Neighborly Harmony Ceremony

1. Core Tenet

Inheriting the Taoist life philosophy that “distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, and being harmonious with neighbors is accumulating virtue”, with “spreading kindness from afar and living in harmony” as the core, the ritual is presided over remotely by a Taoist priest to adjust the aura atmosphere between neighbors and resolve estrangement and conflicts. It helps both neighbors abandon suspicion, calculation, indifference and alienation, establishes the neighborhood concept of “watching and helping each other, spreading kindness from afar”, shortens the distance between neighbors, and creates a harmonious neighborhood atmosphere of “being friendly when going out and in, and watching and helping each other”.

2. Ritual Preparation

Choose an auspicious day conducive to interpersonal harmony, such as “He Ri” (Harmony Day), “He Ri” (Combination Day), “Kai Ri” (Opening Day), and hold the ritual at Chen Shi (7-9 am) in the morning when yang energy is vigorous and interpersonal relationships are easy to harmonize.

– Inform the presiding Taoist priest of the names, birth dates (eight characters of birth), addresses and neighborhood troubles (brief description) of the representatives of both neighbors 3 days in advance to customize the exclusive neighborhood harmony blessing text;

– Taoist priest’s preparation: Place the tablets of Earth God and Emperor Wenchang (symbolizing neighborhood harmony and wise coexistence) in the center of the altar; display excerpts from “The Analects of Confucius” on neighborhood harmony and jujube branches (symbolizing early good karma and close neighbors) on the left; place a clean water bowl and oranges (implying sincere treatment and harmonious neighbors) on the right; burn three sticks of sandalwood in front of the altar to create a friendly neighborhood aura; observe precepts three days in advance and prepare the neighborhood harmony mantra.

3. Solemn Ritual Process

Presided over remotely by the Taoist priest throughout the process, no on-site participation of neighbors is required——

– Altar Setup and Worshiping Sages: The Taoist priest arranges the altar utensils, holds sandalwood and bows three times to the two sacred statues, recites “Earth God Neighborhood Harmony Mantra” and “Emperor Wenchang Harmony Mantra”, prays for the gods to protect neighborhood harmony, and visualizes the spiritual light covering the residences of both neighbors;

– Burning Incense to Harmonize Qi: The Taoist priest holds incense and walks around the altar three times, recites the Qi-harmonizing formula “Incense harmonizes the neighborhood’s Qi, love warms each other’s hearts, watch and help each other, and live in harmony”, and visualizes the incense turning into a friendly aura that connects the neighborhood residences;

– Wisdom Exposition: The Taoist priest selects the excerpt “Living in a neighborhood of benevolence is good. If one chooses not to live in a neighborhood of benevolence, how can he be wise?” from “The Analects of Confucius”, combines the Taoist concept of “being harmonious with neighbors is a blessing and helping others accumulates virtue”, recites and explains the essence of neighborhood harmony, and integrates it into the aura adjustment;

– Classic Blessing: The Taoist priest holds the excerpt from “The Analects of Confucius” and gently covers it on the jujube branch, sprinkles a little clean water on the classic and the flower branch, recites the blessing words “Classics clarify meaning, jujubes form good karma, neighbors are harmonious, and good fortune lasts forever”, and visualizes the blessing power being transmitted to the neighborhood aura;

– Harmony Blessing: The Taoist priest reads the remote neighborhood harmony blessing text customized with the birth dates of both neighbors, details the wishes for neighborhood harmony, mutual help and love, and peaceful life, and visualizes the power of wishes adjusting the neighborhood aura while reciting;

– Closing the Altar and Thanking Sages: The Taoist priest holds sandalwood and bows three times to thank the two sacred statues, offers the blessed jujube branches in front of the altar, recites “The neighborhood harmony ritual is completed, good karma lasts forever; gods protect the neighbors, and live in harmony and peace”, and the ritual is completed.

4. Delivery Standard

Provide a full HD video of the entire ritual, completely recording the altar arrangement, ritual details and core links to ensure clear viewing.