The Original Breath of the Great Yin...

By Steven
When I started to develop an interest in the Kunlun Shan, one of the things that I found interesting was the figure of Xi Wang Mu, the Queen Mother of the West, the Mother of All Creatures, the highest embodiment of Yin, and greatest of all female Taoist deities.

She dates at least as far back as the Shang Dynasty, maybe farther, one of her names being found on oracle bone inscriptions. One of her ancient names is Mother of the Golden Tortoise, a reference to the ancient practice of turtle shell divination. Xi Wang Mu appears to be a survival of China's (and Taoism's) shamanistic roots.

Yu the Great (legendary founder of the Xia Dynasty), King Mu (of the Zhou Dynasty), Qin Shihuangdi (first emperor of the Qin Dynasty), and Han Wudi (Martial Emperor of the Han) are all said to have had relations, both good and bad, with the Queen Mother of the West. It even appears that said relationship may have been important to the legitimacy and success of their reign.

She is said to dwell atop Kunlun Mountain, in her palace beside the Turquoise Pond, surrounded by her delightful flowering gardens. Xi Wang Mu guards the Peaches of Immortality, which grow on a great Tree in the garden that is said to be a ladder between Heaven and Earth used by spirits and shamans. This is clearly a World Tree/Axis Mundi symbol, and likely a survival from her shamanistic roots. She is attended by a host of Immortals and fairies, as well as her Jade Maidens. Other unusual figures associated with Xi Wang Mu include Qingnaio, a raven with three legs; a white tiger (a symbol of the West); a seven-horned white stag; a nine-tailed fox; a dancing frog, and the moon-hare. She has definite associations with birds. She may sit on leopard or fox pelts. She wore the nine-starred crown. The imagery goes on and on.

The idea that Yang (masculine energy) requires Yin (feminine energy) in order to attain Immortality or transcendence is a fundamental part of real alchemy. Contrary to the literalists, the transmutation of lead into gold was not meant to refer to actual metals, but spoke of the transformation of the base (lead) into something refined (gold, the only metal that doesn't rust/decay). Androgyny, or a balance between opposites (the Yin-Yang symbol), has long been key for those who wish to evolve, and seems to be the reason for the Goddess' prominence. This symbolism is important to the stories of the Queen Mother of the West and the various kings and emperors who had dealings with her.