The I Ching (Yijing) is a ancient wisdom text and divination system treasured in China for over 3000 years. Through the great oracle books such as this, “the diviner offers the spirits a symbolic language that they can use to speak with us. And, through the synchronistic practice of consultation, it lets them choose the symbols through which they wish to communicate. Each time we use this practice to listen to the spirits instead of trying to control them we accumulate their light in our hearts. Over time this practice produces a quantum change in our awareness.”

—Stephen Karcher

One Chinese view behind these images is that of an “old sacred cosmos that has acted as a place of close encounter with the spirit world for countless generations…. The Dragon is the animating spirit of this cosmos. His weaving body surrounds us as the rippling lifelines in the landscapes around us and as a mysterious vital force circulating through our subtle body that connects us with the power of the inner images that are the symbolic language of the myth-world and the deep personality in all of us.”

—Stephen Karcher

The mythic Gods, Goddesses, and animals represented come with complex stories handed down through generations of Chinese culture. The Shen — or divine spirits in China and Kami in Japan — are the subtle spirits and intermediaries for the Dragon energy to manifest in nature and our bodies and minds. These are places of close encounters with immaterial realms. They are the “crossings, the Dragon Holes that give us access to creative power, places where Heaven and Earth intersect.” (Karcher)

Chinese talisman developed as an occult artistic and healing tradition rooted in shamanistic practices of the first and second centuries B.C.E. They evolved into ritualistic symbols used in Taoist practices intended to communicate with the spirit world and influence the invisible forces of nature. One can see the traces of this unusual abstract art in Chinese geomancy, astrology, palmistry, physiognomy, alchemy, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and the arts of movement (Tai ch’i chuan, kung fu, etc..). The diagrams and symbols themselves represent a completely different type of calligraphy, separate from the Chinese language. Many of these evolved as secret scripts created to protect talismanic mystery and power, and many were in perishable form: drawn in dust, burnt as offerings, swallowed as medicine, or danced in particular patterns that disappeared along with the ancient singers, drummers, and dancers who used them.

The people who actually drew these talisman did so for specific purposes and participated in rituals that empowered the talisman as repositories for all the spiritual powers directed into them. From there, the recipient was given direct contact with the spirits of the talisman.

This strong belief in the spiritual and healing power of calligraphy was so prevalent in the first millennium B.C.E. that many historians feel it is largely responsible for the survival of Chinese ideographic script.

Although I am not qualified to use these talismans for their medicinal benefits, I cannot ignore the experience of the tremendous healing powers of this lineage.