Ritual of Worshiping the Four Cardinal Deities at the Taiji Thunder Altar

On the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, take one chi and two cun (a traditional Chinese unit of length; approximately 33.3 cm for 1 chi and 3.33 cm for 1 cun) of yellow silk fabric. Write the "Red Rooster and Purple Goose Talisman" in accordance with the specified Taoist ritual procedures. Burn incense and recite the "Mulang Mantra" one hundred times, then submerge the talisman in water located in the northeast direction.

Next, return to a clean and purified room. Arrange four sets of meat offerings (ritual offerings containing blood, a practice in ancient Taoist ceremonies), prepare wine as a libation for worship, and invoke the four deities including Master Yulei Hao. Upon presenting the wine, the forms of a rooster and a goose will appear; shortly after, the manifestations of the deities themselves will emerge. You may pray for whatever you wish, then burn the ritual paper. In years of drought, this prayer will always be answered.

The Scripture of the Five Thunders states: "These four deities are the water spirits from the era of primeval chaos at the very beginning of the universe. When Yu the Great (the legendary ancient Chinese ruler who tamed floods) managed the floods, he ordered these deities to guard the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west). It is also said that they are the essences of the Eight Trigrams (a core concept in Taoist cosmology). They preside over clouds and rain; worshipping them annually can promptly bring forth clouds and rainfall."