Knotting the Banner – Ritual and Relationship in Daoist Practice Mozina Tim

Knotting the BannerRitual and Relationship in Daoist Practice\nAuthor(s): David J. Mozina, Lai Chi Tim, Stephen Bokenkamp\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: University of Hawai'i Press, United States\nImprint: University of Hawai'i Press\nISBN-13: 9780824898670, 978-0824898670\nSynopsis\nIn the hills of Chinas central Hunan province, an anxious young apprentice officiates over a Daoist ritual known as the Banner Rite to Summon Sire Yin. Before a crowd of masters, relatives, and villagersand the entire pantheon of gods and deceased masters ritually invited to witness the eventhe seeks to summon Celestial Lord Yin Jiao, the ferocious deity who supplies the exorcistic power to protect and heal bodies and spaces from illness and misfortune. If the apprentice cannot bring forth the deity, the rite is considered a failure and the ordination suspended: His entire professional career hangs in the balance before it even begins.\n\nThis richly textured study asks how the Banner Rite works or fails.