al.

Good point! Trying to intellectually hold all the connections together is like jazz drumming, or trying to pat you head, rub your stomach and shake your leg at the same time- takes some real dexterity!!

Yup, if I'm not mistaken the first records of the Ba Gua diagrams as we know them only appear centuries later at around the time of Shao Yong. The fact is the depth of the roots of all of this are way past anyone's grasp- the old story goes the Yi Jing was first revealed in a flash of inspiration when a dragon/turtle suddenly appeared from the Yellow River, bearing markings on it's back that inspired the Luo and Yellow River Maps.... These maps certainly lie at the heart of this puzzle and give a good starting point to unravelling the dynamics between the WuXing and BaGua, but to comprehend their layers and meaning is not as simple as it looks... Let's consider again the grandness of the number 3, the trinity of Heaven, Earth, Man, of Yang, Yin, and Qi, the spark that gave birth to the 10,000 things... This spark, so powerful, can be glimpsed through looking deeply into the number 3. The jump from 3 to 5 is the first step into the world. Much is said of the Four Elements, as documented in the Ancient Greek and Indian traditions- this is not overlooked by the Daoists of course; the Square has huge significance in the Daoist cosmology, representing the four corners of Earth and the substance that gives form and dimension to the world. However, it seems to me that that first step into the world is only possible with a fifth ingredient, the centre which gives us the possibility to move out of the box, which enables the transformation and regeneration of time. Hence the 5th Element Earth lives not only in the centre but fills the space between Yin and Yang, between each season. So, the Four Elements/Symbols [si Xiang] also dwell inside both WuXing and BaGua, but in a sense are one layer back from our world, in the 'pre-heavenly'. 5 is the pivot between the pre- and post-heavenly world. If we now look back at the Luo and Yellow River Maps we can see these pre-heavenly and post-heavenly numbers laid out before us.... each group of dots representing the movements and expressions of Yin and Yang, the 5 Phases, and the 8 Trigrams, which in turn reflect everything perceptible and imaginable around us and inside of us. But we still haven't drawn out the explicit connections!

Hiya. This is something I've also been curious about. Particularly in relation to the many people who are getting into "earthing"- see earthinginstitute.com Although it seems like a very healthy thing to consciously/unconsciously resonate at the same frequency as the planet, I do wonder how necessary it is to actually walk barefoot or use some of the earthing technology out there like grounded mats, shoes, etc. This is because for a long time I have been of the impression that the actual field of the Earth is so immense that it would be silly to think that a little bit of plastic, wood, or metal could actually hinder our ability to resonate with it. However, over time, I've come to feel that this is actually variable depending on 1) sensitivity/openness of the individual (particularly in relation to nature), 2) electromagnetic-pollution, and 3) qigong/energetic skill. So, my thoughts are that it is dependent on all these factors.... @Scotty - I've never really thought that earthing/grounding could be detrimental?? Perhaps there should be a distinguishment between what is actually going on energetically when one says they are earthing/grounding- my idea/definition is that this is resonating / attempting to harmonise with the frequency/qi of the planet; whereas perhaps what you are referring to is a practice where more of an exchange is manifested between the individual and the earth... what do you think? How does your own practice teach you about what's going on here? A

Speaking of traditions that encourage living within society, if you haven't already, you might find the life of Lahiri Mahasaya inspiring... lahiri mahasaya But in regards to Thomas Cleary, although he has made translations of Islamic and Sufi texts, which might suggest he holds this influence in his translations, I doubt that this is actually the case, given his own reclusive tendencies. From my point of view, the different aspects and practices of Daoism are so complex and integrated throughout every layer of traditional Chinese culture that it would be too sweeping to generalize about the monastic or wandering traditions.. It's an interesting topic though, as no doubt to reach the same level of cultivation in a city as on the mountain would require greater skill, and perhaps be of much greater service. The virtue of compassion seems to be key here..

Hi all, Has anyone experience with this system and care to share any thoughts? I've been looking into this and similar systems and have a question maybe someone could help me with: Often the date and time of birth is used to give insight into a person's character and destiny. Somewhere along the line this process has been adapted to using the western calendar to calculate this, e.g, someone is born in 1952- year of the dog, in april- month of the tiger, on the 21st day- day of the pig, at the 10th hour- hour of the dragon. It's of course very possible to just match the times of the western calendar with the eastern traditional calendar. However, where I'm confused is how it is possible to use the method of adding the last two digits of the DOB and obtaining the same reading as one would using the traditional calendar, e.g, 1952= 5+2= 7, etc. Any ideas?

The work of Michael Schneider would be worth looking at - constructing the universe In his book, chapter 5 talks about both the elements and the solids. It should be remember that the term '5 elements' can also be translated from the chinese as 5 agents, or perhaps most suitable, '5 phases'. This is as, just like Yin & Yang, they cannot be separated- they all interlink and give birth to each other. I'm not sure if this could be said about the platonic solids as well- don't know enough about them. Perhaps try looking at how the platonic solids interrelate to each other? All herbs have a degree of resonance with one or more of the five elements, but to figure out which ones would be good for you takes a lot of study and a high degree of self-awareness and objectivity- it would be much easier to seek help from an experienced herbalist! a

yep, I'm pretty clueless when it comes to astrology and not great at math either, although i do love numbers! I didn't realise that western systems of astrology add the numbers together too, this is interesting. It's also what essentially where I get stuck- why do some people use their western birth numbers in eastern systems? I guess one would have to have a strong grip in different calendar systems to understand this... Would you say there is no mystical element to astrology whatsoever then? Certainly mainstream magazine horoscopes depict it as 'mystical' and it generally has a lack of credibility due to this mystical association. However, the patterns which emerge from observation of the skies do not become apparent very readily. (not the small day/night/week/month patterns but the big patterns. It seems these big patterns take lifetimes to grasp and generations to document. This puts us face-to-face with the big mystery... so surely there is actually a mystical aspect to astrology- not in any derogatory sense but in the sheer expansiveness of thinking it takes to comprehend such patterns..

Here's a nice stretch to try out- it's slightly unusual though as it is designed to confuse the body/mind and thereby help reprogram the tissues : 1. Lye down on you back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Then let both your knees flop out to gauge how wide they can go. 2. Now bring your knees back together but place your left hand on the inside of your left knee and the right hand on the inside of the right. 3. Now, with as much force as you feel comfortable with squeeze your knees together AND at the same time push in the opposite direction with your hands, really engaging all the muscles on the inside of the thighs. 4. Continue doing this but every 10 seconds or so let your knees separate 2 inches then bring them back together 1 inch, whilst continuously maintaining the squeezing together of the knees and the pushing apart of the hands. 5. Keep doing this for about 5-10 minutes until your knees are far apart as is comfortable. (By this time you should probably be shaking alot and some parts of the body might be achy too- massage these areas, trying to relax and release the tissues). Now go back to stage 1 and notice any difference, then try lotus position- you might be surprised! a

This is one of the best sites for understanding what fine tea is all about: tea guardian Also, Daniel Reid has just released a new book on tea and internal alchemy, it looks great! Sometimes it's best to forget everything and just drink some tea! mmm

Thanks for sharing this! I had not heard of the "CHon-Bu-Kyung" before, very interesting. And three-legged birds! A

How about the Hun and the Po? Talk of Shen is dependent on what angle you take, where you choose to look at it. Break it down into numbers and it is more simple- at base level there is only 1. The interconnectivity of every single little thing. At second level there is 2- polarity, Yin Yang, Heaven & Earth, matter and awareness. The love affair between the 2 creates a third thing- infinite potentiality- Qi- 3. Everything can be seen as a dance between this trinity- Yin-Qi-Yang, Earth-Humanity-Heaven, Jing-Qi-Shen, Matter-Energy-Awareness. So what can be termed awareness is Shen. But we don't want to forgot the number 1 thing- 'the three are actually one'. On this plane, matter and awareness create each other, light particles have physicality to them, darkness extinguishes colour from objects, literally. So our own awareness is a composite of Yin and Yang also- it is said we have 3 spirits and 7 souls. Three Hun and seven Po. The Hun are our Heaven bound spirits, the Po are our Earth bound souls. But why 3 and 7? What meaning can you find in these numbers?... When pondering this I remember an old saying (can't think where from)- God slept in the rocks, God dreamt in the plants, God awoke in the animals, God realised himself in humans

Hi bubbles, thanks for the clarification. I do agree with you about the this, as this is how the bagua diagrams should be approached in general. Perhaps where the rift lies is that in some traditions of divination the Xian Tian Bagua are used to represent the seed of an event, even if it happens to also be in the manifest realm, whereas the Hou Tian Bagua can represent the path into the future. I've read about this in the books by Master Zhongxian Wu- 'seeking the spirit of the book of change' - recommended.

Hi Bubbles, I wholeheartedly agree with you (although I don't know what Luo pans are though) Trying to find consistency in Yi Xue is something I've been keenly applying myself towards. Often when everything seems like it just about fits perfectly, something goes awry- this always makes me think of the advice of one of my teachers when first studying the Yi Jing- don't try and fit everything together, it doesn't work, the meridians of the body, the acupoints, and the trigrams can't be pinned down so statically! The Yi Jing is like life- it doesn't all add up! Nevertheless I try, because some part of me has a strong suspicion that the whole world really is a manifestation of 8. Yijing theory is not just human conceptualizations, it's grounded in the land around us, the wind and the stars, the turn of the seasons, the sound of thunder and rain, the morning stillness. How we go about understanding this all is a personal matter. Of course we need the old texts, the accumulated riches of the past masters, but the relationship we cultivate with the natural world and the relationship we create with ourselves is surely of much greater importance- and these relationships are beyond both meaning and principle and image and number, beyond the logical structures we conceptualize. I guess we have to strike the right balance between the scholar and the mystic in us, right?

Hi guys, This link might be of interest: My link I particularly like the concept that the pre-heavenly bagua directions are defined by North/South/East/West, whilst the post-heavenly directions are defined by one's own position and dimensions, regardless of the compass. Also, the argument as to whether these concepts first originated in the Han or the Sung dynasties- how much does this actually matter? Innovation and evolution are important concepts in the Book of Change, no? And besides, is it not foolish to be too sure of ourselves when it comes to things that occurred such a long time ago? How much information has been lost 'to the sands of time'? how much was never written down in the first place? Or kept in oral lineages? I guess most importantly, how valid are these ideas for each one of us personally?

... "It is that dimension that stretches from the near to the far, from the place where we stand all the way to the horizon, and beyond. The curious nature of this dimension is such that, unlike "height" and "width," which seem entirely objective aspects of the perceived world, the dimension of depth is wholly dependant upon the position of the viewer within that world! The height of a boulder, for instance, seems to stay constant as I move around that rock. Yet the depth of the rock, the relation between the near and the far aspects of the boulder, steadily changes as I move around it. Unlike the height of a mountain range, and the width or span of a valley, the depth of a landscape depends entirely on where we are standing within that landscape. And as we move, bodily, within that landscape, the depth of the landscape shifts around us.... The belief in a purely objective comprehension of nature, in a clear and complete understanding of how the world works, is the belief in an entirely flat world seen from above, a world without depth, a nature that we are not a part of but that we look at from outside -- like a God, or like a person staring at a computer screen." wild ethics so, stargazing is much better for you than computer gazing!!

Hiya Friend! There's this concept in medical theory of the 'five taxations' which relate the five elements to lifestyle habits. Off the top of my head they are- too much staring taxes Fire (blood, heart) too much lying down taxes Metal (qi, lungs) too much sitting taxes Earth (muscles, spleen) too much standing taxes Water (bones, kidneys) too much walking damages Wood (sinews, liver) So, as is often said, moderation is key! a

Hi Bellevolence, What a pickle you are in! In these types of situations consulting an Oracle can be helpful. Ask the Book of Changes. If you find this one tricky, the European Oracle, the Runes, can be more direct. Essentially though, it's as they always said- the answers that you seek you already know. words of wisdom from the past: "If you are thinking 1 year ahead, plant seeds If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant a tree If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people." Chinese Emperor Kuan Tsu, 5th century BC

Hiya If you like taichi I highly recommend the softening exercises developed my Yeung Ma Lee. Fantastic! a

"The eight-fold partition of space anchored the eight-fold division of time: eight forty-five segments made up the year, and each was governed by one the eight winds." Shigehisa Kuriyama This quote comes from chapter one of this book: "imagination of the winds and the chinese conception of the body" Reading this gives some background to how the rule of 8 came to underpin every facet of chinese culture. In terms of qigong, the eight trigrams manifest as 8 basic functions of qi- raising, lowering, entering, exiting, gathering, dispersing, opening, closing. In terms of the eight directions, this gives the framework for the movement of qi- the eight points of the compass could be seen as the 'fixed directions' which correspond to the pre-heavenly aspects of our self, our macrocosmic self. There are also the 'subjective directions' which correspond to our own positioning in time and space- this is up, down, left, right, back, front, inner, outer- this is the post-heavenly aspect, the microcosmic. The interaction of the fixed and the subjective, the pre- and post-natal (8x8) gives us the 64 hexagrams. A more detailed explanation of this can be found at www.traditionalstudies.org a

Hiya There is a great qigong form that utilizes this stance with the legs. There seem to be different names/variances of the form, it appears in Master Shou-Yu Liang's 'qigong empowerment' book, and is also taught by Ken Cohen, and also Maste Xie Li over in Singapore. Basically it uses this posture in static standing like jamjong. My take on it is whereas in martial arts practices, the posture and standing gradually build up the muscles on the top of the thighs and slowly the practitioner can hold more and more weight higher and higher on the legs and up into the kwa, in this type of standing it makes it easier to pull the weight up onto the higher parts of the leg. And the more one can do this, the greater the 'qi-building' capacity is. As an aside, not only does the soas muscle travel from this area of the thighs, up through the dantien and connect to the lower lumbars, but apparently there is a higher level of mitochondria in these muscles too.... Hope this makes some sense.. I guess it's not just the posture really but also how the muscles are engaged in the posture... a

I've recently been reading 'The Construction of Space in Early China' by Mark Edward Lewis. It's fantastic. What is particularly interesting is his discussion of how the Nei Ye marked a shift in the conception of the human body and its place in the world. Because the text was written such a long, long time ago, the more we can understand about the history and culture surrounding the Nei Ye, the better off we will be in understanding the meanings of the text. So, we must question- what do we really know about the culture and the people of pre-Han dynasty china? This book makes a good starting point. My link

Does the Fibonacci sequence appear in the Hetu River diagram or the other associated diagrams of the Yi Jing? Any help would be greatly appreciated! a

....may I be happy. ... any mistakes I may have made, any deeds or thoughts that I regret doing, I forgive myself for they arose out of ignorance. ... I forgive myself fully and unconditionally. I will do my best to act in virtue and wisdom. ... may I be happy, and peaceful. ... may all beings be happy. ... any deeds made or words spoken from others that may have offended me in any way, I offer my full and unconditional forgiveness, for they arose out of ignorance. ... may all beings be happy, and peaceful. ... may all beings be happy!