Vitalii Posted December 31, 2014 Happy New Year! Practice daoist methods and enjoy your life! 10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted December 31, 2014 The same back at 'cha and all others as well. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rocky Lionmouth Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) Happy new year! Remember others when you shoot firecrackers and rockets, you're also scaring my cats and many hibernating animals wake up and have troubles. Edited December 31, 2014 by Rocky Lionmouth 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeblast Posted December 31, 2014 and keep them aimed away from the trees 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daeluin Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) Since this is in "Taoist Discussion".... The Year begins on the winter solstice and we begin the return as yang begins to increase and yin decreases. But there is still so much yin, and in the heart of winter the growth is the nourishing of the seed we have formed from last year, coaxing it into life so it may break free of its shell and sprout into the earth it was buried in. Then it adjusts to its earthy home, orienting itself and preparing for growth. When it finally begins to move through the soil, hunting for the surface, this coincides with Li chun, the beginning of the Chinese solar year. As the sprout finally reaches the surface, it "sunrises," at the moment of the equinox, which is the beginning of the Western Astrology year. So there are many beginnings in their own ways, from subtle to obvious. The Chinese lunar year begins on February 19th. I know there are different meanings given to the type of year, depending on if the new moon is before, at, or after Li chun, but I'm not certain of them. Does anyone else know? Happy new beginnings! Edited December 31, 2014 by Daeluin 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mYTHmAKER Posted December 31, 2014 Happy New Year to all 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted December 31, 2014 Does anyone else know? Happy new beginnings! No, I don't know but that was a nice little bit to add to the thread. Thanks. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) The Year begins on the winter solstice and we begin the return as yang begins to increase and yin decreases. The Ram is emerging and the Horse is fading. Edited December 31, 2014 by ChiDragon 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daeluin Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) The Ram is emerging and the Horse is fading. Indeed! Though I was referring to the cycle as it repeats every day, solar year, and lunar month, the cycle of the soverign hexagrams flowing like the taiji symbol. This year I've taken a deeper journey into chinese astrology and the 10 celestial stems and 12 earthly branches. The 10 heavenly stems are pure energies: the 5 phases of wood, fire, earth, metal, water, which divide into pairs of yin and yang. The 12 earthly branches are a little more complicated. The earth is receptive and passive, just like hexagram 2, so the earth receives and stores the heavenly energies and allows them to combine. Each of the 12 earthly branches is like a box that has stored ALL 10 celestial stems, but these boxes are passive. Depending on the phase of the cycle, certain energies are activated within these boxes, and this is where they derive their personalities, which are given animal names instead of being described by their multiple active 5-phase components. These active components are called "hidden heavenly stems". For example, the month known as Dragon is a box containing three active hidden heavenly stems. First dragon is during the period of Spring, and comes after the two mainly Wood phase months, so as we enter the month of Dragon there is a little yin-wood-phase energy left over. Second, Dragon serves as a storage vault for water - the lifecycle of water is born in early autumn, prosperous in winter, and is stored away in Dragon. Finally, and primarily, Dragon is yang Earth (the Wu in WuJi), and helps to orient and transition the wood of spring into the fire of summer. Sorta like collecting firewood and putting it in a firepit so that when the flames come the wood is burning the way we want it to. Dragon is a very entrepreneurial combination of energies. Further, for Dragon these are the energies activated by the cyclical phase position of earthly energies. However, this 1 earthly branch will also be paired with 1 heavenly stem. This heavenly stem is the more active force, and depending on how it further arouses and combines with the earthly energies, we have one of 60 pairs of stems and branches - like our current wood horse year. Horse is the central phase of summer, noon, the full moon. Externally yang, internally yin, it is composed of the hidden heavenly stems Yang Fire, Yin Earth, and Yin Fire. Naturally these energies are hot and dry, but when aroused by the heavenly stem Yang Wood, that wood feeds the fire and it burns even hotter. There is a old system that was used to combine these 60 stem-branch pairs into a resulting 5-phase called NaYin. The Wood Horse would combine to the Metal phase, and is said to be like metal that is smelted 100 times. This year I've seen many people tackling such grand projects which consumed 100% of their energies and left their normal yearly endeavors dormant, as they've attempted to shape and refine these grand projects. The coming Yin Wood Sheep year is the matching NaYin Metal pair, known as the leftover charcoal from the great fire. Like Dragon, Sheep is a primarily Earth phase, but Yin Earth (the Ji in WuJi). It contains the leftover Yin Fire of summer, and stores the wood of spring. The flames may be dying here, but the coals are still HOT, and the Yin Wood heavenly stem helps them stay hot for a long while. This is a Yin year following upon a Yang year, so I anticipate many of the projects began this past year will now begin to integrate into a more completed state, come to find their proper places on earth and settle down a bit. This is also a maturation phase in our yearly cycles as what was initiated in previous years and forged into shape this past year, will now be set into place and begin to mature, as a fruit ripens after being formed. So more to the point of the quote.... the forging energies of the Wood Horse year have waned and those projects have perhaps slowed, and now as the yang energy returns those projects will now begin to settle into place and more and more we'll see how they are manifesting out in the real world as the year unfolds. At least this is how I am perceiving things.... it's always exciting to see what interpretations others come to! Edited December 31, 2014 by Daeluin 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daeluin Posted December 31, 2014 Also... the stems and branches appear to be used to help understand Neidan, so studying the phases of life may be helpful in this regard. Quoting Pregadio's translation of Wang Mu's Foundations of Internal Alchemy: "Refining the Ji-Soil." In Chinese, "laying the foundations" is also called lianji. The word lian, as we have seen, means "to refine." The word ji is interpreted in two ways. According to the first interpretation, it means "self" (ziji), and lianji means to refine one's own Three Treasures in order to build a proper foundation. According to the second interpretation, ji means the "Ji-Soil" (ji-tu); since Ji is contained within the trigram Li ☲, it means the Original Spirit (also called Nature of the Mind, xinxing, and True Intention, zhenji). The Xingming guizhi says: By refining the Ji-Soil (ji-tu) you obtain the Mercury within Li ☲, the Sun. By refining the Wu-Soil (wu-tu) you obtain the Lead within Kan ☵, the Moon. The Ji-Soil rises, the Wu-Soil descends. The technical terms for this practice are "drifting Wu to reach Ji" (liu wu jiu ji) and "taking from Kan ☵ in order to fill Li ☲" (qu kan tian li). Others call it "using the kidneys to replenish the heart" (yishen buxin), "reverting the course of the Essence to replenish the brain" (huanjing bunao), or in other ways. Although different authors use these expressions in different ways, they all agree in emphasizing that harmonization and refining constitute the initial stage of the practice. Awakening to Reality says: If Li ☲ and Kan ☵ do not return to Wu and Ji, they may well hold the four emblems, but will not make the Elixir. These verses also refer to the practice of lianji. Li ☲ is composed of the false yang surrounding the true yin. So here we can see that the true yin alludes to the Ji Soil. And we can see that the Horse month has 3 active hidden heavenly stems - Yang Fire and Yin Fire surrounding Ji, Yin Earth. If one examines trends and patterns over the past year, perhaps one might come to some interesting conclusions on where this Ji-Soil might be found and what happens when it is refined. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted December 31, 2014 The Ram is emerging and the Horse is fading. Well, don't beat the dying horse, Okay? 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) Happy New Year All. May we live in interesting mellow times, at least for a year or so. With hope the coming one is a little less fiery. Maybe it doesn't matter, but I see a difference between Ram and Sheep. One is wild the other domesticated. Which is more accurate to the Chinese Zodiac? Edited January 1, 2015 by thelerner 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) Happy New Year All. May we live in interesting mellow times, at least for a year or so. With hope the coming one is a little less fiery. Maybe it doesn't matter, but I see a difference between Ram and Sheep. One is wild the other domesticated. Which is more accurate to the Chinese Zodiac? The Chinese character 羊 only describe the kind of animal with no specification in gender as in English. It was commonly known as a goat. Since the Chinese is a very male dominant society sometime after the matriarchy, they will borrow the masculine noun from English to name each year. Edited January 1, 2015 by ChiDragon 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3bob Posted January 1, 2015 Good fortune and cheers! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beyonder Posted January 1, 2015 Happy new year, everyone! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daeluin Posted January 1, 2015 http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-01-31/entertainment/0301310448_1 This month and its opposite, Ox, are both yin earth, so when I think about it, the domesticated animal seems to fit better... but I'm not Chinese. I find it interesting what ChiDragon says, which is supported by this article. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-01-31/entertainment/0301310448_1 This month and its opposite, Ox, are both yin earth, so when I think about it, the domesticated animal seems to fit better... but I'm not Chinese. I find it interesting what ChiDragon says, which is supported by this article. Good article. Well, its the Wooden cycle, which to me is more yin then fire, more yan then earth. In my mind goat works best, it can be domesticated or not, is stubborn yet predictable. A goat seems like a very taoist creature. Not showy like a dragon or Ox, not insubstantial like a rat or bird, it thrives in areas and does well on its own. Edited January 1, 2015 by thelerner 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-01-31/entertainment/0301310448_1 This month and its opposite, Ox, are both yin earth, so when I think about it, the domesticated animal seems to fit better... but I'm not Chinese. I find it interesting what ChiDragon says, which is supported by this article. It was interesting that the zodiac of the Viet Namese is slightly different from the traditional one. You may find the difference here Edited January 2, 2015 by ChiDragon 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) Happy New Year! Practice daoist methods and enjoy your life! Breathe in the fresh air to prolong life and become an immortal. Edited January 2, 2015 by ChiDragon 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChiDragon Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) To skip other parts, go to 7:00 and 27:00 are worth to watch.Kung Fu Demo for the new year Edited January 7, 2015 by ChiDragon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
