Taoist deities: Zhenwu the Perfected Warrior, the Dipper Mother, the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity, Lady Chen Shisi, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals and more.
An introduction to Zhenwu, god of the north, also known as the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven and the Heavenly Worthy Who Vanquishes Demons: his many titles and martial image, and his origin as a prince of the Kingdom of Pure Joy who cultivated the Tao for 42 years in the Wudang Mountains.
An introduction to the Dipper Mother: born of the prior-heaven yin qi, with four heads and eight arms bearing ritual implements; her manifestations through the ages; her appearances to Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhang Sanfeng, and Wang Changyue; her birth of the Seven Primordials and Nine Sovereigns; and her full sacred proclamation.
An introduction to Lady Chen Shisi (Chen Jinggu, the Lady of Linshui), protector of women and children on China's southeast coast: how a Tang-dynasty woman who studied magic at Lüshan and died praying for rain became a goddess, her many titles, the literature and folk performances about her, and her cult overseas.
An introduction to the Great Emperor of Purple Tenuity, one of the Four Sovereigns of Taoism: his origins in pole-star worship, his rule over the stars and Fengdu, scriptural accounts of his birth from the Dipper Mother and his rise by subduing demons, and his sacred proclamation with notes.
An introduction to the Two Immortals of Harmony and Union, patrons of marital harmony: from the Tang-dynasty cult of Wanhui to the Yongzheng emperor naming Hanshan and Shide the Sages of Harmony and Union, the legend of two friends who loved the same woman, the lotus-and-box imagery, and relics at Hanshan Temple in Suzhou.
An introduction to the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals, or Thirty-Six Heavenly Ladle (Tiangang) stars, rooted in Dipper worship: their names, their origins in history, Taoist masters, legend, and fiction, their summoning in Taoist rituals to expel evil, and the marshals subdued by Zhenwu in the Journey to the North.
An introduction to the Four Symbols—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—Taoist guardian deities rooted in lunar-mansion worship: their directions and colors, their use on battle banners, their divine titles, the seven star lords of each, and their meaning in alchemy.