- The Seven Stars Program for the Later Heaven Gae-byuk
- 1 One day, Sahng-jeh-nim wrote something on a piece of white paper and burned it. He then put the ashes into a bowl of water and threw the water outside, yelling, “Geum-ohk on Gyeh-ryohng Mountain!” He did this to summon the female spirit Geum-ohk.
- 3 As soon as He yelled this, a sound like a bird chirping could be heard, and something flew onto His hand, which He had stretched out toward the door.
- 4 “Step down,” Sahng-jeh-nim said and continued, “Go ask your senior for a few gourd dippers and bring them here.”
- 5 The spirit said, “I heard that there are no gourds because none were planted in the Seven Stars.”
“How could there be a fool such as you?” Sahng-jeh-nim thundered and slapped her face.
- 6 Those who could not see the spirit just heard a slapping sound coming from thin air.
- 7 He continued, “You fool, do you want to be hit again? Go quickly!”
- 8 With a writing brush, Sahng-jeh-nim made dots on paper, while Hyung-yul drew horses. Ho-yun said, “Please let me try.”
- 9 In a consoling tone, Sahng-jeh-nim said, “I am telling spirits of heaven and earth to come and go. Do you know how to do this? I’ll eventually teach you.”
- Testing the Spirits’ Strength
- 10 After a while, the spirit Geum-ohk brought three gourd dippers of different sizes and, giving them to Sahng-jeh-nim, said, “I brought them as You ordered. But what are You going to do with them?”
- 11 “These are not ordinary gourds,” Sahng-jeh-nim said. “When I use them, they will become gourds of creative change.”
- 12 A while later, Sahng-jeh-nim opened the door and called out into the empty air, summoning another spirit.
- 13 He said to this spirit, “I will choose a day on which to contest strength with commander spirits so that I can judge how powerful they are. Prepare well for the contest. If their performance is unsatisfactory, I will not use them. Keep that in mind.”
- 14 “I will do as You have ordered,” the spirit said. “How about holding it on the third day of the third lunar month?”
- 15 “Very well,” Sahng-jeh-nim answered. “You do not need to come back here. Let us meet at the pavilion on the archery range at Ohk Road.” When the spirit reported not knowing the place,
- 16 Sahng-jeh-nim chastised, “As a spirit, you do not know that? How can you conduct the work of heaven and earth, you fool?
- 17 A spirit also should be knowledgeable. Go and make preparations quickly.” The spirit bowed and left.
- (JSD Dojeon 5,267)
