Jade - The Divine Stone of China
Jade is a sacred gemstone in world mythology, symbolizing life force, cosmic balance, and immortality which is why it is connected to the divine. Ancient Chinese emperors wore jade on their royal garments because it symbolised the divine bridge between the physical and aetheral planes, it was integrated into every aspect of their lives, rituals, and deaths. Ancient emperors and high-ranking nobles wore jade burial suits called yu yi to denote their divine status.
One legend says jade is solid moonlight trapped on earth. Another says it forms where the raw power of lightning strikes the ground. The philosopher Confucius taught that jade possesses eleven virtues. Eleven is the number of Divine Justice.
In Chinese mythology their god Yu Huang is the Jade Emperor. The mythology surrounding Yu Huang begins with him being born a mortal prince in the Kingdom of Pure Felicity and Majestic Heavenly Lights. His birth was miraculous; his mother, the Empress, dreamed of the great philosopher Laozi bringing her a child glowing with dazzling radiance.
As a young prince, he was exceptionally kind, intelligent, and devoted to helping the poor, the sick, and the suffering in his kingdom.When his father passed away, the prince took the throne. However, he quickly realized that true peace could not be achieved through politics alone.
He abdicated the throne to a trusted minister and retreated into the mountains. It was said while he was in the mountains he spent eons meditating, cultivating his spirit, and mastering Taoist mysticism. They state he endured 1,750 trials, with each trial lasting exactly 120,960 years, ultimately achieving a state of complete golden immortality and cosmic wisdom. This is symbolic for the immortality of his divine soul.
During his spiritual retreat in the mountains a powerful, ancient Demon King grew so ambitious that he launched a war to conquer Heaven itself. Earth was becoming a brutal, lawless wasteland overrun by terrifying demons and monsters.
Yu Huang then descended from his mountain. He did not fight with brute force; instead, his immense spiritual purity and virtue radiated out, completely overwhelming the Demon King. Yu Huang defeated the entity, banished the remaining demons, and saved both Heaven and Earth. Yu Huang was also the architect of the Chinese Zodiac.
The He Shi Bi is a legendary piece of jade which was carved into the First Emperor’s Imperial Seal. This seal was symbolic for the divine Emperor having a Mandate of Heaven; and the divine right to rule China.
The mythology surrounding He She Bi begins when a common man named Bian found a raw, unpolished boulder on a mountain and immediately recognized that an incomparably beautiful jade was hidden inside its rough stone exterior. Bian eagerly presented the boulder to King Li of Chu. The court jewelers examined the outside and dismissed it as a worthless rock. Furious at what he thought was a deception, King Li ordered Bian he’s left foot amputated as punishment.
When King Li died, his successor King Wu took the throne. Bian He, still fiercely loyal to the truth of the stone, dragged himself to court to present it again. Once more, the jewelers called it a fake. King Wu ordered Bian He's right foot amputated.
Years later, King Wen took the throne. By this time, an old, footless Bian sat at the foot of the mountain, weeping tears of blood for three days and nights. He wept not for his missing feet, but because an honest man was called a liar and a priceless treasure was called a common stone. Moved by his intense grief, King Wen ordered his best sculptors to cut open the boulder. Inside, they uncovered a flawless, blindingly white piece of pure jade. In honor of Bian He's sacrifice and integrity, the king had it carved into a ritual disc (bi) and named it the He Shi Bi.
The cutting of the plain and worthless looking external rock to expose the white piece of pure Jade is symbolising the hidden divinity within the divine human. In the lower Ages the divine human looks like all other mortal humans externally for their divine nature is hidden within. Taking his feet is connected to the spiritual state of Bian who is not motivated by earthly desires but by his spiritual connection to the divine, think of the symbol of Mercury with his winged heels.
The story goes on to say that the He Shi Bi jade passed through the Wei, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties. However, during the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the last emperor of the Later Tang dynasty was surrounded by invading forces. Rather than yield, he committed suicide by setting his imperial palace on fire. The He Shi Bi vanished into the ash and flames. Though subsequent emperors throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties fabricated fake versions to claim authority, it is said, the true, legendary jade of Bian He has never been seen since.
The ancient Maya viewed jade as aether trapped inside stone. They placed a bead of jade in the mouth of a dying Chief to represent the divine soul leaving his physical body.
The Aztecs dedicated jade to Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of water, rivers, and streams. Her name translates to "she of the jade skirt" Water symbolises aether.
The Maori also connected their Pounamu ie: Nephrite Jade to the water and viewed it as a sacred treasure. It is only found in the rugged rivers of the South Island.
The Maori wear the Jade as a pendant called a hei-tiki. In Moari mythology it goes onto to say that Tiki was the very first human created by the god Tāne. Carving a hei-tiki honors their original divine ancestor of all human life. They believed that when a chief wore a hei-tiki, the stone absorbed a piece of their divine spiritual essence.
The Jade Emperor
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