Gods and Celestials

Gods and celestials are creatures that dwell in the Heavenly Realm. The distinction between them is not always clear. Gods are sometimes referred to as celestials, but not all celestials are gods.

However, all of them reside in the Heavenly Realm, either in the Jade Palace itself, with countless rooms and halls, or in the vicinity. Celestials usually do not venture far from the palace, where various celebrations and festivities are constantly taking place.

Gods

Known gods: Xiwanmu, Seven Lucky Gods, Four Heavenly Kings.

Gods have been living in the Heavenly Realm since ancient times. Perhaps they were once humans, but this is truly unknown. What is known is that human desires are almost forgotten by them, as they exist in a world of rituals and myths.

That is why the Goddess of the West did not rush to respond to the feelings of the long-haired Yanwang Umma-ö, even though Yanwang’s love was not unrequited. The Goddess of the West had to spend a considerable amount of time in her garden, located in the Earthen Realm atop Mount Gunlun. Only there, assuming a human form, could she discern her own feelings.

Gods are driven by their own concerns and have no regard for mortals. Sometimes they use humans for their own purposes, which are not always understandable to ordinary people.

Gods are immortal. They are unfamiliar with any other form of existence, and they cannot fathom death. They have not a trace of mortality left in them, just as they have not a trace of human desires and values. This is the main reason why the motivations of the gods sometimes seem very strange to us.

Celestials

Known celestials: Jade Emperor, Yanwang Umma-ö, Wang Leizu.

Not all celestials are gods. Some of them are former humans who have attained immortality, forsaking worldly passions and thus ascending to the Heavenly Realm.

Occasionally, gods make exceptions and allow mortals to visit them, but such visits are short-lived; the simple guest of the gods never becomes a celestial.

To attain immortality, one must enter the sacred garden of the Goddess of the West and taste the peaches that grow there. Many people seek these peaches, but so far, no one has managed to discover the garden of the Goddess of the West. Except for two brothers, one of whom became the Jade Emperor, while the gods entrusted the other to oversee the Under Realm.

Even though celestials have abandoned earthly passions, they cannot forget about them. However, in their celestial form, they cannot satisfy their desires. It is this longing that guides their lives.

Celestials are immortal. Once upon a time, they were mortal, but now they are not. They still cling to memories of their own mortality, but their conclusions drawn from those memories differ from those of mortals.

Some celestials remember the good – satisfied desires – and long for their repetition. They want to experience mortal emotions while remaining immortal. Others remember the bad – suffering – and dedicate themselves to minimising it for others.

Driven by their desires, they maintain their connection to mortality and, as a result, with humanity. If a celestial were to renounce all memories, they would become a god – perhaps this is how the gods of the Tradition came into existence. But this is truly unknown to us.

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