so well tho,,,, big cold corridors, nice clothes, fancy wine glasses, yearning from a distance, love letters sealed with wax, lots and lots of blood,,,,,, ehehehe I need him

And YEAH KITSUNE DAZAI LIKE THAT ONE MAYOI CARD

This bastard definitely embraces the more unsettling, inhuman aspects of himself. Being a little too tall, limbs a little too long, teeth a little too sharp even if he's mimicking a human. You look into his eyes too long and get a little dizzy, like looking over the edge of a cliff. Weird shit is always happening around him, though it's unclear whether that's because of his magic or because he's just Like That™.

And my god the sex. Absolutely insane sex on both sides. Chuuya has endless stamina and would want nothing more than to turn you while he's fucking you, drinking your blood until you're lightheaded and can barely move, letting him go as many rounds as he likes. Dazai digging his sharp teeth and claws into you, fucking you in weird places like alleyways or in the middle of the forest, chasing you through the city before pinning you to the ground and fucking your brains out. Plus he has a knot

[talonabraxas]

The Secret of the Golden Flower Talon Abraxas

1. HEAVENLY CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE HEART

Master Lu Tzu said: That which exists through itself is called Meaning. (Tao). Meaning has neither name nor force. It is the one essence, the one primordial spirit. Essence and life cannot be seen. It is contained in the Light of Heaven. The light of Heaven cannot be seen. It is contained in the two eyes. Today I will be your guide and will first reveal to you the secret of the Golden Flower of the Great One, and, starting from that, I will explain the rest in detail.

The Great One is the term given to that which has nothing above it. The secret of the magic of life consists in using action in order to achieve non-action. One must not wish to leave out the steps between and penetrate directly. The maxim handed down to us is to take in hand the work on the essence. In doing this it is important not to follow the wrong road.

The Golden Flower is the Light. What color has the light? One uses the Golden Flower as an image. It is the true power of the transcendent Great One. The phrase, "The lead of the water-region has but one taste," refers to it. The work on the circulation of the Light depends entirely on the backward-flowing movement, so that the thoughts are gathered together (the place of Heavenly Consciousness, the Heavenly Heart). The Heavenly Heart lies between sun and moon (i.e., the two eyes).

The Book of the Yellow Castle says: In the field of the square inch of the house of the square foot, life can be regulated. The house of the square foot is the face. The field of the square inch in the face: What could that be other than the Heavenly Heart? In the middle of the square inch dwells the splendor. In the purple hall of the city of jade dwells the god of utmost emptiness and life. The Confucians call it the center of emptiness; the Buddhists, the terrace of life; the Taoists, the ancestral land, or the yellow castle, or the dark pass, or the space of former Heaven. The Heavenly Heart is like the dwelling place, the Light is the master. Therefore when the Light circulates, the powers of the whole body arrange themselves before its throne, just as when a holy king has taken possession of the capital and has laid down the fundamental rules of order, all the states approach with tribute, or, just as when the master is quiet and calm, men-servants and maids obey his orders of their own accord, and each does his work.

Therefore you only have to make the Light circulate: that is the deepest and most wonderful secret. The Light is easy to move, but difficult to fix. If it is allowed to go long enough in a circle, then it crystallizes itself: that is the natural spirit -body. This crystallized spirit is formed beyond the nine Heavens. It is the condition of which it is said in the Book of the Seal of the Heart: Silently in the morning thou fliest upward.

In carrying out this fundamental truth you need to seek for no other methods, but must only concentrate your thoughts on it. The book Leng Yen says: By collecting the thoughts one can fly and will be born in Heaven. Heaven is not the wide blue sky, but the place where the body is made in the house of the creative. If one keeps this up for a long time, there develops quite naturally in addition to the body, yet another spirit-body.

The Golden Flower is the Elixir of Life (literally, golden ball, golden pill). All changes of spiritual consciousness depend upon the Heart. Here is a secret charm, which, although it works very accurately, is yet so fluent that it needs extreme intelligence and clarity, and complete absorption and calm. People without this highest degree of intelligence and understanding do not find the way to apply the charm; People without this utmost capacity for concentration and calm cannot keep fast hold of it.

Secret of the Golden Flower:

[everyneji]

Why do all of your neji’s have swastikas

MY Neji? I'm not the one drawing him. 😭 Taking this question in good faith as a chance to discuss Neji's design elements ...

"The cursed seal's design (卍) is based on the manji also known as a swastika, a Hindu and Buddhist symbol. Because the inverted form (卐) is commonly associated with Nazism outside of Asia, the anime instead uses an "X" for the cursed seal, to avoid confusion. " (X)

The term 'manji' ("10, 000 character") is tied closely to Buddhism and the concept of longevity and good fortune. Its use in the seal is a kind of cruel irony, taking a positive, sacred symbol and using it to imprison someone. The Chinese word based on the swastika, wan, is a homonym to "ten thousand" or "infinity." It reinforces Neji's belief that this is an eternal fate, one that cannot be escaped.

Interestingly, in Hinduism the left-facing swastika (sauwastika) is associated with the night, which also ties into more Neji visual coding:

There are layers here. In the yin-yang tradition, the yin is more closely associated with the feminine, dark, passive, and negative, and the yang with the masculine, light, active, and positive. This is playing with both Neji being "lost in the darkness" and the the fact that Hinata can be spelled with the same characters as Hyūga, "a place in the sun." The Hyūga are strongly associated with light, with the main family (+ Hizashi) being all named in some respect with daylight, sunlight, fire, fireworks, etc. ... Neji is perpetually at odds with his family.

The yin-yang is carried further into Neji's design and the Hyūga's Chinese-influenced aesthetic/martial traditions. In the Bagua "eight trigams" used in Taoist cosmology, yin and yang are represented by lines composed into trigrams:

The Gentle Fist is of course based on Baguazhang, a martial art style grounded in the concept of "walking the circle" (Airbending was also based on this.) Circles are carried through the Hyūga martial style in the presence of the yin-yang in the Sixty Four Palms and the kaiten. There is also the evasiveness, the redirection of your opponent's energy, and chaining attacks to reach the Fajing, the final explosive blow -- your sixty fourth palm if you will.

The "sixty four" evokes the "sixty four hexagrams" that are made of combinations of trigrams in the I Ching, a text on divination. Neji's interest in fate parallels these understandings of the world. Neji is a very philosophically grounded character, whose beliefs are echoed in the techniques he uses.

Altogether he is a very cohesively designed character: the swastika and the yin-yang are also linked in the way that they a geometric, symmetrical pattern representing a larger concept. Even the whiteness of the Byakugan represents purity, divinity, and the light, thus of course their vision is superior ... and I think you can make an argument about it echoing a sense of emptiness/beinglessness/supreme everything that predates yin-yang in Taiji or Wuji but that's far more speculative lmao.

TL;DR: Neji is not a Nazi.

[vyph2001]

AU: Fox King x Little Ferret

XL learns how to draw Taoist's seal spell by himself and HC became the first person honored to receive it

[ohnoproblems]

hello, i was curious if there happened to be any example plays of your Next Dream ttrpg even if only from your own experience? reading the rules and ideas in it was really fascinating and fun in of itself

i've run it with three different groups over the course of its development, though never ended up compiling those experiences into play examples. also thank you for asking about next dream, my GMless touhou ttrpg in the belonging outside belonging system!

i do have an excerpt from the channel where we logged all the moves we made to accompany the voice chat, which might help shine a light on the mechanical flow of things between the roleplaying we were doing. more below the cut:

THE CAST:

STRAW DOGS, THE IMMORTAL, played by me LUNETTODAE FUTILLODAE, THE BODYGUARD, played by autumn MAGIC LAND RAINBOW, THE SAGE, played by miranda NEMESIS ENAREI, THE SHRINE MAIDEN, played by bea NEPHELINE EURYALE, THE MAGICIAN, played by bizzuh

(art by bea @tsunderebird)

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

Minerva, the mistress of the sealed manor, Lunettodae's boss Cataract, a silent crocodile-headed mummy, Straw Dogs' puppet Flashbulb! Flights of Fancy, the wizard tourney's tengu announcer

THE OCCASION:

a wizard tournament held by Minerva (actual merlin's actual owl). to the victor goes a hat (actual merlin's actual wizard hat). in this bracket, ordinary jackal-headed taoist Straw Dogs faces off against dragonfly greatbow-wielder Lunettodae Futillodae. Straw Dogs had invited Magic Land Rainbow to watch her bout (they had a thing going, they're in love). however, Nemesis Enarei wanted to show Magic Land her weird hole, so this distracted her. during the bout, miranda and bizzuh passed around Flashbulb! to represent moves made by The Spell Cards and The Youkai.

i forget if Lunettodae announced spell cards during this bout or if she was just straight up aiming for killing blows on Straw Dogs every time. i think it was the latter.

when Straw Dogs spent a token to demonstrate her masteries, she used Cataract to intercept a killing blow. this killed Cataract. just because you're spending a token to do something very cool and get a moment playing to your strengths doesn't mean you should escape all consequences, especially if you've been put into that position by another character spending a token!

the reason it was particularly inopportune was because it was that moment, when Lunettodae's blades had lodged fatally in Straw Dogs' chest, that Magic Land arrived late at the bout. their eyes met. too late. instead of reporting her victory to her secluded mistress via her magic scouter, Lunettodae ripped it off, then flew off to brood on a cliffside. that wasn't even getting into the wild shit that happened back at Ena's hole. it was a juicy session!

hope this is illuminating! it might be fun and edifying to write up something like you find in the BOB book.

[gensokyogarden]

*Throws three ✭s at Miko*

It is headcanon time

-The encounter she had with her shadow/dream self in AoCF has bothered Miko a lot. She still doesn't understand her own feelings towards Gensokyo or towards youkai. It actually bothers her a lot and mentioning her shadow self and what she said is an effective way to shut Miko up in the middle of a rant.

-As she spent a long time playing the masquerade of being a Buddhist, and legitimately was one for a time before that, Miko knows quite a lot about traditional Buddhism. She hasn't kept up with anything contemporary but she could pray and do their ceremonies perfectly if needed. She just does not particularly have a reason to need to.

-She cares a lot about all of her fellow Taoists but Tojiko is the one she trusts the most. Miko is well aware that Seiga has her own intentions and that they will not always align. Yoshika is first and foremost Seiga's servant ... and also she thinks that on bad days her brain is rotten enough that the Myouren's could probably convince her to work for them. Futo has a tendency to act on her own, she does not do it to betray Miko but it makes her less reliable. Toiko, on the other hand, has someone who has displayed a trustable amount of loyalty. Having maintained at her mausoleum for 2 millennia while they were sealed.

[thelaithlyworm]

Back from the Brink h-c, maybe a little spoilery?

Since the drama is a little light on the specifics of the little dragon king's residence in the village, I'm going to assume that twenty years ago Granny Xiao, already very deaf but really quite robust for her age, came back from a mushroom-gathering expedition in the woods dragging an improvised travois with a young man on it, unconscious, much cut about, and naked.

Granny Xiao: My grandson! A-Fu! Come home from the city!

Villager 1: I have seen A-Fu (nasty boy, no better than he should be) and that is not A-Fu!

Villager 2: Is... is that a bandit?

Villager 3: Did... did she just kidnap that young man?

Villager 4: Did she kidnap a bandit??

Granny Xiao: I need to sew my grandson A-Fu some nice new clothes and feed him up right. So skinny! (I don't like those city ways; I'm glad my A-Fu came back.)

Villager 1: Uh -

Villager 2: Oh -

Villager 3: Um -

Villager 4: (Heaven help us all -)

Granny Xiao: A-Fu, let me feed you some nourishing porridge!

And 'A-Fu' remained in that very place for the next two decades (waiting for a chance to break the nearby seal), never-aging, hardly talking, and diligently doing household repairs in this village that mysteriously never gets bothered by bandits anymore, so peaceful...

By the time the Taoist girl turns up the villagers are just done caring.

And Granny Xiao is very happy, which is the important thing.

[wedreamedlove]

Hey can you explain to me the plot of light and night? How do these people have powers and what are their goals? I don't mind spoilers! Thanks in advance

the short version is that there is a hidden supernatural world with supernatural races that are dying out and, in their desperation to have their race survive, they start exploiting the normal human world that has no idea they exist.

the heroine, who is just trying to live out her dreams of becoming a famous designer with her own brand (chasing the footsteps of her role model, Sariel), may possess the key to ensuring the survival of the supernatural races and so she gets drawn into this mess.

under the read more is the long version with spoilers of what we know up to now (chapter 14) and conjectures.

there are three races in light and night:

the blood clan = essentially vampires who like to drink blood, have red eyes, can create phantasmagorias, teleport, cast their vision to whatever location they wish, and can mind-control people.

the spirit clan = animals and plants that have cultivated sentience and human form. they possess characteristics of their base form but their powers can be pretty widespread.

humans = consists of both normal people who have no idea about the supernatural world and taoist priests (or exorcists) who can create talismans, commune with spirits, do divination and other stuff.

technically, there’s also the god race but i’ll get back to this later. first, let’s introduce the main characters of the game:

Evan is a member of the blood clan and has outstanding talent, so in-universe he’s known to be very strong and has killed other clan heads already.

Sariel is a member of the spirit clan and he’s a thousands of years old fox. his powers come from fox legends, like realistic transformations/illusions, and his in-universe power is regeneration which basically makes him like Youko Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho with the ability to use vines as weapons and bloom plants. he can also heal people with this ability.

Charlie is also a member of the spirit clan and he’s a bird (the species has not been revealed, but a strong guess is phoenix). currently, we only know he has black wings that he can use to fly. in addition to this, his in-universe power is called vacuum and he can decrease or increase air pressure, with all its scientific implications (meaning he can shatter things, crush people, create wind, extinguish fire, create a bubble of silence, etc).

Jesse is a human exorcist and, honestly, the best way to explain his abilities is to tell you to watch chinese dramas. their talismans can basically do anything, haha, but it’s generally defensive barriers or restraining seals. currently, he’s dabbling in taboo that lets him directly manipulate people’s souls (including possessing them) or summon hell shades.

Osborn is half-blood clan and half-god. he only merged with the pure god half of his soul in chapter 13, so who knows what he can do now but his in-universe power is flames that can melt bullets, block off an explosion, and make a flaming lava cake.

the heroine is technically human but it’s heavily implied that she may be a god. not just any god, but the goddess who created humans. in-universe she has the power of empathy to the point of psychometry.

the current plot (or arc) of the game is that the blood clan has been experimenting on humans to create vessels out of them so they can transfer their souls into them and be immortal. their current bodies and abilities are degenerating. however, there are lots of failures from this experiment that either go on blood-sucking sprees or they spontaneously combust in public.

the blood clan also has another plan where they locate the master of this magical ring (implied to be a god, aka. the heroine). this master has woken up twice now but the blood clan has never gotten to use them and now this third awakening is everyone’s last chance.

meanwhile, some of the spirit clan is working with the blood clan and, during project eclipse, they illegally test drugs on people who “escaped” and use these drugs to prolong the spirit clan members who are also degenerating.

another group of spirit clan has this “fate calendar” and they’re just watching things fall into their predetermined place (centered around Sariel and the heroine). somehow, there’s going to be an opportunity that’ll let them reverse whatever calamity happened to them thousands of years ago.

lastly, there is a group of special human forces who are trying to investigate project eclipse and stop all this human harm. but it’s also implied that someone high up in the human organization may be working with the blood clan and spirit clan too...

still with me? now, after this background, these are the men’s current motivations:

Evan’s (and heavily implied to be Osborn’s) father started the blood clan experiments and then disappeared. Evan’s uncle then took over, named this project eclipse and has continued it until now. Evan’s mother died under suspicious circumstances and it’s implied to be tied to this project, because she was helping innocents escape and so Evan is on a quest of vengeance to destroy the blood clan (and perhaps die after; he’s not attached to life).

Osborn, through a terrible series of unfortunate events, ended up at project eclipse’s first laboratory when he was 15 years old. the game starts with him investigating project eclipse; it’s implied he was hired as a bounty hunter to do this by Evan. now, he’s under the heroine’s employment because she wants to investigate project eclipse. oh yeah, he’s degenerating by the way.

Charlie is degenerating as a spirit clan member, but he has found out that his father’s company has been doing illegal drug testing on humans who escaped project eclipse and is now trying to stop his father. his mother was sickly and died during testing phase 2 of this drug because she couldn’t wait until all the tests were done. but it’s traumatic to him that he and his mother’s lives have been sustained on the bodies of innocents.

Jesse has been trying to uncover the truth of his father’s death, which is related to the blood clan because they kidnapped Jesse and killed his dad. but he finds out that his dad actually exposed project eclipse’s first laboratory (thanks to Osborn) and now he’s investigating project eclipse.

Sariel is also degenerating as a spirit clan member and extremely, extremely weak compared to what he used to be (although he’s still ridiculously strong compared to most enemies so he must be terrifying at full strength). he’s working with Evan but we’re still not clear on why... he’s protected the heroine many times in the past but they had their memories wiped; turns out all these meetings were predetermined in the “fate calendar” though as well as future ones. he’s been trying to be neutral but his bottom line is protecting the heroine, which puts him in conflict with every enemy LOL. (there’s some speculations that during the heroine’s second awakening as a god she saved the spirit clan with sariel, aka. the calamitous war that killed 5 million spirit clan members.)

the heroine wants to uncover the truth of project eclipse because so many innocent people are getting hurt, and she got dragged into everything because the blood clan keeps trying to attack her and/or use her. the ring has acknowledged her as its master and she’s been sensed to have the “power of a god” by someone in the spirit clan who tried to erase her memories.

now, welcome to the in-universe mythology lesson! stay with me, it’s relevant.

once upon a time, there was a creator god who told a mother goddess to create humans. she did and everything was nice until humans decided they didn’t want to be slaves to gods and rebelled. this pissed the creator god off and he sent apocalyptic fire on the humans. the mother goddess felt so much compassion for them she cried and put out the apocalyptic fire.

the creator god got angry at this and punished the mother goddess. he banished her messengers onto earth in the form of animals and plants (the spirit clan). then he sealed the gods who supported her under the sea (the blood clan are implied to be mutated descendants of gods).

that’s all we currently know about the mythology, so some food for thought is:

how was the mother goddess punished? for example, sealing her powers and making her go through reincarnations as a human?

were there other gods who were neutral and not sealed under the sea? for example, leading to the existence of Osborn also having powers of a god?

or maybe it’s the reverse and blood clan are descendants of neutral gods while Osborn is a descendant of the sealed sea gods? (both he and Evan have contrasting ocean symbolism, so it’s interesting.)

this would make Charlie and Sariel messengers of the heroine, aw!

this would make Jesse the great-great-great-x-creation (child) of the heroine, hahaha!

[theblindninja]

Nine Hand Seals Kuji-in, 九字印 known as Nine Hand Seals is a system of mudras and associated mantras consisting of 9 syllables. The mantras are referred to as Kuji 九字, meaning nine characters. It is believed that the kuji arrived in Japan through Jōdo-shū and Shugendō around the 8th century. Kuji is rumored to be a dangerous ritual that is, if made without proper initiation or performed incorrectly, can attract unwanted entities. Importance of the Number Nine Why the number nine is used is because in Taoist divination, the number nine is seen as the perfect number for Yang/yo when determining the individual hexagram lines. Others suggest that the nine represents the nine planets that the Taoist believe directly influence human destiny.

[talonabraxas]

The Secret of the Golden Flower Talon Abraxas

The Celestial Mind

Naturalness is called the Way. The Way has no name or form; it is just the essence, just the primal spirit. Essence and life are invisible, so they are associated with sky and light. Since ancient times, those who realized spiritual immortality all communicated their teaching verbally, transmitting it from individual to individual.

In obedience to a directive, I am acting as a guide to liberation. Herein we will bring light to the source message of the golden flower of absolute unity. The absolute unity refers to what cannot be surpassed. There are very many alchemical teachings, but all of them make temporary use of effort to arrive at effortlessness; they are not teachings of total transcendence and direct penetration. The doctrine transmitted here brings up working with essence and does not fall into a secondary method. That is the best thing about it.

The golden flower is light. What color is light? It is symbolized by the golden flower, which in Chinese characters also conceals the words one light within. This is absolutely unified real energy of celestial immortals.

The whole work of turning the light around uses the method of reversal. The beauties of the highest heavens and the marvels of the sublimest realms are all within the heart; this is where the perfectly open and aware spirit concentrates. Confucians call it the open center, Buddhists call it the pedestal of awareness, Taoists call it the ancestral earth, the mysterious pass, the primal opening.

The celestial mind is like a house; the light is the master of the house. Therefore, once you turn the light around, the energies throughout the body all rise. Just turn the light around; this is the unexcelled sublime truth.

The light is easily stirred and hard to stabilize. When you have turned it around for a long time, the light crystallizes. This is the natural spiritual body, and it steadies the spirit. This is what the Mind Seal Scripture refers to as “silently paying court” and “soaring upward.”

The transmutations of spiritual illumination are all guided by mind.

The Original Spirit and the Conscious Spirit

From the point of view of the universe, people are like mayflies; but from the point of view of the Way, even the universe is as an evanescent reflection. Only the true essence of the original spirit transcends the primal organization and is above it.

Vitality and energy degenerate along with the universe, but the original spirit is still there; this is the infinite. The production of the universe all derives from this. If learners can just preserve the original spirit, they live transcendentally outside of yin and yang. They are not within the three realms.

This is possible only by seeing essence. This is what is called the original face. What is most wondrous is when the light has crystallized in a spiritual body, gradually becoming consciously effective, and is on the verge of moving into action. This is the secret that has not been transmitted in a thousand ages.

Turning the Light Around and keeping to the Center

Turning the light around is not turning around the light of one body, but turning around the very energy of Creation. It is not stopping random imagination only temporarily; it is truly emptying routine compulsion for all time. Usually people wind up pursuing objects and come at age in conformity with life, never once looking back. Just observe deeply, and when your breath grows quiet you then become accurately aware. This is application of the method of reversal.

The light is neither inside nor outside the self. Mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and the whole earth are this light, so it is not only in the self. All the operations of intelligence, knowledge, and wisdom are also this light, so it is not outside the self. The light of heaven and earth fills the universe; the light of one individual also naturally extends through the heavens and covers the earth. Therefore, once you turn the light around, everything in the world is turned around.

The light rays are concentrated upward into the eyes; this is the great key of the human body. You should reflect on this. If you do not sit quietly each day, this light flows and whirls, stopping who knows where. If you can sit quietly for a while, all time-ten thousand ages, a thousand lifetimes-is penetrated from this. All phenomena revert to stillness. Truly inconceivable is this sublime truth.

Nevertheless, the actual practice goes from shallow to deep, from crude to fine. Throughout, it is best to be consistent. The practice is one from beginning to end, but its quality during the process can be known only by oneself. One winds up at the point where “heaven is open, earth is broad, and all things are just as they are.”

What has been communicated through successive sages is not beyond reversed gazing. Confucians call it ” reaching toward knowledge.” Buddhists call it “observing mind.” Taoists call it “inner observation.”

The essential teaching is summarized above; as for the rest, matters of entering and exiting stillness, the prelude and the aftermath, one should use the book Small Stopping and Seeing as a touchstone.

The words focus on the center are most sublime. The center is omnipresent; the whole universe is within it. This indicates the mechanism of Creation; you focus on this to enter the gate, that is all. To focus means to focus on this as a hint, not to become rigidly fixated. The meaning of the word focus has life to it; it is very subtle.

The terms stopping and seeing basically cannot be separated. They mean concentration and insight. Hereafter, whenever thoughts arise, you don't need to sit still as before, but you should investigate this thought: where is it? Where does this come from? Where does it disappear? Push this inquiry on and on over and over until you realize it cannot be grasped; then you will see where the thought arises. You don't need to seek out the point of arising any more. “Having looked for my mind, I realize it cannot be grasped.”

This is correct seeing; whatever is contrary to this is false seeing. Once you reach this ungraspability, then as before you continuously practice stopping and continue it by seeing; practice seeing and continue it by stopping. This is the twin cultivation of stopping and seeing. This is turning the light around.

The turning around is stopping, the light is seeing. Stopping without seeing is call turning around without light; seeing without stopping is called having light without turning it around. Remember this. Lu Yan (829-874)

[frogking17]

✨Monkie kid au✨

I’m thinking of calling it the Monkie swap au because ,well… we swapping the monkeys. In other words monkey king and macaque kinda get switched. It’s not a direct swap, there will be changes but in essence that is the au.

Macaque

So Macaque is the hero. He’s born on flower fruit mountain to a subset of six-eared macaques that live on the mountain (spoiler all the macaques die in the fire). He’s childhood friends with Wukong and they both go to train under the immortal Taoist. Now Macaque actually kinda surpasses Wukong in my au and then this is where the story splits off. Heaven hears of macaques power and gives him a position in heaven (you can probably see where this is going). Macaque gets angry at heaven and starts fighting the heavenly forces. Then Buddha gets called and traps him under a mountain. He then goes on the JTTW and defeats/traps DBK. That’s basically his backstory.

Sun Wukong

Sun Wukong as a kid was feared by most of the monkeys on flower fruit mountain because of his weird birth. As said he goes with macaque to learn immortality but doesn’t go with him to heaven. Then once Macaque starts fighting heaven Wukong helps and after Macaque gets trapped, Wukong is punished by being put in Lao Tzu’s furnance (of course it doesn’t work). Once Wukong managed to escape he tries to free Macaque but couldn’t and is forced to wait until he’s freed. However Macaque never told him he was freed and once he finds out he’s hurt and gets angry at both Macaque and his party members. He tries to kill Tripitaka and in response Macaque stabs him through the chest with his spear. He dies and is revived by LBD.

Mei

Mei has basically the same backstory but instead of MK freeing DBK it’s her. She’s heard stories about the Great six-eared Macaque but she doesn’t have any of MK’s hero worshipping. Macaque realises she’s incredibly powerful (obviously considering she was able to pick up his staff) and decides to train her to be his successor.

MK

MK is an orphan and the moment he turned 16 he ran away from the orphanage he was in. He takes the first job that would take a run away 16 year old which is not surprisingly pigsy’s noodles. Now MK has looked up to Macaque since he was a kid (the same way he did monkey king) and when he found out Mei managed to break Macaque’s seal and released DBK he’s ecstatic. He tries to go with Mei to flower fruit mountain but they get separated like in ‘a hero is born’. MK often feels unimportant and useless compared to Mei which will lead to angst in the future don’t worry.

Everyone else’s back story is the same. P.S there will be shadowpeach

Masterlist

[zgongjin]

In the beginning, Zhang Feng, being fond of the mystical arts, encountered a Taoist priest who claimed that Feng was destined to become the emperor. The Taoist priest wrapped a stone in five colored silk pouches and tied it to Feng's elbow, claiming that there was an imperial jade seal inside the stone. Feng believed this and subsequently rebelled. After he was captured and about to be executed, Zhang Feng still insisted, "There is an imperial jade seal within the stone tied to my elbow!" Zhai Zun, who carried out the execution, shattered the stone with a mallet for him. Zhang Feng then finally realized he had been deceived. Looking up to the sky, he sighed, "I should die! I have no regrets!"

-- Book of the Later Han, Biography of Zhai Zun

初，豐好方術，有道士言豐當為天子，以五綵囊裹石繫豐肘，云石中有玉璽。豐信之，遂反。既執當斬，猶曰：「肘石有玉璽。」遵為椎破之，豐乃知被詐，仰天歎曰：「當死無所恨！」

-- 《後漢書 · 祭遵傳》

[letsriddlemethislucifer]

Name: Chaoxiang Yìchén

Age Physically: 28

Height: 6'2"

Gender: Male

Fc: Avarice Dragon [Lord greed]

Race: Suzaku

Hair color: Brown with red and orange highlights

Eye color: Fiery orange

Verses: Original

Profession: South gate guardian

Hobbies: Martial arts, mystical fire placements, lazing under the fruit orchard trees, wine tasting, seal making

Likes: Fire wisps, rasberries, cerys's photos, wine made by zixin, sweet teas, spicy foods, hot drinks, scented candles, beef dishes

Dislikes: non-sweet teas, lemons, pomegranates, chicken dishes, almonds, cashews, when zixin doesn't respect him, when cerys is in danger, haunted areas.

A little bit about Chaoxiang: One of fourteen within his family that are given the south guardian title. The Suzaku are known to control the heat/flames of the mortal world, and are well known alchemists and mystical taoists. Chaoxiang is the 88th generation of his kind, and shows a high talent towards controlling the family flames. His swordsmanship is rather poor, but his seals are top notch enough to make up for such things.

Despite how talented he may be, Chaoxiang is rather lazy and is in no rush in taking over as the next family head; this causes quite the rift between his siblings and parents.

At current time he awakens within the mortal world, unable to return to the land of the deities. Both unaware of how long it has been or why he cannot recall what happened prior to awakening, he wanders from country to country in hopes of finding such answers.

As he is in the same boat as Zixin, he chooses to be the group journalist and assistant cameraman for Cerys. Though he strives for similar answers as zixin, Chaoxiang is in no rush to return to the land of the deities and is rather indolent in collecting and sharing info with his fellow guardian.