Canon of Stellar Divination & Ritual 天老神光经

It was originally attributed to Li Jing, the Duke of Wei of the Tang Dynasty, yet it is suspected to be a posthumous forgery under his name.

It was recorded in TongZhi·YiWen Lue (General Records·Survey of Literature) as a work by Cai Deng, while The History of the Song Dynasty·Treatise on Arts and Literature listed it as The Scripture of Heavenly Elder's Divine Radiance in one scroll, attributed to Su Deng.

Canon of Stellar Divination & Ritual

The existing version is included in the Method category of the The Dongshen Section within The Daozang.

At the beginning of the scroll is a Memorial Presenting the Scripture compiled by Li Jing in the seventh year of the Zhenguan reign (633 AD), which states that this scripture had been circulated for a long time and was later compiled into a single scroll by Li Jing himself. The text fabricates a dialogue between Duke Ping of Jin and Shi Kuang, elaborating on the techniques of sharpening eyesight to observe the stars and predicting good and bad fortune in advance.

It claims that to foretell good or ill luck, one must observe the assistant stars of the Big Dipper, and catching sight of them bodes well. If the sky is overcast and the stars are invisible, one must first concentrate on the divine radiance in one's eyes. In dark and gloomy places, one can prick the corner of the eye with a finger, shake the finger and then the assistant stars will become visible. It also states that focusing on the divine radiance allows one to perceive human affairs: "A yellow or red, round radiance foretells virtue and joy; a white one indicates hidden soldiers and bereavement for someone; a flawed blue one portends worry; a black one signals bandits, as well as wars and plagues."

Furthermore, it mentions that for ordinary people, tinnitus with voices calling out or a fishy and foul smell in the nose all augur misfortune. In such cases, one may observe a fast and take a bath, then face one's birth year star at night, perform the Yu Step and call out three times. When in trouble, recite the name of one's birth year star, and the star will come to the rescue. The text records the method of the Yu Step and the Diagrams of Reporting to the Mysterious, and also enumerates the rituals for offering sacrifices to the fourteen star officials of the Big Dipper.