Casual Talk on Jiesha (Sealing the Fiendish)

Years ago online there were articles claiming that an old Taoist at the Celestial Master's Mansion said that jiesha requires three kinds of sha: Tiangang Sha, Yongquan Sha, and Zhouhou Sha.

Then the notion of jiesha suddenly became all the rage, with the whole internet trying to figure out what jiesha is—yet everyone was utterly baffled.

So, to show off that they understand jiesha.

Some daub a big ink blob, write a few taboo characters, and call it jiesha.

Some say the final process of empowering the talisman is jiesha.

Some turn the writing brush upside down and dab it on the talisman, calling that jiesha.

Some write their own decorative characters and smear them onto the big black blob, calling that jiesha.

Some use their gaze or tongue to write taboo characters on the talisman, calling that jiesha.

Some go even further: leaf through the Daoist Canon for this sha and that sha, then smugly declare that this is jiesha.

All of the above are commonly seen across the major internet platforms, as well as various talisman websites and Taobao talisman shops.

How deep can human ignorance go?

But thinking the other way, this may perhaps be a good thing: those who know the secret naturally prefer that fewer people know it.