From the Heian period onwards, when the Ritsuryo system declined and the Fujiwara clan gained power, Ommyodo, showed people how to avoid natural disasters through the art of divination and spell-casting and became guidelines that could affect the private life of the Emperor and court nobles, in contrast to Goryo-shinko (an off-shoot of Shintoism, its purpose to quell angry spirits of individuals who have been done injustices), which had become increasingly popular and more ritual in the imperial court.
平安時代以降は、律令制の弛緩と藤原氏の台頭につれて、形式化が進んだ宮廷社会で高まりつつあった怨霊に対する御霊信仰などに対し、陰陽道は占術と呪術をもって災異を回避する方法を示し、天皇や公家の私的生活に影響を与える指針となった。