Er Shi Ba Xiu (二十八宿) aka The 28 Constellation Stars.
In Taoism, they are conisder as a group of Guardians/Protectors or Generals of the Heavenly Realm (天界衛護神祇).
In most of the Taoist Temples overseas, usually you can see them being made into General form and guide against Temple Gates or Main Hall other then the normal Door Deities.
In our Chinese Study, these 28 stars are being separated into 4 Groups (7 Stars each, and they are also used to represent the 4 Direction of this Universe). A Spiritual Animal (神獸) is used to represent each group:
East (Green): The Green Dragon (東方青龍)
South (Red): The Firey Sparrow (南方朱雀)
West (White): The White Tiger (西方白虎)
North (Black/Grey): The combination of Tortise and Snake (北方玄武)
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The movement of these 4 groups of Stars (二十八宿運行):
In Chinese Religion/Taoism, the North Pole - 北極 (where Bei Dou 北斗, Zi Wei 紫微, Zhong Tian 中天 are) is the center of all movements in the Universe, and so all these groups of Stars will rotate around the North Pole in-order for them to carry-out their tasks, etc.
And so, in another word, these four groups of Stars are closely related with the North Pole or Bei Dou, etc.
For High Res Pictures, please proceed to this link:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/taoism_deity_singapore_2007/photos/album/602938884/pic/list
nice photos... ^_^
ReplyDeleteamitabha... -_-
dsfz
Wow! These are very rare. Very nice! I really appreciate this. I haven't seen statues of them yet. What are their relationship with the four season xing jun?
ReplyDeleteYup, they are rare in all Countries (Asia), quite seldom to see them, unless very big Temples or Taoist Associations.
ReplyDeleteThey are not that closely related with the Four Season Lords, but somehow related, cos of the movement of the Stars during different seasons.
Usually when we talk abt the 28 Constellation Stars, we will relate them with the Four Spiritual Animals or other Star Lords such as Bei Dou Xing Jun or Zi Wei Da Di, etc.
why is the center of all movement to be choosen as the northern pole ?? and not as usual the center ?? of the all direction ?? any special meaning behind ??
ReplyDeleteAs for this, you all must really go to study the movement of all the stars in Astrology study liao.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I know from the Taoist Scripture, all Stars in the Sky move in a cycle form around the North Pole, which means, stars that are located near to the North Pole will move very little to complete a full cycle around the globe whereas those far away from the North Pole will need to move a long distance (take a long time) to complete the cycle.
and this is why, North Pole becomes a very important "Point" for Taoism, cos it seems like All stars that are related to North Pole will never move and all the stars that moved around North Pole are just like the officers that run around the North Pole to perform task for it.
-> very complicated hor.. hahahahahahaha
Wah Piang ..nvm nvm .. thanks for the help hahahahahahahah
ReplyDeletehahahahaha.. next time when we meet up, I show you the pic, much more easier to explain then using words.. wahahahahaha
ReplyDeletehaha okok no prob ..
ReplyDeleteShi Fu, is he a master of rain?
ReplyDeleteNo, Master of Rain aka Yu Shi is not associated with this Group of Stars.
ReplyDeleteYu Shi can only be seen under the Thunderial Department with Lightning, Thunder and Wind.
and who is Yu Shi actually?
ReplyDeleteThank you Shi Fu
Yu Shi, is a form of Natural Energy in the Planet Earth who will gathered the vapours and then transform them into rain.
ReplyDeleteAfter visualization and spiritual interaction, Priests in the ancient era return this Gust of Energy a physical form, which is what we see today - Yu Shi aka The Master of Rain.
Got it now, Thank you Shi Fu.
ReplyDeleteNew pics added (28xingxiu_new01 - 28xingxiu_new28)
ReplyDeleteDear all, you can check out this video documentary on the history of the 28 constellations:
ReplyDeletehttp://kinryu.multiply.com/links/item/16/16
Hi Shifu Jave, their 28 names is actually commonly chanted in Taoist rituals right?
Dear Alvin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sharing.
Not really that common, but for special rituals, we do need to invite them.