Fu Mo Zhou Taoist Exorcism Chant ritual visualization

Fu Mo Zhou: The Taoist Exorcism Chant

July 18, 2026 Paul Peng

🔱 Fu Mo Zhou 拂魔咒

The Taoist Exorcism Chant · Classical Liturgy

Not all demons are external. In Taoist cosmology, the most dangerous forces are the cravings that cloud the inner senses — and this chant was written to bind them all.

🔱 Exorcism Ritual 🌑 Demon Subduing 📜 Classical Liturgy ⚡ Divine Command

🌑 What Is Fu Mo Zhou?

Fu Mo Zhou (拂魔咒) is one of the most commanding exorcism chants in the Taoist liturgical tradition. Unlike simple protective prayers, this chant operates as a divine decree — issued in the name of the Five Emperors and the Celestial Register — ordering demonic forces to present themselves, be judged, and be destroyed. 🔥

What makes this chant remarkable is its cosmological scope. It does not merely repel a single demon. It summons the Divine Kings (神王) to sweep across the Five Sacred Mountains (五岳) and the Four Great Rivers (四渎), separating good from evil across the entire known world.

📜 The Chant — Original Text

罗天毒兽，备巨四门。

吞流割胆，山丑万群。

张喉玃天，猛卫高声。

毒龙奋爪，金头横吞。

威兵巨万，受符接山。

六天不恂，合玉成群。

妖魔波洋，秽气纷纷。

谣歌空洞，礼帝障云。

水鬼贾形，当人生门。

神王所告，无幽不闻。

上摄六气，下检河源。

五岳四渎，善恶速分。

万万千千，来对我前。

五帝校箓，有功者原。

凶魔千群，束形帝君。

敢不从命，所诛无蠲。

屠割刳腹，斩首灭根。

北镬渍汤，南陵火焚。

金真录气，流铃捕魂。

身佩天书，宣行正文。

涤荡九气，清明三元。

玄举天真，上吆自然。

莫有干试，改动上闻。

🧿 Reading the Chant: Layer by Layer

The opening lines — 罗天毒兽，备巨四门 — establish the threat: poisonous beasts of the heavenly net, massed at all four gates. In classical Taoist commentary, these "beasts" are not literal monsters. They are the uncontrolled desires that pour through the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Each craving becomes a predator. 👁️

The chant then pivots to the Divine Kings (神王), who are called to act. Their authority is total: 无幽不闻 — "no darkness goes unheard." They govern the six breaths of heaven above and the river sources below. This mirrors the broader Taoist understanding of thunder manipulation and divine command — where the practitioner channels cosmic authority rather than personal power.

⚡ Key Cosmological Structure

The chant operates on three registers simultaneously: the celestial (五帝校箓 — the Five Emperors audit the divine register), the terrestrial (五岳四渎 — the sacred mountains and rivers as moral boundaries), and the infernal (北镬渍汤，南陵火焚 — northern cauldrons of boiling water, southern hills of fire). Demons who refuse to comply face all three.

🕯️ The Ritual Preparation Before Recitation

This is where most accounts stop — and where the real practice begins. The classical text specifies a precise sequence of inner visualization (存思) that must precede the chant. Without it, the words carry no authority. ✨

① 存思头上圆光如日 — Visualize a circular radiance above the head, bright as the sun

② 左朱凤，右玄武 — Left: the Vermilion Phoenix; Right: the Black Tortoise

③ 紫霞之盖，光明身形 — A canopy of purple mist; the body luminous

④ 仙童玉女，执五色之节 — Celestial attendants holding five-colored banners

⑤ 三界万神随从 — Ten thousand gods of the Three Realms in attendance

⑥ 九凤前啸，八鸾后鸣 — Nine phoenixes cry ahead; eight spirit-birds call behind

⑦ 白帝启道，太极参轩 — The White Emperor opens the path; the Supreme Ultimate joins the procession

After the visualization is complete: strike the left teeth 36 times, the right teeth 24 times, and the "heavenly drum" (天鼓) 12 times. Recite the chant softly. Upon completion, draw in breath 12 times. Only then is the ritual sealed. 🥁

The burning of incense in Taoist ritual during this preparation is traditional — the rising smoke is understood to carry the practitioner's intent upward to the divine registers, signaling that the invocation is genuine.

🌀 Why This Chant Still Matters

Fu Mo Zhou is not a relic. Its structure — threat assessment, divine invocation, cosmic judgment, and consequence — reflects a complete Taoist theory of moral order. The demons it names are real in the sense that matters most: they are the forces that pull human consciousness away from clarity and alignment with the Tao. 🌿

The final lines — 涤荡九气，清明三元 / 玄举天真，上吆自然 — describe the goal: to purge the nine turbid breaths, clarify the Three Primes, and rise into alignment with the natural order. This is not destruction for its own sake. It is restoration.

📌 Note on Practice
This chant is presented here for scholarly and cultural understanding. Classical Taoist liturgy requires formal transmission from a qualified master (师承). Recitation without proper initiation and preparation is not recommended by the tradition itself.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Is Fu Mo Zhou the same as a banishing spell?

Not exactly. Western banishing spells typically aim to remove an unwanted presence from a space. Fu Mo Zhou operates differently — it is a divine summons. Rather than pushing demons away, it commands them to appear before the Five Emperors for judgment. Those with merit are pardoned; those without are destroyed. The chant assumes the practitioner holds legitimate celestial authority, not personal willpower.

❓ Can Fu Mo Zhou be recited without a master?

The classical tradition is explicit: no. The chant requires 师承 (formal transmission from a qualified Taoist master). Without initiation, the practitioner lacks the celestial credentials the chant invokes — the divine register (天书), the Five Emperors' mandate, and the authority to command the Divine Kings. Reciting the words alone is considered ineffective at best, and disrespectful to the tradition at worst.

❓ What are the "six breaths" (六气) mentioned in the chant?

In Taoist cosmology, the six breaths refer to the six atmospheric or cosmic energies that govern the natural world — broadly associated with wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire. When the chant declares 上摄六气 ("above, governing the six breaths"), it means the Divine Kings hold authority over the entire atmospheric order, not just individual demons. This is what gives the chant its cosmic rather than merely local scope.

❓ Why does the chant mention both fire and boiling water as punishments?

The pairing of 北镬渍汤 (northern cauldrons of boiling water) and 南陵火焚 (southern hills of fire) reflects the Taoist cosmological axis: north is associated with Water (水) and south with Fire (火) in Five Elements theory. By invoking both extremes simultaneously, the chant signals that no demon can escape through elemental affinity — the punishment is total and cosmologically complete.

❓ How does Fu Mo Zhou differ from other Taoist protective chants?

Most protective chants in the Taoist canon — such as the Jing Kou Shen Zhou (净口神咒) or Jing Xin Shen Zhou (净心神咒) — are purification chants recited before ritual to cleanse the practitioner. Fu Mo Zhou is different in nature: it is an active command issued mid-ritual, directed outward at demonic forces. It presupposes that purification has already occurred and that the practitioner is now acting as a divine officer, not a supplicant.

About the Author

Paul Peng

Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is the curator of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.

Read his full story →

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