Taoist Occult Magick - Lord Josh Allen : January 2020

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Taoist Magick - Chinese Occult Robes - Lord Josh Allen

Lord Josh Allen wearing three different ritual robes used for Taoist Magick

In all Occult magical traditions, ceremonial robes play an enormous role in ritual magick. Taoism is no exception. Within the tradition that I practice, a robe is not simply a highly decorative outfit worn for theatrical effect. Robes work by creating an energetic separation between the magician's mundane Earthly self, for example, their occupation, social status, and financial power become irrelevant when they are dressed for ceremony. The mundane version of you goes shopping for groceries, hangs out with friends, enjoys entertainment but the magical "higher" version of you should be much different. Once robed, you are transformed from a mortal into a divine radiance of energy, a living embodiment of infinite potential and purity. You not only look different, but you also behave differently, your "Magical Persona" is allowed to run wild, this is known as "The True Self" where, only for a short time, the mask that you wear in your mundane life, the pretense that you show to others is finally lifted and you are able to express your authentic nature. This transition is one of the first steps for ritual magick, whether you are a novice who is practicing their first working or an adept with decades of experience, this is something that is always done. The robe allows you to travel across the bridge that connects Earth and Heaven (The Spirit Realms) which is another way of saying, the robe allows you to transform your way of thinking and being, all Taoist robes fundamentally represent transformation. This transition from mundane self to true self is immediately felt by the wearer as soon as the robe is worn, it is not a slow process nor is it something that should be taken lightly. Some Taoist traditions believe that robes should be worn to remove the wearer's ego, this is why many sects require their followers to "purify" themselves before the robe can be worn. This may involve taking a ritual bath, meditating to clear one's mind of mundane desires, fasting or restricting certain food and drink such as meat and wine and having a general reverence for the robe itself. Taoists would sometimes take great care in how the robes are taken care of, they must not be blemished or untidy. This shows how Taoists care very deeply about their ritual attire, to them it is NOT a costume, it is never a "prop" used for performances, it is instead a union of Man, Earth, and Heaven fusing together. In magical terms, robes have many practical uses. When worn, they increase and expand the magician's energetic field that surrounds the body, known famously as the "aura" Depending on the type of robe, this field of qi may change colour, become boiling hot or freezingly cold, it may act as a protection chamber around the wearer or it may affect other people around the wearer, such as altering their perceptions of reality, making them see and hear things, healing them or changing their thoughts. There are too many robes to mention here in this blog so I will be discussing my own ritual robes and how I use them in my own personal practices.

Lord Josh Allen wearing the Taoist Robe "The Robe of The Immortal Crane"

The Robe of The Immortal Crane

Usually, when identifying robes and how they are used in magick, the name itself provides good insight. "The Robe of The Immortal Crane" is a design that is mostly used for healing spells. It enables the practitioner to work closely with any of the Celestial Immortals with relative ease. Spirits such as Zhongli Quan, Lu Dongbin, Li Tieguai, etc are all drawn to this robe. It holds symbolism of the famous "Red-Crowned Crane" which in Taoism is a representation of longevity, immortality and living a long life. These symbols work very well if you are interested in "Healing Magick" for either healing yourself or others. The symbolism of the mighty dragon embroidered on the back allows the robe to be used for other spells aside from healing, dragons in Taoism are deeply connected to water and rain, think Ying Long, The Responding Dragon. Dragons are often known as "The Gods of Water" and can be petitioned for rainmaking rituals within the tradition of Taoist Weather Magick. A magician who wears this robe can also petition dragons to help with flood control. They have power over waterfalls, rivers, oceans, and lakes. Dragons are seen as being highly auspicious creatures often linked with glory, Chinese imperial families, the Emperor himself and they represent the realm of scaly creatures just as the phoenix represents the realm of feathered creatures. In China, three-clawed dragons were commonly used during the Tang Dynasty. The grey border that travels all across the outer robe is a representation of "The Middle Path" the wearer is allowing others to know that he or she is not a follower of black or white magick but a practitioner of grey magick, I swear no allegiance to The Left-Hand Path or The Right-Hand Path, I respect both and I see there is wisdom in both. It is here in this neutral area where balance can be achieved, where the Tao is most divine. The keyword here is harmony. A robe like this is perfect for a grey arts sorcerer. Out of all of my occult robes, this is the one I've worn the least, I always tell people, a robe is at its weakest when you wear it for the very first time. Robes gather power over the duration of many years, every single ritual you practice is "imprinted" into the fabric, the robe has a "spiritual memory" it recalls all past rituals, remembering every incantation, every invocation and every experience the wearer has had whilst wearing it. It also absorbs information by drawing in incense smoke. In the I Ching Book of Changes, it mentions that the colour black is the colour of Heaven, I personally believe using black helps me connect to The Northern Dipper.

Lord Josh Allen wearing "The Great Robe of The Red Vermillion Bird"

The Great Robe of The Red Vermillion Bird

This robe really is something extraordinary, whenever you see the word "Great" in relation to the name of a Taoist robe, you know that it has some serious energy and power to it. It bears some resemblance to another type of master's robe in Taoism known as "The Robe of Descent" However, mine here is even more unique. Unlike The Robe of The Immortal Crane, this one here is entirely bespoke and custom made just for me, it is the only one of its kind in the world and it was tailor-made to fit my personal practices. As a Weather Magician who walks an Eastern path, I struggle to find appropriate ritual attire, the colours, cut, symbols and material are very hard to find so I had my "perfect" robe commissioned a few years ago, this is the result. The Great Robe of The Red Vermillion Bird draws the majority of its power from The Bird, often confused with the Fenghuang. This bird represents fire, all feathered creatures, the Southern direction, the colour red, the season of Summer, the trigram of Li (meaning flame) and in Feng Shui it is associated with fame, reputation and good fortune. Its appearance is said to be similar to a glowing fiery pheasant with flames that never burn out. It is a highly auspicious creature that belongs to a legendary group of beasts known as "The Four Celestial Animals of Feng Shui" (Relating to The Twenty-Eight Mansions) In Taoist Alchemy, The Bird represents a persons Shen (Spirit) and their Intention. At its core. The Bird represents seven celestial mansions which consist of the following, Well, Ghost, Willow, Star, Extended Net, Wings, and Chariot. Whilst wearing the robe, Star-Lords can be petitioned, entrance into the realms of the stars can be accomplished via meditation. These energies can be utilized very efficiently whilst wearing this robe. It isn't just the symbolism that holds power, the overall cut of the robe is most important. The sleeves are extremely long and the whole robe is very wide. In Taoism, long and wide robes are used for elaborate rituals which have many technical steps and complex formulas. They are almost always worn by the adept and those who have years of experience with ritualism. When the magician opens his or her arms widely, the robe represents the four directions of North, South, East, and West and this square shape represents Earth in general. The colour black, again, is a representation of Heaven or "The Great Unknowable" This robe is profoundly useful in magical operations that require an enormous amount of qi. The two main colours are black and white (or grey) the outer black robe is responsible for absorbing qi from the stars, the vegetation, the trees, the waters, etc and the lighter inner robe deflects excessive qi that the black robe draws in, ensuring that the magician never absorbs too much, as this can be dangerous. These two robes create a cycle, where they rely on each other, much like the Yin and Yang. The dark attracts qi, the light repels qi. If a magician wore all-black robes, he or she would be imbalanced, the same applies when wearing all white. The goal is to reach a state of harmony.

Lord Josh Allen wearing "The Authority Over Heaven and Earth Robe"

The Authority Over Heaven and Earth Robe

This robe is in a class of its own, it is somewhat similar to the famous "Senior Masters Robe" which is worn by the highest-ranking Daoshi's in China. The Authority Over Heaven and Earth Robe is easily distinguishable with its strong square shape. Just like the "Jiangyi Robe" its silhouette is striking and menacing. It is a sleeveless garment made entirely from one piece of continuous fabric. It represents the four Earthly directions and having command over all areas of the Earth. Some variations will include three small silk straps that tie the outer robe together, these three silk pieces represent The Three Dantians (Upper, Middle, and Lower) The Three Realms ( Earth, Heaven, and the Underworld) and The Three Taoist Treasures (Qi, Jing, and Shen) The silver border that travels across the robe contains the symbolism of the phoenix or (depending on your sects beliefs) The Red Vermillion Bird. Blended into this silver design are a multitude of swirling shapes, representing clouds and wind and circular shapes representing the Wuji (primordial universe) The colour silver is especially auspicious, it represents "God Energy" or "The Original Source of Qi" or qi in its purest form. In modern Feng Shui, it has become associated with Wealth Magick. This robe is usually worn for "High Magick" it works like a giant wearable talisman, the immortals, deities, elementals all descend from their Heavenly abodes and attach themselves to this robe when it is used during ritual. This is another one of my bespoke custom made robes, I commissioned it so that I could start practicing long-distance Weather Magick, I wanted my rainmaking spells to work in other countries. I was well aware of the terrible situation in Yemen where the starvation rates are some of the worst in the world, a lot of these issues stem from a lack of good soil due to shortages of rainfall. I had made many honorable but failed attempts to bring rain to Yemen, I must have practiced about a dozen rainmaking rituals all in vain. I tried method after method, I consulted all of the traditional books but I could not accomplish this task. I became very frustrated so I took a step back and went into meditation, I remember how the ancient Taoists viewed themselves as helpers in their respective communities, they would help with droughts and flooding by making petitions to the proper deities. I made contact with my local nature spirits and I had sudden vivid "visions" of inspiration, many of my robes, talismans, feather fans, etc all make their first appearance in my dreams or visions. I had a powerful mental image of a square-shaped black robe that could influence weather overseas. I was told to find this exact robe so I wasted no time and sought out an accomplished tailor. The black colour helps me immensely for Taoist Weather Magick. It is used in Sympathetic Magick, to manifest dark stormy clouds, perfect for rainmaking. The mission to bring rain to Yemen is still in progress.

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Thursday, January 2, 2020

- Lord Josh Allen - Powerful Taoist Meditation Within Nature - Taoist Weather Magick

Lord Josh Allen - Powerful Taoist Meditation Within Nature - Taoist Weather Magick

Lord Josh Allen explains and practices a powerful Taoist meditation that is used by Taoists before they practice weather magick rituals. I will be making more guided meditations soon!

Taoist Occult Magick - Lord Josh Allen

Many different traditions of ritual magick exist all throughout history, spanning every culture, country, social class, and background. None have captivated and inspired me as much as the Taoist system of Occultism. Taoist Magick is a highly technical, multi-faceted and intricate disciplinary journey of the arcane, it teaches us the importance of the journey, the experience and not the destination or end result. A system of ritualism that greatly encourages its practitioners to dedicate themselves fully to the art, it is both a commitment and a lifestyle, its depths rival the oceans and its heights rival the mountains. It is understood by very few and the majority of its practices and spells still hide in obscurity, despite this, many of the old teachings have resurfaced in the modern world and new people are becoming curious about its power. An entirely new generation of ceremonial magicians, mystics, sorcerers, and witches are stepping into its energetic current, contributing their own unique ideas and perspectives and to explore what Taoism has to offer. This blog will be your guide into the amazing world of Taoist Sorcery and Magick. My name is Lord Josh Allen, I am an expert in the field of Taoist Weather Magick, a practitioner of Feng Shui and Star Stepping. My main inspiration is Master Zhuge Liang, otherwise known as Kongming, the genius strategist of The Three Kingdoms era of China and The Great Prime Minister of the Shu-Han state. I consider myself a student of his brilliant teachings. I've been following the path of Taoism since 2007 and I run a YouTube channel that features topics on Chinese magick and mysticism with a playlist of over 70 videos on the subject of the Occult. This blog will serve as a supplemental source of information for the topics I discuss on my channel.

What Are The Basics of Taoist Magick?

Introduction To Feng Shui

Lord Josh Allen on "The Altar of The Seven Stars"

Taoism is by definition, a nature-based tradition. Its magical structure is like that of a giant tree with many branches arching from the center of the trunk. Each branch represents a different category of magical power and from those branches form leaves that become subcategories. One such example would be Feng Shui, the study and practice of Wind and Water which falls into the category of Geomancy. Feng Shui is the Chinese art of placement that places importance on a person's environment and how the qi within that environment affects their overall wellbeing, health, wealth, family, love, etc. Feng Shui has been around for more than four thousand years. The word Feng means wind and Shui means water. Wind is considered to be a Heavenly force, whilst water an Earthly one, in between both of these powers is man. Feng Shui Masters will dedicate their entire lives to understanding how the hidden forces within the soil, rocks, waters can be controlled for their own benefit. Everything emits a vibrational resonance and this resonance can be manifested upon the Earth's terrain. This is why Feng Shui is also known as Earth Magick, it is centered on understanding the "flow" of the energy within nature. The energy within the land on the Earth is heavily influenced by the forces of constellations, asterisms, and stars within the Heavens. It is based on how these energies interact that determine how a physical landscape will form, from the shapes of the trees, the quality and fertility of the soil, to the smells within the wind, the depth of the water and the colours of the vegetation, a wise Master would be able to tell if an area is auspicious or inauspicious based on these factors by "reading" the land. Such Masters treat physical landscapes like books, each place has its own unique story and identity, if you learn the language of the land and if you can understand the subtle signs, you will be able to utilize its hidden power.

Using red sandalwood incense

This practice, in my opinion, is a type of meditation, becoming one with your surroundings, if there is healthy qi flowing through the land, you will be able to absorb it and it will flow through you. A person's life is strongly influenced by qi, whether they are aware of it or not. The qi of wind is Yang, it behaves like fire, it is masculine, it never stops moving, the qi of Shui is that of water, it is Yin, it is feminine and represents stillness. Knowing the different magical properties of Yin and Yang is essential, if the qi is too excessive or if it's too deficient, it will cause disharmony. If the environment is not harmonious, this can bring about negativity in the occupants or landowners. The concept of "luck" in Taoist Feng Shui is a major aspect, Masters will do whatever they can to influence fate and try to get luck on their side. There are two main schools of Feng Shui, "The Form School" and "The Compass School" (In modern times there are many Westernised schools) I personally follow both Form and Compass as I believe they each have great ideas. The Form School which is the oldest school was originally used with the orientation of tombs and it mostly focuses on shapes such as buildings, neighborhoods, architecture, the shapes of mountain peaks, the topography of the lands, it also places much importance on rivers, lakes, and streams and how fast the water is flowing.

Lord Josh Allen making offerings to weather deities

Form School is centered on environmental harmony, if something looks "pleasing" or "beautiful" it is generally considered to be auspicious and the opposite is true if one considers something to be "ugly" In The Compass School of thought, this approach makes use of a Luopan or Geomantic compass. This tradition focuses more on aligning buildings with the appropriate stars, this is why, in ancient China, altars were often constructed on top of mounds and hills, these "sacred" mountain altars almost always have a direct connection to a divine constellation or group of stars. Compass School utilizes the forces of The Five Elements, otherwise known as Wu Xing, it makes great use of Chinese Astrology and Numerology, and it incorporates The Eight Trigrams of the Bagua into its teachings. It also involves the birthdates of every person who lives within the building or house. This is a much more concise and mathematical approach. In Chinese history, Feng Shui was used to orient buildings, construct elaborate imperial palaces, build villages, altars, and temples. It is still practiced today, not only in China but throughout most of the Western world. I built my outdoor altar "The Altar of The Seven Stars" using Feng Shui principles.

Introduction To Taoist Weather Magick - The Way of The Weather Wizard

Lord Josh Allen in his Taoist Weather Magick attire

It is known that you cannot safely practice high-level Taoist Weather Magick without having a good amount of Feng Shui knowledge as a foundation. I practice many different types of Taoist spells but my heart will forever belong to Weather Magick. It is my personal belief, that if humanity had not learned how to "dance the rains" we would have all gone extinct long ago. Taoist Weather Magick or Sometimes known as "Taoist Heaven Magick" this obscure practice centers around using various weather conditions for a massive range of different practices. Some Masters will use weather magick for internal cultivation, absorbing healthy benevolent mist and fog into the body to replace qi, this practice is known as "Eating Vapor" and is usually performed at dawn just as the sun begins to rise, a time when Yin energy gives rise to Yang energy. An entire system of Divination is used within Weather Magick. Experienced Diviners would read omens within nature to predict future events, these practitioners were known as "Weather Watchers" They were an elite class of Priests who mostly worked for Emperors and warlords. The kings would rely heavily on them to warn them of upcoming disasters, the belief is, that gods will show their approval or disapproval of certain things and this will manifest with changes in the natural world. These omens would be recorded and presented to the ruler, from there decisions would be made such as going to war, traveling, making alliances with other kingdoms, etc. Other practices include using weather conditions such as thunder for exorcisms. Within the Taoist tradition, there exists "Thunder Magick or "Lei Fa" There are two main categories of Lei Fa. "External Thunder Magick" and "Internal Thunder Magick" The external mainly deals with gathering celestial power and destroying demonic forces, the internal is used for healing and curing illnesses. Trees that had been struck by lightning were used to create powerful wooden talismans such as the famous Taoist Peachwood Sword which is often used in Weather Magick rituals. Taoists will "store" different types of weather into their vital organs whilst they meditate, the Mao Shan disciples would practice meditation whilst facing the direction of a thunderstorm and allow the energies of the thunder to travel through their organ system, finally settling into The Lower Dantian which is located within the naval area. Certain organs within the human body correspond to certain weather types. The gall bladder relates to clouds, the liver relates to wind, the kidneys relate to rain and the spleen relates to thunder. What happens with the weather in the Heavens up above, has a massive effect on what happens to us on Earth, this has become famously known in the West "As Above So Below" The Taoists considered the sky itself to be alive and full of magical power that could be utilized via proper ritual.

Lord Josh Allen's Taoist altar, note the statue of Zhuge Liang in the center

The practice of Taoist Weather Magick relies heavily on the magician's skill with "Sympathetic Magick" For example, during rainmaking rituals, it is tradition that the practitioner dress in mostly black robes. It is thought that the black colour of the robes will manifest dark stormy clouds that the practitioner can have full command of. Other Taoist traditions will dance naked around a burning fire, whilst dancing, the magician will sweat, it is thought that the drops of sweat will encourage drops of rain to fall down. You can tell that these methods of magick have their roots in natural shamanism. Taoist magick can be broken up into two main categories, "Religious Taoism" and "Folk Taoism" I tend to practice magick from the Folk tradition. Rituals to bring about rain were usually practiced on Wednesdays and rituals to bring about sunny clear conditions were mostly done on Sundays. Some Taoist sects were very strict with their pre-ritual preparations. Rainmaking workings required those involved to "purify" themselves for at least three days. This process of purification involved abstaining from meat, wine, sex, drugs and those who were going through morning could not participate. This was done not only for purity but also for sincerity. Weather deities and elemental spirits are not to be underestimated, they can read the hearts and minds of people and they will know if you have sinister intentions. There are three main approaches to Taoist Weather Magick. An extremely gifted and experienced sorcerer would work directly with the elements and could create stormclouds out of a clear sky, no matter if the sun is shining or if the winds are calm, he or she could summon a storm regardless, this practitioner could accomplish magick under any condition. A different type of magician could borrow these existing storm clouds from another location, usually from a nearby area. After he or she is done with the rainclouds, they will need to be returned back to their original place, this is no easy task. Lastly, a magician who prefers to ask for Heavenly assistance will petition an immortal, deity, god, etc to create the clouds. I've tried all three methods and each one is very rewarding. If a Taoist wished to "Call The Winds" he or she would make use of magical hand gestures known as "Hand Seals" There are eight different hand gestures that control the eight different directions of the wind, each seal corresponds to a trigram within the Bagua. For example, to invoke the powers of the Southeastern wind, the practitioner would attempt to re-create the trigram of "Xun" (Wind/Air) with his or her fingers. As the hand gesture is performed, an incantation should accompany it. Despite being hidden in obscurity for centuries, Taoist Weather Magick is enjoying a period of rapid growth, I will see to it personally that this continues.