These works on stone are copies of ancient Taoist Talismans and Pictograms invoking the protection of earth and offering to ancestors. Chinese talisman developed as an occult artistic and healing tradition rooted in shamanistic practices of the first and second centuries B.C.E. They evolved into ritualistic symbols used in Taoist practices intended to communicate with the spirit world and influence the invisible forces of nature. Quan Yin, the goddess of compassion, arose later in history.