The Troublesome Ghosts: Part 2

Abstract

Ghosts are, in general, troublesome creatures. The lower ranks of the Daoist hierarchy of spirits includes many ghosts. Someone who is being harassed by ghosts can call for help from a spirit general. Sometimes, former generals who were heroic in life are honored as spirit generals after their death and are given the title prime marshal [yuanshuai 元帥]. These spirits can carry messages fromDaoist masters on earth who are human beings to the deities in the heavens. They are also responsible for security and the protection of the celestial realms. They command thousands of ghost soldiers, who can be ordered to attack the ghosts and demons who are causing trouble for human beings. One text I bought is titled Eight Effective Formulas [Ba qinkoujue八親口 決].1 It was written and illustrated in October 1904 and is filled with incantations calling upon spirit generals and their troops and horses for help in dealing with unwanted ghosts and evil forces. In order to marshal these spirit forces, in the course of a ceremony a Daoist ritual master would bang on the alter a wooden “command placard” [lingpai令牌] block as a sign of his issuing an order to the spirits. A lingpai I bought in December 2014 that was made in Changsha長沙 perfectly illustrates its function. It is 5–1/8 inches (13cm) high and a little over 2 inches (6cm)wide, with a square base representing the earth and a rounded top representing the heavens. On one face is carved “An Official Order to the Command of the Five Thunders” [Chiling wu leihao ling敕令五 雷號令], and on the side orders to the forces to be mobilized: “Tens of thousands of spirit generals, Thousands of troops and horses” [Wanwan shenjiang,