Usually made of wood, copper or jade. The seals are engraved with words with Taoist meanings, and some are even engraved with completely stylized patterns. The Taoist seal, also known as “神印” and “印篆”, is a seal that symbolizes the authority of heaven and immortals. Before the formation of the Taoist religious group, Fangtu and shamans had imitated the way of government, army, and imperial envoys to create seals, which were used in activities such as curing diseases and dispell evil. It was created when the Taoist sect was formed. A legend is that when Zhang Ling created the Five Dou Rice School, he used the seal of “阳平治都功印”, which has been passed down from generation to generation and still used today. Taoism believes that the use of seals in the practice of Daoism is just like the use of official seals in the implementation of administration in the human world. - The second type uses talismans as seals. - The fourth category is seals in the name of Taoist priests, such as “阳平治都功印”. Printing is widely used. Talisman must be stamped according to the school. Some can also be used alone; for example, to cure diseases.
2【上清灵宝大法司印】Use this seal on texts, stickers, ultimatums, lists, etc., to show the ghosts and gods of the three realms. Seeing this seal is like seeing Lingbao Tianzun. It can also be printed on the script. This seal should be placed on the altar for use on the altar. Put it under the statue of Lingbao Tianzun. 3【太上老君敕令印】 This seal can be used on all records. 4【太清教主印】Use this seal in the record of the person who asks Huang Laojun to help, and perform the required rituals. 5【元始一气混沌太极之印】Offering it on the altar can obtain longevity and use it on the longevity slip. 8 【道君玉印】 The seal of the Daojun, this seal holds the stars of the heavens, the ghosts and gods of the three realms, and the number of calamities. If you use it and hold this seal, you can become Lingbao Tianzun. It should also be printed on the scriptures. 10 【道经师宝印】The most classic and most commonly used seal of Taoism. Can be used in any situation. This seal can be used by anyone who is not certified as a Taoist priest or who is practicing by himself. 11 【天皇印】When applying the seal, you need to burn incense to worship the Three Emperors Gaozhen and the Five Sacred Mountains, and then recite the incantation and blow air on the seal. This seal calls the ghosts of the five directions, seals the wind and the rain, seals the stars and seals the moon. 12【地皇印】When applying the seal, you need to burn incense to worship the Three Emperors Gaozhen and the Five Sacred Mountains, and then recite the incantation and blow air on the seal. 13 【人皇印】When the seal is applied, it is necessary to burn incense to worship the Three Emperors Gaozhen and the Five Sacred Mountains, and then recite the incantation and blow air on the seal. All the sick will recover. In case of disaster, if you swallow this seal with fragrant soup, it will become auspicious and prosperous. 14 【天信印】This seal returns to the heaven, stays in the sun and stays in the moon, changing the seasons of spring and autumn. The left hand is pinched, the right hand holds the seal, and a seal is printed on the heaven gate, and then the immortal will descend. If you want to travel to the Palace of the Sun and Moon, first take a bath, then spread a reed mat, and stamp the cloud letter on it, you can take the seat and go up to the Moon Palace. If you want to change the night scenery, you will prepare a water basin, stamp it on it, and the sun will sink. If it is dawn, a bamboo pole will be prepared and erected. 15 【地信印】 This seal moves the earth and destroys the mountains, the sea is dry and the rocks are rotten, the ghosts are subdued and the ditches are broken. If the seal is printed on the ground of the house, the earth will move, and if it is withdrawn, it will be printed on the Tiangang. If the ghosts and gods are printed, the ghosts and gods will beg for mercy. The mountain will open on this road. 16【人信印：万灵胜宝印】This seal can make the grass and trees all soldiers. If you are marching, you can print this seal on the head of the forest and drink a sip of water. Seven branches of pure grass, facing the door holding, taking seven star steps first, all people are invisible. If there is an emergency, if it is imprinted on the head, it will change into an old man, on the foot of the imprint will be a boy, on the waist of the imprint will be a woman, the imprint on the face will be a beast, the imprint on the shoulder will be a bird, the imprint on the back will be a forest tree, and the imprint on the chest will be a large stone.
En el mundo taoísta, los sellos no son simples marcas; son símbolos de autoridad, protección y contacto con lo divino. Existen múltiples tipos que acompañan rituales, curaciones, exorcismos y amuletos personales. Algunos sellos tienen funciones específicas para conjuros, invocaciones o bendiciones, mientras otros actúan como herramientas de registro y honra ante deidades como Lingbao Tianzun o Huang Laojun. La tradición agrega rituales: quemar incienso, recitar conjuros y, en ciertos casos, soplar aire sobre el sello para activar su poder.
La tradición de los sellos taoístas también incluye sellos de uso cotidiano para la caligrafía y la pintura, como el famoso sello de ocio “Se Puede Obtener la Inmortalidad” asociado a Bada Shanren ( Zhu Da). Este sello cuadrado con inscripción en blanco aparece en numerosas obras tardías y es parte de su lenguaje artístico que fusiona budismo, confucianismo y taoísmo. Su presencia en lienzos, rollos y álbumes simboliza la búsqueda de libertad espiritual y la identidad del artista fuera de moldes rígidos.
En la discusión sobre el árbol torcido de Zhuangzi, el sello taoísta se vuelve una metáfora de utilidad y valor: lo que parece inútil ante los ojos de la sociedad puede sostener la vida y la libertad. El taoísmo propone vivir en armonía con la naturaleza y con uno mismo, practicando el wu wei y la no-acción consciente, para evitar la violencia interna y la forzada rectitud. Así, el significado del sello en la tradición taoísta se extiende desde lo ritual y lo místico hasta la exploración de la libertad interior y la creatividad humana.
