Taoist magic? (priest, ritual, mysticism, funeral, translation)

[cfer]

What does everyone know about taoist magic? All I've heard is that it's based on the I Ching. Is there anything else to taoist magic? Is there something like Wiccan magick in Taoism?

[Master Vigil]

Hmmm... Taoist magic? I guess you could call some of the stuff they do magic, but that is a broad term. The I Ching is a form of divination, the Pa Qua can be used to ward off evil spirits, they do believe in chi vampires, etc... but its not the same as wiccan magic. Wicca is based in european culture, taoism in chinese culture. There is much difference. And all of this is within religious taoism which I find hardly any liking. I am a philosophical taoist, my spiritual side comes out in my sinti gyspy background. But it is also mixed with the concept of chi.

[Prima]

Er, and don't forget that 'magic' is often meant as 'something powerful I don't understand' as is 'supernatural'

The Tao has a power of its own, and can certainly make things happen, but that doesn't mean that it's actually magic.

Similarly, I would think that anyone practicing 'Taoist magic' probably doesn't understand Taoism.

Also, if you tap into any kind of power with Taoism, I think it's be less of an organized spell, which is what most people think of magic as being.

[anders]

I've tried to look into the Yi Jing [已经], and don't really find any "magic" in it, but I find the divination parts, especially the Ba Gua [八卦] 'the eight trigrams', rather bizarre, and the rest, like the qi [气] ('vital energy; energy of life') theories, unrelated to reality or just too obscure. My interest in Daoism is mainly related to the older, philosophical versions.

[Master Vigil]

I find hardly any credibility in the I Ching, or Pa Qua, but I do find credibility in Chi. I've used it, and have seen amazing things done with it. I also feel that the concept of chi is deeply rooted in the older philosophical versions of taoism. Lao Tzu in my opinion knew exactly what chi was.

[Prima]

Ah-ha! This is what I found about it in my favorite religions book:

Tao Te Ching, the title of Taoism's basic text, may be translated The Way and Its Power. We have seen that the first of these substantive terms, the Way, can be taken in three sense. We must now add that this is also true of the second. According to the three ways Tw, or power, can be conceived, there have arisen in China three species of Taoism so dissimilar that it is an anomaly that a common name and handbook should link them even formally.

One way to approach the basic power of the universe is through magic. From this approach to the power of Tao comes Popular Taoism, the Taoism of the masses. Popular Taoism is not a pretty sight. We have already said enough about the originial doctrine of Tao to indicate that it was a concept too subtle to be grasped by the average mind or spirit. It was perhaps inevitable that when the concept was translated to make contact with the average villager and institutionalized around this translation it would be redered in cruder and eventually perverted terms. To pass from the lofty heights of the Tao Te Ching to the priestcraft of Popular Taoism is like passing from a crystal mountain spring to the thick, fetid waters of a stagnant canal. Mysticism becomes mystification and religion is perverted into necromancy and sorcery. There have been long epochs in China's history when Taoism in its popular form could be characterized as little more than a funeral racket.

whew. So the upshot of that is that yes, it exists, it is called Popular Taoism. It does not follow the true meaning of the Tao Te Ching, it is completely strange interpretation. It is probably more humanly corrupt than the other forms - as in, the power lies in the hands of the 'priesthood' It probably remained in China and began dying out when other forms of 'magic' and priesthood came in. This text says little about the actual practices, but now you know that it's called 'Popular Taoism' and so can probably search for it in that way.

Wow. My hands hurt from all that typing!

[Master Vigil]

While that article is mostly true. I still find that religious taoism knows more of what its talking about concerning the spirit world than christianity. So it's not too much of a quack. It just a little too far.

[Prima]

But it wasn't talking about religious taoism. It was talking about taoist magic, aka popular taoism. That didn't even discuss religious taoism.

Oh, and it wasn't an article. It's a college religions textbook.

[Master Vigil]

Right, Popular taoism is religious taoism. I'm sorry, I should have clarified that. I think I read that book once, who is the author?

[Prima]

Huston Smith, The Religions of Man. He does have very strong opinions. I appreciate him because he treats each religion equally - he's very critical of different parts of each religion, including Christianity.

I still find that religious taoism knows more of what its talking about concerning the spirit world than christianity

I'd agree with you there. Christianity has a blind spot with the spirit world. In fact, I believe Smith talks about that...

I've never heard it called 'religious' taoism. Although even the name is an oxymoron - religion usually involves dedication to a church, and sometimes fervor.