Which Taoist Rituals Can Help Change Your Luck?

Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism

When a person's luck is bad, it is just as the saying goes: “Even cold water gets stuck in your teeth.” When luck is poor, all kinds of disheartening things happen: financial loss, disaster, lawsuits, illness, demotion, unemployment, heartbreak, insomnia, irritability, disputes, petty people, failed investments, broken families, and more.

Taoism has many kinds of liturgy (ritual services) to help with changing one's luck. They are usually chosen according to the different “luck-changing” needs of the faithful, such as dispelling calamity, improving wealth luck, improving one's career, or harmonizing marriage. The common rituals for changing luck are as follows:

1. The Ritual for Repaying the Underworld Debt (the Debt of Rebirth)

In Taoist liturgy, a person who wants to change their luck must first pay off their debts, and then replenish and open the treasury of wealth, boost their career luck, bring harmony to the family, and so on. The faithful can choose one ritual or a combination of several to help turn their luck around.

Before being reborn, every person in the underworld must pay off the petty ghosts and officials on duty all along the way. If, after one's death, one's family has burned enough money for one, one has money to grease these palms. But most people do not have nearly enough money and must borrow from an institution in the underworld, something like a bank of the netherworld, to pay off the petty ghosts and officials so that they can be reborn as humans without a hitch.

This borrowed money is the debt of rebirth. If the debt of rebirth is not repaid, one's good luck in this life is used to pay it off: one's wealth and emolument in the world of the living go to fill the underworld debt, and some is also docked by the officials of the netherworld. People without blessings never know in their whole lives that they owe a debt of rebirth, let alone repay it. That is why some people always work hard, are clever, and seem to be good people, yet feel they are always in hardship, cannot make money, and have no luck in anything.

According to the Scripture of the Treasury of Emoluments and Rebirth Spoken by the Heavenly Worthy of Numinous Treasure, all living beings of the ten directions have their destinies belonging to the Heavenly Bureau and their bodies bound to the underworld. On the day they obtain a human body, they have borrowed money of rebirth from the treasury of emoluments in the underworld offices, and only thus can their births be entered in the register of emoluments.

Taoism therefore holds that before rebirth a person incurs a “debt of rebirth” in the underworld; everyone owes it before being reborn, and it must be repaid. Through a particular Taoist ritual, “repaying the underworld debt,” one can clear away past karma and dissolve the decline in fortune brought by the debt, praying that everything be auspicious and nothing unfavorable, and that one's comings and goings be unobstructed. “Repaying the underworld debt” has been handed down from the Han dynasty to the present; it is the most common ritual and the most direct in changing luck, and is widely welcomed by the faithful.

2. Rituals of Deliverance

If you want life to go smoothly, you need to clear away the karmic creditors attached to you (from killing animals, especially highly spiritual animals), the yin spirits of elders, yin spirits from outside that have attached themselves to you, and the spirits of babies lost through abortion or miscarriage. Through rituals of deliverance (such as delivering karmic creditors, the spirits of aborted babies, and the souls of ancestors), one repays karmic debts, removes sinful karma, dissolves old grudges, and sweeps away the bad luck caused by entanglement with yin spirits, achieving the effect of “the dead delivered, the living at peace” and changing the luck of the living. The principal deity usually honored in Taoist rituals of deliverance is the Heavenly Worthy Who Saves from Suffering (Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun).

In Taoism, the ritual deliverance of the dead means that the ritual master, through his own inner training, connects with the patriarchs or the Taoist immortals and rescues the souls of the dead still sunk in the underworld or still lingering in the human world; then, received and guided by the gods and immortals, the souls may soon ascend to the Land of Supreme Bliss of Azure Florescence in the East.

Taoist rituals of deliverance generally fall into three kinds:

The first is deliverance for the ten directions. In deliverance for the ten directions, an altar is set up for the ritual service and all kinds of lonely souls and wandering ghosts nearby are summoned for a collective deliverance. A large ritual assembly generally includes this kind of deliverance. Its main purpose is to deliver the ten kinds of lonely souls, which brings boundless merit, and the ritual masters will not be disturbed by them while holding the assembly. Taoist priests of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) school generally use the Lingbao Rite of Aid and Refinement, while those of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) school generally use the Qingxuan Rite of Aid and Refinement with the Flaming Mouth and Iron-Pot Food Bestowal.

The second is deliverance of the deceased. Generally, after ancestors pass away they remain in the underworld, and their descendants hope they can escape the sufferings of hell and soon ascend to the realm of supreme bliss, so they ask a ritual master to deliver these souls. For souls of this kind, the rite of deliverance is generally used.

The third is deliverance of wronged souls. These are the ghosts of those who died unjust deaths, the spirits of aborted babies, and karmic creditors from past lives. Souls of this kind are harder to deliver, because there are usually all sorts of reasons why they are still lingering in the human world, so the rituals performed for them are also more varied.

Across these three forms, the purpose of deliverance is to remove karmic obstacles and dissolve hindrances. The first kind of deliverance generally comes from the ritual master's good intention, delivering the lonely souls of the ten directions, with boundless merit. The second kind mainly expresses the hope that the ancestors will soon leave the bitter sea of hell; as their descendants, we also hope they will soon ascend to supreme bliss, and if they are not delivered, it will adversely affect the fortunes of their descendants. The objects of the third kind are the ghosts of those who died unjust deaths, the spirits of aborted babies, and karmic creditors; if they cling to you, your luck will generally not be good, so you need deliverance to change your fortune.

If deliverance is not performed, then according to Taoist teaching, if one's kin are suffering punishment and pain in the underworld or cannot rise out of hell, we their descendants in the world of the living will be implicated too: our days will be gloomy, anxious, and beset with disaster, or we will be plagued by illness and unrest, and the family's fortunes will decline, with more ill than good. It will be hard to live a safe and happy life.

This is because our kin, suffering in the underworld, cannot protect their descendants in the world above. So deliverance is needed—this is “the dead delivered, the living at peace”! In practical terms, doing meritorious works for the previous generation is honoring the ancestors and showing filial devotion. In Taoist terms, it is delivering the ancestors and rescuing the souls of the dead. This is the good-hearted deed that we, the later generation, ought to do.

3. Rituals for Dispelling Calamity and Dissolving Passes and Sha

1. “Averting passes and crossing sha.” This is a Taoist ritual for dispelling calamity and relieving distress, formed on the basis of astrology, destiny analysis, and other traditional arts of calculation. Taoism holds that at different stages of life each person may encounter various “passes” and “sha” in their fortune, such as the “Child Sha” and the “Net of Heaven and Snare of Earth,” one hundred and eight kinds in all. The ritual aims at the following:

2. Dissolving unfavorable Annual Luck. Addressing the hardships and challenges the faithful may meet in a particular year or stage of life, the ritual concentrates on dissolving existing difficulties and obstacles, so as to avoid misfortune, seek good fortune, and praying for blessings and auspiciousness.

3. Harmonizing relationships. Praying to resolve disputes, quarrels, gossip, and other conflicts, creating a harmonious environment among people and the help of noble patrons.

4. Praying for safety and good fortune. Comprehensively removing for the faithful the various so-called unfavorable factors in their destiny, praying for a smooth and unobstructed road through life and safety for the whole family. This ritual embodies the Taoist tradition of seeking good fortune, avoiding misfortune, and protecting all beings, and helps ease the psychological anxiety of some people.

5. Dissolving “offending Tai Sui.” For those who “offend Tai Sui” (the Grand Duke of the year) in a given year, or whose luck or health is poor, it can effectively dissolve the problem.

6. The Dipper worship ritual (paying court to the Perfected and worshiping the Dipper). By worshiping the Star Lords of the Northern Dipper (one's natal star), one dispels calamity and relieves distress, prays for blessings and long life, dissolves the various baleful stars and calamities in one's destiny, and improves one's personal fortune, so as to “turn misfortune into good fortune.”

7. The ritual of aligning the stars. It dissolves an unfavorable year and prays for blessings and a change of luck, using a specific ritual to dissolve the baleful sha of one's stars and destiny and to pray for a safe, healthy, and smooth year.

8. The ritual of releasing the stars. It removes the baleful sha of one's stars and destiny for the faithful: by reciting scriptures, offering incense, and respectfully inviting one's natal Star Lord, it dissolves the disasters of that year's baleful sha in one's destiny and prays for a safe year.

4. Rituals for Replenishing the Treasury of Wealth and Attracting Wealth and Blessings

1. Rituals for replenishing and opening the treasury of wealth. The treasury of wealth is each person's source of wealth. Taoism holds that everyone has a “treasury of wealth,” but many people's destinies have no “treasury of wealth,” or there is very little wealth in it, or it is even “empty,” or the “treasury of wealth” is sealed so that even the wealth there cannot be drawn out. Through a ritual service, Taoism can “replenish” or “open” the treasury of wealth to fill the deficit in one's destiny, dissolve leaks of wealth, draw in wealth and treasure, increase both Direct Wealth and Indirect Wealth, and improve one's financial situation.

2. The rite of paying court to the God of Wealth. By worshiping the God of Wealth (such as the Zhengyi God of Wealth or the Gods of Wealth of the Five Directions and Five Roads), one prays for blessings, dissolves the sha qi obstructing one's wealth luck, attracts wealth and good fortune, opens many paths to wealth, and improves one's career luck and wealth luck.

5. Rituals for Boosting Career and Studies

Wenchang rituals: those in public service, government careers, or state-owned enterprises can have the Wenchang ritual for promoting office performed. Those in private enterprises, freelancers, and salaried workers can, through Taoist worship of the Divine Lord Wenchang, have the Wenchang ritual for boosting career luck performed. One can pray for success in studies and examinations, a smooth career, promotion and advancement, better positions and pay, and stronger career fortune.

6. Rituals for Harmonizing Marriage and Family Relationships

“Harmony” (hehe) rituals for marriage, relationships, and family. For unmarried friends, the ritual can boost the affinity for marriage; for married friends, the relationship and family “harmony” ritual can be performed to strengthen the bond and affinity between husband and wife and promote a harmonious and happy family. “Harmony” rituals can harmonize relationships between men and women and among people generally, resolve conflicts, boost the affinity for marriage, strengthen the bond between husband and wife, promote family harmony and happiness, and remove obstructions to one's fortune caused by poor relationships.

7. The “Food Bestowal and Flaming Mouth” Ritual

The “Food Bestowal and Flaming Mouth” (Shishi Yankou) is an important Taoist ritual for benefiting the living, helping the world, and compassionately delivering the dead. It embodies the fine Chinese tradition of honoring the dead with care, remembering distant ancestors, and helping the world with compassion. Its main contents and significance include:

1. Remembering the ancestors and promoting filial piety. Performing deliverance for the kin of past generations is a concentrated expression of the culture of filial piety in religious ritual; it helps descendants express their grief, carry on the family's virtues, and pray for the ancestors' protection.

2. Dissolving old grudges and promoting harmony. Performing deliverance for the faithful's “karmic creditors” aims to dissolve old grudges on the spiritual level, guiding the faithful to let go of their attachments and treat people and affairs with compassion, and promoting harmonious social relations.

3. Humane care and comfort for the departed. Performing deliverance for the spirits of babies who for some reason could not be born gives rest to the departed and spiritual comfort to the living, showing humane care for life.

4. Universal help for all beings and the broad accumulation of virtue. Bestowing food and deliverance on the unattended lonely souls of the ten directions puts into practice the Taoist idea of “equal and universal compassion, so that those of different bones become kin.” It shows Taoism's compassionate heart and its broad-minded service to society, and has positive significance for carrying on fine traditional culture, cultivating public-mindedness and compassion among members of society, comforting the faithful spiritually, and promoting social harmony.

The various Taoist rituals organized and performed by professional Taoist clergy do indeed have good effects. The Golden Chapters of the Five Dippers on Rebirth Spoken by Lord Lao the Most High says: “In the present world there will be peace and joy, comings and goings unobstructed, everything auspicious and nothing unfavorable, and wishes fulfilled as the heart desires. One's natal Star Official will always follow and protect one, preserving one's natural span of years. On leaving the world, one will not lose a human body but will be born into wealth and rank, with the stars of letters and arms descending, the stars of wealth and emolument, and the five blessings shining upon one; in body, destiny, and womb-palace one will be at peace and long-lived, and meet no evil affinities.”

Advice: all Taoist rituals must be performed by Taoist clergy (whose status is that of certified high priests (gaogong)) according to traditional ritual rules. Those who are not professional Taoist clergy must not perform them on their own, or they may suffer backlash.