Are merit ceremonies and deliverance ceremonies the same, and can a ceremony make a deceased relative a deity?

Merit ceremonies and deliverance ceremonies both help the deceased, but that alone does not make every ceremony's needs and methods identical. We first learn the deceased relative's condition and what help is needed, then arrange which deities to invoke and what practices to perform, checking again during the process.

On one occasion, a friend dreamed of a deceased classmate and informed the classmate's younger sister, who came to ask about it. The guidance then concerned replenishing merit for the deceased. This ceremony differed from previous ones: the Bodhisattva indicated that there was no need to invite the deceased before the altar. It was more like sending prepared merit over. I compared it to making up assignments to help the family understand, not to suggest that every deceased person lacks the same thing.

Later, the reading indicated conditions for advancement toward becoming a spiritual soldier under Lord Guan, and we eventually also wrote a memorial text recommending him. But this still depended on his own cultivation, merit, and connections. It cannot become a guarantee that arranging one ceremony lets any deceased person become a deity. The family's reassurance through better understanding was also an important benefit on that occasion.

Dao Xuan shared a perceived image of a golden-yellow cloth bundle during the ceremony. That was Dao Xuan's experience. I focused more on completing the required practices and details well, without particularly chasing a need to see something. Special experiences in faith still need careful understanding. Life should not become nothing but pursuing such images every day.