Scientific Qi Exploration – Energy of Stars 5b

Forms of Qi: Heaven Energy of Stars – Part 5(b)

Martin Eisen, Ph.D.

Part 5 (b) is a continuation of Heaven Energy of the Stars, Part 5(a). Section 5 discusses the Chinese calendar, which can be used to describe time variations in Heaven’s Qi. This leads to a discussion of fluctuations in the body’s Qi in Section 6.

5. The Chinese Calendar

As early as 1500 to 2000 B.C., each year, month, day and hour was associated with one of the Twelve Earthly Branches and Ten Heavenly Stems. The Earthly Branches have several associations as shown in Table 3. Then Ten Heavenly Stems and their energetic relations appear in Table 4.

3. The Table Twelve Earthly Branches

Pinyin No. Animal Month Time Period Channel / Org
Zi 1 1 Rat Nov. 22 – Dec. 21 11 p.m – 1 a.m. Gall Bladder
Chou 2 Ox Dec. 22 – Jan. 20 1 – 3 a.m. Liver
Yin 3 Tiger Jan. 21 – Feb. 19 3 – 5 a.m. Lung
Mao 4 Rabbit Feb. 20 – Mar. 20 5 – 7 a.m. Large Intestine
Chen 5 Dragon Mar. 21 – Apr. 19 7 – 9 a.m. Stomach
Si 6 Snake Apr. 20 – May. 20 9 – 11 a.m. Spleen
Wu 7 Horse t May 21 – June 21 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Heart
Wei 8 Sheep June 22 – July 21 1 – 3 p.m. Small Intestine
Shen 9 Monkey July 22 – Aug. 21 3 – 5 p.m. Bladder
You 10 Rooster Aug. 22 – Sept. 22 5 – 7 p.m. Kidneys
Xu 11 Dog Sept. 23 – Oct. 22 7 – 9 p.m. Pericardium
Hai 12 Boar Oct. 23 – Nov. 21 9 – 11 p.m. Triple Burners

Table 4. The Ten Heavenly Stems

Name No. Yin – Yang Element Organ Planet
Jia 1 Yang Wood Gall Bladder Jupiter
Yi 2 Yin Wood Liver
Bing 3 Yang Fire Small Intestine Mars
Ding 4 Yin Fire Heart
Wu 5 Yang Earth Stomach Saturn
Ji 6 Yin Earth Spleen
Geng 7 Yang Metal Large Intestine Venus
Xin 8 Yin Metal Lung
Ren 9 Yang Water Bladder Mercury
Kui 10 Yin Water Kidneys

In ancient China, the Twelve Earthly Branches represented two hour period time units. They were mainly used to represent the twelve months in the Lunar Calendar. Qigong doctors used the Heavenly Stems to determine the flow of Heavenly Qi and its corresponding relation to the Qi of man. Both the Branches and Stems represent the characteristics of growing, declining, and dying of all life as well as the development and transformation of all natural phenomena. The energy of the Stems appears within the five energetic movements (front, back, right, left, and center) as well as within the elemental energy of the body’s main internal organs.

Table 5. The Sixty Year Cyclic Chinese Zodiacal Calendar

Year Heavenly Stems Earthly
Branch
1984-2043
Feb 02 1984–Feb 19 1985
Feb 20 1985–Feb 08 1986
Feb 09 1986–Jan 28 1987
Jan 29 1987–Feb 16 1988
Feb 17 1988–Feb 05 1989
Feb 06 1989–Jan 26 1990
Jan 27 1990–Feb 14 1991
Feb 15 1991–Feb 03 1992
Feb 04 1992–Jan 22 1993
Jan 23 1993Feb 09 1994
Feb 10 1994–Jan 30 1995
Jan 31 1995–Feb 18 1996
Feb 19 1996–Feb 06 1997
Feb 07 1997–Jan 27 1998
Jan 28 1998–Feb 15 1999
Feb 16 1999–Feb 04 2000
Feb 05 2000–Jan 23 2001
Jan 24 2001–Feb 11 2002
Feb 12 2002–Jan 31 2003
Feb 01 2003–Jan 21 2004
Jan 22 2004–Feb 08 2005
Feb 09 2005–Jan 28 2006
Jan 29 2006–Feb 17 2007
Feb 18 2007–Feb 06 2008
Feb 07 2008–Jan 25 2009
Jan 26 2009–Feb 13 2010
Feb 14 2010–Feb 02 2011
Feb 03 2011–Jan 22 2012
Jan 23 2012–Feb 09 2013
Feb 10 2013–Jan 30 2014
Jan 31 2014–Feb 18 2015
Feb 19 2015–Feb 07 2016
Feb 08 2016–Jan 27 2017
Jan 28 2017–Feb 18 2018
Feb 19 2018–Feb 04 2019
Feb 05 2019–Jan 24 2020
Jan 25 2020–Feb. 11 2021
Feb 12 2021–Jan 31 2022
Feb 01 2022–Jan 21 2023
Jan 22 2023–Feb 09 2024
Feb 10 2024–Jan 28 2025
Jan 29 2025–Feb 16 2026
Feb 17 2026–Feb 05 2027
Feb 06 2027–Jan 25 2028
Jan 26 2028–Feb 12 2029
Feb 13 2029–Feb 02 2030
Feb 03 2030–Jan 22 2031
Jan 23 2031–Feb 10 2032
Feb 11 2032–Jan 30 2033
Jan 31 2033–Feb 18 2034
Feb 19 2034–Feb 07 2035
Feb 08 2035–Jan 27 2036
Jan 28 2036–Feb 14 2037
Feb 15 2037–Feb 03 2038
Feb 04 2038–Jan 23 2039
Jan 24 2039–Feb 11 2040
Feb 12 2040–Jan 31 2041
Feb 01 2041–Jan 21 2042
Jan 22 2042–Feb 09 2043
Feb 10 2043–Jan 29 2

60 year cyclic Chinese zodiacal calendar is constructed by using a Stem and Branch to denote a year. The current cycle began on 2nd February 1984 AD. The beginning of the cycle is based upon the alignment of the sun, moon, Jupiter, and Polaris. The first year is associated with the first Stem and first Branch and so is designated jia-zi. Jia correspond to Wood and zi to the rat. Thus, the first year is the year of the Wood Rat in Chinese astrology. The second year is represented by the second Stem and Branch, and so on. For the eleventh year, there are no new stems and so it is represented by the first Stem and eleventh Branch or jia-xu. Similarly, the thirteenth year is represented by the third Stem and first Branch or bing-zi. The cycle continues in this manner until it returns to the first Stem and first Branch. The 60 year cycle is shown in Table 5, together with the Gregorian year numbers for the current cycle.

From Table 5 this is the year of the Wood Ox. How do you find the Chinese year for a date not listed in Table 5? If you like to do mathematical calculations read (2) and (3); otherwise, use the program in (4). References (2) and (3) also show you how to find the Stem-Branch for any month, day, and bi-hour (column 5 in Table 3).

6. Qi and the Chinese Astrological Calendar

The variation in Heaven’s Qi produces even more complex changes in the bodily Qi flow. At given time certain acupuncture points are open – that is, full of energy and are more responsive to treatment. At other times they are not open, have less energy and are less responsive to treatment. The Ancient Chinese, using astrology and metaphysics developed a theory to find open acupuncture points called “Zi-Wu Liu Chu Liao Fa” (5).

Zi-Wu Liu Chu Liao Fa consists of six Chinese ideograms. From Table 3, the Earthly Branch Zi denotes the time period 11 p.m. – 1 a.m., during which Yin is at its peak, and Wu the time period 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., during which Yang is at its peak. Recall that Zi also stands for November and Wu represents May. The winter solstice in November is the time when Yin begins to transform into Yang and the summer solstice in May is the time when Yang begins to transform into Yin. Thus, these two ideograms represent the change in Yin and Yang within a year as well as a day. Liu means flowing and Chu means entering. This can be interpreted as the energy and blood flowing and entering into acupoints varies with time. Liao mans therapy while Fa means technique. Together, these six ideograms can be interpreted as the techniques of therapy according to the temporal flowing and entering of meridian energy.

The acupoints which are used in Zi-Wu Liu Chu Liao Fa are the Command Points – Jing (Well), Ying (Spring), Shu (Stream), Jing (River), and He (Sea). In addition, the Yuan (Source) Points are also employed. The Yang meridians have their own separate Source Points. However, the Yuan Points on the Yin meridians are the same as their Stream Points. Since their there are 12 meridians and 6 Yang meridians, only 66 points are selected for treatment.

The five Command Points are also used in Five Element Acupuncture. For the Yin meridians, the above sequence of Command Points corresponds to the Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water Points, respectively; while for the Yang meridians the corresponding sequence is Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. The Five Element School of Acupuncture believes that most diseases can be treated by just using the Five Element Points.

References

1. Johnson, J.A. Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy. Int. Institute of Medical Qigong, Pacific Grove, Ca, 2000.

2. Fong, H. How to Calculate the Chinese Solar Equivalent date for any western dates without using the Ten Thousand Year Calendar? Part 1 of 2. http://www.absolutelyfengshui.com/library/solar-year-month.php.

3. Fong, H. How to Calculate the Chinese Solar Equivalent date (Ba Zi) for any western dates without using the Ten Thousand Year Calendar? Part 2 of 2. http://www.absolutelyfengshui.com/library/solar-day-hour.php.

4. Fong, H. Ten Thousand Year Calendar. http://www.henryfong.com/10000.htm This calendar gives you the Chinese Lunar and Chinese Solar (or Hsia) calendar equivalent of any Western Gregorian dates. Does it have 10,000 years of dates data? Nope, just a 100 years from 1924 to 2024.

5. Lu, H.C. The Time-Honored Techniques of Acupuncture. Academy of Oriental Heritage, Vancouve, B.C., 197

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About Martin Eisen

By profession, Dr. Eisen was a university Professor specializing in constructing mathematical models such as those in cancer chemotherapy and epilepsy. He has studied and taught Yoga, Judo, and Aikido. Dr. Eisen was the founder and chief-instructor of the Shotokan Karate Clubs at Carnegie-Mellon and Dusquene Universities and the University of Pittsburgh. He helped teach Yoga in Graterford prison. His curiousity about the relation of Qi to healing and martial arts led him to study TCM, Tai Chi and Praying Mantis Kung Fu. He was initiated as a Disciple of Master Gin Foon Mark. Dr. Eisen now teaches (at his Kwoon and by webcam), writes and researches Praying Mantis, Qigong and Yang Tai Chi - see http://home.comcast.net/~carolezak
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