Bagwa Jo Si 八卦祖師 (Saamlawnese: Pie Gwa Ju Cia) is one of the most important gods in our lineage. His anniversary falls on the lunar July 15^th. You will have this god when your altar is built; he is the “boss” of the local altar.

The word Bagwa refers to the eight symbols created with broken or non-broken lines, representing Yin and Yang, negative and positive. It was invented by a person named Fuk Hei (FuXi) 伏義. Why did the bagwa got invented? It was purely done to make a pattern that resembles the pattern of nature and how everything progresses in time, and the pattern is used as a code for divination for communication with the gods. It was an invention for “talking to the gods.” This was written in many kinds of literature and classics.

The name Bagwa Jo Si clearly describes his role at the altar, which is to be the communicator who sits in the center and helps you connect the line to different gods. It’s like the reception desk person who can hook you up with anyone in the directory. What do you need? The electrician? Ok, bagwa Jo Si then finds you the guy and dials the number for you. Bagwa Jo Si himself doesn’t do anything for you, but he finds the right god for the job to work for you!

The purpose of our Bagwa Jo Si is to be the commander at the altar, to output the commands for everyone to know what to do and to beam the channel upward for connecting to the celestial court. He is like Google the search engine too because it can help you find anything you need!

Meanings of the Bagwa

Bagwa is a circle of eight symbols describing eight processes of happenings in nature. According to the properties of each, we can use it like a label to categorize anything into eight groups, just like giving it a number or an alphabet.

Two sets of bagwa(s) use the same symbol but different placements. Preheaven bagwa talks about how things happened, and postheaven bagwa talks about how things progress after they started.

The Bagwa representing the Bagwa Jo Si is the preheaven one, which brings the preheaven party into the postheaven world (connecting the gods to the altar).

The postheaven bagwa represents the ground altar or landlord deity because they are the ones who do the work and go through the cycle of postheaven bagwa.

To understand the god, you do not need to know about the bagwa because it’s just a name that describes the god’s purpose: communicating with the preheaven. If you want to know more about the bagwa symbols, you can read my eBook on I Ching and the book on bagwa army magic.

Here is a short list of what the eight phases of bagwa are about for this god at the altar:

    KIN – Connects to the celestial court.

    DUI – Searches for the right powers for the job.

    LEI – Activates the power and announces commands.

    JUNN - Assigning troops with their tasks and missions.

    SHUN – Command the troops to move to their position.

    HUM – Put troops into camps and formations.

    GUN – Guard and secure the local area, protecting and patrolling.

    KWUN – Deploy the troops to work.

There is also a famous tool, the bagwa mirror. It is a magical tool that is consecrated to become the “camera lens” that lets the gods at the altar see things outside of the altar’s visible range. For example, you can hang it outside the main door, then the gods at the altar can see what’s there and look out for you.

There are flat, convex, and concave lens bagwa mirrors too. Usually, the flat one builds a connection and lets the gods at the altar overwatch the place. The convex one is used for empowerment, and the concave one is used for sucking and capturing things into the altar, such as evil spirits or bad energies. These bagwa mirrors can also be programmed differently with a different FU to set them with different powers and abilities.

We also have some bagwa robes, which allow us to work at the altar as the “ruler” or bagwa Jo Si to make the call and be in charge of the troops. This is one of the most basic magic robes we use in the lineage.

Bagwa Jo Si is a powerful god who can help you connect to any gods you need for the job; he also takes care of the altar like a boss, leading them to work accordingly and in a teamwork manner. You can learn about the FU HEAD, prayer and spells of this god in the Magic Foundation E-book!  If you want to learn how to use his magical powers, get ordained today and become a Taoist to begin your journey!