🌙 收坛 (Shou Tan)

Closing Altar - Respectfully Completing Ritual Work

Sanshanjiao (三山教)+

⚠️ ALWAYS Required After Kai Tan

Shou Tan (Closing Altar) is MANDATORY after every Kai Tan (Opening Altar). Failing to close properly leaves spiritual "doors" open, causing energy drain, disturbances, and disrespect to guardians.

"开坛请神，闭坛送圣" - "Open altar to invite deities, close altar to respectfully send off the sages."

What is Shou Tan (收坛)?

Shou Tan (收坛) means "Closing/Receiving the Altar" - the essential completion ritual performed after all Kai Tan (Opening Altar) work. It formally dismisses invited deities and guardians, seals the ritual space, and ensures no lingering spiritual presences remain.

Purpose: Express gratitude, release entities respectfully, close energetic portals, prevent spiritual debris from accumulating.

Duration: 5-10 minutes (shorter than opening)

收坛 (Shou Tan) 意为"关闭/收纳祭坛"——在所有开坛工作后执行的必要完成仪式。它正式遣散邀请的神祇和郎君，封印仪式空间，确保没有逗留的灵性临在。

目的： 表达感恩，恭敬释放实体，关闭能量门户，防止灵性碎片积累。

时长： 5-10分钟（比开坛短）

The Four Steps of Shou Tan

Step 1: Gratitude Expressions (感恩 Gan En)

Procedure: Stand before altar, bow three times, express sincere thanks to Liuren Immortal Master and Thirteen Guardians for their presence, protection, and assistance during your work. Acknowledge specific help received.

Key Phrase: "Thank you for witnessing and supporting this work. Your presence has blessed this ritual."

Duration: 2-3 minutes

Step 2: Formal Dismissal (送神 Song Shen)

Procedure:

  1. Address each guardian/deity invoked during opening
  2. Respectfully release them: "I thank you for your presence and now respectfully release you to return to your celestial realms"
  3. Visualize them departing, leaving blessing but no lingering attachment
  4. Final bow to Liuren Immortal Master

Tone: Respectful, grateful, NOT dismissive or commanding

流程：

  1. 称呼开坛时召请的每位郎君/神祇
  2. 恭敬释放："感谢您的临在，现恭敬释放您返回天界"
  3. 观想他们离去，留下祝福但无逗留依附
  4. 向六壬仙师最后鞠躬

语气： 恭敬、感恩，非轻率或命令

Step 3: Sealing Altar Space (封坛 Feng Tan)

Procedure:

  1. Form sealing mudra (lineage-specific, often sword finger sweeping downward)
  2. Visualize spiritual "doors" closing, portals sealing
  3. Recite closing phrase: "此坛已闭，诸神已返" (This altar is closed, all deities have returned)
  4. Perform final gesture to "lock" the closure

Visualization: See golden light forming a seal over altar, protecting space but closing it to spiritual traffic

Step 4: Offering Disposal & Final Purification (收供清净 Shou Gong Qing Jing)

Procedure:

  1. Extinguish candles (blow out or snuff, not pinch with fingers - disrespectful)
  2. Allow incense to burn completely or carefully extinguish if needed
  3. Remove offerings from altar (pour tea into ground, eat or compost fruit)
  4. Wipe altar surface clean
  5. Optional: Brief cleansing breath (exhale to clear residual energy)

Note: Don't leave rotting offerings. Dispose respectfully within 24 hours.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • ❌ Forgetting to close entirely - Most serious error, leaves portals open
  • ❌ Rushing dismissal - Disrespectful to guardians who assisted you
  • ❌ Abrupt closure without gratitude - Treating entities as servants
  • ❌ Leaving offerings to rot - Sign of neglect and disrespect
  • ✅ Complete all four steps even if brief
  • ✅ Express genuine gratitude
  • ✅ Visualize clear closure
  • ❌ 完全忘记收坛 - 最严重错误，留下门户打开
  • ❌ 匆忙遣散 - 对协助你的郎君不敬
  • ❌ 无感恩的突然关闭 - 将实体当作仆人
  • ❌ 让供品腐烂 - 忽视和不敬的标志
  • ✅ 即使简短也完成全部四步
  • ✅ 表达真诚感恩
  • ✅ 观想清晰关闭

If Work is Interrupted

Emergency Closing Protocol

If your ritual work is interrupted and you cannot complete as planned, you MUST still close the altar before leaving:

  1. Quick gratitude: "Thank you for your presence, though this work is incomplete"
  2. Respectful dismissal: "I release you to return to your realms"
  3. Brief sealing gesture
  4. Extinguish candles

Duration: Can be done in 1-2 minutes if necessary

Better to close imperfectly than not at all.

🙏 The Paired Practice

Kai Tan and Shou Tan are two halves of one complete ritual cycle. Opening invites the sacred into your space; closing returns everything to its proper place. Neither is complete without the other.

Traditional Saying: "有始有终，功德圆满" (You shi you zhong, gongde yuanman) - "Having beginning and ending, merit is complete."

Master this pairing, and you establish yourself as a respectful, responsible practitioner whom the guardians trust and support.