Do I need to force a connection with the deities or spiritual communion?

You need not force yourself to feel a connection with the deities immediately. Some connections become clear gradually through practice. I knew the Three Pure Ones early and had visited Sanqing Temple, but felt they were solemn rather than especially close. Deeper practice and a Taoist study camp later changed that feeling. Looking back, at least eleven years passed between knowing of them and truly connecting with that affinity.

When choosing a worship site, notice how you feel there. A large, famous temple does not necessarily suit you. Care in service and comfort while there are worth observing. Longshan Temple and Xingtian Temple, for example, can offer warmth despite large numbers of worshippers. If a place continually feels uncomfortable, you need not insist on going. You can seek a center with greater affinity.

Spiritual communion is not limited to people and deities. In our understanding, practicing spirit-induced movement with connected friends or fellow practitioners can also help restore the soul's memories through spiritual contact. Tears during worship may arise from great joy or sorrow, sometimes without even our own clear explanation. After the experience I called a spiritual-energy bullet, I devoted more attention to meditation and practice. Later, receiving a deity's descent at Songshan Cihui Temple brought another strong response. Dao Xuan and a fellow male practitioner traveling with us each had their own experiences too.

Miao Yuan's initial connection involved uncertainty at work. Another temple said it could not find her antenna and that the Mother Goddess was seeking her, prompting her to ask curiously who that was. That temple had not specified which Mother Goddess. We discussed how the name usually refers to the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool, and in some cases to the Lady of the Nine Heavens. Miao Nian, meanwhile, had sought help in several places for an ill father and felt unwell herself. Reading my book and finding different approaches for different problems gave her courage to try understanding once more. Everyone has particular causes and connections.

Respectful spirit-induced movement expresses respect to local deities through the original spirit's activity. I compare it to greeting someone in the same language. Dao Sheng could not yet perform such movement and simply carried a flag at the front. Hearing each temple welcome Sheng Zhen Men over the loudspeakers brought powerful feelings. Only later, when asking the teacher and describing the experience, did tears come. After practicing for some time, feelings initially difficult to explain can gradually become clearer.

The Taoist study camp I attended lasted four days and three nights. Daytime classes, evening sessions, and group discussions left me so tired after bathing that I slept, with no separate meditation or physical practice. At graduation, I was asked to share on stage. Discussing the moral standards practitioners should set for themselves suddenly brought closeness to the Three Pure Ones. I encouraged myself with a hypothetical question: if they someday asked whether I had practiced sincerely, could I look at them and honestly answer yes?

That closeness appeared without deliberate expectation. Looking back, it involved more than attending an event: learning and self-reflection brought a different connection with the deities. At Songshan Cihui Temple, I also considered greater spiritual steadiness, energy during the descent, and genuine participation. Yet some aspects of practice cannot be predicted. Perhaps timing and affinity gradually mature. Without strong feelings now, continue experiencing step by step rather than urgently forcing them.