Methods of Transformation and Killing in Qimen

Taiyi, Liuren, and Qimen—known as Daoism’s Three Arts—are considered the pinnacle of divination and were once guarded as arcane statecraft. Analyses of national fortunes and the rise and fall of dynasties have often drawn on these Daoist methods in hopes of securing long-lasting rule.

Because renowned masters and classical texts are scarce, Taiyi and Liuren retain an air of mystery. Of the Three Arts, Qimen remains the most practiced today. Qimen Dunjia is structured around the Nine Palaces and the cardinal directions, overlapping with geographic methods. In feng shui, the geographic Nine Palaces concern spatial influences—referred to as “mountain heads”—and are associated with negative energies.

The 24 Mountains, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and trigrams map to the stems and branches within the Nine Palaces and pertain to timing; in feng shui this is called “qi theory.” Qimen Dunjia is commonly divided into two approaches: Numerical Qimen and Practical Qimen. Numerical Qimen integrates the Nine Palaces with the Three Oddities, Eight Doors, Eight Deities, and Nine Stars, using their placements to judge good and ill fortune. Practitioners focus on the Three Oddities—Yi, Bing, and Ding—and the auspicious positions of the Rest, Birth, and Opening doors.

In Numerical Qimen, when there isn’t time to assess the auspiciousness of the Three Oddities and Eight Doors, one may follow Master Chen Beisheng of the Miao School of Three Yuan Geography: use the “Zhuge Wulong’s Eternal Travel Chart” together with Dong Gong’s date-selection method. Alternating between these lets you select auspicious dates by Qimen; and when no suitable Qimen configuration is available, you can step outside the rigid Three Oddities/Eight Doors framework and still apply Dunjia essentials to choose favorable times.

Another approach draws on Qimen Dunjia’s esoteric methods for divination—discerning fortune and misfortune and gaining advantage beyond calculation—while adopting a receptive stance of seeking blessings and avoiding harm.

Practical Qimen uses timings selected via Numerical Qimen. When a Qimen Nine Palaces chart shows oddities without doors, or doors without oddities, this is called “no Qimen.” In urgent moments when there’s no time to analyze good and bad configurations, you can turn to Practical Qimen, harnessing mental focus and willpower to seek a smooth outcome.

That said, using these methods with ill intent to harm others may incur karmic consequences. Apply them with care to avoid unintended harm. Keep this firmly in mind.

In Practical Qimen, there is a sacred incantation for those seeking success, long journeys, encounters with benefactors, or officials assuming new posts. Face the Earth Door, enter the Heavenly Gate, and move toward the Jade Maiden while reciting the following:

Heavenly Gate, Heavenly Gate, today is auspicious; the Jade Maiden attends me, ever at my side.

I travel from all directions; with the sun rising through the six directions, I meet no calamity—let this be seen.

Let joy abound and wishes be fulfilled; may all be auspicious—swiftly, as decreed.

As long as one is sincere and does good deeds, wishes are more likely to come true. Even if you don’t know the directions of the Heavenly Gate, Earth Door, and Jade Maiden, you can recite the incantation with a sincere heart. Its effectiveness depends on your cultivation and sincerity, so try it earnestly and see whether heartfelt devotion can move the heavens.