The large faces of the ritual seal are inscribed with a 符箓 (fúlù), which is to say a Daoist charm written in a sacred script said to come from the celestial sphere itself. Each school of Daoism has their own set of fulu and it takes either a very comprehensive dictionary of that sect's charms, or a very in-depth education in Daoism to identify. I lack both, so all I can say about this particular charm, from context, is that it is probably a command glyph invoking the name of a specific deity.

This side of the ritual seal contains a heavily-stylized single character. From eyeballing it with a little bit of education and guesswork, this is likely 勅 (chì, "command"). It may be, but not very likely, instead a suppression form of 鬼 (guǐ, "ghost"). The form seems wrong and the angular, lightning-like lines seem to match more the "command" word. In the context of a Celestial Master ritual seal, this is most probably a command character used to order or bind spirits. This side of the seal acts as a secondary stamp or visual reinforcement of the priest's authority to exorcise and/or command spirits.

This side of the ritual seal contains a representation of the 北斗七星 (Běidǒu Qīxīng, "Northern Dipper"), what we'd call the Big Dipper. In Daoist cosmology, the Northern Dipper is the supreme celestial bureaucracy. It governs human destiny, lifespan, death, and fortune. Having the Dipper carved on the seal means the seal's authority is backed by the highest celestial court.

And finally we reach the business end of the seal: the stamp proper. It reads, in a fairly simple seal script form, 天師 (Tiānshī, "Celestial Master"). This is the title of the hereditary patriarchs of the 正一道 (Zhèngyī Dào, "Way of Orthodox Unity") descended from 張道陵 (Zhāng Dàolíng) in the 2nd century CE. A seal bearing this name is claiming the authority of that lineage. When stamped in cinnabar it "activates" the document or talisman with that authority. There are actually two types of such hereditary seals: the 天師印 (Tiānshī Yìn, "Personal Patriarchal Seal", and the 陽平治都功印 (Yángpíng Zhì Dūgōng Yìn, "Administrative Office Seal). This, the 天師 (Tiānshī) seal is the personal pedigree seal. It does not just validate—it transubstantiates. Stamping it is the ritual equivalent of Zhang Daoling himself placing his hand upon the talisman. It is hereditary and non-transferable; only a direct lineage holder can wield it with effect. I am not of said direct lineage, so me stamping a document with it means nothing except that I've added a pretty little design to it.

Now we move from the weighty, priestly authority to the realm of personal protection. The second item in this essay is just a simple protective talisman. This side of it is a fairly routine 符箓 (fúlù), again of the 正一道 (Zhèngyī Dào) tradition. As is usual, without specific, in-depth education, the precise fulu being depicted is not knowable. From context, however, along with the readable text on this side, we can make some educated guesses. First, the text at the top right reads 百無禁忌 (Bǎi Wú Jìnjì, "no taboos" or "all is permitted"). This is one of the most common protective phrases in Chinese folk religion. It means the bearer is shielded from all negative influences, unlucky directions, spiritual taboos, and harmful entities. The text at the top left reads 歲歲平安 (Suì Suì Píng'ān, "peace every year") and, combined with the former, causes the pendant to function as a general all-purpose spiritual ward paired with annual blessings. It is the symbol in the middle again which presents us with a mysterious fulu we can only decode likely meaning from context. This is a typical Daoist 秘字 (mìzì, "secret script") which I must stress again is readable only by initiated practitioners. From the general context of the surrounding text, however, this is likely either a physical protection glyph or a preservation of health glyph. At the bottom of that glyph, howeve,r is a stacked coin or treasure motif, symbolizing wealth and stability. So the summary of this face of the pendant is that it is a general-purpose charm intended to protect from physical harm (or illness), spiritual harm, while bringing annual blessings and wealth. Pretty standard for the type.

The flip side of the protective talisman contains (barely!)-readable text saying, with a lot of flourishes and decoration, 靈祖師敕令 (Líng Zǔshī Chì Lìng). This means … OK, flatly put any attempt to translate this is going to hit some very strong cultural and linguistic barriers, so take this strictly as a very bad guess written by someone who barely understands … Spiritual Ancestral Master Imperial Decree. Sort of. The real meaning is a lot more subtle than that, but it identifies the charm as a formal ritual command enforced by the qi of an ancient master and promulgated by official lines of descent, the 嗣教 (sì jiào). This is what gives the talisman its authority over the "soldiers" (so to speak) of the spirit world, telling them to obey what is on the opposite side. You can view this side as the general's signature on orders, and the other side as the mission if you like. I swear, Daoists just have the coolest stuff!