And Five Emperors
The Four Palaces are also known as the four elements or four compasses or four guardians that are invoked or awakened when starting rituals.
I use a singing bowl to wake the four corners along with a chant and meditation.
The Four Guardians
Black Tortoise: North, Winter, Night, Water. The Black Tortoise hears your thoughts and prayers.
Red Phoenix: South, Summer, Noon, Fire. Brings growth.
Azure Dragon: East, Spring, Morning, Wood. Nurturing.
White Tiger: West, Fall, Evening, Metal. Sees movements or acts.
Five Directions or 5 Celestial Bodies or 5 Emperors
North/Water
South/Fire
Center/Earth
East/Wood
West/Metal
The Three Sovereigns or Trinity of Heaven, Earth and Man
Heaven: celestial kingdom; sun, moon, stars; spirit, pneumatic, proliferation.
Earth: the underworld: mountain, valley, plain; transformation; resources, soma.
Man: humankind; Father, Mother, Offspring; choice, manifestation, psyche.
In Taoist/Buddhist craft, the Five Emperors are called in to undue bad joo joo ie: malevolent magic but that’s not their only purpose.
In western witchcraft there are four elements: earth, fire, wind, and water.
I incorporate myself as the sixth element of my craft, wind because I use my breath as a principal element aka, qi. But also recognize Wind/air as a unifying aspect in the craft not only because it communicates but because it’s the element that acts upon all the other elements in other words, you can’t have fire or water without air (oxygen) and without those you cannot have wood, or metal or what makes earth (the mother) able to nurture or give birth all the elements that we, humans, need for resources etc.
Collectively they are all aspects of the the Tao.
Dragon pic is my own.