Six Dings and Six Maos are a very important group of guardian deities in the Taoist pantheon, directly under the command of the Supreme Lord of the North Pole, the God of True Martial (or the Guardian Holy Lord). They are the most frequently summoned and closely related guardian deities in Taoist spells, rituals, and incantations, and are regarded as the “personal bodyguards” and “task executors” of practitioners. “Six Dings” and “Six Maos” originated from the ancient Chinese Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch timekeeping system:
Six Dings: Corresponding to the yin deities in the Earthly Branches, namely Ding Mao, Ding Si, Ding Wu, Ding You, Ding Hai, Ding Chou. In terms of their divine nature, they are usually endowed with the image of a female deity and are called “Ding Deity” or “Yushen”.
Six Maos: Corresponding to the yang deities in the Earthly Branches, namely Ji Zi, Ji Xu, Ji Shen, Ji Hu, Ji Chen, Ji Yin. In terms of their divine nature, they are usually endowed with the image of a male deity and are called “Ma Deity” or “General”.
Therefore, the combined term of Six Dings and Six Maos represents the harmony of yin and yang and the completeness of the time and space divine power.
Core duties and functions
1. Guardian and Self-Protection: This is their most basic and important function. Taoists or practitioners can summon the Six Dings and Six Maos at any time by meditation, chanting incantations, or wearing amulets, and they can surround themselves with a layer of invisible guardian barrier, to ward off ghosts, insects, wild beasts, weapons, etc., which are all forms of harm. It is the “bodyguard” for traveling in the mountains and forests and sitting in meditation for cultivation.
2. Commanding Tasks: They are efficient task executors. Mages can dispatch them to complete various specific tasks, such as:
• Investigation: Exploring distant information and the movements of evil spirits.
• Delivery: Sending talismans, documents.
• Transportation: Moving objects, taking objects (similar to “Five Ghosts Transporting”, but more righteous).
• Healing: Assisting in removing disease qi and pestilence.
• Construction: Guarding the construction of buildings, stabilizing the foundation of houses.
3. Summoning Wind and Rain, Participating in Thunder Magic: In the Taoist thunder magic system, the Six Dings and Six Maos are important thunder department officials, who can be ordered to summon wind, guide thunder, disperse clouds, rain, snow, and frost. They are important assistants in performing climate magic.
4. Divination and Feng Shui: Because they originated from the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch and are proficient in time and space numerology, they are also used to calculate auspicious and inauspicious situations, surveying feng shui, and selecting auspicious days. In the Xiquan Daoist divination and the Xiquan Taoist alchemy, they are regarded as important “hidden forces”.
Special Relationship with Practitioners
In the Taoist Shangqing School and other traditional schools that emphasize internal cultivation, the Six Dings and Six Maos are not only summoned external deities but are also closely related to the practitioners’ cultivation of vital energy, spirit, and essence. Some scriptures believe:
• The Six Dings’ yin deities correspond to the qi of the six viscera within the human body.
• The Six Maos’ yang deities correspond to the qi of the six organs within the human body.
• Through internal cultivation techniques, one can transform one’s organ qi into “internal gods” and sense and connect with the outside Six Dings and Six Maos deities, merging into one. At this time, the deity becomes me, and I become the deity, reaching the state of “there are already Six Maos within me”, obtaining powerful supernatural powers and protection. This is an advanced method in the process of internal alchemy to cultivate the elixir. In summary, the Six Dings and Six Maos are the epitome of “practical theology” in Taoism. Unlike the Three Pure Ones who are highly abstract, nor the Four Virtues who oversee macroscopic affairs, they delve into every specific aspect of practice and life, providing immediate, direct, and multi-functional divine assistance. They are the extension of magic arts, the protection of cultivation, the soldiers of Taoist doctrines, and the most flexible and commonly used “bridge” connecting Taoist practitioners with supernatural forces. Understanding the Six Dings and Six Maos means understanding how Taoism systematizes and personifies the mysterious cosmic power (the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches time-space system), and transforms it into a set of operational and reliable divine support systems.
