Classical Text 古典文獻 · Dao De Jing 道德經
Chapter 6 — The Mysterious Mother
成象
Part I — The Dao 上篇·道經
Original Verse
原文
谷神不死，是謂玄牝。
玄牝之門，是謂天地根。
綿綿若存，用之不勤。
English Translation
英譯
The Valley Spirit never dies;
It is called the Mysterious Female.
The Gate of the Mysterious Female
Is called the root of Heaven and Earth.
Continuous, as if it has always existed;
Use it, and it will never fail.
Liuren Fajiao Commentary
六壬法教注疏
The "Valley Spirit" (谷神) represents the receptive, empty, yet infinitely creative aspect of the Dao. In the Liuren tradition, this is personified by the Jiutian Xuannu (九天玄女)—the Goddess of the Nine Heavens and the Mysterious Female herself. She is the source of magical strategy and hidden knowledge.
The "Gate of the Mysterious Female" (玄牝之門) is the threshold where the unmanifested becomes manifested. When a practitioner enters a deep state of meditation, they are returning to this "Root of Heaven and Earth" to draw upon primordial power.
"Use it without effort" (用之不勤) describes the effortless flow of Fa. Just as the breath continues "continuously, as if it has always existed," the magical connection should be natural and steady, not forced or sporadic. A master relies on the inexhaustible supply of the "Mysterious Mother" rather than their own limited strength.
Source: Dao De Jing (道德經), Chapter 6