After five generations and ten countries of short-lived turmoil and division, the Northern Song Dynasty was established and the country was once again unified. The emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty inherited the policy of the Tang Dynasty of tolerance of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism and the support and promotion of Taoism. Among them, Emperor Zhen and Emperor Huizong were especially known for their support of Taoism.
Emperor Zhen of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Huan, was a Taoist. In addition to following the example of his ancestors, the first and second emperors, who summoned Taoist priests and built temples, he also had some new aspects. For example, in the fifth year of the Dazhong Xiangfu period (1012), Emperor Zhen of the Song Dynasty claimed that Zhao Xuanlang, the ancestor of the Zhao family, had descended in the Yan'en Hall. He was then given the additional title of “Holy Ancestor, Supreme Taoist, Supreme Emperor of the Nine Heavens, Guardian of Life and Health.” The following year (1013), he reverently added Lao Tzu to the list of deities, calling him “Taishang Laojun Hunyuan Shangde Huangdi” (Supreme Emperor of the Universe, Supreme Master of the Universe, Supreme Emperor of the Universe, Supreme Master of the Universe, Supreme Emperor of the Universe, Supreme Master of the Universe, Supreme Emperor of the Universe, Supreme Master of the Universe, Supreme Emperor of the Universe, Supreme Master of the Universe, Supreme Emperor Zhenzong also established a number of festivals, including the Heavenly Book Festival on March 3, the day the Heavenly Book first descended; the Heavenly Blessing Festival on June 6, the day the Heavenly Book descended on Mount Tai; the Heavenly Auspicious Festival on April 1, the day the Heavenly Book descended on the imperial palace; the Heavenly Pre-existence Festival on July 1, the day the Holy Ancestor first descended; and the Heavenly Descent Festival on October 20, the day the Holy Ancestor descended on the Hall of Grace. During his reign, Emperor Zhen also built a large number of Taoist temples, summoned famous Taoist priests, and ordered Wang Qinruo and Zhang Junfang to edit the Daozang. At the beginning of the Dazhongxiangfu period (1008-1016), Emperor Zhen ordered Wang Qinruo to compile a total of 4,359 volumes of Taoist scriptures, and compiled a list of them for submission. Emperor Zhen named it “Baowen Tonglu” and personally wrote the preface for it. In the third year of Tianxi (1019), Emperor Zhen Zong ordered Wang Qinruo to edit the Daoist scriptures again, and together with Zhang Junfang, they compiled the “Dang Song Tian Gong Bao Zang” (Treasures of the Heavenly Palace of the Great Song Dynasty), which consisted of 4,565 volumes. Zhang Junfang then compiled the “Yun Ji Qi Qian” (Seven-Volume Collection of the Cloud Library) into 122 volumes and presented it to the emperor. The Baowen Tonglu and the Dazong Tiangong Baozang laid the basic format for the compilation of the Daozang in later generations and played an important role in the development of Taoist teachings.
Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty was even more devoted to Taoism:
1. In the second month of the seventh year of Zhenghe (1117), he claimed that the Celestial Emperor Qinghua had descended to the Xuanhe Hall, and in a dream that night, the old master said, “You are destined to revive my teachings.” In April, Emperor Huizong instructed the Daoist Academy to crown him the “Emperor of the Daoist Lord,” thus making Taoism the state religion.
2. In the first year of Chongning (1107), the Changsheng Palace was built in the capital. In the third year of Zhenghe (1113), the Yuzhen Palace (later renamed Yuzhen Shenxiao Palace) was built, followed by Baozhen Temple and Shangqing Baoluo Palace. In the seventh year of Zhenghe (1117), the emperor ordered that all Taining Temples in the country be renamed Shenxiao Yuzhen Wanshou. In the first year of Xuanhe (1119), the Shenshao Palace in the capital was completed, and Emperor Huizong personally wrote the “Shenshao Yuzhen Wanshou Palace Record” and bestowed it on the world.
3. The Jade Emperor was given the title of “Supreme Jade Emperor of the Universe, Holder of the Heavenly Scepter, Keeper of the Heavenly Calendar, Benevolent and Virtuous, Master of the Dao, Supreme Jade Emperor of the Universe,” and the Earth God was given the title of “Emperor of the Earth, Model of Heaven, Benevolent and Virtuous, Holder of the Great Light.” Zhuangzi was given the title of “Supreme Lord of the Mysterious and Profound,” Liezi was given the title of “Supreme Lord of the Profound and Wonderful,” and they were paired with Laozi, the “Supreme Lord of the Primordial Universe.” Other gods were also given titles.
4. In the fourth year of the Zhenghe reign (1114), the Daoist hierarchy was first established. In the first year of the Chonghe reign (1118), 26 ranks of Taoist officials and 8 ranks of Taoist officials were established; the Taoist education system was established, and people who studied Taoism could enter the state and county Taoist education and training. Every year, they would be tested and promoted, and they would be divided into several grades. The Imperial Academy and the Bieyong were ordered to have two doctors of the Neijing, the Tao Te Ching, the Zhuangzi, and the Liezi, and soon Taoist doctors were added in the various states. In the third year of Xuanhe (1121), the government appointed a female Taoist official and a deputy Taoist official in each of the three capitals.
5. In the first year of the Chonghe reign (1118), using Cai Jing's words, the ancient and modern Taoist affairs were collected as a chronicle and a record. The Han Dynasty to the Five Dynasties was the “Tao History,” and the current dynasty was the “Tao Canon.” Emperor Huizong began to order the search for Taoist books in the Chongning period (1102-1106), and in the twelfth lunar month of the third year of the Zhenghe period (1113), he summoned the world to search for Taoist scriptures and compiled the “Wanshou Daozang,” a total of 5,481 volumes, and sent them to Fuzhou Minxian to be engraved.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the Maoshan Sect was still active. The 25th-generation master Liu Hongkang had been in and out of the palace since the reign of Emperor Shenzong. Later, Emperor Huizong built the Tianning Wanshou Temple for him and bestowed the title of Master Baozhen of the Wonderful Temple. After nearly a century of silence, the Tianshi Dao gradually rose again. For example, Zhang Jixian, the 30th-generation Tianshi of Longhu Mountain, was summoned to the palace in the third year of Chongning (1104) and was treated with great respect by Emperor Huizong. In the following May, he was given the title of Mr. Xu Jing, and his father and elder brothers were also given titles. The main characteristic of this period was the predominance of the Taoist religion of talismans and spells. The Shensiao Thunder Method became popular.
经过五代十国短暂的动乱和分裂，北宋王朝建立后，国家又重新归于统一。北宋历代帝王承袭唐朝道儒释兼容和对道教崇奉扶植政策，其中真宗、徽宗尤以崇道著称。
宋真宗赵桓崇奉道教，除了效法太祖、太宗召见道士、营建宫观外，又有一些新的方面。如大中祥符五年（1012年），宋真宗称赵氏始祖“九天司命保生天尊”赵玄郎下降于延恩殿。于是，加封为“圣祖上灵高道九天司命保生天尊大帝”。次年（1013年），虔诚加封老子为“太上老君混元上德皇帝”，并行幸亳州太清宫，谒拜老子神像。宋真宗还制定了一些节日，以三月三日“天书”初降日，为天庆节；以六月六日“天书”降于泰山，为天贶节；以四月一日“天书”降于皇宫，为天祯节；以七月一日圣祖初降，为先天节；以十月二十日圣祖降延恩殿，为降圣节。真宗在位期间，还大量兴建道观，召见著名道士，命王钦若、张君房等编辑《道藏》。大中祥符（1008—1016年）初，真宗曾命王钦若总领修校道经，共4359卷，并撰成篇目进上，真宗赐名《宝文统录》，并亲自为之作序。天禧三年（1019年），真宗又命王钦若再次校理道经，与张君房一起，修成《大宋天宫宝藏》，共4565卷。张君房又据以辑成《云笈七签》122卷，进呈皇上御览。《宝文统录》和《大宋天宫宝藏》奠定了后世编修《道藏》的基本格式，对道教教理的发展起了重要作用。
宋徽宗对道教的崇信更甚：
1、政和七年（1117年）二月，称天神青华帝君下降宣和殿，又夜梦老君谕曰：“汝以宿命，当兴吾教。”四月，徽宗授意道录院册封他为“教主道君皇帝”，从而把道教变成了国教。
2、崇宁元年（1107年）建长生宫于京都。政和三年（1113年）建玉清和阳宫（旋改名玉清神霄宫），后又建葆真观、上清宝箓宫等。政和七年（1117年）下令将全国的天宁观都改名神霄玉清万寿。宣和元年（1119年）京师神霄宫告成，徽宗又亲自撰《神霄玉清万寿宫记》，赐天下勒石。
3、上玉皇大帝尊号为“太上开天执符御历含仁体道昊天玉皇上帝”，上地祗为“承天效法厚德含光大后土皇帝祗”。封庄子为“微妙玄通真君”，列子为“致虚观妙真君”，配享“混元皇帝”老子。其他诸神，并有封号。
4、政和四年（1114年）初置道阶。重和元年（1118年），置道官二十六等、道阶八等；始立道学制度，学道之人，可入州县道学教养，每年试经拔举，分若干品级；令太学和辟雍置《内经》、《道德经》、《庄子》、《列子》博士各二员，不久又于诸州添置道学博士。宣和三年（1121年），令三京置女道录、副道录各一员。
5、重和元年（1118年），用蔡京言，集古今道教事为纪、志，汉至五代为《道史》，本朝为《道典》。徽宗自崇宁年间（1102—1106年）即始谕天下搜求道书，至政和三年（1113年）十二月，又召天下访求道教仙经，编成《万寿道藏》，共5481卷，并送福州闽县刻板。
北宋时期，茅山派仍然活跃，二十五代宗师刘混康自神宗时即出入宫中，后徽宗又为其造天宁万寿观，并赐号葆真观妙先生。天师道经过近百年的沉寂，渐次兴起，如龙虎山第三十代天师张继先，崇宁三年（1104年）应召赴阙，颇受徽宗礼遇。明年五月，赐号虚靖先生，其父兄辈亦皆赐爵。符箓道教是这一时期的主要特点，并占主导地位。神霄雷法开始流行。