“He who holds fast to the Tao of old
in order to manage the affairs of Now
Is able to know the Primeval Beginnings
Which are the continuity of Tao.”
-(The Wisdom of Laotse, Lao Tzu, page 102)
All religions have legends, and Taoism is no exception. While popular Taoism is replete with fantastical myths that are entertaining and somewhat instructive, classical Taoist legends have the added benefit of providing context to its concrete principles. The legend most relevant to understanding Taoism’s religious applications is the tale of the Tunguska explosion and its aftereffects. It is this legend that explains the means by which cosmic Chi came to the earth and how its power is harnessed for use in Shamanistic procedures -- the precursors to Taoism.
Over many millennia, in a region in central Russia known as “Tunguska,” meteorites of varying sizes have sent shock waves of extraordinary power throughout the continent. The impressive physical force of these collisions, the last of which occurred less than a century ago, was accompanied by a much more profound power: the delivery of vast quantities of cosmic energy or “Chi.”
Some believe that the Tunguska meteorites’ exotic minerals may explain their ability to have captured and retained the life force they accumulated during their mysterious journeys across the galaxies. Regardless of the reason, the vast amounts of energy released by the Tunguska explosions have had a profound effect on the ecology, permeating all living and inert forms of nature, including surviving species of animals, trees, rocks and air. And, by tapping into this pervasive energy, Shamans are able to perform their remarkable feats.
Not surprisingly, Shamanism originated in Northeast Siberia... the epicenter of the Tunguska energy blasts. According to legend, a mysterious race of “tall people” appeared in ancient Tunguska eons after the earth recovered from the damage of the largest primordial explosion. This mysterious race brought with them the knowledge of how to utilize the power of Tunguska through special ceremonies and procedures. Ultimately, when these celestial teachers finished teaching their art, they ordained those few mortals who demonstrated the ability to embrace their mystical knowledge... and disappeared. It is these Shamanistic procedures that have been used for millennia, passed down from generation to generation of Shaman families, usually on the female side of familial genetic links.
It was also during this extraordinary period, the visiting “tall people” also built the mystical kingdom known as “Shamballa.” Shamballa is thought to be the land of the highest mystical power, accessible only through specific “gates”. For centuries, countless expeditions have been launched in search of these hidden gates. Most ended in frustration or tragedy, the adventurous explorers lost forever. As recently as the early 1900’s, the famous explorer and artist, Nicholas Roerich, claims to have discovered access to this mystical land. Documented in books and paintings, his discoveries can be seen in the Nicholas Roerich Museum, located in New York City.
There are seven gates to Shamballa, configured in a rough line bordered on the west with the Ural Mountains, progressing across Mongolia, and ending in the Himalayas on the east. These seven gates form the base of an imaginary triangle with the site of the Tunguska explosion defining the triangle’s apex. At various times throughout history different gates have been “open” permitting access to Shamballa. They have been fanatically protected by Taoist “Bon” temples, however, whose clans have genealogical heritage to the ancient art. Lao Tzu is believed to have departed earth through the Tibetan Shamballa gate in 600 B.C. after writing the Tao Te Ching.
So how is the cosmic energy from ancient Tunguska utilized in religious practices? What theory -- validated by application -- explains the remarkable abilities of Shamans, the precursors to Taoist priests?
The word “Shaman” means one who works with fire and heat. In practice, the Shaman is a conductor and manipulator of the energy, “Chi,” that was released during the Tunguska explosion, which now resides in all manifestations of nature. In the Shamanistic arts, flame is not only viewed as a source of heat, but as an agent of change. This change can be physical or, of even greater consequence, the influencing of fate, i.e. the changing of the future.
In essence, the Shamanistic process is consistent with the Taoist formula that energy causes movement that results in change. Following this energy-move-change paradigm, Shamans use the energy of fire to redirect or move the mystical connection of an individual to the Cosmos, an action that ultimately changes the development of future events (fate). For the Shaman, time is an artificial construction, a marker created by man for his convenience. Using ancient ceremonies, they enter trances wherein past and future mean nothing, “time walking” effortlessly through the ages.
Shamans and Taoist priests use their power to favorably impact the fate of individuals. According to classical theory, each person is born under certain astrological signs representing a specific configuration of stars. Accordingly, every individual possesses his own “frequency,” which is associated with his inherent Chi energy as determined by the star configuration at the time of birth. These celestial alignments serve as channels of the cosmic energy beamed to each person; changing this “beam pattern” affects one’s fate. Thus, the Shaman’s objective is to realign an individual’s personal Chi with that of the Cosmos, as dictated by astronomical configurations. This technique corrects ill fate that results from “misalignment” caused by internal mental confusion or external metaphysical forces.
Corrective “realignment” is accomplished using the prayers, rituals, ceremonies and talismans bestowed by the ancient masters of Tunguska several millennia ago. For convenience in their calculations, the Shamans developed a system classifying these frequencies into groups of animals, trees and stones. Augmenting this manipulation, is the sphere of Chi that a powerful Shaman or Taoist master radiates around himself, favorably affecting the fate of those within the holy man’s temple or clan by similarly realigning beams of cosmic energy.
Additionally, there are rhythms and cycles to the Universe that affect all of nature... including man. If an individual’s frequency is out of sync with the cycle of the universe, then the individual will suffer poor fate. In essence, the doomed individual is swimming against a hugely powerful current in the ocean of life. It was the role of the Shaman to use special amulets and procedures to synchronize the individual’s frequency with that of the Cosmos. Such action, if successful, helps the individual work in concert with the flow of events instead of against them. The individual’s Path is corrected.
Invisible to most humans is a world of universal Chi, one that includes nonphysical creatures existing within their own dimension: “spirits.” While Taoists refrain from labels of “good” or “evil,” some of these spirits are harmful, with the ability to invade the body take and literally suck the Chi, or life, out of the victim. The weak, confused individual is more likely to be attacked by these malevolent spirits, and those infected suffer illness, disease, financial hardships and interpersonal problems.
These spirits are “vampires” of Chi. Some have existed forever; and others originate from the focused thoughts of ill intentioned persons... in other words, they are born from a curse. Many societies, unlike modern America, are highly attuned to this phenomenon, and take the threat so seriously that they won’t hesitate to kill someone who cursed them.
Amongst their many duties, Shamans and Taoist priests were called upon to deal with these evil spirits. By understanding an individual’s cycle of Chi as it relates to Universal rhythms, they are able to identify weak periods and warn those who are vulnerable. The Shaman or Taoist priest can then use his own internal Chi to help the vulnerable person, as well as use rituals and talismans focus the power of the Cosmos to ward off the invading spirits.
Classical Taoist theory identifies three realms in describing the operation of universal forces exerted upon mankind: the heavens, man in the middle, and the earth is below. Man, situated between the two, is a conductor of Chi between heaven and earth. All Taoist sciences, from chi quong to meditation, are built upon this principle, which forms the basis for Shamanistic and Taoist religious practices. Operating within this paradigm, Taoist astrology is used as a systemization of the heavenly forces above man, and minerals and animals to represent the effects of the earthly forces below man. These fundamental tools used by Taoist and Shaman priests codify the two realms that bracket man and affect his fate.
In the first century BC, the famous Taoist scientist and alchemist, Du Fan-Shoo, formalized the cosmological theory that has since been the basis for the majority of Taoist astrological procedures. Despite the limitations of his era, Fan-Shoo’s methodology was so complete and accurate that he was able to use the stars to triangulate the locations of Shamballan gates. He identified 28 major and 32 minor stars in the sky. These astronomical bodies are correlated to the 60-year Chinese calendar with its 60 guardians, each of whom control a cycle of Chi in the universe. An individual’s birth date corresponds to a particular star, which in turn identifies which cycle will govern his fate. The 60 stars are mapped to five constellations, including Virgo, Leo and the Great Bear. They are particularly important because they are always above the horizon in the Tunguska region, ensuring their year-around availability for use in Taoist procedures.
While Taoist astrology describes how the forces of the heavens manifest their action upon mankind, the earthly dimension of universal energy exerts equally powerful effects. And the combination of these forces either increases or decreases an individual’s animal power. Animal power reflects the corporeal aspect of our existence that, if weakened, makes one vulnerable to physical hardship and disease. Taoist Shamans perform astrological calculations and then adjust them to factor in the effects of earth’s natural cycles through the use of specific minerals (e.g. quartz and malachite), herbs, and other techniques. The Shaman uses these procedures to invite the appropriate missing animal power back into the weakened individual, thus restoring balance. The master also uses the power of certain animals to serve as liaisons between the guardian spirits and the affected individual.
In summary, Shamanistic practices utilize the Chi released from the explosion of ancient Tunguska to benefit those individuals sensitive enough to receive their manipulations. While Taoist sciences can be incredibly complex, their roots can be traced to Shamanism; they are, therefore, grounded to the simple, natural ways of a people uncontaminated by civilization’s intellectual confusions.
Taoism’s religious tenets -- grounded in, and consistent with, its philosophy’s system of principles -- get at the core of metaphysical reality. They avoid the blathering so common to other creeds that seem determined to force their values upon others... based only in blind faith. For the Man of Tao, the legends of Tunguska and Shamballa can be taken at face value, or simply viewed as allegorical representations of a functional construct. In either case, they are instructive to the spiritual seeker.
