There is a set of thousand year old texts known as the Dao Canon (1160 books). These books contain formulas attributed to Lu Dong Bin, 呂洞賓, one of China’s revered Eight Immortals and the patron “saint” of Inner Alchemy.
His real name was Lü Yan , 呂巖, (Lǚ Yán), but he called himself Chunyang Zi, ( 純陽子, "the completely yang master") and the Daoists Lu zu (吕祖, 呂祖, Lǚ zŭ, "the Original Lu".
Lü Yan, 呂巖, was born in the eighth century (755 ó 796), during the Tang Dynasty and died in approx. 805.
He was founder of the "Religión of the Golden Elixer" (金丹教, Jīndān jiào)
The core methods themselves are perhaps thousands of years older, and It took many generations of masters to refine the great spiritual truths into seven practical alchemical stages.
What are these seven practices supposed to do?
It is said in the ancient texts that they "fulfil the purpose of Soul. But what does that mean?
The word "soul" is not the equivalent of the Chriitian everlasting soul, but refers to either:
神, shén, the mysterious divine essence or Feminine Principle
魂, hún, which is not material but mind, te Masculinre Principle
This purpose is SURVIVAL
It is said furthermore that it dipells "fear of death". This does not refer to the mundane cognitive fear of death, but dispells the negative force that resists 生机, shēngjī, "the opportunity to live, the vitality of the Life Force".
Finally it declares that it awakens "post natal self". which is Consciousness.
A much later master One Cloud presented these seven practices as Seven Alchemy Formulas to Achieve the True Immortal Self. Unfortunately his work has assumed in the West the character of a venemous snake which has little value to true seekers after the essence of these formulae, but rather body seeking false spiritual union..
Casting away the concept of Immortality we now consider these seven as a perspective upon Zhen qi (Authentic Qi).
Being Seven Formulae for the Revitilization of The Life Force
Known also as Dao Qi or Tao chi Shen ch´i ching, it is used as the Revitalization media for the three Dāntían,三丹田, (Tan Tien) which are the Three treasures, 三宝, Sānbǎo, Yuan qi, qi, and Xin Shen.
It helps one to absorb innate virtue and dissolve negative emotional qi, which is then crystallized into a pearl made of post natal yuan qi (the Life Force).
We can say then that in terms of a valid Chinese Medicine Model:
Dao qi is the Catalyst for the renovation of:
Yuan qi, 元氣, the Life Force.
Qi, 氣,which is Energy itself.
Xin Shen, 心神, which is Pure Mind Shen , the Feminine Principle
Formula 1: Open the Orbit, Five Phases of Spirit and Eight Extraordinary Qi Vessels. How to communicate harmoniously with the qi field inside he human body. These foundational energetic practices encapsulate the entirety of classical chinese medicine, and are the main practices used for self-healing. Students often spend several years learning them.
The Six Healing Sounds clear the stuck qi cycling through the five phases and three burners (head/upper chest, solar plexus, belly). The Microcosmic Orbit balances yin-yang flow of the spine and front chest and alchemically mixes the adept's qi and blood. Fusion of the Five Elements (Phases) I, II, and III is emotional and psychic alchemy.
The Macrocosmic Orbit circulates the clarity of this pearl in the Eight Extraordinary Vessels, which opens communication between the trunk (spine, waist & core channel) to all limbs/directions.
Formula 2, The lesser Awakening the internal sexual coupling of fire (yang body spirits) with water (yin body spiirts) The Lesser formula completes the 5 phases of human qi (vital organ spirits)
We can consider this coupling of the Yin (signifies the obsured side of a mountain or water) that which cannot be seen with Yang (the side which receives the light or fire). This coupling for our Contemplations is that of Yuan shen, 元神 , the spirit of Transformation Shen.
The contemplation is that of the transformation which is the energy flow experienced as the four Sublime States; Gladness, , Benevolent Affect, Compassion and Equanimity
This has been given the unfortunate name of "sexual inner alchemy", the "advaced practice of the Microcosmic Orbit".
It actually involnves merging the yin (female program ) and yang (male expression of those programs)
Formula 3, The Greater Awakening nternally coupling sun with moon, the Greater completes the 5 phases of earth qi (geomantic forces). These geometric Forces have their effect within the relationship of the forces of the environment with the True Self.
The associated Contemplation is that using the Last Conceptualizations of Man, Offspring, Tribe and the Environment that supports all.
Formula 4 The Greatest Awakening : fusion of planetary spirits and coupling of inner earth with inner sun (yang within the yin and yin within the yang)., and the Greatest completes the 5 phases of planetary qi (astrological forces that the ancient Chinese considered shape human destiny).
However, the true Planitary spirit is best describesd as the homeostatic balance between the Feminine and Masculine Principles.
These formulae, 2,3 and 4 are considered as levels of the 逆, nì phase, which means opposition. This is adepts desire to reverse the mundane impulse to pursue one's "mundane face "
This opposition or reversal is the adept's desires to pursue Identiy demands and begins dissolving and flowing back into the naturl "true face" of Early Heaven and the Original unstained wood..
This Awakening of completing the qi of the individual's "post-natal self" is thus the requisite to attaining immortality.
Before one launches oneself into fancy once more, it is wiser to understand that "immortality", 长生.老, is "not to be reborn", which in turn refer to the fct that Identity is vanquished in this life and does not continully bcome "reborn and reinforced " every moment.
From the early Daoist point of view, the alchemical "coupling" or "cooking" process reunites post natal Yuan qi, Qi, and Xin Shen. and allows the adept's Primordial Memory, Later Heaven, to open a portal for communication with Early Heaven self.
These three formulas focus on opening an inner space of Contemplation where the adept can experience the core force yuanqi -xin shen, within the Earth, and the Sun/planetary intelligences. which are the natural survival paradigns
This allows the adept to absorb progressively greater powers of yin and yang qi.
Formula 5 :
Opens the portal of the central axis , yuan qi (chong qi ), 元氣, the Life Force.
Chinese medicine calls this the opening of Early Heaven into Later Heaven.
We can consider this the opening of the elements of primative memory programs (the Great Spirit, Da shen, the collective stellar level of nature's intelligence, the Star intelligences ) to later memory , 本字, běnzì which is considered as the adept's original character, unstained Observing .
It is the Sealing of the Later Heaven mind of the adept inside the crown.
Thus it is also called Star alchemy.
For.mula 6:
This is the coupling of Xin shen, 心神, which is Pure Mind Shen , the Feminine Principle with Yuan qi, 元神, which is the transformation neccesary for the change from the Xin Shen survival paradigm to Masculine Expression
It is the Congress of Heaven and Earth. It couples, as an act of cosmic sexual self-intercourse, the adept's Early Heaven essence with his formless androgynous Later Heaven soul essence
This final coupling opens communications with the chaos/original unity of Primordial Heaven. The circulation of qi between the three heavens is the True Macrocosmic Orbit.
Formula 7:
The Union of Man and Dao:
It is described as the cosmicized (awakened) spontaneous human's merging of Yuan qi, 元氣, the Life Force.; Qi, 氣,which is Energy itself and Xin Shen, 心神, which is Pure Mind Shen , the Feminine Principle, into 无极, wuji, the Supreme Unknown, portal to the unknowable Dao.