Sacrificial Ritual

The reason why most ghosts become confused and disoriented is quite simple.

The "Treatise on the Human-Ghost" chapter of the book Zhu clearly states. "When a dead person becomes a ghost, he knows nothing. How can this be verified? Because he knew nothing before he was born. Before a person is born, he exists within Primal Qi; after death, he returns to primordial Primal Qi. Primordial Primal Qi is desolate, and human energy resides within it. Before a person is born, he knows nothing; after death, he returns to the state of ignorance. How can he possess knowledge? The reason why people are intelligent and wise is that they contain the Five Constant Energies; the Five Constant Energies resides in a person because the Five Internal Organs reside within the body. If the Five Internal Organs are not harmed, a person is intelligent and wise; if the Five Internal Organs are diseased, a person is desolate. Desolation leads to foolishness. When a person dies, the Five Internal Organs decay, and when they decay, the Five Constant Virtues have nothing to rely on. The one that stores wisdom has failed, and the one that is used for wisdom has departed. The body needs energy to be formed, and energy needs the body to know. There is no fire that burns alone in the world; how can there be an essence that knows everything without a body?"

The implication is that if the dead become ghosts, then they have no intelligence left. How can we verify this statement?

It's very simple. Before a person is born, they exist within the Primal Qi of heaven and earth. After a person dies, they return to that Primal Qi.

The Primal Qi is hazy and unclear, and the energy that constitutes a person exists within it. Therefore, before a person is born, there is no consciousness. After a person dies, they will return to the original state of no consciousness. So how could a ghost have consciousness?

The so-called cycle of reincarnation is just like this. There is no such thing as Meng Po soup. The underworld simply collects the energy of all things, washes them, and then puts them back into the world to complete a great cycle.

The reason why people are intelligent and wise is that they contain the Five Constant Energies. The reason why the Five Constant Energies can exist in the human body is because the five internal organs are in the human body. When the five internal organs are not damaged, people are wise. When the five internal organs are diseased, people become confused and ignorant.

When a person dies, their internal organs will decay, and when the internal organs decay, the Five Constant Energies the five constant virtues will have nowhere to reside.

The organs that nurture wisdom have decayed, and the Five Constant Energies that generate wisdom have left the body. The body depends on these energies for its formation, and these energies depend on the body for their perception. There is no fire in the world that burns independently of a physical body; how can there be vital energy that generates perception independently of a physical body?

This is also why ghosts are taken away within seven days. Within seven days, their internal organs have not decayed, and although their Five Constant Energies is like water without roots and fire without a source, it still exists and can maintain consciousness for a short time. Once the corpse decays, they will become completely confused.

Human death is like the extinguishing of a fire. When the fire goes out, the light no longer shines; when a person dies, consciousness ceases to exist.

Therefore, ordinary ghosts cannot harm people.

Just as a chicken egg, before it is formed, dissolves within its shell, and when it bursts open, it resembles the shape of water; the female and male lie prostrate, their bodies just beginning to take shape, and once formed, they can peck and kick. The death of a person is like the dissolving process; how can the essence of dissolving harm a person?

Before an egg hatches, it exists in a state of chaos within the shell. It must wait for the hen to gestate it and for its body to form before it can peck at things with its beak and kick with its feet. After a person dies, they return to a state of chaos. How can such Chaos Qi harm a person?

But why are some other vengeful ghosts able to harm people?

Because they used tools, as the saying goes, water and fire can burn or drown. All things that can harm people are of the five elements. Metal injures, wood beats, earth crushes, water drowns, and fire burns. If something causes death, is the spirit one of the five elements? Then it harms people; if it is not, it cannot harm people. If it is not a thing, then it is merely qi (vital energy).

This means that water and fire can drown or burn people, and everything that can harm people is made up of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Metal kills people, wood kills people, earth crushes people, water drowns people, and fire burns people.

Therefore, if a person's spirit becomes a "thing of the five elements" after death, it can harm people; if it does not become a "thing of the five elements," it cannot harm people. As long as one can resist things of the five elements, one can resist the attacks of evil spirits.

This knowledge was obtained by Li Qi from flipping through books and asking Shen Shuibi last night.

Based on this knowledge, Li Qi could determine that the ghost he was facing could not only harm people but also Curse, indicating that it had retained some of its power. In other words, its corpse was still intact and had not completely decayed.

In that case, the method of offering sacrifices to the "dead" should be used for the sacrifice.

For the Shaman, "dead people" and "ghosts" are two completely different concepts.

Li Qi muttered to himself, "The calendar of sacrifices also has auspicious and inauspicious days. For example, days of blood taboos and monthly killings are certainly inauspicious, and sacrificing animals for offerings will inevitably bring misfortune. Sacrifices are offerings to ghosts; ghosts are the spirits of the dead. They extend the living to serve the dead, and the living to serve the ghosts. They see that the living have food and drink, and the dead, as ghosts, should also be able to have food and drink. They feel the longing for their loved ones, hence the sacrifices. As for the shrines to other gods and ghosts, although they are not dead, the rituals are the same as those for the dead—"

This is a record of the method of sacrificing to the dead in the book "Zhu".

To put it simply, it's about applying the practice of supporting the living to the practice of supporting the dead, treating the dead with the same respect one would show to the living.

However, the first sentence states that special times such as the Blood Taboo and the Lunar Killing should be observed, during which sacrifices should not be performed, otherwise it will bring disaster.

With knowledge, the timing of the sacrificial ceremony has been determined, and there is no problem with it today.

So, let's begin.

According to the book "Zhu", the ritual to be used at this time was the Feeding Ritual, which means the ritual of offering cooked food.

The ritual process is very complicated. First, the Shaman enters, and then two beans are offered. One bean contains pickled sunflower seeds, and the other contains snail sauce. The bean containing the snail sauce is placed on the north side.

Using a dagger, the body of the sacrificial animal is lifted from its container and placed on a sacrificial altar. A separate altar is set up alongside it to honor the deceased, and the altar is placed to the west of the eastern steps. A veil is placed over the altar. (Note: A sacrificial altar is an ancient vessel used to hold meat during sacrifices.)

Li Qi had already instructed the Wang Family to prepare these things yesterday.

Then, the fish was brought in and placed to the east of the pork, while the mutton was placed specifically to the north of the pork and fish.

Place two bowls containing millet and sorghum on the south side of the altar, with the west side being the superior position.

The two bowls containing meat soup and vegetable soup were placed to the south of the beans, facing south and placed next to the beans.

At this Shaman, the wine cup and goblet should be cleaned, the wine poured in, and placed on the south side of the vessel. Then the lid of the vessel should be opened and placed upside down on the south side of the bowl.

Then, the Shaman stood up and stood on the right side of the altar, and began to give the proclamation.

"The spirit of the earth, Li Qi greets him in the suburbs. The child is ignorant, so let us be peaceful and undisturbed."

"Now, I have prepared ample Sacrificial Ritual to invite you in and make you feel at ease... I humbly beg your forgiveness and invite you to eat. If you have a spirit, may you tell me?"

This is a plea for forgiveness.

Li Qi became nervous.

Because the next step is. "The master greets the corpse outside the gate. The master descends and stands on the east side of the steps."

What does that mean?

The technique, Shaman to invite the "corpse" up the steps to the hall, the host descends the steps, standing on the east side of the east steps, quietly waiting.

If the person in question hears this, they should come.

(This set of rituals is mainly derived from the Feeding Ritual in the Book of Rites of the Zhou Dynasty. I have combined some of the Discourse on Balance from the Eastern Han Dynasty and some ancient folk customs to create this original Sacrificial Ritual. If there are any similarities, please do not blame me.)