Whenever a person of Tao wanted to commune with the gods, he or she would set up an altar. On this table, made from the best and heaviest woods, were placed the various instruments of offering: trays of fruit, candles, sacred books, a jade scepter, wine for purification, a peachwood sword, a writing brush and different colored inks, special handmade paper on which sacred words were to be written. Then the person would perform rituals, special dances, prescribed steps, and esoteric body postures. Only then could the implements be employed and intercourse with the divine accomplished.

Deng Ming-Dao, Everyday Tao