Esoteric Golden Talisman of the Nine Heavens 九天上圣秘传金符经

Author unknown, presumably compiled between the Song and Yuan dynasties.

It is one volume, included in the Zhengyi Section of The Daozang.

This classic is a book for selecting auspicious and inauspicious days. Its content can be divided into three parts.

Esoteric Golden Talisman of the Nine Heavens

The first part is The Golden Talisman Classic, which teaches the art of observing stars and selecting days. It states that there are nine stars in heaven (Yaoxing, Huoxing, Hedao, Shagong, Zhixing, Bumu, Jiaoji, Renzhuan, Lizao), which take turns ruling each day. When a family undertakes construction, marriage, funeral, moving, sacrifice, traveling, and other matters, they must carefully choose the day. If an auspicious star rules the day, everything will go well; if an inauspicious star rules, the family will be ruined.

The book arranges the twelve-month calendar for each year in the order of the Sixty Jiazi, indicating the name of the ruling constellation and the auspicious or inauspicious nature it governs each day. People can consult the calendar to predict good or bad fortune.

The second part is Mr. Zhuge's Ten-Thousand-Year Travel Chart, falsely attributed to Zhuge Kongming. There are three such charts, all circular calendars, indicating the good or bad fortune of each day in the twelve months of the year. Families can choose auspicious days and avoid inauspicious times according to these charts.

The third part consists of several short essays copied at the end of the book, all related to calculating the auspiciousness and inauspiciousness of days and times.