The Great Taboos of Ge Hong

Part I
Great Taboos

又大忌不可以甲乙寅卯之岁，正月二月入东岳；不以丙丁巳午之岁，四月五月入南岳；不以庚辛申酉之岁，七月八月入西岳；不以戊己之岁，四季之月入中岳；不以壬癸亥子之岁，十月十一月入北岳。不须入太华霍山恒山太山嵩高山，乃忌此岁，其岳之方面，皆同禁也。

Furthermore there are great taboos:

It is not permitted to enter the Eastern Ridge [Mount Tai] in the first and second lunar months of the years of Jia [甲], Yi [乙], Yin [寅] and Mao [卯].

It is not permitted to enter the Southern Ridge [Mount Heng]in the fourth and fifth lunar months of the years of Bing [丙], Ding [丁], Si [巳] and Wu [午].

It is not permitted to enter the Western Ridge [Mount Hua] in the seventh and eight lunar months of the years of Geng [庚], Xin [辛], Shen [申] and You [酉].

It is not permitted to enter the Central Ridge [Mount Song] in the fourth season [the last eighteen days of each of the four seasons] in the years of Wu [戊] and Ji [己].

It is not permitted to enter the Northern Ridge [Mount Heng] in the tenth and eleventh lunar month of the years of Ren [壬], Gui [癸], Hai [亥] and Zi [子].

There is [not only] no need to enter Mount Tai-Hua, Mount Huo, Mount Heng and the high Mount Song during those tabooed years, [but also] such mountains’ sides, as they are all equally forbidden.

抱朴子曰：入山之大忌，正月午，二月亥，三月申，四月丑，五月戌，六月卯，七月子，八月巳，九月寅，十月未，十一月辰，十二月酉。入山良日：甲子、甲寅、乙亥、乙巳、乙卯、丙戌、丙午、丙辰，已上日大吉。‛抱朴子曰：按九天秘记及太乙遁甲云，入山大月忌：三日、十一日、十五日、十八日、二十四日、二十六日、三十日；小月忌：一日、五日、十三日、十六日、二十六日、二十八日。以此日入山，必为山神所试。又所求不得，所作不成。不但道士，凡人以此日入山，皆凶害，与虎狼毒虫相遇也。‛

The Master of Embracing Simplicity [bao pu zi 抱朴子] says:

The Great Taboos of Entering Mountains are the first lunar month Wu [午], the second lunar month Hai [亥], the third lunar month Shen [申], the fourth lunar month Chou [丑], the fifth lunar month Xu [戌], the sixth lunar month Mao [卯], the seventh lunar month Zi [子], the eight lunar month Si[巳], the ninth lunar month Yin [寅], the tenth lunar month Wei [未], the eleventh lunar month Chen [辰], and the twelfth lunar month You [酉]. Enter the mountains on good and pleasant days: Jia Zi [甲子], Jia Yin [甲寅], Yi Hai [乙亥], Yi Si [乙巳], Yi Mao [乙卯], Bing Xu [丙戌], Bing Wu [丙午], Bing Chen [丙辰], thereafter the above days are greatly fortuitous [1].

The Master of Embracing Simplicity [bao pu zi 抱朴子] says: According to the Nine Heaven’s Secret Recordings [jiu tian mi ji 九天秘记] and the Great Unity Escaping Jia [tai yi dun jia 太乙遁甲] it states that the taboos for entering mountains on lunar months of thirty days [da yue 大月] are the third day, the eleventh day, the fifteenth day, the eighteenth day, the twenty-fourth day, the twenty-sixth day, the thirtieth day. The taboos for the lunar months of twenty-nine days [xiao yue 小月] are, the first day, the fifth day, the thirteenth day, the sixteenth day, the twenty-sixth day, the twenty-eighth day. Utilising these days to enter mountains, one ought to be tested by the Mountain Spirits. Moreover what one seeks, one will not obtain; what one does one will not succeed in. Not only [for] Daoists, [but also for ] commoners using these days to enter mountains [fate] will all be inauspicious and harmful, and one will mutually meet with tigers, wolves and poisonous insects.

[1] The electronic copy the author was working off had the following: discrepancy:
The first lunar month Wu [午], the second lunar month Hai [亥], the third lunar month Shen [申], the fourth lunar month Xu [戌], the fifth lunar month Wei [未], the sixth lunar month Mao [卯], the seventh lunar month Jia Zi [甲子], the eight lunar month Shen Zi [申子], the ninth lunar month Yin [寅], the tenth lunar month Chen Wei [辰未], the eleventh lunar month Ji Chou [己丑], the twelfth lunar month Yin [寅].