Secrets and Harmony of the Taoist Yin Talisman School

The Harmony Arts known to the general public usually come from Baidu, but a closer look reveals that the content there is nothing more than advertisements. As for whether they are effective or useful, I am not in a position to comment. Instead, let me discuss the Harmony Arts known to our school.

Our school has collected Harmony Arts from all over the world. Although I dare not claim to have gathered them all, we have likely collected most of them.

In fact, "Harmony Art" is only a vague term. A careful distinction divides it into several major categories: Marriage Harmony, Kinship Harmony, Infatuation Harmony, and Break-Harmony.

Within the Marriage Harmony Arts, there are further subdivisions: one type is specifically for establishing new romantic connections, and the other is specifically for strengthening the relationship between husband and wife.

First, let's talk about connecting fate. This is called Fate-Connecting Art. Generally, those who practice Fate-Connecting Art do not usually perform these rituals for others. Although uniting a marriage is a good thing, it must be considered carefully because the issues involved are too complex. Uniting one marriage often comes at the cost of breaking another. For the practitioner, this is a loss greater than the gain; it cannot be simply compensated with money, so generally, they will not do it even for payment.

In many circulated Harmony Arts, people directly invoke the Harmony Two Immortals or the Harmony Immortal Master without considering anything else. This is a major fallacy because the primary function of the Harmony Immortal Master or the Harmony Two Immortals is to promote affection and enhance intimacy, not to establish new romantic connections.

The ritual for connecting fate should primarily rely on the Immortal Master of the Moon Elder. However, this method has many restrictions and requires specific ritual implements. One must create a Book of Fate and a Thread of Fate. After recording the names in the Book of Fate, one must use the Eight Characters (birth data) of both parties, connect them with the Thread of Fate, and then burn it. When the ritual is successful, red circular marks usually appear on the feet of both the man and the woman after nine days, indicating success; otherwise, it is a failure. When the man and woman mutually express their feelings, the marks will naturally disappear. This is the origin of the legend "a red thread connects fate across a thousand miles." However, this talismanic method is almost unknown today, and those who know it are unwilling to perform it for the same reasons mentioned at the beginning.

Then, due to objective needs, there is a variant version of this art for men and women who have broken up but whose fate is nearing but has not yet arrived. This is called Continuing Fate Art. Continuing Fate Art is similar to the modern concept of "winning someone back." This ritual requires at least a bed that both parties have slept on together. If it is not a bed shared by both, it is difficult to proceed. The method is quite similar to Fate-Connecting Art, but because it is not purely connecting fate, red marks will not appear on the feet. Instead, success is judged by whether the relationship warms up again. The failure rate of this magic is not low. The key factor for failure often depends on the specific situation of the person being targeted. There are strict rules regarding whether to invoke the Immortal Master of the Moon Elder or the Harmony Immortal Master. If invoked incorrectly, it is basically a failure. However, the good news is that if it fails, a second attempt can be made to make up for it, so overall, the failure rate is not actually that low.

Among the Harmony Arts, the best and most suitable solutions with the lowest failure rate are Kinship Harmony Arts, such as Husband-Wife Harmony, Mother-in-Law/Daughter-in-Law Harmony, and Father-Child Harmony. Performing such harmony during the course of a relationship or marriage is highly beneficial, as it can prevent separation. Moreover, this type of harmony is most welcome to the法师 (master) because it accumulates merit and has a high success rate. However, people in the modern world do not pay much attention to handling relationships well during interaction, only seeking magical help after a complete breakup or separation. In fact, for many who have separated, the fate has already completely broken; still caring about it is just wishful thinking. This is even more difficult than harmonizing those who have never been together. Kinship Harmony rituals are the most numerous and common, such as adjusting spirits and dispatching generals, invoking the Harmony Immortal Master, making small dolls for harmony processing, or purely talismanic methods where water is transformed and drunk by both parties or taken in a shared bath, all of which can achieve relatively ideal results.

Infatuation Harmony Art cannot really be considered a type of Harmony Art; it should actually be classified as Soul-Bewitching Art. After the ritual, the bewitched person is often unable to resist following the practitioner or becomes confused and infatuated. This art is not considered orthodox, but strictly speaking, it is not necessarily evil; it mainly depends on the user. The existence of some such arts has a certain necessity. The biggest difference between Infatuation Harmony and hypnosis is that hypnosis generally requires sufficient time for guidance and suggestion, whereas Infatuation Talismans basically work instantly, leaving the victim at the practitioner's mercy. However, Infatuation Harmony is not something everyone can learn instantly; it requires mastering various timing and techniques. A common folk Infatuation Harmony involves placing a small stick horizontally at a crossroads, chanting a specific spell, and when a woman steps over the stick, immediately approaching her, patting her shoulder, and calling out to her. If she turns around and responds, she will be immediately bewitched; if she does not turn around or does not respond, it is difficult to take effect. Thus, it emphasizes the coordination of timing, location, and human factors.

Break-Harmony Art is mainly used to break marriages and relationships. Generally, the ritual uses talismanic methods. The most terrifying aspect of this talisman is not that it can break marriages, but that the conditions for breaking harmony are quite few; it only requires the Eight Characters (birth data) of both parties to perform the ritual. In Break-Harmony Arts, some key spells and mantras are the same as ordinary spells. Some Break-Harmony Arts also require invoking the secret transmission Old Crow God to break the harmony. Generally, in the final stage of performing Break-Harmony, the master is required to remain motionless and wait until strange sounds or phenomena appear. Then, shout loudly and perform the final action. The final action varies: some spit three times, some suddenly swing a sword, some make a sudden stroke on the talisman pattern, some emit power with anger, or visualize the two parties fighting like water and fire, etc. The effects are all very ideal. However, Break-Harmony Arts generally specify that they should not be used lightly. Unless absolutely necessary, most masters are unwilling to perform them.