Detailed Introduction
Lately nothing seems to go right -- you feel listless, sleep badly, and can't put your finger on what's wrong. An elder might tell you, "Go and mend your luck." That is jigai (also called bu yun, or fortune restoration), the ritual Taiwanese turn to in a low patch to ask the gods to drive off calamity and dissolve misfortune -- and people still rely on it today.
What Is Jigai?
"Ji" means to make an offering; "gai" means to change one's fortune. When someone's luck sinks, their health falters, or they've offended some baleful influence, they can ask a Taoist priest or ritual master at the temple to step in. Using a "substitute" -- a straw figure, a paper effigy, or a paper horse-and-carriage -- the practitioner draws the bad luck and negative energy off the person and onto the stand-in, then reports to the deity to petition for resolution. The old misfortune departs with the substitute, so new fortune has room to come in.
Common Occasions
- When you clash with the year's Tai Sui (the Grand Duke Jupiter), when your luck stalls, or when setbacks keep piling up.
- After a fright, or when you feel spiritually unsettled -- the simplest form of jigai is shoujing (fright-calming), which volunteers at many temples can perform, Xingtian Temple being the most famous.
- During a long illness, or when accidents come one after another.
- When you hit a metaphysical "life gate" (guansha), such as a "vehicle gate" or "water gate."
- When a child cries endlessly at night or is easily startled.
The Ritual
Before you go, prepare your Eight Characters birth data (the lunar year, month, day, and hour of birth) and a piece of clothing worn close to the body to represent you. The ritual master first reports to the deity, then works with incantations, talismans, and ritual implements. The substitute is inscribed with your name and birth data, and over the ceremony your ill luck and negative energy are "transferred" onto it piece by piece -- until it is finally burned, and the misfortune scatters with the smoke. When it's done, you receive a peace talisman, a red string, or a fire-blessed purification charm, a sign that a deity now watches over you and your fortune has been reset.
Shoujing: Fright-Calming
Shoujing is the best-known simple form of jigai. After a car accident, a fall, or a nightmare, when a person turns restless, loses their appetite, and can't sleep soundly, they can go to a temple for shoujing. The practitioner holds a stick of incense or a handful of rice, softly reciting incantations while facing the person, and calls the scattered soul back bit by bit. The shoujing performed by the volunteer "service workers" at Xingtian Temple is the most renowned of all -- even people who aren't especially devout will go and line up when something feels off inside.
Cost and a Reminder
At most temples shoujing is free, or given by voluntary donation. A formal jigai ceremony varies by temple, from a few hundred to a few thousand NT dollars. One reminder: jigai is about finding peace of mind. If your body is genuinely unwell, still see a doctor -- letting faith and medicine work side by side is the wisest thing you can do for yourself.