The Legend and Significance of "Worshipping the Dippers for Blessings"

According to legend, Zhuge Liang set up an altar at Wuzhangyuan to worship the Dipper constellations and perform the ritual of "appeasing the stars to prolong life." Centered on the lamp ceremony dedicated to the Big Dipper, this ritual held that if the main lamp remained lit for seven days, one’s lifespan could be extended. On the dawn of the seventh day, Sima Yi’s central army launched a surprise raid on the camp. Wei Yan rushed into the tent to report the emergency, and in his haste, accidentally kicked over and extinguished the main lamp.

Zhuge Liang sighed deeply, "Life and death are decreed by fate." Before long, he passed away peacefully at Wuzhangyuan.

This incident has been handed down in later generations as the allusion to "worshipping the Dippers to appease the stars" and remains the most famous recorded event of Dipper worship in history.

Dipper worship is a unique Taoist ritual for praying for blessings and longevity.

In Taoism, Dipper worship is an ancient ceremony of revering Heaven and paying homage to the Dipper constellations, aimed at seeking longevity, dispelling disasters, and resolving hardships. Since ancient times, the folk belief has held that "the Southern Dipper controls birth, and the Big Dipper controls death."

The Southern Dipper governs blessings, longevity, official rank, and wealth, while the Big Dipper holds power over life, death, good fortune, and misfortune.

From this belief, Taoism developed the practice of worshipping the Dipper stars and paying respects to the Dipper deities, praying for favorable weather, national prosperity and people’s peace, and the well-being of all.

As recorded in Taihuang Zhidao Taiqing Yuce (The Jade Manual of the Supreme Dao of the Heavenly Emperor):

It is evident that each group of Dipper stars has its own duties, protecting all realms and directions in the universe. The way for humans to connect with the stars, pray for blessings, and ward off disasters lies precisely in Dipper worship.

The origin of Dipper worship is extremely ancient, but the systematic Taoist ritual of Dipper worship began in the Han Dynasty.

According to Tai Shang Xuan Ling Bei Dou Ben Ming Yan Sheng Zhen Jing (The True Scripture of the Supreme Mysterious Numinous Big Dipper for the Prolongation of Life Based on One’s Birth Star), on the seventh day of the first lunar month in the first year of Yonghan (189 CE), Supreme Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) ascended to the Jade Throne and imparted this scripture to Zhang Daoling, the First Celestial Master. Supreme Lord Lao stated: "Those who can observe fasting and offer rituals to pay homage to the true Dipper deities shall accumulate profound merits. This can cleanse calamities and sins, resolve crises, bring blessings and prolong life, allowing one to attain freedom from suffering and enjoy blessings and longevity in three lifetimes."

Since then, the lineage of Dipper worship has been passed down from generation to generation. Historical records mention Dipper worship by Huo Guang, a powerful minister of the Western Han Dynasty, and Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms period. Su Shi of the Song Dynasty also wrote: "On the 15th day of the fifth lunar month in the second year of Shaosheng (1095 CE), I invited Deng Shou’an, a Taoist priest from Luofu Mountain, to offer worship to the True Lords of the Big Dipper." Thus, Dipper worship became a revered practice of sincere faith valued by both scholars and Taoists.

Taoism holds that human life and death, as well as the origin of the soul, are all linked to the Dipper Mansion. Sou Shen Ji (Records of the Search for Spirits) states: "The Southern Dipper controls birth, and the Big Dipper controls death. When a mortal is conceived, their fate passes through the Southern Dipper first, then the Big Dipper."

Therefore, those who worship the Dippers are essentially paying homage to their own "yuan chen" (original celestial star, corresponding to one’s birth destiny), seeking to brighten their fate, dispel disasters, attract good fortune, and prolong life. When a person is born, their soul and essence are shaped by the Big Dipper; when a person passes away, it is also said that "the star sinks into the Big Dipper." The Dipper is not only the pivot of Heaven but also the source of life.

From the Dipper lamps at Wuzhangyuan to the bright candles before today’s altars, the flame has burned unceasingly for thousands of years. That single lamp symbolizes not only the continuation of life but also the sincerity and perseverance in people’s hearts to revere Heaven and accept destiny. As long as the Dipper lamp remains lit, the Taoist heart remains bright.

The Double Ninth Festival (on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month) is approaching. With clear skies, fresh air, and rising yang energy, it is an auspicious time to worship the Dippers and pray for blessings.

Every year, during the Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the Successor Han Celestial Master Mansion holds a Dipper Worship Dharma Assembly. Taoist priests in the mansion set up an altar, light lamps, respectfully invite the Nine Sovereign True Lords of the Big Dipper, recite sacred scriptures, and present memorials to Heaven to pray for blessings—seeking longevity, dispelling calamities, and adding good fortune for all.

Devotees may register their names and birth dates to be included in the merit roll, sharing in the radiance of the Dippers and aligning their fortunes with the stars.