Benebell Wen’s The Tao of Craft is an amazing read on the basics of Chinese folk magic and esoteric Daoism as (currently) practiced. It also lays out how exactly it can be adapted for use within other occult systems. This book covers a massive amount of content and does so efficiently so long as you know what to look for.
The Tao of Craft covers the basics of Chinese sigils (符 fu2), explaining their construction, usage, and theory. One thing to be aware of is the terminology, as Benebell uses invocation and evocation as a parallel (but not equivalent) to that of Western occult principles due to the fact they are defined differently in the Daoist framework. This is one of the largest complaints about the work, but it really isn’t an issue as long as you take note of the differing terminology.
Diving In
She touches on the inclusion of Buddhist entities in traditional Chinese folk magic, and how the traditions sort of meld together. Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism were heavily entwined with each other in China. All three also bring in elements of traditional folk practices which predate the codification of each religion as well. While it may not be acceptable in more mainstream Buddhist sects, there were naturally movements to merge the religious and philosophical frameworks in many periods and places.
Buddhism practiced in China became very notably Chinese very quickly. Elements of Daoism and Confucianism made their ways into the practice and vice versa. Other groups pulled from Buddhism to expand their lineages. As these groups crashed into each other, they expanded on the various constituent practices in different ways. It didn’t help that each of these lineages was actively growing on its own.
This book is massive and features multiple appendices which can help a non-Chinese speaker. Obviously, language based sigils are going to work best if you speak the language while following the specifics, but this book also expects the average reader to not speak any Chinese. There are characters and sigils listed, but also how to adapt the rules to fit your intent. If you’re interested in it from a more practical perspective, it would help to be at least a little literate in Chinese when you get this book. It tries and succeeds to get you far without any knowledge of Chinese, but if you want to really keep going, you need the linguistic skills to learn Chinese. This book is at or close to the very limit of what can be conveyed in English alone.
Esoteric Daoism and Fu Sigils
The esoteric Daoist tradition is arguably as old as Daoism itself. Fu sigils are believed to predate Daoism and go all the way back to the origin of writing in China a la oracle bones. The linking of written talismans to esoteric Daoism is first codified in the YinFuJing around the 8th century CE. This work is also believed to be based on a much older work which predates Daoism by about 1,500 years.
Whatever the case may be for the origin of Fu sigils, they’ve been an important, recorded player in esoteric Daoism and most Chinese folk magic for over a thousand years. There are countless schools which each shaped and reshaped Fu sigils based on different principles and different approaches. Due to this fluid, ever changing history, Fu sigils have ended up much more flexible than some other occult concepts.
They can be worked into basically any Western ritual style from Wicca to Golden Dawn. All you really need is some kind of commencement (banishment), empowerment (invocation) and the ritual statement of intent, and then an ending ceremony (banishment). How you do this is up to you, and Benebell will not hesitate to remind you that what works is going to depend on you. Whether you believe in the occult or view this as a form of self-hypnosis is inconsequential, you just need to do you.
What This Book Does Great
The Tao of Craft gives you a lot to go over and a lot to work with. I like the fact that the author is not dogmatic about the application. There are techniques, how to put them together, things that work well, etc., but it doesn’t feel obsessively dogmatic or cryptic like some works. You get a system and a way to integrate it into other occult systems without diminishing either.
There are also the more traditional considerations if you were primarily practicing Daoist magic as well, but it’s not the main focus. You would need initiation or similar if you want the most traditional methods. This book is an introduction to either a system you can use, or the path to a fuller system which is primarily oral in nature. The other side is that if you want to go full on traditionalist, you would need a fluency in Chinese that most readers won’t have. Don’t think of this as a single system, think of it as an introduction to the unifying concepts of many systems. Even at its worst, it is a powerful, near universal tool for rituals.
Things like Chinese astrology are covered to some degree, as well as how to match it back with Western astrology. There is a healthy Daoist pantheon listed to make use of, as well as many basic symbols and principles which can be strung together. Basically, any aspect which might be of use is at least touched on to some degree. You might need to do some digging to really make use of some of it, but the core teachings are self-contained as long as you have some kind of occult foundation to build off of.
If you follow this book and have a bit of creativity, you’ll get far with the system which is introduced. Benebell has no qualms telling you when something is a bit more up to you. If this seems a bit overwhelming, just follow what you can keep track of and you’ll learn more as you go. There’s a very Daoist undertone to going with the motions that feel natural and discarding the rest. Do what works for you because it works, not because someone told you it’s necessary.
What to be Aware of
This book expects you to not know Chinese, but knowing some will take you a lot further if you don’t just want to see this as the Eastern form of sigil magick. It wouldn’t be fair or practical to expect this book to teach you much about the Chinese language outside of the content either. While a linguistic barrier may not be an absolute deal-breaker, it can hurt the efficiency of applying this book.
The Tao of Craft is neither a historical nor academic work. I wouldn’t dig too deep into some of the “facts” because they pull from folk belief more than archaeology. If you want a more historical view, look up the individual concepts and find more legit sources. The viewpoints presented won’t really be wrong, but I wouldn’t cite this in a paper outside of for modern practice.
As usual, one of its biggest strengths is arguably its greatest weaknesses. This book will not spell out an exact system for you. You need to put the techniques and pieces together to really make use of what you learn. If this is your first book on the occult, you would do well to get something else covering a more rigid system. Think of it as a basic cookbook on the techniques and principles behind another culinary style without diving into the basics everyone should know. A beginner can still follow, they just need to have a solid enough foundation to not need to be told how to use a cutting board.
Going Forward
While there are other works on esoteric Daoism out there, most are in Chinese or hard to get a hold of (like this one). This is going to be the most comprehensive book you find on the subject geared at a Western audience interested in practicing. Other works like the DaoDeJing or The Secret of the Golden Flower will help shed light on the more traditional system of esoteric Daoism. Learning about the Yi Jing (I Ching) is also going to be of great help. Each of these works feeds and ties into the system that defines Daoist symbols.
Certain forms of more esoteric or occult Qigong can be of use too. Daoism has shaped countless aspects of Chinese culture, so it many more esoteric Chinese arts will reflect some aspect of some form of Daoism. The more you read about it, the more you’ll realize that while Daoism has the same basic tenets, the practices are largely different between the various forms and sects. Barring the ability to read Chinese fluently, your best bet is to look for initiation to keep going.
This is a wonderful book for Daoist Fu sigils and to learn to craft them and use them. It doesn’t presuppose any specific religious leanings or teachings and allows you to integrate the system into pretty much anything. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better book targeted at an English-speaking audience. If you’re interested in esoteric Daoism and how it’s actually practiced, get this book. If you want to spice up sigil work, get this book. If you’re just curious about the occult in Asia or in general, get this work. It’s one of the best esoteric works I’ve read in ages.
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