deites3

Sun Ssu-miao or Sun Chen-jen (Doctor of Internal Medicine): One of the Ten Celebrated Doctors (Tang dynasty). Publisher of “The Thousand Golden Remedies”. Saved the life of the son of the Dragon King, in return gave Sun Chen-jen thirty volumes of precious prescriptions.

Pao-Sheng Ta-ti (Great Emperor who Protects Life): Major mediumistic protective deity who provides effective prescriptions. He is also able to stave off floods or bring much needed rain.

Hua T’o Tsun-shih: One of the ten celebrated doctors, the first to perceive the concept of surgery. Able to peer into the body and sketch the diseased part.

Ko Ta-Hsien (Great Immortal Ko) or Pao P’u-tzu: Better known as Ko Hung. Primary ancestor of T’ien-t’ai P’ai. One of the Ten Celebrated Doctors. He enlarged techniques of alchemy and incorporated Confucian ethics into Taoist philosophy. Famed as an alchemist and occult expert, and is patron of dyers, diviners and jugglers.

Ch’ing-shui Tsu-shih (Patriarch of Clear Water) Healing deity that watches over the health and welfare of the community. Consulted for treatment for infirmities, protection of health, peace of mind and tranquility, deafness insanity and blindness.

Wang-yeh (Their Excellencies): Protectors against attacks by sickness and demons. The most common surnames of the Wang-yeh Li, Chi’h, Wu and Fan.

Sui Ching Po (The Pacifying Duke): A suppressor of disease and demons, and a protector of travelers.

Yueh Lao Hsing-chun (The Old Man on the Moon): The divine-match maker, who joins together destined to be married.

Chi Hsiang-ko (Brother of Good Omen): Extremely potent fertility god.

Chu-sheng Niang-niang (The Lady who Registers Births): Special protector of pregnant women. Her role is to decide upon the time and date of birth, its fate and weight of the child to be born.

Ch’ih-t’ou Fu-jen: Provides protection for women during childbirth.

Ts’ai Shen (Wealth God): There are two kinds of wealth gods: Civil and Military. The Civil Wealth god is Ts’ai po Hsing-chun. The Military Wealth god or Wu Tsai Shen is either Kuan-ti or Chao Kung-ming.

Ts’ai-po Hsing-chun (Stellar Deity of Wealth and Silks): Protects property and wealth and prayed to for only larger business profits.

Pi Kan: The earliest of all wealth gods, best known as the sage whose heart was cut out.

Wan-shan Ts’ai Shen: Regarded as the most powerful wealth god, and by many the only wealth god.

Ti-mu Niang-niang (The Empress Mother of the Earth) or T’u-ti Ma (Wife of T’u –ti Kung): As Ti-mu Niang-niang, she is very powerful, with direct access to the Jade Emperor, and responsible with the natural links between heaven and earth.

T’ien-ti Fu-mu (Father and Mother of Heaven and Earth): T’u-ti Kung and T’u-ti Ma combined.

Pen Shan Shen (The Spirit of the Mountain): Spirit official of the woods, forests and the keeper of the hills.

Feng Shen (Spirit of the Wind) or Feng Po (Wind Duke): Prayed to by seafarers for favorable winds and his protective powers.

Yu Shen (The Rain Spirit), Yu Po (Rain Duke) or Yu Shih (Rain Master): In charge of all clouds and rainfall.

Ma Shen or Ma Kung (The King of Horses): Generals offer sacrifices of the horse spirit annually on the twenty second day of the second lunar month.

T’ien Hou Sheng-mu (The Heavenly Holy Mother, the Empress of Heaven) or Ma-Tsu (Granny): Protector of seafarers and fisherman. Women devotes pray to her for help during pregnancy. Many treat her as Kuan Yin – goddess of mercy.

Lung Wang (Dragon King) King of all the Dragons of all the four seas and ten thousand waterways.

Lung Mu (The Mother of the Dragon): prayed to for protection by boat and river crews, and by farmers to protect them against floods.

T’an Kung (Duke T’an): Able to conjure storms and quell them. Able to cure sick people while they sleep and has powers of prophecy which are passed to devotes during sleep.