This a statue of Chang Tien Shi, or Chang Heavenly Teacher, as we call him.
Evergreen has a special affinity with this deity.
It is one of three deities that Ma Shifu brought back for us from Malaysia.
It is unique, I've never seen one like it. Chang Tien Shi is jet black!
XUAN TIEN SHANG DI
This the second of the three deities that Master Ma brought us from Malaysia. When we do ceremonies and rituals, this is the deity we invoke. We use his talisman in rituals.
XUAN TIEN SHANG DI TALISMAN
This is the talisman for Xuan Tien Shang Di. The talisman is like having the deity. In certain situations, you cut your tongue and draw the talisman with your blood.
MY TALISMAN
NACHA
This is NaCha, the Boy God. This is the third in the group of deities Master Ma brought back from Malaysia. I had a dream about NaCha when I was a kid, years before I knew about Taoism.
YAO TSE JIN MU - QIWANG MU - WESTERN QUEEN MOTHER - GOLD MOTHER
I have Yuan Fen, a karmic tie, with Yao Tse Jin Mu. One day I will add the story here. This deity came from Tse Hui Tang, Compassion Wisdom Temple in Taiwan, in the province of Hualien. She was brought to the temple I go to here in Queens, the New York Tse Hui Tang, and that's where I got her.
GOLD MOTHER TALISMAN
QIWANG MU
This is another statue of Qiwang Mu (Yao Tse Jin Mu). It was carved from a log in China. A believer brought it to the U.S. When she arrived here she became a Buddhist and followed Kuan Yin. The monk at the temple told her not to worship Qiwang Mu anymore. She gave the deity to another Buddhist who remembered that I followed Yao Tse Jin Mu, and she gave it to me. Isn't that a karmic connection?
The wood she was carved from was getting too dry and I asked everyone for advice on how to protect it. I tried several things, then decided to paint her. She is a work in progress. But she has told me she does not like the yellow!
MATSU
Evergreen brought back this picture of Matsu from a temple in Hong Kong. Matsu is also called Tien Hou, Heaven Queen.
KUAN YIN
Slightly different picture
I think Kuan Yin and Guan Gung are the two most popular deities. Kuan Yin is seen in both Buddhist and Taoist temples. I had this deity since 1979. She's in a nice house, isn't she?
GUAN GUNG
Doesn't this deity have a lot of chi? Would you believe it was made by a Taoist friend and artist named Yue Ming. From the moment we met, it felt like we knew each other before. His name means Moon Bright and my name is Day Starr. Our REAL names. (and my husband's name is Chang Ching which means Evergreen).
EARTH GOD
This deity call to us as we walked past a yard sale
SUN WU KONG - MONKEY KING
He's not on the altar, but I thought I'd let him join the party!
SPIRITCATCHER GOURD
This is what we used to catch a ghost
THE EIGHT IMMORTALS
PRECEPTS
BUDDHA
I had this Buddha since I was 17. I never had his eyes opened though.
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