From complete “I don’t know,” called Dao, our experience alternates in a pattern we call Yin-Yang. I have explored these concepts (Dao, Yin-Yang) as a basis for cosmology, cosmology addressing the questions—what is the universe; what is a human being? Cosmology provides a view for our experience, so we can work with it directly rather than conceptually. Delving further into basic cosmology, the Chinese Tradition describes the movement of Qi in a cycle of five phases, sometimes called “elements,” which I would like to explore.
First, I need to address two views central to Western thought, which are antithetical to the Chinese Tradition—theism and materialism. In ancient China, these would have been non-issues. In our culture, however, they are central. In short, Chinese Astrology operates from a non-theistic and non-materialist view. If we operate from a theistic or materialist view of reality, our use of Chinese Astrology actually won’t work. Theism is central to the cosmology of India and the West. Although broad and diverse, theism is simple. Here, I define theism not only as the belief that God(s)/Goddess(es)/deities exist but as the belief that they are somehow significant. For example, God created the universe as in Genesis. Or, from the countless examples of India, we are penetrated by Śiva (called samāveśa), and our limited being merges with cosmic or divine Being. China heard many forms of theism and said—not interested. In response to the Bible—all deities who live in mountains say they created the universe, and they are all wrathful; why would you get involved with them? Chinese Astrology is not atheistic; it is non-theistic. In other words, Chinese cosmology recognizes the existence of many, many kinds of beings (64,000 types of ghosts, for example), all falling into six broad categories shared with most Asian traditions—demon, ghost, animal, human, demigod, and god. While beings are not all “equal,” no one is more significant or important than another. There are teachings for ghosts, teachings for gods, teachings for humans, etc. We all move in different rhythms, have different kinds of bodies, and experience the universe quite differently. Deities are just other kinds of beings with a different, more exalted, more ethereal kind of experience. And in terms of a Universal/Primordial Being or Cosmic Consciousness often described in India, Chinese Tradition would say—very clever but “unknowable;” don’t bother. And Dao is certainly not God in the Western sense. Many wisdom traditions say that we are really God in disguise. Many people want to discover who they truly are, find their passion, expecting to find God and great meaning behind everything, or that they posses great power or purpose. Many seek a big exalted enlightenment experience where everything is revealed, and we get to have a big birthday party—the big enlightenment doughnut in the sky. Liu Ming used to say that if you study Chinese Astrology and come out the other side of fate you should find out your own non-existence rather than the “real you.” The real you is something like space…very disappointing to the ego and not very satisfying to big spiritual appetites. In the study of Chinese Astrology, we are not looking for God’s plan or design, and we are not looking to find our purpose or passion. We are looking to find our ordinary human experience, situated in our actual situation, which is enormous. Theism is not denied; it is more or less irrelevant to our ordinary human experience. In Chinese Astrology, we aspire to the human spiritual path, not the path of deities. The experience of deities is not given a special place, nor is the idea of one God. Confucius refused to talk about God—you actually had a father; this is significant; don’t make a bearded daddy in the sky. The human spiritual path is about how humans relate to other humans, not to God. Chinese Tradition begins from the view that ordinary human experience is already complete, already in perfect harmony with the Dao. The only thing preventing this experience is false views about reality, based on our belief in an abiding world and self. We do not need help from God or deities to realize our Original Nature; we need only to be in our actual human experience—already perfect. The human path of spirituality is based on ordinary human life, which consists of ordinary rhythms such as waking, dreaming, and sleeping, eating, digesting, and shitting, inhaling and exhaling, circulating blood, all in relation our human experience of life on Earth. Chinese Astrology is also non-materialist, which brings us into the discussion of five elements. Element theory in Europe and India is often materialist; when we say Earth Element, people often visualize dirt; this is not the case in China. While modern physics is slowly offering us a vision of reality that has been know in Asia for thousands of years, we are still a decidedly materialist culture. In other words, we believe in a solid abiding world and that we are solid abiding beings. I might say the proof that I “exist” is that cannot pass my hand through the table. I know that my cat exists because he looks the same as he did yesterday and two weeks ago and so on. We believe in material, in stuff, in things. Since things appear to be stable and consistent, we think they are solid entities, existing from their own side. We entertain the notion that we are compound (made of parts, pieces, components) because we have common sense, but as a culture, we believe that these components are reliable. We searched for, and apparently “found,” the “God Particle.” We examine things in the hope that we will finally find something “undividable” (the meaning to the word atom), whether it be particles or light waves—there must be something that makes up or accounts for everything, some building blocks. This was the impetus for ancient element theory in Europe. Well, the Chinese Tradition, especially Buddhism, says—no. There is no ultimate stuff, and if there were it would be un-findable, ungraspable, and indefinable by concept; this is one meaning of the word emptiness. The fact that everything escapes investigation and description means there is nothing solid or abiding to ultimately find; everything is infinitely dividable. What you’re looking at is what you think you’re looking at. In other words, your world is a projection, a mental construct, the mind crystallizing a display of light and mirrors. Holding the view of an abiding self and world is actually painful, and nothing will ever be more exhausting than trying to maintain this view, so let it go—that’s Buddhism in a nutshell. Reality is an unimpeded, unbounded, dynamic flux, so as soon as we fixate our view and hold on to stability/permanence, reality begins to grind us down—this is the meaning of the word dukkha in Buddhism. Suffering occurs when our view and reality are misaligned. The ancient meaning of the word dukkha comes from an axel that does not fit properly into its spoke; you can force it, but the wheel rolls funny, and the axle grinds away. If people actually exist, then they actually die. If there was a creation, there will be annihilation—this is a nightmare. In this moment, we are hurling towards the grave, but there is no real “you” anywhere in this hurling; there is just the hurling, a compound in procession. Everything is compound PERIOD. And everything is in procession, meaning in a flow/flux. This is what is meant by non-materialist. What we observe is movement, but there is no “thing” moving. What moves is Qi, but Qi is not a “thing;” it is just movement itself, and we describe movement as Yin-Yang, which further differentiates into a cycle of five phases. Two goes to five, making ten. In Astrology, these combinations of two and five are called the Ten Heavenly Stems—Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. This view is in direct opposition to theistic creationism and scientific materialism. Our culture tends to fixate in an either or situation in regards to religion/science. You either believe in science or religion or you compromise between the two while secretly believing that one is “real.” When push comes to shove, most of us believe in Scientism; in death we turn to science/western medicine to save us, especially when the machines go “bing!” We cannot approach Chinese Astrology from this perspective; it won’t work. Yin-Yang and Five Element Cosmology does not involve creation or destruction. We speak of the procession as generating and concluding, but this does not imply a beginning or end. There was no beginning, no first movement, and no big bang that started everything (b/c what came before that?). Things resolve, but resolution is the mother of generation; death is the mother of birth. There is never an end to this continuity. Life is an eternal rhythm that goes—birth-death-birth-death… In this view, there is nothing outside Yin-Yang and the Five Elements; there is nothing, no one, no creator watching and judging. If you use Chinese Astrology as a replacement view—if you replace God the Father/Jesus with Śiva, or Dao, or Buddha, this is almost as stressful as the view of a permanent soul/self. All you have done is found new language to substantiate ignorance. In Astrology, we describe our Character and Fate in terms of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, but in order to make sense of this, we must understand them as basic principles. Remember, these five phases describe the procession of all movement, all change, and all experience...your experience! Wisdom comes from your own living experience. Cosmology is not religious. It is a vocabulary to help us feel into our experience, nothing more. And, again, it is not materialist, meaning Wood Element is not lumber, Fire Element is not flames, Earth Element is not dirt, Metal Element is not gold, and Water Element is not H2O. They are principles describing the cyclical procession of Qi. While they are processional, they can appear simultaneous. They can be big, describing the movement of galaxies, or small, describing the movement of thought. We begin with Wood; we start with start. Wood Element Although we start with Wood, we must remember the mother of Wood is Water, meaning when things end and resolve they have nowhere to go, nothing to do except start over again. Wood Element is the starting over part of our experience, the Qi experience of start, made possible by death. Wood Element is the basic fundamental impulse or whim to manifest, generate, grow, and move. But it does not manifest; manifestation does not happen until Earth. Wood is eternal freshness, eternal beginning, naïve and new before everything, before thought. Everything is about to happen; Wood is the potential that never demonstrates itself. You cannot paint freshness and hang it on a wall, nor can you actually see Wood Element. The first two of the Five Element cycle are un-manifest, meaning they do not actually appear. They are the process that must occur before anything can appear. Wood is associated with the juicy, young, fresh, quality of experience. The image of Wood comes from the sapling, the sprouting seed, associated with spring and the color green/turquoise, the color of new life starting again. Even in the oldest tree, there is still something juicy sucking up rain. While we use this imagery to describe Wood Element, the actual experience of Wood is this impulse, this prompting before things manifest. When "spiritual people" talk about the Eternal Now, they are describing a Wood Element experience. Wood is the mother of Fire. Fire Element As soon as this prompting, this impulse to manifest moves, this movement generates a kind of friction or heat we call Fire Element. This heat gives manifestation a direction toward appearing. Fire Element is not flames. Fire is still un-manifest. In other words, we do not see heat/fire. What we call fire, i.e. the color of flames, comes from the moisture in wood; heat itself is invisible; it is just temperature. The image of Fire Element, associate with summer and the color red/orange, does come from flame, but this is only an image. Fire Element is the warming/heating up, directional part of our experience. For example, the end (water) of being satiated prompts the beginning of a new cycle (wood), which begins to heat up (fire), generating hunger. As soon as any impulse happens it gains a momentum, a direction; the Now, for example, has a direction; it flows. Fire is the quality of vigor, energy, the impulse of Wood Element getting excited, wanting to manifest and appear. So Fire is the mother of Earth, giving birth to appearance. Earth Element The heating, stirring, frictional quality of fire sparks and what “began” as an impulse manifests as appearance. Earth Element is the tendency of Qi to appear and manifest temporarily as form. Earth Element describes the continuity, the stabilizing of Qi in the cycle of change. Earth Element constitutes a great deal of what we consciously experience. Earth and Metal are the qualities of our experience which present a “world.” Looking in front of me, I see a form (earth), which, in and of itself, is non-conceptual. I call it “table,” and the table appears to be solid and exist. The continuity of “table” may last a while, but in a thousand years it will be decayed and gone. The Five Element cycle of change is largely invisible and does not actually produce anything that lasts. It produces temporary appearances; the temporary (however long) aspect being defined by Earth. The table appears to exist for a while, but it will disappear. Just because titanium lasts for a really, really long time (relatively speaking), does not mean it is permanent; titanium is still in a process of movement/change. Earth is heaviness, the experience of continuity and solidity. My body, for example, feels solid and heavy, and so I become attached to its existence. However, I shed me cells every 7-8 years; my body is not the same body I had at 16; nothing about it is stable; I may die tomorrow. The image of Earth Element, associated with the continuity of the seasons and color yellow, comes from the ground, the mountains, from things that appear to endure. Alone, however, Earth Element is mere appearance. As soon, as appearance manifests it immediately begins to transform and change, giving birth to Metal Element. Earth is the mother of Metal. Metal Element As soon as appearance stabilizes it begins to become particular, differentiated, and variegated. Nothing is what it appears to be. Metal is the maturation of Earth, appearance crystallizing into “things,” taking on qualities, but always changing in its particularity. The form in front of me is mere form, but as soon as I recognize and distinguish its qualities, I label it “table,” and it becomes a “thing.” I can now describe the table—Metal Element. Metal Element is the particular, conceptual, refined quality of our experience. Associated with fall and the color white/silver, the image of Metal Element comes from alchemy, the refinement of precious metals from raw ore. Practically, Metal Element is refinement, our organs refining and extracting nutrients from food, for example. Together, Earth and Metal constitute most of what we call “stuff,” appearance and conceptual designation. Qi has the tendency to appear as stable stuff, but this stability is merely a momentary aspect in the cycle of Qi. Soon, we forget, we have moments, perhaps when spacing out, when we forget about who we are and where we are going. Metal element is tenuous, strenuous, and refinement cannot be maintained. Our concepts about reality are limited and must fall apart. It is exhausting to maintain appearances, so Metal gives birth to Water, collapsing into oblivion. Water Element The peak of manifestation and appearance has nowhere to go, nothing to do except collapse and fall apart. Water Element is the falling apart aspect of our experience. Water is the “end” of the cycle, so it is also the beginning, the mother of Wood. Water is associated with death, with dissolution. Our experience of life is full of death. We experience so many endings; it is amazing we fear death. Every inhalation ends; every thought passes away; every sensation dissolves. Every night we die when we fall asleep. Water Element is the collapsing of particulars into undifferentiated soup. If things didn’t end, nothing would move; there would be no room for anything new. The constant dissolution of our experience constantly makes way for the impulse of Wood, for newness. Associated with winter and the color blue/black, the image of Water Element is like water itself, describing the flowing, liquid, malleable, interconnected, fluid nature of life. Water Element is the recognizable, dramatic experience of change. Usually, we don’t notice change until things collapse and dissolve. Water Element is therefore associated with drama, with Big Yin. But nothing can end permanently; dissolution naturally generates the impulse to manifest; nature abhors a vacuum. So Water is the mother of Wood, and the cycle begins again. What I have described here is the “generating” cycle of the Five Phases. Naturally, there is a “concluding” cycle. Water extinguishes Fire, meaning dissolution maintains excitement. Wood eats Earth, meaning freshness lightens the heaviness of the heart. Fire melts Metal, meaning inspiration softens rigid thinking. Earth absorbs Water, meaning continuity and stability upholds the fear of death. And Metal cuts Wood, meaning logic and reason edit naivety. The wisdom of the Five Elements of Qi is meaningless until we recognize it in our own experience. The Chinese Tradition is relative. It does not come from God; it comes from humans. It must be examined, over and over again. Do not accept it until you examine it. If you can identify part of your experience that does not fall into these five categories then we can add a sixth. Since millions of people have not been able to do so over thousands of years of tradition, and neither have I, I find it comprehensive. Yin-Yang and Five Element cosmology is quite profound. Here, I have only attempted to describe the basic qualities of each as a basis for your own inquiry. Next, we will delve into Character and break down the “folklore” aspect of Chinese Astrology. I, for example, am a Tiger-Rooster-Horse-Dragon! But what does that mean? Before that, however, I will discuss xiāntao, the Way of Immortals, the lineage this Astrology comes from.
0 Comments
Before delving further into the view teachings of Chinese Astrology through the five elements, I would like to offer a glimpse into the practicality of Astrology. While I often emphasis the “big picture,” this big picture can be difficult at times to connect with, especially in a culture which does not value cyclical time. So, I would like to offer a simple guide to a “Chinese Day.”
In the view of cyclical time, the energy of the universe moves in natural rhythms. These rhythms are mathematical and move in a pattern of 12 branches/Qi characters x 5 elements or 60, derived from the Jupiter cycle, the historical source of our 60 second/60 minute time measurement in the West. These rhythms of 60 spiral inwards and outwards from microcosm to macrocosm, including the rhythms of our body and the rhythms of the universe. While these cycles are endless, the most observable and practical are called the Four Pillars—the lunar year, month, day, and hour. For example, I am writing this during the Yang Water Horse hour of a Yin Wood Rabbit day of a Yin Fire Pig month of a Yin Wood Goat Year. These words describe the different patterns of Qi that the universe moves through all the time, around and around. Like the clock, these cycles do not go anywhere except in circles. I will have much more to say about the Four Pillars in future blogs. For now, rather than going on and on about the view, I would like to emphasize the practicality of these cycles by describing the basic outline of the 12 hour day of the Chinese calendar. A Chinese hour is 2 western hours, covering the standard 24 hour day, and moves along in the pattern of 5 elements and 12 Qi characters of the zodiac, forming a 60 double-hour cycle, which spans 5 days. Chinese Astrology teaches that the universe is exuding a certain pattern of energy during each phase of this cycle, and the energy available tends towards certain patterns of conduct. If we live according to this cycle, we have the momentum of the universe behind us, and we are more apt to live a harmonious life. If we resist or ignore these cycles, then we not only shorten our life, but we obscure the wisdom inherent in our natural condition. The universe is already moving in a certain pattern; if we go against the grain, we slowly grind ourselves down. We can choose to ignore the natural condition with our freedom, and human beings are very good at adapting. So in some cases, we can succeed, but only temporarily. In this view, everything is self-resolving, so eventually, moving against this cycle will cause illness. Unfortunately, our culture pushes us to be productive all the time, and our industries often force people into unnatural cycles. For example, service jobs often require people to work late into the night when they should be asleep, which causes them to sleep late into the day when they should be active. We do this for long enough, and we get used to it. If this is the case, then I offer this as something to consider in the long run. In youth especially, we have the Qi to avoid natural wisdom, but this only lasts for so long. Our body, energy, and mind move in the same rhythm as the universe. When we live according to the natural cycles of time, we (microcosm) begin to mirror the universe (macrocosm), revealing our fundamental interconnectedness. Although it is helpful to learn the natural tendencies of each time of day, it is more important to actually feel them. If we can sense the Qi of Horse Hour, then it becomes a source of wisdom. Horse hour is a time for productivity; hence, I am writing and am compelled toward activity. I hope that this guide helps you tune into the natural rhythms of life. Here is a basic outline of the rhythm of the day (remember this changes according to the 5 elements, so eventually you will feel the difference between a fire dog and water dog hour) Chen—Dragon: Yang Earth—7-9am (3rd Moon) We shall begin with Dragon Hour from 7 to 9 am. Dragon is BIG YANG, associated with the rising sun. In the Chinese Zodiac, Dragon Qi is considered unlimited potential; it is all the animal energies combined into one mysterious, ineffable potentiality. Energetically, this is the most powerful and active time of the day. You should always be up, awake, and entering into action by Dragon Hour. This is probably difficult for people who like to sleep in. Actually, if you investigate your experience, you should be naturally compelled out of bed during this time, regardless of whether or not you are a “morning bird.” Since I was young, I have never been able to sleep in past 9. This is also when our digestion is most active. We can digest and assimilate anything during Dragon Hour, so this is the best time for a nourishing breakfast. This is the time to get the day in motion. Begin your day by Dragon Hour, and everything will flow along naturally. Si—Snake: Yin Fire—9-11am (4th Moon) After BIG YANG comes BIG YIN in the form of Snake Hour from 9 to 11 am. In the Chinese Zodiac, Snake Qi is associated with the unseen, the unknown, and with the empty nature of apparent phenomena. After the big energetic launch, Dragon Hour, the universe naturally recedes and opens into a space of self-reflection, without which Dragon Qi can become too ambitious, and we may exhaust ourselves during the day. Snake Hour is a tremendous open transparency in which we are able to see through our ambitions to the fact that Yang always turns back into Yin. Everything we work to achieve will fall apart, so the rest of the day should be filled with this awareness. Once we get our day going during Dragon Hour, we must slow down and reflect on who and what we are and on what we are doing. Snake hour should be a time for mystical self-reflection, revelation, and preparation for the rest of the day. Without taking this time to reflect, the rest of the day can become linear, and we may be fooled into the notion that we “progress” and that time is going somewhere other than around and around in eternal circles. Wu—Horse: Yang Fire—11am—1pm (5th Moon) After this necessary self-reflection, we are ready for Yin to turn back into Yang, and we enter Horse hour, the time for productivity, industry, action, and energetic independence. From 11am to 1 pm, we should naturally feel compelled toward productivity. This is when we should “work,” in terms of physical labor, building, construction, production, and so on. In the Chinese Zodiac, Horse Qi is associated with thoughtless action in the best sense. Horse is the wisdom of manifestation, of “doing,” and of embodiment. Horse is associated with craft and skill. If you are physically active and productive during Horse Hour, you will live much longer and not exhaust yourself. This is also the other time of day when our digestion is most active, so it is the best time for a hearty lunch. Wei—Goat: Yin Earth—1-3pm (6th Moon) Once we have completed our most vigorous and productive activity, Yang turns back to Yin, and we enter the refining and socializing Goat Hour from 1-3pm. In the Chinese Zodiac, Goat Qi is associated with the “herd,” with social order, cooperation, compromising, harmony, justice, fairness, and so on, and it is also associated with aesthetics, art, and beauty. Goat Hour, then, is the time to work and be with others and cultivate friendship and teamwork. This is the time to get together and do things in groups and to refine and adjust the productivity of Horse Hour. Once we create something, we must step back and adjust our creation to accord with social context and welfare. Building a table is useless if we do not sit down to eat, and what good is eating alone if your friends are hungry? Goat Hour is also the time for art and aesthetics. It is a time to paint, write, sing, or just stare out into the landscape and contemplate humanity. Shen—Monkey: Yang Metal—3-5pm (7th Moon) After the refining Goat Hour, Yin turns back to Yang, and we move forward into Monkey Hour from 3-5pm. In the Chinese Zodiac, Monkey Qi is associated with planning, strategizing, projecting, adapting, and imagining. Monkey Hour is the time to look forward to the next day or week and plan ahead. In terms of work, it is the time to cease productivity and to shift into imagination. This is the only time of day you should actually project into the future; plan ahead, and then drop it. In the wild, Monkeys are always scanning the environment for danger and anticipating threats. During Monkey Hour, our Qi naturally anticipates the end of the day and the transition into night. So it is a time of adaptation; soon we must head home, but before we do, we must digest the experience of the day, adapt accordingly, and anticipate what may come. Monkey Qi is also playful, so this is the time to end the seriousness of work, “quitting time,” when you should joke and have fun with co-workers before heading home. You—Rooster: Yin Metal—5-7pm (8th Moon) From Yang back to Yin, we receded into Rooster Hour, from 5-7pm, the time of completion. In China, this time of day is associated with “coming home to roost,” the time when all the chickens and animals make their way back to the barn. It is the “crepuscular hour,” the transition from day to night. In the Chinese Zodiac, Rooster Qi is associated with completion, precision, competition, and confidence. This is the time to go home. Once home, this is the time to take pride and have confidence in what you have done, to reflect and analyze. This is the Yin hour of digestion, the time for tea and a light supper, when we can refine and extract the most nutrients towards the end of the day. If there is a time to hang out with friends at the Pub, this is it; Rooster is associated with bravado, and with the kind of socializing that relates to the “pecking order.” Xu—Dog: Yang Earth—7-9pm (9th Moon) Once we return home, we move from Yin back to Yang into Dog Hour, from 7-9pm, the family hour. In China, they say if you are home and with your family by Dog hour, you will live a long and happy life. In the Chinese Zodiac, Dog Qi is associated with loyalty, dedication, faithfulness, and protection. By Dog Hour, you should be home and enjoying social time with the family. This is an active Yang hour, the time to connect and socialize with those closest to you. The family dinner, ideally, should happen late during Rooster Hour, and now this is the time to enjoy being home, to relax, read, watch TV, talk, play with the kids, play with the dog, and forget about the troubles of the day. Since we have domesticated dogs, they have been associated with protection, the family dog often staying awake until everyone is safe and asleep. Dog Hour is the first active phase of the night, when we cultivate vigilance and family loyalty. If we live alone, it is a great time to cultivate the same qualities with close friends. Hai—Pig: Yin Water—9-11pm (10th Moon) Now that we are home and have actively unwound during Dog Hour, Yang turns back to Yin and we relax, sinking down into Pig Hour. In the Chinese Zodiac, Pig Qi is associated with sensuality, relaxation, and enjoyment. It is the time when our Qi sinks down and prepares for sleep; Pig is the falling asleep hour. Associated with enjoyment of the senses, this is the time for sex, pleasure, and honesty (pillow talk) with our partner. This is the time to put on pajamas, relax in bed, turn out the lights, and fall asleep. If you should be up and awake by Dragon Hour, then you should always be in bed by Pig Hour—you will live much longer. It is the natural time of the day for falling asleep, which our culture rebels against (which is fine every once and a while; pig hour is great for parties). Staying up past this hour on a regular basis, according to Chinese Astrology, is a surefire way to get out of sync with the natural rhythm of life and cause illness, because the next hour is the beginning of the dream and sleep phase. If we do not respect sleep and follow the natural rhythm of the sun and moon, then we do not accord with the energy available for regeneration during the next few cycles, and our sleep is not restorative. Zi—Rat: Yang Water—11pm-1am (11th Moon) From Yin relaxation, we move forward into Yang sleep, the Rat Hour, from 11pm to 1am. By this time we should have entered into the first stage of sleep, related to the Rat. In the Chinese Zodiac, Rat Qi is associated with analysis, editing, and resolution. It is the wisdom of the compound nature of things, of taking things apart. This phase of sleep is light, and we experience resolving dreams where we edit our experience from the previous day. Our dreams during this time reflect ordinary life, and our subconscious takes this time to digest our incomplete and fractured experience. In a Rat dream, you may get in your car and drive to work, turn to Cynthia in the next desk to find that she’s orange. This is the best time to enter consciously into the dream state, into dream/sleep Yoga. Rat Hour is a preparation for deep dreamless sleep in which we process all the surface details of life; it is when we can make use of shamanic dreaming and dreams of portent. If we miss this time for Rat dreaming, then we may repress the opportunity for mental digestion/editing. Chou—Ox: Yin Earth—1-3am (12th Moon) After the editing period of Yang Rat sleep, we sink into Yin sleep, the Ox Hour, from 1am to 3am. Ox Hour is the time for deep, dreamless sleep. In deep sleep we truly rest and rejuvenate. In the Chinese Zodiac, Ox Qi is associated with the return to origin, with slow, steady, uncompromising Yin. During this time, we should have no consciousness and return to complete “I don’t know.” This is the best time to sink into the deep dark unconscious depths, which can eventually turn to Path Dreaming or Clear Light Yoga. If you are awake during Ox Hour, you miss the greatest opportunity for deep rejuvenation and restoration of the body, energy, and mind. It is important that we return to this deep “I don’t know” in order to re-attune ourselves to the natural cycle and start over again. Yin—Tiger: Yang Wood—3-5am (1st Moon) Emerging from the darkness of Yin Ox sleep, we break out of the murky depths into Yang Tiger Sleep, from 3-5am. In the Chinese Zodiac, Tiger Qi is associated with the daring, unconventional, fearless, inspirational, and symbolic. This is the second phase of Yang sleep. During the Rat Hour, we edit from the day and sink into Ox dreamlessness. During Tiger Hour, we emerge from the dreamless state to express wild, symbolic, creative, and fearless dreaming. This is when we can fly and visit other worlds; this is when we have “weird” dreams, the kind that make no sense whatsoever. Tiger dreams are a pure expression of the creative impulse of the unconscious. After the rejuvenation of Ox Hour, Tiger Hour is when we are naturally capable of lucid dreams and dreams of clarity, when we are asleep and know we are dreaming and have the full capacity to explore consciousness. According to Chinese Medicine, when we sleep, our "Hun Spirit" leaves the body; the Hun is the body in which we dream. Tiger Hour is when it can “astral project.” If we are awake during Tiger hour, we miss the opportunity for the full exploration of dreams and for the fulfillment of our true creative potential. Mao—Rabbit: Yin Wood—5-7am (2nd Moon) After the playful Tiger sleep, we transition from Yang to Yin again for the final phase of the day and the transition into the next, Rabbit Hour, from 5-7am. In the Chinese Zodiac, Rabbits are associated with the Moon, with intuition, interpretation, and the spirit world. Rabbits are most active during this “crepuscular hour,” this transition into day. The Rabbit is associated with the early dawn, when the first soft light begins to shine. It is a misty, magical, gentle hour, when the world is alive with this “bunny” energy. This is the time of day when we slowly and gently emerge from our den. It is the time to rise and prepare for Dragon Hour, the true start of the day. Rabbit Hour is a transition, in which our intuition and interpretation is activated, the best time to digest, record, and interpret our dreams. It is also the best time for morning sex, as Rabbits are associated with reproduction. Traditionally, this is also the best time for meditation and Yoga, so it is best to wake, practice, sit, and begin our day in this space of subtle yet gentle intuition. From here, the cycle starts all over again with Dragon Hour. According to Chinese Astrology, this cycle is already the natural tendency of our life. If you are in touch with your natural condition, then this should feel natural. This is something to experiment with. It is best to feel into each hour and actually experience the Qi associated with the time of day, so you can go with it rather than against it. It is difficult for us “modern professionals” with such demanding lifestyles, but this is the way humans have lived for thousands of years. And remember, the view teaches that the cycles of time are cyclical, like the Sun and Moon. There is no “progression” in time; we do not move in a straight line, but rather we alternate (Yin/Yang) and go around and around in an eternal procession. The more we move with the natural flow of the Universe, the more we begin to mirror and eventually experience our natural state. |
Tiger's Play--the View Teachings of Chinese AstrologyThis page is your source for pithy articles on the view teachings of Chinese Astrology. Here, I will share everything I have learned about how to follow Astrology as a spiritual path. Archives
January 2025
Categories |