This was a simple, but profound, realization for me. It came to me as I became more and more involved in restoring a local temple. One of the things I tried to figure out while restoring it was who the temple was initially dedicated to. I dug into the history and uncovered an epic story.
It was about a family that came to Taiwan from Fujian Province, China, in the 1600s. Crossing the sea was perilous, so they needed spiritual protection. That protection came in the form of a small statue of a god. When they arrived and got set up to start working the land, they would make a small family altar for the gods. The families that did well would have the resources to buy land for their god, and the temples would grow larger and larger.
These gods that they brought over for protection were actually real people back in the day. What basically would happen is that this real person’s spirit would be so strong that people would ask for help after their death, and that spirit would deliver. The stronger the spirit, the more often it delivered, and the more people would become followers. It’s kind of interesting to think that there was essentially a marketplace of tens of thousands of dope motherfuckers “competing” to become gods.
When I realized this, I immediately thought of Qingshui Zushi.
The spirit of these dope motherfuckers is obviously kept alive by the followers. Back when I knew almost nothing about Taiwanese temples, there was a temple I would stop by on my daily run. I’d kind of wander around and not know what to do, but I liked being there. The energy felt good. There was even a time while I was manic where I stripped down to my underwear to pray to this god I didn’t know. I was caught by the temple steward, and he was just like, “Don’t do that.” I didn’t get yelled at, nothing. Just a…
Later, still doing my daily runs and stopping by, another guy decided to take me under his wing. He showed me how to light the incense, the order the incense goes in, the “hidden” tiger god who resided under the main god, and he explained different parts of the temple to me. Ever since then, I’ve been very comfortable in all temples because I’ve kept learning and gotten the basics down, but there is still so much to learn!
Qingshui Zushi initiated me into Taiwanese temple culture. It was that initiation that made me comfortable working on restoring the local temple. I worked on restoring that temple on and off for a few years, but when I made the final push, Qingshui Zushi stepped in again. I “randomly” decided to visit a larger temple near my house that I had never visited before. It was beautiful from the outside. When I got inside… BOOM! The homie Qingshui was there. The vibe was great at this temple, and I ended up meeting someone else who spoke English this time, who showed me around the temple and how to use divination blocks to ask Qingshui if I was cool. He said yes. I got an amulet from there that I kept with me throughout the restoration project for the local temple.
Understanding how human spirits become folk gods changed everything for me. It gave me the framework to recognize other powerful, misunderstood spirits that deserve to be venerated in exactly the same way. Now it’s time to…
Return To The 36 Chambers
I love Wu-Tang Clan, but I love ODB! My love for him is because I got to see someone crazy like me operate on the main stage. I got to see him exist in a world that does everything it can to beat the crazy out of you. Artists of all kinds are already kind of crazy, but ODB was like the crazy king among the crazies. In high school, I cut out the picture from his album so I could tape it to my school ID card. It fit perfectly. In 1999, when I had a manic episode and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, my love for ODB only increased. When he died in 2004, I was angry at the people around him for not doing more, but later, I completely understood. He was self-medicating in a society that wants to kill your spirit through westernized medicine. I’ve been fighting the same fight. I strongly believe he would also have been a medicine man, a shaman, a healer, if that system still existed. He did find a way to heal others with his music, but struggled to heal himself.
Anyhow, how does ODB become a folk god in a Taiwanese temple? Because his spirit is strong! He’s a dope motherfucker who did dope shit! I didn’t set out to install him in a Taiwanese folk temple. I didn’t set out to restore a temple! It’s really all a matter of spirits, and ODB’s was a strong spirit in the process.
It’s ODB’s spirit that got his album into my hands. I got to dig through the crates of someone from LA at a bar in Taipei. I didn’t buy the album to play; I don’t have a record player! I bought it for the spirit! When I got that little temple cleaned out and ready to go, I knew exactly who I wanted to be represented there. ODB! Even though he’s off to the side, he’s the main spirit there to me. I think it’s time to transition to…
God Vs Spirit
I’m using the word god, but the Chinese literally translates to spirit (Shen, 神). God has a lot of baggage in English. ODB, being a member of the Nation of Gods and Earths, makes me want to make his placement there as respectful as possible. In the NGE, they don’t believe in a “Mystery God” in the sky; they believe immortality comes from the physical legacy you leave behind on Earth.
So when I talk about spirit, I’m talking about that living legacy from the work he did while living. ODB’s spirit is strong because of the impact he made and the ways people keep it alive. That temple is considered scary by some local Taiwanese. It’s dedicated to unknown bones found during construction in the area. There is a ton of supernatural belief around the temple and the main god inside, Tudigong, the god of the earth. ODB’s spirit fits in there because it goes against everything the temple stands for, but in the most positive way. He’s a grounded folk spirit powered by his legacy, not a Mystery God. Also, him chilling with the god of the earth, the dirt, is perfect cuz…
God made Dirt, and Dirt bust your ass.
Casey's Journal 