Daoist Star Lore: The 28 Lunar Mansions & Celestial Guardians

To learn the art of observing stars and gazing at the Big Dipper in Taoism, one must first master the Twenty-Eight Constellations!

The origin of the Twenty-Eight Constellations is very ancient. Initially, they were twenty-eight groups of stars (or constellations) used by the ancients as coordinates for observing the movements of the sun, moon, and five planets. The ancients believed that the positions of the stars remained constant relative to each other, and they could be used as markers to indicate the positions of the sun, moon, and five planets. After a long period of observation, the ancients successively selected twenty-eight constellations near the ecliptic and equator as coordinates. Because they are arranged in a circle around the four directions of the sun, moon, and five planets, they are very much like the places where the sun, moon, and five planets reside, so they are called the Twenty-Eight Constellations.

The ancients also divided the Twenty-Eight Constellations into four palaces: the East, South, West, and North. Each palace has seven constellations. The seven constellations belonging to each palace are connected and imagined as the image of an animal, which is regarded as the "Four Spiritual Beings of Heaven, which rectify the four directions".

The seven constellations belonging to the Azure Dragon of the East Palace are: Jue, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei, and Ji.

The seven constellations belonging to the Vermilion Bird of the South Palace are: Jing, Gui, Liu, Xing, Zhang, Yi, and Zhen.

The seven constellations belonging to the White Tiger of the West Palace are: Kui, Lou, Wei, Mao, Bi, Zi, and Shen.

The seven constellations belonging to the Black Tortoise of the North Palace are: Dou, Niu, Nu, Xu, Wei, Shi, and Bi.

The Twenty-Eight Constellations are not only coordinates for observing the positions of the sun, moon, and five planets, but some of them are also objects of observation for the ancients to determine the age and season. For example, when Shen constellation is due south at the beginning of the night, it is the first month of spring, and when Xin constellation is due south, it is the fifth month of summer, and so on. The Twenty-Eight Constellations revolve in the celestial atmosphere, running continuously in a cycle, respectively in charge of the celestial phenomena in the east, west, south, and north, to distinguish the alternation of day and night, cold and heat, and the changes of yin and yang qi. Over time, the Twenty-Eight Constellations have been given different auspicious and inauspicious meanings to coincide with the ups and downs of the folk world, and thus have become another important theoretical basis for the ancients to choose the right day and time.

The theory of the Twenty-Eight Constellations exists not only in China but also in ancient cultural countries such as India and Rome, but the names and meanings are not exactly the same. The origin of the Twenty-Eight Constellations taking turns to be on duty to judge good and bad is now difficult to verify in detail. The almanacs in the Southern Song Dynasty already adopted this method of on-duty. Later, folk warlocks matched the Twenty-Eight Constellations with twenty-eight animals, further developing the auspicious and inauspicious connotations of the Twenty-Eight Constellations. The matching of the Twenty-Eight Constellations with twenty-eight animals to imply the good and bad of things is very detailed in the popular almanacs for choosing auspicious days. The relevant content expressed in the form of a popular ballad is attached below for reference.

The Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon in the East

The Seven Constellations of the Black Tortoise in the North 8. Dou Constellation: Belongs to water and is a xiezhi. It is the first constellation in the north. It is named because its group of stars is shaped like a dipper. The ancients also called it the "Heavenly Temple" and it is a star belonging to the emperor. The star of the emperor cannot be easily offended by ordinary people, so it is mostly inauspicious. Dou Constellation on duty is not auspicious, marriages and sacrifices are not prosperous. Burial should not be done on this day, and all things will have disasters. 9. Niu Constellation: Belongs to metal and is a cow. It is the second constellation in the north. It is named because its group of stars is shaped like a cow's horn. The most famous ones are the Weaving Girl and the Cowherd stars. Although the loyal love of the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl can move generations of people, they still cannot escape a tragic ending in the end, so Niu Constellation is mostly inauspicious. Niu Constellation on duty has few benefits, and all construction matters have many disasters. If burial and construction occur on this day, one will sell all the fields and manors without remembering the amount. 10. Nu Constellation: Belongs to earth and is a bat. It is the third constellation in the north. Its group of stars is shaped like a winnowing basket and also like the character "Femal". In ancient times, women often used winnowing baskets to winnow grains, discarding the dross and keeping the essence, so Nu Constellation is mostly auspicious. Nu Constellation on duty is full of good luck and celebration, construction and starting work are all prosperous. If burial and marriage occur on this day, one will enter the fields and manors within three years. 11. Xu Constellation: Is the sun and is a mouse. It is the fourth constellation in the north. The ancients called it the "Heavenly Festival". When Xu Constellation is in the south at midnight, it is the season of the Winter Solstice. The birth of yang at the Winter Solstice means the beginning of a new year, just as the birth of yang at the beginning of the zi time means the beginning of a new day, which gives people beautiful expectations and hopes, so Xu Constellation is mostly auspicious. Xu Constellation on duty is full of good luck and celebration, sacrifices and marriages are very prosperous. If burial occurs on this day, money will be obtained within a year.
12. Wei Constellation: Is the moon and is a swallow. It is the fifth constellation in the north and is located at the tail of the tortoise and snake, so it is named "Wei" (in battle, the rear guard is often in danger). Wei means high, and high places are dangerous, so Wei Constellation is mostly inauspicious. Wei Constellation on duty is not very auspicious, disasters will surely lead to plagues and deaths. All construction and camping are not favorable, there are more disasters than good things and things will end in disaster. 13. Shi Constellation: Belongs to fire and is a pig. It is the sixth constellation in the north. It is named "Shi" because its group of stars is shaped like a house (like a house covering the tortoise and snake). A house is a place for people to live, which is what people need, so Shi Constellation is mostly auspicious. Shi Constellation on duty is very auspicious, marriages and sacrifices are full of grace and honor. If burial occurs on this day, one will surely enter the fields and manors within three years. 14. Bi Constellation: Belongs to water and is a yu. It is the seventh constellation in the north. It is outside Shi Constellation and is shaped like the wall of Shi Constellation, so it is named "Bi". The wall is the barrier of the home, so Bi Constellation is mostly auspicious. Bi Constellation's star is very favorable, sacrifices and starting work are full of good luck and celebration. If construction and installing doors occur on this day, money will be obtained in a few days.

The Seven Constellations of the White Tiger in the West 15. Kui Constellation: Belongs to wood and is a wolf. It is the first constellation in the west and means the treasury of heaven, so Kui Constellation is mostly auspicious. Kui Constellation on duty is good for camping, all construction is very prosperous. Burial and marriage on this day will bring in fields and manors day by day. 16. Lou Constellation: Belongs to metal and is a dog. It is the second constellation in the west. Lou is the same as "lv", which means gathering together and also means raising livestock for sacrifices, so Lou Constellation is mostly auspicious. Lou Constellation's star is full of good luck and celebration, marriages and sacrifices are full of glory. Opening the door and releasing water on this day will lead to official positions within three years. 17. Wei Constellation: Belongs to earth and is a pheasant. It is the third constellation in the west. Just like the function of the human stomach, Wei Constellation is like the warehouse of heaven storing grain, so Wei Constellation is mostly auspicious. Wei Constellation's construction matters are smooth, sacrifices and marriages are celebrated for their merits. If burial occurs on this day, the fields will have a great harvest of grains.
18. Mao Constellation: Is the sun and is a rooster. It is the fourth constellation in the west and is in the center of the seven constellations of the White Tiger. In ancient Chinese, the west is associated with Mao, and the west is the gate of autumn. Everything has been harvested and brought in, and it is time to close the doors and windows, so Mao Constellation is mostly inauspicious. Mao Constellation on duty has disasters, there are more inauspicious things than auspicious things and it is unusual. All construction is mostly not favorable, and there will be plagues and injuries day by day. 19. Bi Constellation: Is the moon and is a bird. It is the fifth constellation in the west and is also known as "Han Che", which is equivalent to the border army. Also, "Bi" means "complete", so Bi Constellation is mostly auspicious. Bi Constellation's construction is prosperous, sacrifices and opening the door are full of good luck and celebration. All construction is very prosperous, and there will be money, cattle, and horses all over the mountains and rivers. 20. Zi Constellation: Belongs to fire and is a monkey. It is the sixth constellation in the west and is located at the mouth of the White Tiger, which is a symbol of good fortune, so Zi Constellation is mostly auspicious. Zi Constellation on duty is auspicious, burial and construction are prosperous. If marriage occurs on this day, a unicorn will be born within three years. 21. Shen Constellation: Belongs to water and is an ape. It is the seventh constellation in the west and is located in the chest of the White Tiger. Although it is at the end of the seven constellations, it is the most important part, so Shen Constellation is mostly auspicious. Shen Constellation's construction is prosperous, rich and honored more than Shi Chong. Burial and marriage are full of good luck and celebration, and there will be enough food, clothing, cattle, and horses at home.

The Seven Constellations of the Vermilion Bird in the South 22. Jing Constellation: Belongs to water and is a moose. It is the first constellation in the south. Its group of stars is shaped like a net, so it is named "Jing" (the character "井" is like a net). Jing Constellation is like a net facing the head, and also like a bottomless ocean (please refer to the myth of "Jingwei Fills the Sea"), so Jing Constellation is mostly inauspicious. Jing Constellation on duty is not smooth, there are more inauspicious things than auspicious things and there are plagues. All that is sought is not favorable, money is wasted and there are all kinds of disasters. 23. Gui Constellation: Belongs to metal and is a sheep. It is the second constellation in the south and is like a hat worn on the head of the Vermilion Bird. When birds are frightened, the feathers on their heads form a crest. People call the thing they are most afraid of and does not exist "ghost", so Gui Constellation is named after this, and it mainly causes scares, so it is mostly inauspicious. Gui Constellation on duty is not to be taken lightly, all things sought will have scares. Buying and selling for wealth are not favorable, and there will be scattered disasters at home. 24. Liu Constellation: Belongs to earth and is a roe deer. It is the third constellation in the south and is located at the mouth of the Vermilion Bird. Its shape is like a willow leaf (the shape of a bird's mouth is mostly like this). The mouth is for eating, so Liu Constellation is mostly auspicious. Liu Constellation's construction brings money, wealth and honor come to the family together. If burial and marriage occur on this day, it will attract more fortune and prosperity.
25. Xing Constellation: Is the sun and is a horse. It is the fourth constellation in the south and is located at the eye of the Vermilion Bird. The eyes of birds are mostly as bright as stars, so it is named "Xing". As the saying goes, "One cannot tolerate sand in one's eyes", so Xing Constellation is mostly inauspicious. Xing Constellation on duty has sorrows, there are more inauspicious things than auspicious things and there are unexpected disasters. All construction is not favorable, and there will be successive disasters at home. 26. Zhang Constellation: Is the moon and is a deer. It is the fifth constellation in the south and is located at the connection between the body and the wings of the Vermilion Bird. The wings spreading means flying. There are often sayings like "open for business with great luck" in the folk, so Zhang Constellation is mostly auspicious. Zhang Constellation's star is very auspicious, sacrifices and marriages will last a long time. If burial and construction occur on this day, one will enter the court as an official within three years.

27. Yi Constellation: Belongs to fire and corresponds to the snake. It is the sixth constellation of the Southern Palace (Vermilion Bird). Located at the position of the Vermilion Bird’s wings, it is thus named "Yi" (meaning "wing"). A bird can soar only with wings, so Yi Constellation is mostly auspicious.

28. Zhen Constellation: Belongs to water and corresponds to the earthworm. It is the seventh constellation of the Southern Palace (Vermilion Bird), situated at the Vermilion Bird’s tail—a part that birds use to steer their direction. In ancient times, the horizontal wooden beam at the rear of a chariot’s undercarriage was called "zhen"; its position corresponds to where Zhen Constellation lies on the Vermilion Bird, hence the constellation’s name. Zhen Constellation was anciently known as the "Heavenly Chariot." Additionally, the character "zhen" carries the meaning of "grief," so Zhen Constellation is mostly inauspicious.