The Most Powerful "Talisman"

[Lord Josh Allen]

Hello all. I'm sure many of you are collectors and makers of talismanic charms and Occult tools. Every tradition and culture has a wide assortment of various sacred items that are used in rituals and magical workings. It is a universally recognized aspect of practical mysticism. A frequent question that comes up often with sorcerors is "can we measure the power of a tool?" which leads to another question "what is the most effective and powerful tool?" It is possible through first-hand experience to quantify and calculate the qi of a ceremonial instrument. I'll be using my feather fan as an example. It is known as a "Kongming Fan" named after the legendary Shu-Han strategist and genius of The Three Kingdoms Era, Zhuge Liang. Kongming is always depicted dressed in a Taoist robe carrying a fan made of crane or goose feathers. In the historical novel Romance of The Three Kingdoms, the fan never leaves his hand, it is said that he would gaze deeply into the feathers as if examining an intricate design on its surface. 

 

Kongming would carry it with him on every military expedition, using it as a directional tool to signal and command his forces by performing different gestures, to attack, defend, advance, retreat, etc. He used the fan to direct military movements against Sima Yi of Wei on the banks of the Wei River near Chang'an. In the book "Tales From The Peking Opera" the legend goes that one day, one of his young attendants secretly looked at the fan, probably whilst Kongming was sleeping. This attendant wanted to know the mysteries that it concealed. He took a good look and he couldn’t see anything other than an arrangement of feathers. When Kongming looked at the fan, he could see the universe, he could see infinite possibility, boundless potential, and abounding inspiration. The fan lit a fire in the already vivid imagination of Kongming, there was something about it that only he could see and nobody else could. What was it?

 

I'm aware that this is speculation as nobody will ever truly know, people have many theories and ideas. I'm going to avoid speculating so let me tell you what I see with my fan and share my experiences. I've come to the realization, this is the most powerful talisman. All information shared here comes from years of invocations with Kongming, not from books or living people. In order for a fan to qualify as a "Kongming Fan" it must be of five different colours consisting of black, brown, grey, white, silver or a combination of those shades. It must always have a Bagua centrepiece with The Eight Trigrams arranged in a Pre-Heaven sequence, NOT the King-Wen sequence. With the father above (Yang) and the mother below (Yin) this is solar and lunar qi contained within the fan. The outer side of the fan is Yang whilst the inner is Yin. The Yang side always faces outward never inward, not because it may cause harm to the bearer but because it could harm the fans delicate inner Yin side which is never exposed. 

 

Using the fan incorrectly would damage what is known as "The Fans Organ" the feather on the Yin side is the beating "Heart" of the fan, it represents a vital organ where essential qi flows. The Heart must never receive direct strikes from Sha Qi as it could weaken the fan over time. The most important thing to remember is this: The fan is alive, it is a living, breathing entity that has the same life force as a person. Referring to it as a "talisman" is misleading, I only do this so people can understand it and relate to it. A Kongming Fan is not a ritual tool or an object, it is an expression of life. The exposed stalks on the bottom of the fan are known as "Blood vessels" qi and nutrients constantly flow through these stalks where it may exit via the top or at the bottom through the handle. If qi exits at the top this is known as Yang qi, this energy can be used to heal someone on a psychic level or attack them if needed. If the qi exists at the bottom of the handle, it is Yin, this qi may travel into the body of the bearer, into his or her hand and it will nourish their organs (inner alchemy) A combination of both is needed for proper balance. 

 

The forked design is an important aspect, the two-pronged feathers are a representation of a concept. Two choices. The magician always has two choices, to fight or flee, to agree or disagree, to help or harm others, to tell the truth, or lie etc. This design also has another use, when pointed towards the sky, the two prongs will draw qi from the environment that you are in, the right prong is creative, the left is destructive, qi will enter via the prongs and travel through the blood vessels until it reaches to the Bagua. The Pre Heaven trigrams will then covert this qi and make it safe for absorption into the bloodstream of the magician. It's like coffee being put through a filter, it's cleansing. Anything that lives can and does die, so the fan is not immortal. Magicians will usually know if the fan is sick because it stops filtering harmful qi, this means the one who is carrying it will start feeling ill as well. The round shape of this circular centrepiece represents Heaven and the round inner circle represents the astral, where all ideas, thoughts, imaginary concepts exist before they are brought to material creation. 

 

There is a proper way of how to hold the fan but I'm going to stop there as I plan on making a very long video on this subject, I haven't covered everything in this post but I will get to it at a later date. To conclude I will strongly recommend that you look into using a Kongming Fan. They are like universal magical remotes that can be used in any type of ritual. They can summon storms, hypnotize people, induce hallucinations, plant false memories and thoughts, heal the sick, exorcise negative entities. So far I have not discovered any limitations. It truly is the most powerful "talisman"

 

 

[thursday]

Hypnotizing and attacking people/inducing hallucinations/planting false memories some of the possible effects of using this? Hmm, the tradition I follow would consider such uses as creating dark karma. I would never make such things for people, but people are free to do what they want.

Edited March 14, 2020 by thursday

[Lord Josh Allen]

1 minute ago, thursday said:

Hypnotizing and attacking people/inducing hallucinations/planting false memories some of the possible effects of using this? Hmm, the tradition I follow would consider such uses as creating dark karma. I would never make such things for people, but you're free to do what you want.

I agree, it is only an option. I don't use it for that and I don't advocate that anyone tries anything like that but it is possible. This fan is both a shield and a sword, it depends on how you use it. 

[thursday]

I hear you, but I stick with my opinion.. It looks nice though.

[Lord Josh Allen]

Just now, thursday said:

I hear you, but I stick with my opinion.. It looks nice though.

Thank you. 

[Starjumper]

I have always thought it would be nice to have an eagle or hawk wing, and I do like feathers, and birds, a lot.

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by Starjumper

[Starjumper]

Your fan looks nice

 

A Condor wing would be a little bit too big but it would be nice to have some of the feathers

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by Starjumper

[Lord Josh Allen]

7 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

I have always thought it would be nice to have an eagle or hawk wing, and I do like feathers, and birds, a lot.

 

Definitely. I'm not sure about the laws where you live but in some places, feathers from eagles, hawks, and birds of prey are forbidden unless you have a license to use them for ceremonial purposes. Some Native American tribes get away with it. Thankfully goose feathers are fine. I personally think it is bullshit, I understand animal rights but I think they've taken it too far. 

[Lord Josh Allen]

14 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

Your fan looks nice

 

A Condor wing would be a little bit too big but it would be nice to have some of the feathers

 

Love that, it would look great on a fan. 

[Starjumper]

19 minutes ago, Lord Josh Allen said:

Definitely. I'm not sure about the laws where you live but in some places, feathers from eagles, hawks, and birds of prey are forbidden unless you have a license to use them for ceremonial purposes. Some Native American tribes get away with it. Thankfully goose feathers are fine. I personally think it is bullshit, I understand animal rights but I think they've taken it too far. 

 

Bald Eagles in the US were dying out so they made the laws, but now there are tons of them.

Edited March 14, 2020 by Starjumper

[Nungali]

46 minutes ago, Starjumper said:

I have always thought it would be nice to have an eagle or hawk wing, and I do like feathers, and birds, a lot.

 

 

This guy performed at our local hall years back with many instruments , some  home made  ( Great Island mouth bow * ) and the below .

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Nungali]

My school has a history with the fan , the founder was the body guard to the last 3 Okinawan kings. When Japanese influence started taking over, they banned people, even the kings body guards, from carrying weapons .

 

However, they where allowed to keep their fans as part of their 'formal attire' . 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tus7kIOr5NI&feature=emb_rel_end

 

I like this above   demo as it includes what I call ' impolite attacks'  , that is, when people break etiquette  and use 'treachery'  to attack you     (  eg  @  2:44 )

 

- sorry for any diversions here  Josh into  martial aspects, but I do see a close correlation between magical weapons and martial weapons and a cross over  - which I have taught in the past .

 

 

" Also the mantras and spells; the obeah and the wanga; the work of the wand and the work of the sword; these he shall learn and teach.  "    The Book of the Law - 1 : 37

 

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by Nungali

[Nungali]

... I meant to ask .   Did you make your own  fan Josh ?

 

I have found a great advantage in making one's own magical weapons .... from 'scratch' .   But not all of my magical tools have been  made by me , some I have bought  ;

 

 

( I  prefer the ones   made of  iron  )

[Lord Josh Allen]

3 hours ago, Nungali said:

... I meant to ask .   Did you make your own  fan Josh ?

 

I have found a great advantage in making one's own magical weapons .... from 'scratch' .   But not all of my magical tools have been  made by me , some I have bought  ;

 

 

( I  prefer the ones   made of  iron  )

I've seen those daggers before but I've never bought one, do they originate in Buddhism? Sadly I'm not very skilled at making things like fans, I have attempted to in the past but I just don't have the talent to pull it off. I've even had a decent number of my viewers suggest that I open an online shop to sell Kongming Fans but my own creations are only adequate for my use. My fan in the pictures was made for me by a proper artist who's made fans for years. I had it custom made to suit my specifications. I do agree though, if you can make it yourself you absolutely should. 

[Lord Josh Allen]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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15 hours ago, Nungali said:

My school has a history with the fan , the founder was the body guard to the last 3 Okinawan kings. When Japanese influence started taking over, they banned people, even the kings body guards, from carrying weapons .

 

However, they where allowed to keep their fans as part of their 'formal attire' . 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tus7kIOr5NI&feature=emb_rel_end

 

I like this above   demo as it includes what I call ' impolite attacks'  , that is, when people break etiquette  and use 'treachery'  to attack you     (  eg  @  2:44 )

 

- sorry for any diversions here  Josh into  martial aspects, but I do see a close correlation between magical weapons and martial weapons and a cross over  - which I have taught in the past .

 

 

" Also the mantras and spells; the obeah and the wanga; the work of the wand and the work of the sword; these he shall learn and teach.  "    The Book of the Law - 1 : 37

 

 

Wow, that is a badass history. No diversion at all, they make it look so easy in that video. I did find a video once of a gentleman using a Kongming fan, here it is, perhaps you would know what this is. Is it Tai Chi? 

 

[gatito]

 

 

 

[Zhongyongdaoist]

20 hours ago, Nungali said:

- sorry for any diversions here  Josh into  martial aspects, but I do see a close correlation between magical weapons and martial weapons and a cross over  - which I have taught in the past .

 

 

" Also the mantras and spells; the obeah and the wanga; the work of the wand and the work of the sword; these he shall learn and teach.  "    The Book of the Law - 1 : 37

 

I have posted on the military origins of the sword in magic, especially in evocation in several places on Dao Bums, here is one:

 

On 1/6/2019 at 12:25 PM, Zhongyongdaoist said:

On the other hand the sword has a very direct association with evocation as military magic, even to its origin in the Roman Military rite of evocation:

 

Quote

The Latin word evocatio was the "calling forth" or "summoning away" of a city's tutelary deity. The ritual was conducted in a military setting either as a threat during a siege or as a result of surrender, and aimed at diverting the god's favor from the opposing city to the Roman side, customarily with a promise of a better-endowed cult or a more lavish temple.^[1]  (Wikipedia, Evocation)

 

So that the Wand and Sword represent the different aspects of the divinely bestowed authority of the magician, the wand authority and the Sword his threat of force for noncompliance.  While this Military context is not clear from the grimoires, viewing Goetic Evocation within the context of military magic has suggestive implications for the notion of spiritual warfare, and also to the references in some grimoires to the operator and exorcist, or the probably related karcist (I am relying on my memory, which is generally reliable, for this, but given time I could come up with suitable references.  I remember being puzzled by the usage when I first saw it in my teens a long time ago.).  (Emphasis added ZYD)

 

Modern magicians have a tendency to ignore this aspect of magic, thinking that it originates with the Christian suppression of paganism.  The matter is much more complex than that and originates in ancient Greece and the war between the Olympians and the Titans, and is thus pre-Christian and similar stories a feature of mythologies around the world, however the matter is too complex to enter into greater detail here, as it would derail the thread.

 

ZYD

[Nungali]

4 hours ago, Zhongyongdaoist said:

 

I have posted on the military origins of the sword in magic, especially in evocation in several places on Dao Bums, here is one:

 

 

Modern magicians have a tendency to ignore this aspect of magic, thinking that it originates with the Christian suppression of paganism.  The matter is much more complex than that and originates in ancient Greece and the war between the Olympians and the Titans, and is thus pre-Christian and similar stories a feature of mythologies around the world, however the matter is too complex to enter into greater detail here, as it would derail the thread.

 

ZYD

 

I find this interesting  :  " the wand authority and the Sword his threat of force for noncompliance. "   as ;

 

My indigenous teacher has a few roles , one is  the equivalent of 'tribal  policeman '  .  When he has to go and 'discipline' someone  he has  a  bundi (short club ) decorated to signify 'police action'   (as opposed to 'war action' or 'hunting ' etc )  but also a machete .

 

He said the club is traditional and they should respect that , its a mark of his authority and permission  to act and give out punishment . The machete is a stand by in case they decide to break the law further by not respecting the club and receiving its punishment .

 

To me this seems similar to what you describe .

 

Anyway , in an attempt to get back on track ; if the wand (or club   * )  signifies authority in martial and magic and the sword signifies threat of force for noncompliance in martial and magic  , on the same level of association

 

what does the fan signify  ?   (obviously it relates to air,  and I did read  what Josh wrote about his fan , this is more in seeking for a general answer  like   wand = authority ,  fan =  ?

 

] And now this thread has inspired me to get ( yeah, I should make it    )    a fighting fan to use in my practice - seeings as it comes from white crane, and many of our movements  for defence and attack are based on opening and  closing (crossing ) 'wings' (arms and hands ) - the fan could be an extension of that .

 

So, thanks for that Josh  ]

 

*  club as symbol of authority 

 

 

Now ... if only they would use that on politicians that behaved badly !

Edited March 15, 2020 by Nungali

[Zhongyongdaoist]

16 hours ago, Nungali said:

Anyway , in an attempt to get back on track ; if the wand (or club   * )  signifies authority in martial and magic and the sword signifies threat of force for noncompliance in martial and magic  , on the same level of association

 

what does the fan signify  ?   (obviously it relates to air,  and I did read  what Josh wrote about his fan , this is more in seeking for a general answer  like   wand = authority ,  fan =  ?

 

This is something of a complex issue, and I am busy and can only give a cursory answer.

 

How some ordinary thing, like a stick becomes a magic wand, or a knife a magic dagger, and not just in terms of say its official "consecration" or "dedication" for the magician's use, but how some ordinary thing, such as a fan becomes part of a tradition which prepares it and uses it as a magical tool is interesting.  The most obvious are such tools as have an origin as weapons and are used as noted above in military magic, but they can also derive from other sources which differentiate along class and occupational divisions, and depend on functional and symbolic aspects of the prospective "tool".  In the example of a fan, its obvious use in controlling the direction of air, would indicate it use to control the element of air in general and possibly more specifically weather, and who would use it would depend on social circumstances.  A bellows also has a function of controlling the direction of air, but would not be used by a court gentleman or lady, but rather would be something that would arise from craft and folk traditions of magic.  A soldier might think in terms of a magic sword, but a woodsman of a magic axe.

 

Something like a scepter though has its derived meaning from it symbolic setting in such things a court ritual, where it is a symbol of power or authority.  At a historical distance it may have actually been something that a chieftain might have used to bonk a disrespectful subordinate on the head, but as things become more orderly, it became much more symbolic.

 

So magical tools start as ordinary things which are "pressed" into magical service because of their mundane function, such as fan or bellows, or their symbolic meaning such as a Scepter.  At their base they become props in a ritual drama, and some people think that is all that they are or can be, but anyone with real experience knows that they can be more, much more, but that is a whole other subject.

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

ZYD

[GSmaster]

In some old traditions they would make talismans of human body parts, I.e. skulls, organs and e.t.c. 

 

But real talismans are not about physical shape, but the Energy Inside and the coding / intent.

 

I would rather use my paper mandala as an artifact / talisman, than some fancy voodoo shmoodo decorative junk. That can have deep meaning but carry no force.

[Lord Josh Allen]

On 15/03/2020 at 9:54 PM, Nungali said:

 

I find this interesting  :  " the wand authority and the Sword his threat of force for noncompliance. "   as ;

 

My indigenous teacher has a few roles , one is  the equivalent of 'tribal  policeman '  .  When he has to go and 'discipline' someone  he has  a  bundi (short club ) decorated to signify 'police action'   (as opposed to 'war action' or 'hunting ' etc )  but also a machete .

 

He said the club is traditional and they should respect that , its a mark of his authority and permission  to act and give out punishment . The machete is a stand by in case they decide to break the law further by not respecting the club and receiving its punishment .

 

To me this seems similar to what you describe .

 

Anyway , in an attempt to get back on track ; if the wand (or club   * )  signifies authority in martial and magic and the sword signifies threat of force for noncompliance in martial and magic  , on the same level of association

 

what does the fan signify  ?   (obviously it relates to air,  and I did read  what Josh wrote about his fan , this is more in seeking for a general answer  like   wand = authority ,  fan =  ?

 

] And now this thread has inspired me to get ( yeah, I should make it    )    a fighting fan to use in my practice - seeings as it comes from white crane, and many of our movements  for defence and attack are based on opening and  closing (crossing ) 'wings' (arms and hands ) - the fan could be an extension of that .

 

So, thanks for that Josh  ]

 

*  club as symbol of authority 

 

 

Now ... if only they would use that on politicians that behaved badly !

Ever since the days of Zhuge Liang, the Kongming Fan has come to represent strategy, wit, foresight, wisdom, preparation, and resourcefulness. It is also often considered a regal object, something that belongs to a ruler or man of authority. Back in ancient China. It was very common for civil servants to carry feather fans that had been blessed by imperial court magicians. It was a sign of rank within the Emperor's court. This site here mentions the word "Illuminati" I can't say I really agree with this wording but I understand what the person means, they are talking about government and powerful people in high positions. Heres something fascinating. After Kongming died, it became custom for many years that warlords would refer to their advisors as "The White Fan" 

 

In Occult circles, fans were used as shields to protect oneself from harmful qi. In ancient China, women would carry fans for protection at events like funerals. Waving and fanning the unwanted qi away from the person. Metal fans were used to wave away qi that had been created by angry people. Completely red fans were used to create a forcefield of qi around the person's aura. A golden fan was used as a charm/amulet to attract good fortune. In a lot of Taoist mythology, the feather fan represents Necromancy, for example, one of The Eight Immortals Zhongli Quan carries a fan which he uses to revive the dead. This type of fan would usually consist of crane feathers, the crane, of course, is symbolic of longevity and it relates to the water element within Wu Xing. 

 

A lot of ancient Chinese people had the belief that by carrying the wing of a crane, they would never get exhausted or tired because the bird is/was known for its effortless and untiring nature during flight. I'm really into Feng Shui, a lot of practitioners use a method known as "fanning" its as simple as it sounds, for example, if you cut your leg and you want to direct some positive Yang qi into the wound, you would wave your fan and direct qi to that exact place. Honestly, there are so many methods and techniques involving fans. 

[SirPalomides]

I had read that a fan, with talismanic inscriptions, could also serve as a mobile altar; however, the website I read that on is less than reputable so I'm not sure if this is solid information.

[Wu Ming Jen]

Any object and  the energy it is saturated with is great..... But can you move your body?

 

 

[Earl Grey]

This is what I take from studying western occultism, Taoist arts, and practicing my Xin Yi: the body itself can be a talisman. An example of this is in the Wang Liping book Opening the Dragon Gate which says the meridians and acupuncture points on the body are also the same as the ones on the earth--what happens to our bodies happens to the earth, and vice-versa. We share chakras with the planets and the earth itself too. 

 

An example of a talisman is in an odd character created by chaos magician and author Grant Morrison, whose Flex Mentallo was a man who held the power of matter over mind: by perfecting his body, he could flex muscles to alter reality.

 

I have seen this happen on another level of Zhan Zhuang that only people at this skill level will have, and nobody will ever learn it from a book or without being able to stand for hours properly. 

[Wu Ming Jen]

The post heaven energy gets stuck deep into the bones, ligaments, sinews, mussels, blood veins the "stinky chi" or in short the energy channels. Without expelling them through physical movements what good is all the mental garbage without applying the knowledge in a physical realm of being.

 

The material and spiritual life must be in balance, take care of the physical, the material life so we can progress into realms UNKNOWN. Keep grounded with earth and heaven to lift us. 

Edited March 18, 2020 by Wu Ming Jen