呂洞賓信仰是台灣最興盛的信仰之一，但有關這個信仰在本島的流傳與演變的研究不多。爲了進一步研究這個題目，本人從去年開始進行有關台北市木柵區指南宮（1891年創建）的個案研究，以廣泛地參考台灣日治時期與光復後的史料，及從事田野調查爲主要的研究方法。本文先探討過去學者關於指南宮的歷史的錯誤看法及其背後的原因。接著，對於指南宮的早期發展（1891至1945年）進行詳細的描寫。基於對上述資料的考證，我們可以推斷：指南宮在這段期間同時爲一個進香、扶鸞、治病、念佛、祈夢及修道的聖地。而它之所以能夠很快地發展爲台灣北部最重要的信仰之一，基本土是因爲一直得到地方紳士及地方精英（特別是茶農、礦主及其親戚朋友等人）的大力支持。

Although the cult of Lü Tung-pin 呂洞賓 is one of the most popular in all of Taiwan, very little research has been done on how this cult spread to Taiwan from China, as well as the factors accounting for its rapid growth. This paper represents the initial results of a multi-year research project on this topic, being a case study of one of Lü's largest and most popular temples, the Palace of Guidance (Chih-nan Kung 指南宮), located in the mountains south of Taipei. Based on a combination of historical research and fieldwork, I have attempted to trace the process of growth this temple experienced following its founding in 1891 until the Second World War (post-war developments will be treated in a later paper). In the paper, I first discuss a number of erroneous views concerning the history of the Palace of Guidance, and explore the reasons scholars reached such conclusions. I then present a thorough description of the temple's early history, focusing on the reasons for it's rapid growth. Based on this research, we can conclude that in its early years of existence the Palace of Guidance served as a multi-faceted sacred site where all manner of rites could be performed, including pilgrimage, spirit-writing (fu-chi 扶乩, fu-Iuan 扶鸞), dream divination (ch'i-meng祈夢), healing, self-cultivation, and nien-fo 念佛 rituals. It is also clear that this temple's rapid growth was in large part due to the unwavering support of members of the local gentry and local elite classes, particularly tea farmers and mine owners.

呂洞賓；指南宮；信仰；扶鸞；祈夢；地方紳士；地方精英

Lü Tung-pin; Palace of Guidance; local cult; spirit-writing; dream divination; local gentry; local elite