Ode to the Mysterious Female Gate

The single aperture of the Mysterious Female is the root of the Great Elixir. It is the valley of the void and origin, the gate for mutual entry and exit. The hierarchy of the cauldron and tripod is established, standing in stark opposition; the mechanism of opening and closing is blended, its subtlety beyond words. Originally, the foundation of cultivation for immortals is set, and the primal qi constantly circulates up and down, with the lead furnace and mercury tripod built from this point. Few know the jade palaces and golden passes. Great is the Mysterious Female, which cannot be named; it connects yin and yang, hence it is called the Gate. Thus, within the furnace and tripod, mercury and lead are hidden, east connecting to the valley of Fusang, west reaching the peak of Mount Hua. Occupying the essence of the two Earths, they subtly combine the two Earths; dividing the boundary between the two quarters, they equally split the two quarters. Great without exterior, small without interior, below it is called Female, above it is called Mysterious. The Cinnabar Tripod and the Crescent Moon Furnace, one secret mechanism operates the Pass of Returning Life. The aperture of returning to the root, all wonders combine, it is entirely the Gate. Yang opens, Yin closes; opening and closing are infinite. Days go, months come; coming and going never cease. Above it is the Heavenly Pass, containing Qian Jia within; below it is the Earthly Door, hiding Kun Gui inside. Boundless and without sides, it is not formed of shape; a circle and an opening, this is the Gate. High and low cooperate, how great it is, how perfect! Coming and going, touring around, exiting from here, entering here. Let us speak of what aperture this is. It is possessed by all people; not a gate yet called a gate, the world rarely knows it. Indeed, heaven and earth constantly intersect in the coming and going, while spirit and qi blend continuously in the unbroken continuity. Now this aperture, breaking through the primordial chaos, builds the foundation of the True One. Considering the celestial bodies, the lower Female resides at Zi; observing the Eight Trigrams, the upper Mysterious belongs to the Li Gate. Thus it is divided. The aperture is blended and unified, which is why Ziyang thoroughly described these rarely known words; otherwise, how could Laozi have presented the words of same origin? It has been said that the dark Female Door dwells deep in the question of the blue sea; the lofty Mysterious Pass is far away on top of Kunlun. Yin and Yang, black and white can be distinguished; not color, not emptiness, difficult to depict with painting. The four directions are here, arranging Gou Ban at Zi, Wu, Mao, and You; the two luminaries are here, operating the drill cluster at the dark, quarter, new moon, and full moon. Subtle indeed, wondrous indeed. The two words 'Mysterious Female', gathered and refined, the work takes but a moment. Thus, below hides the White Tiger as the pivot for igniting fire, above the Green Dragon rises with wind and waves of clouds. Alas, side-door minor methods confuse the multitude in no small number; specialized schools and famous masters, considering themselves virtuous, do not understand explaining in the philosophy of principles, how can they契合 (match) the immortal books? Naming the Mysterious Female as heart and kidney, vainly expending visualization; naming the Mysterious Female as mouth and nose, laboring in vain with swallowing and breathing. If one abandons evil and returns to the right, truly knowing the path, then reaching the subtle and entering the wondrous, would it be outside the gate? One should consider the spirit of the qi aperture, what is the root of storage; the inner operation of Yuanhe, who is the beginning of exchange. Furthermore, evaluating White Tiger and Green Dragon, why speak of Black Tiger and Red Dragon; Mysterious above, Female below, why say Left Mysterious and Right Female? One should know that Wood and Fire act as leaders, Wood stores within Fire; Metal and Water share the palace, Metal hides within Water. This is what is called the Mysterious of the Mysterious, the Wondrous of the Wondrous. The discussion of creation is endless.