vonkrankenhaus

Seems to have worked. I'm back in my old account. Appreciate it. Thanks. - VonKrankenhaus

My name here just means "From the Hospital" in German. I am not really German. More relevant to this post, maybe I am more Chinese in background than Marblehead, but his genuine interest in philosophical Taoism insured that he and I agreed on many things throughout various discussions. So it never mattered. -VonKrankenhaus

Marblehead is still here, obviously. One of the best examples of a man living beyond his body that I have ever seen. And that is almost never achieved by obtaining and getting. It is achieved by giving. Look at his post count. He gave MUCH attention to this forum. The presence he created in that is still being felt today. Marblehead's 功夫很好 ! -VonKrankenhaus

That's not factually true. However, it IS factually true that CIA oversees "PBS". Sorry if that upsets people's beliefs in or about "Mister Rogers Neighborhood", but it isn't me doing that - it's whomever would be upset to see ordinary and easy available facts about who or what really put this in front of people 60 yrs ago and why. -VonKrankenhaus

"PBS began operations on October 5, 1970, taking over many of the functions of its predecessor, National Educational Television (NET)" So that was just because PBS didn't operate until then. It was called NET then. Started by Ford Foundation. Research them. Overseen by CIA. What is their general goal? If that's "philanthropy", what is warfare? Same? Same players? I'm not saying there is any "conspiracy". This is just what I saw when I looked into Mr Rogers show. Mass media was not set up to entertain people or give them presents. It has been built as an agent of influence, period. -VonKrankenhaus

PBS was formerly called "National Educational Television" (NET) and "was a United States educational broadcast television network that operated from May 16, 1954, to October 4, 1970. It was owned by the Ford Foundation." so - Ford Foundation. Corporate. Ad-driven money. "The foundation was accused of being funded by the US government. John J. McCloy, the foundation's chairman from 1958–1965, knowingly employed numerous agents and, based on the premise that a relationship with the CIA was inevitable, set up a three-person committee responsible for dealing with its requests." So - CIA. "Starting from 1962, the federal government took over the FAE's grants-in-aid program through the Education Television Facilities Act." So - Federal government. "American author, conservative philosopher, and critic of feminism Christina Hoff Sommers, criticized The Ford Foundation in her book The War Against Boys (1994) as well as other institutions in education and government. Sommers alleged that the Ford Foundation funded feminist ideologies that marginalize boys and men." So - Jaffe Memo? "In November 1963 NETRC changed its name to National Educational Television, and spun off its radio assets. Under the centerpiece program NET Journal, NET began to air controversial, hard-hitting documentaries that explored numerous social issues of the day such as poverty and racism. While praised by critics, many affiliates, especially those in politically and culturally conservative markets, objected to the perceived liberal slant of the programming." Such as Mister Rogers Creepy Neighborhood with the sneaker fetish and puppets instead of the "Buck" Rogers or "Will" Rogers they HAD been seeing. -VonKrankenhaus

Mr Rogers - I did see this as a child. Wow - he seemed very strange at that time. Everything he did seemed insane - his sneaker fetish, puppet show for himself - never seen real people doing things like this. I did not know anyone at that time who thought he was normal or a good example of anything for children. -VonKrankenhaus

Chinese history spans a long time. Early systems and notations and the first dynasties happen around time of Draco and the star Thuban at the pole. This is the traditional Chinese Dragon and the Pearl is the ecliptic pole itself that the Dragon rotates around. Later, precession moves the pole from those stars and pointing towards the Big Dipper and Polaris instead. This is the Lo Shu and "Later Heaven" arrangement. They were using different stars to mark time by then. "Early Heaven" is from a time of no distinct Pole Star and Lunar calendars, watching Saturn, etc. Also - there are other 7 stars groups in sky, used in different parts of astrology. -VonKrankenhaus

The 12 year orbit of Jupiter was used to calculate the Solar year and Solar calendars. Previous to that, Saturn was used to determine the Lunar Mansions and Lunar calendars. That's the switch in Greek mythology from Chronos to Zeus. Coastal people watched Tides more, inland people watched the Sun. The "offices" are Time Periods. Just like Wu Xing (& 10 Stems) are Time Periods - the order of the risings of the visible planets on the horizon. All this was used to create the Chinese calendar. -VonKrankenhaus

Actually 7 stars: Lo Shu adds the Pole Star that these rotate around, Polaris, as well, but that isn't a star "in" the Big Dipper. Also, Mizar, the second star from the end of the Big Dipper's handle - is a binary with Alcor - traditionally a test of eyesight ability. Of course, that's the source of the "Swastika" as well. None of these are "real people", but at various times both real and imaginary people have been associated to them. VonKrankenhaus

Well, they have changed who they are at times. The ones we know now are only about 1000 yrs old, and previous ones and lists of "immortals" in other areas are also different. So these are not originally "people". People are "associated" with them - different people important to different people, etc. In general, "Immortal" Gods of any culture are pretty much the planets and stars in sky, and especially the fixed stars. Current list of 8 immortals corresponds with the Big Dipper moving into the pole via precession. This is also the source of the Later Heaven Bagua. Early Heaven arrangement was before Polaris and the Dipper when there was no pole star - after the time of Thuban & Draco, the "Pearl and Dragon", and the early dynasties. Maybe if people somehow directly attain the attributes of the Immortal Gods they will be able to actually live ordinary healthy and happy human lives somewhere along that "path", but this seem much more difficult than learning Yangsheng and ChangMing techniques and living in a plain natural setting and abstaining from modern poisons first. -VonKrankenhaus

Human life itself is that. Anyone who cannot achieve basic healthy free human life is not going to attain anything beyond that. So today's "Masters" who die from cancer or are diabetic - not really Masters of much at all. Not even up to "ordinary". Because this is a particular time. Here is an old Greek description of it, just one of many: "Thereafter, would that I were not among the men of the fifth generation, but either had died before or been born afterwards. For now truly is a race of iron, and men never rest from labour and sorrow by day, and from perishing by night; and the gods shall lay sore trouble upon them. But, notwithstanding, even these shall have some good mingled with their evils. And Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men also when they come to have grey hair on the temples at their birth. The father will not agree with his children, nor the children with their father, nor guest with his host, nor comrade with comrade; nor will brother be dear to brother as aforetime. Men will dishonour their parents as they grow quickly old, and will carp at them, chiding them with bitter words, hard-hearted they, not knowing the fear of the gods. They will not repay their aged parents the cost their nurture, for might shall be their right: and one man will sack another's city. There will be no favour for the man who keeps his oath or for the just or for the good; but rather men will praise the evil-doer and his violent dealing. Strength will be right and reverence will cease to be; and the wicked will hurt the worthy man, speaking false words against him, and will swear an oath upon them. Envy, foul-mouthed, delighting in evil, with scowling face, will go along with wretched men one and all. And then Aidos and Nemesis, with their sweet forms wrapped in white robes, will go from the wide-pathed earth and forsake mankind to join the company of the deathless gods: and bitter sorrows will be left for mortal men, and there will be no help against evil." Find the "easy path". Show us what you find. -VonKrankenhaus

This is the Szu-Hsiang - T'ai Yang (Greater Yang), Shao Yin (Lesser Yin), Shao Yang (Lesser Yang), and T'ai Yin (Greater Yin). From the Szu-Hsiang the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) are derived: In I Ching you can read in appendix: ""In the Changes there is the Supreme Ultimate (T'ai Chi), which produced the Two Forms (yin and yang). These Two Forms produced the four emblems (Szu-Hsiang), and these four emblems produced the eight trigrams": For "Four Symbols" this can introduce: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Symbols -VonKrankenhaus

They are the same planets. Same times rising at the horizon, etc. Western systems use these 5 visible planets, plus Sun & Moon. Otherwise, their calendars are different. Chinese calendars use 10 Stems (YinYang of Wu Xing) for a week, and orbit of Saturn (Kronos) timing the 48 Lunar Mansions and also orbit of Jupiter (Zeus) for the solar year. Western used to be lunar (sea & coast people - tides) and became solar. Modern playing card deck shows the Western calendar. Correspondences to these sky events, like in West, are variable in Chinese history, but also mostly consistent. These are used in many fields of study. Maybe was meaning the "4 Emblems"? These are the divisions of the TaiJi, the polarity of polarity. I think this would make more sense for someone to mention in a discussion with Wu Xing than "4 Greats". There is also LaoTzu quote, but this doesn't fit well either: "In the world there are four greats, And the king is one of them. Man is ruled by Earth. Earth is ruled by Heaven. Heaven is ruled by the Way. The Way is ruled by itself." -VonKrankenhaus

5 phases or Wu Xing is not actually about physical elements. It is not a system of "5 elements". Phases in Wu Xing are Time Periods, and not things at all. They are the order of the appearances of the 5 major visible planets on the horizon. Lists of phenomena correspondences to these time periods were produced and used in cultivation, philosophy, and medicine, etc. The YinYang of these is the basis of the 10 day Chinese week - the 10 Stems. Western systems use the 5 planets plus the "luminaries" - Sun & Moon, and this is the "7 Days of the Week". "4 Greats" - this usually refer to the 4 major Chinese philosophy: Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism. -VonKrankenhaus