OUR STORY

Taoist Charm-Writing

Taoist charm-writing is one of the representative ritual arts in Taoist culture, typically associated with religious activities such as sacrificial ceremonies, blessing rituals, and disaster-averting practices. It is a key component of the Taoist magical arts system.

We belong to the Shangqing Sect of Maoshan Mountain in China, with an inheritance of over 2,000 years. As Taoist practitioners with more than 20 years of experience, we have helped tens of thousands of people through our practices centered on this time-honored art—rooted in our sect’s millennia-old legacy, we remain dedicated to preserving and passing down the ancient wisdom of Taoist charm-writing while using it to support those in need.

The core carriers of charm-writing are yellow paper (or paper of specific materials) and cinnabar (or ink, special pigments), supplemented by tools like writing brushes. The practitioner must have a foundational Taoist belief; some sects also require the charm-writer to undergo religious rituals such as ordination and visualization (cunsi) training. Charms usually combine characters (e.g., seal script, Taoist secret characters), symbols, and patterns. Different charms serve distinct purposes, with common types including:

• Blessing charms (e.g., peace charms)

• Expiation charms (e.g., disaster-avoidance charms)

• Transcendence charms (e.g., soul-deliverance charms)

Charm-writing is not merely a writing process but is often accompanied by specific rituals: these include purifying one’s hands, burning incense, visualization (focusing one’s thoughts to envision deities or spiritual power), making mudras, and reciting incantations. It is believed that these steps imbue the charm with spiritual power to achieve the corresponding religious effects—effects we have witnessed and applied in our 20+ years of practice, supporting tens of thousands by upholding the Shangqing Sect’s 2,000-year tradition.

Culturally, Taoist charm-writing is not only a concrete form of religious ritual but also integrates Chinese character culture, folk beliefs, and Taoist cosmology. For us, as inheritors of the Maoshan Shangqing Sect’s 2,000-year heritage and practitioners with two decades of experience, it is more than a cultural relic—it is a living practice that has allowed us to help tens of thousands, embodying the sect’s essence of combining ritual inheritance with compassionate service.

The Maoshan Shangqing Sect: From the Origins of Maoshan Mountain to the Millennium-Old Legacy of Taoist Divinity

The lineage of the Maoshan Shangqing Sect traces back to the mythic origins of Maoshan Mountain and the divine foundations of its Taoist teachings—blending legendary tales of celestial sages, divine revelations of sacred scriptures, and the systematic codification of doctrine by later masters.

I. Maoshan Mountain: From the Three Mao Immortals to a Sacred Taoist Sanctuary

Maoshan Mountain owes its name to the Three Mao Immortals (San Mao Zhenjun), revered as the mountain’s divine founders. According to legend, during the Western Han Dynasty, three brothers—Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong—hailed from Xianyang, Shaanxi. Guided by their spiritual mentor, they traveled to Mount Jiqu (later renamed Maoshan) carrying the Supreme Treasure Scripture. There, the younger brothers joined Mao Ying to cultivate the Tao, accumulate virtuous merit, and ultimately achieve divine ascension as immortals. To honor their sanctity, local people renamed the mountain San Maoshan (Mount Three Mao), later shortened to Maoshan. The Three Mao Immortals are venerated as the celestial patriarchs who first blessed Maoshan as a sacred site for Taoist practice.

II. The Divine Revelation of the Shangqing Sect: Wei Huacun and the Sacred Scriptures

The core doctrine of the Shangqing Sect stems from a divine revelation of sacred texts, centered on the celestial figure Wei Huacun (Zixu Yuanjun, "Celestial Sovereign of Purple Emptiness"). In 364 CE (the 2nd year of the Xingning era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty), Wei Huacun—accompanied by a host of celestial beings—descended to the mortal realm. She revealed the 31 Scrolls of the Supreme Purity Scripture (Shangqing Jing) to Yang Xi, a Taoist priest of the Tianshi (Celestial Master) Sect, commanding him to transcribe the texts in clerical script. Yang Xi then passed the scriptures to the father-son pair Xu Mi and Xu Hui, who became the first mortal custodians of the Shangqing teachings.

This divine revelation established the sect’s spiritual core: the Shangqing Jing emphasizes inner cultivation through visualization—meditating on celestial deities, refining one’s vital energy (qi), and aligning the mortal self with divine will. This set it apart from the ritual-focused practices of early Tianshi Taoism, framing the path to immortality as a union with celestial forces.

III. Tao Hongjing: The Architect of the Shangqing Doctrine

A pivotal figure in the sect’s history is Tao Hongjing, the 9th generation patriarch (referred to in the chat records). During the Southern Qi and Liang Dynasties, Tao retreated to Maoshan to codify the scattered Shangqing teachings. He purged spurious texts, organized the sect’s doctrine, and wrote Zhengao (Declarations of the Immortals), which records the Shangqing pantheon and its meditative rituals. His Dengzhen Yinjue (Secret Instructions for Ascending to Immortality) standardized the sect’s ceremonies and visualization practices, while Zhenling Weiye Tu (Chart of the Divine Spirits’ Hierarchy) formalized the ranked order of Taoist gods—solidifying the sect’s theological framework.

Tao Hongjing also built monasteries on Maoshan and gathered disciples, transforming the mountain into the Shangqing Sect’s spiritual headquarters. From this point, the sect became widely known as the Maoshan School, a mature Taoist tradition anchored to Maoshan Mountain and bound by the Shangqing Jing.

IV. The Enduring Legacy: From Divine Revelation to Cultural Icon

After Tao Hongjing, the Shangqing Sect flourished: it gained imperial patronage in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, producing renowned Taoist masters like Wang Yuanzhi and Sima Chengzhen. By the Northern Song Dynasty, it reached its peak, with over 250 temples and shrines, emerging as a dominant force in Taoism. Its legacy is not merely a tale of divine revelation, but a living tradition shaped by generations of masters who refined its teachings, rituals, and practices.

From the myth of the Three Mao Immortals to Wei Huacun’s celestial scripture and Tao Hongjing’s systematic doctrine, the Maoshan Shangqing Sect endures as a holistic tradition—weaving together sacred geography, divine scripture, and patriarchal lineage. Today, it remains one of the most influential and revered schools in Taoist culture, a bridge between mortal practice and celestial divinity.