Energy pattern analysis for 2012 according to "Huangdi Neijing" and how to act accordingly Pt.2

    The 6 Sections:

    Section 1, January 21^st – March 20^th : “First section, Zai Quan (second half year energy) energy moves away, air is warm, grass turns green early, people catch cold and virus, fever, headache, nauseous and vomiting, and some myocutanous.”

    Since the guest energy “old fire” supports the main energy “tree”, the main weather pattern of this section is considered as normal. But under influence of the year and the half year energy, the harmful wind energy is strong, and people tend to catch cold that brought by the wind. As liver system being over and spleen system gets weak, in general reduce some sour taste but add more sweet. Also reduce hot and spicy in your food to prevent internal heat. Instead eat more cool food like pear, orange, radish and water chestnut.

    Section 2, March 20^th – May 20^th : “Second section, cold comes back, people feels sad, grass gets frost, heat is held internally, people’s energy is trapped inside and cannot let it out.”

    Although it may sounds serious, but with the main year energy being “tree”, then the irregular pattern will be somewhat adjusted by itself. Although there will be some cold days comes back during this section, the main direct is normal as the weather gets warmer. But still, since the heart system (fire) being over heated, body essences will be harmed. People feels irritating as there are too much in their mind, thus cause issues like chest full and pain, insomnia, constipation, painful urinating, gum and teeth bleeding, nose bleeding, and dry mouth. To let the heat out, the best way is to lower the heat in the heart and smooth out the spleen system. Eat more salty food but reduce sweet. Drink enough warm water and do proper physical exercises. And very important and obvious, do not take off thick clothes too soon since the weather may surprise you.

    Section 3, May 20^th – July 22^nd : “Third section, Si Tian energy (first half year energy) starts to show its power, more cold comes, lot of rain, people catch external cold, but cannot release internal heat, lower body swells, heart burns and hard to breath, if not treated in time it may lead to death.”

    It is summer time but the heat may not seem to be as enough as it should be. Since the internal body heat is blocked by unusual external cold, it may be combined with body fluid and flow to the lower body, symptoms like hemorrhoid and swollen legs may appears. Also since the heat is held in the heart system, there will also be symptoms like irritation, dry mouth, over sweat, short breath, drossiness and fainting. The heat is in the Triple Energizer (San Jiao) system instead of one single organ, so the entire body may be overheated. Take advantage of the seasonal fruit like watermelon, drink enough warm water to help the skin open better and release the internal heat. Eat more bitter but reduce salty.

    Section 4, July 22^nd – September 22nd : “The fourth section, the wind mixed with the wet, the earth gets more rain, everything will grow to its max, people gets more heat but gets weak, muscle gets weak especially feet and legs, also diarrhea and dysentery.”

    The main weather pattern for the section is normal, and the weather becomes cooler with reasonable amount of rain. This may a bumper crop year, but people may get symptoms caused by wet-heat such as cold-heat feeling, body and head feels heavy, sleepiness, stuffy chest and stomach, nauseous, dry mouth but don’t want to drink water and joint pains. Make sure keep the air in the house fresh and flowing by using less air conditioner but opens windows more. This will help to remove the harmful wetness around us. Eat less sweet but more sour. And because of the internal heat, people tends to drink and eat more cold thus cause diarrhea. So it is still safer and heather to stay with warm drinks.

    Section 5, September 22^nd – November 22^nd : “Fifth section, Yang energy comes back, tree and grass grow more and harvest, people feels comfortable.“

    This sounds like the smoothest section of the year. The most serious issues we can get are dryness related symptoms like coughing, sore throat, light fever, sweat less, dry lips and mouth, craving for water and bad sleep. Taking all the fruits you can get for the season (seasonal fruit) because this is the time. With a better appetite and strong stomach energy, you are ready and able to take them to moisturize the body. But avoid strong sour food and eat more bitter instead to balance the system in general. Keeping the bowel movement smooth is the key.

    Section 6, November 22^nd – January 21^st, 2013 : “The last section, the Zai Quan energy (second half year energy) starts to show its force, strong wet force arrives, cold moisture air in the sky surrounds the earth, many open area are fogy and cloudy with less or no sunlight, people feels sad or even hopeless, if there is strong cold wind arrives, for those who are pregnant may not be able to deliver the baby alive.”

    Another scary picture we see here. The weather may be harsh with too much snow or rain, plus the cold-dampness. Under this energy pattern, people catch cold easy, also there may be muscle sore and pain, bad digestion, diarrhea, hernia, running nose, coughing, chest pain, headache and heavy body, lower back pain, joint pain, bloated belly, and vomiting. Although looks bad, but if there is Yin, then there must be Yang. To prevent all these, the basic rule is to keep the body warm inside out, meaning more clothes and more hot water, in order to balance the “cold water” energy and support the fire (heart energy). Because no one likes too much fogy and cloudy days in the winter, we can always do the best to adjust the physical body to bring a good mood as well. Eat some warm food (winter food remedy) such as lamb and beef, because winter is also the good time to nourish the body. But eat less salty but a little bit more bitter.

    In conclusion, section 1, 2 and 4 have normal weather energy pattern, but 3, 5 and 6 have unusual patterns. Combines with the main and half years energy, the main energy forces of 2012 are wind, cold and wet.

                                                                                                       

    So far I have done my awful interpretation from the ancient text for you. Please use your own wisdom to understand and utilize it. Here I also want to share something I have found interesting. It’s another analysis according to the energy pattern and the 9-star theory but more in the Yi Ching, Chinese astrology and Feng Shui aspect. I do NOT have enough knowledge about these but I can still try my best to do another awful translation. If you are interested, please continue:

South East Tree Wind, gallbladder. 5-yellow	South Fire, heart 1-white	South West Earth, spleen 3-jade green
East Water, liver 4-green	Center Earth, spleen 6-white	West Metal, lung 8-white
North East Mountain, stomach 9-purple	North Water, kidneys 2-black	North West Metal, large intestine 7-red

    Don’t worry if you don’t understand the chart, I put it here just as a fact. Here are the descriptions:

1. 1-white star represent frost and snow, it’s at the position of Fire. This indicates the south (fire) is threatened by water hazard. In human body this shows as strong heat-dampness inside, in the nature it indicates the flood in the south.
2. 2-black star represents the sickness. It lands north (kidneys). This may indicates 1, sickness in the north. 2, and it is caused by weak earth (spleen-stomach). 3, the root is in kidney and bladder system, and 4, related to body fluid or blood.
3. 3-jade green star represent the thunder or shakes. It moves to south west (Yin Earth) this year. It might indicate earthquake in the south west but with no other strong evidence to support this guess. Also this might indicates movement in earth-wood business but again it is just a guess. This is a very uncertain star so we can only go and see.
4. 4-green star represents the wind. It lands east where wind is already strong. Looks like there may be wind damage to the east. Here the “east” we talk about is a bigger term, not necessarily the east in one country or area.
5. 5-yellow star represents earth and disaster. It lands south east and indicates possible disaster in that direction of the earth. It can appear as earthquake, flood or fire depends on the other factors. But in general, any disaster on the earth is all somehow related to wind.
6. 6-white star represent water, it’s in the center. And the center represent the earth, and water invades earth may indicates water is overpowering the earth. OR, it can also mean the central earth is holding up the water like a dam. Since other factors shows 2012 has strong wind and water energy, more likely we may see the water overpowering the earth. If the dam cannot hold the water anymore, then we are looking at some dyke breaching or mud sliding. And next year (2013) this may be more severe.
7. 7-red star represents gun powder and metal, military, wars or fight. It lands in North West this year. We are hoping the best that it won’t show as war in that direction. But when history moves, we must follow.
8. 8-white star represents supports. It is a good star and lands in the west this year. In China (since this theory is based on the location of central China) it shows as the government starts to develop the west more and it is going strong. But are we also going to see more development in that direction in general?
9. 9-purple star represents the economy in a way. It reaches the north east this year. But in human body it represents the digestion system (stomach and intestine). When too much energy reaches the digestion system it may appears to be stuffed and accumulated. As a healer I personally want to remind everyone this may be MIS-diagnosed as tumor or even cancer. So, stay calm and look at yourself as a whole system.

    By now I have competed what I want to share. Again, these information are not necessarily correct and you should definitely NOT make them become the reason of worrying. Human has been part of the universe for years, diseases and disasters are simply part of life. Stay centered and balance, use your own internal universe to balance the external change.

Energy pattern analysis for 2012 according to "Huangdi Neijing" and how to act accordingly Pt.1

      First of all I must apologize that I was not able to post this New Year article soon enough, and for those who are not very familiar with this or didn’t read my post for last year, please read this article to have a quick warm up. This traditional energy pattern theory is a very complicated holistic theory that people have been using to explain and predict universal matters in order to survive and live better. Too many subjects such as astrology, geography, geometry, mathematic, chemistry, physics and of course medicine as well, are involved so it requires the user to be extremely knowledgeable in order to better utilize it in real life.

     Obviously I’m for sure NOT knowledgeable enough to draw a nice picture of it, but I will try my best to provide whatever I’m capable of to give a general idea of this year.

      AGAIN,Many words in the following article are my awful direct translation from the ancient text. And please be advised the original text was written more than 2000 years ago, and some details are NOT necessarily accurate. Ancient Chinese had their ways of understanding the universe and themselves. We are here to share their wisdom with our own feeling and conscious. Or let's put it this way: if we are seeing what the text is describing when the time arrives, we know what's going on and know what to do. If it doesn't happen, then enjoy the following as an article about ancient Chinese medical literature.

      Before we getting into 2012, let’s review the last section of 2011 and get a better idea of how the ancient energy pattern works. The main energy pattern for 2011 is “lack of water”, and for 2012 is “excessive tree wind”. When less water (winter) meets too much tree (spring), it gives us an early spring energy, AKA warm winter.

      However we have been reading news about many areas in the world have been getting extreme cold days. Let’s keep going through the year of 2012, we may get some ideas.

      The chart below shows the general energy pattern of 2012. (Please note that we are talking according to traditional Chinese seasonal year, so the year of 2012 is actually January 21^st,2012 to January 21^st 2013). We can see the main pattern is excessive Tree Wind; first half of the year we will under strong cold water energy, second half will be Wet Earth energy. The whole year is divided by small seasons into 6 sections.

Excessive Tree (wind)
Cold Water			Wet earth
Main：Tree Wind Guest: Old fire	Main: Young Fire Guest: Dry Metal	Main: Old Fire Guest: Cold Water	Main: Wet Earth Guest: Tree Wind	Main: Dry Metal Guest: Young Fire	Main: Cold Water Guest: Wet Earth
01.21/03.20	03.20/05.20	05.20/07.22	07.22/09.22	09.22/11.22	11.22/01.21.2013

Excessive Tree Wind (year):

    The Ancient text stated, when under excessive tree wind energy, wind is strong, spleen is the vulnerable organ. There will be symptoms like diarrhea, bad appetite, body feels heavy, stomach upset, intestinal issues, gas and fluid swollen, chest (rib) pain, nauseous, irritable, dizziness. Like the cloud moves fast, everything on the earth changes fast, grass and tress swings fast or even break. To prevent these, we should focus on supporting the spleen energy and spleen-liver relationship by cultivating our emotion, especial anger, to maintain a solid and balanced condition. Eat more yellow color grain, black color food and bitter taste food to help the body remove the excessive fluid.

    

    For business and profession, tree or wood related business like herb and lumber may do well. In contrast “earth” related fields such as land and property development or construction may be tough. But Since the second half of the year we will have strong earth energy back, there may be some improvement for these fields near the end of the year. Besides, “metal” business such as mining, stock market may be low.

    

    Tree Wind represents the East, so at least the Chinese people believe this will be a great year for China. For the USA, does that mean that the east coast will outperform the west? We’ll see.

    For the nature, if the Tree Wind “abuse” and press the Earth energy too much, whenever there is a chance, more like during the 5^th section when metal energy is strong enough to hold the tree wind energy back a little more, the earth will fight back hard. This may show as earthquake or flood.


First Half and second half (half year):
    First half we will be under Cold Water energy and followed by Wet earth in the second half. When this combination happens, the Spring of the year will arrives early but the winter may be colder and damper than usual, and this will directly affect the kidneys thus may cause kidney related issues. The cold weather can appear in any other seasons unexpectedly, even in spring or summer. Cold freezes the water, slows down people’s blood circulations, and it may cause blood related issues such as heart pain, carbuncle, nosebleed, hemafecia. Or sinus, running nose, sadness, vertigo, chest pain, hot flash, joint pain, or dry throat. These symptoms are rooted from the heart (pericardium) system. Also there will be aurally symptoms, throat pain, fluid swollen, lower belly pain and bloating, urinating pain, headache, pressure behinds the eyes, stiff neck and back, hip, knee and calf hardness. These are rooted from the kidney system. These can be treated by herb or foods that are mild hot, bittersweet, then using saltiness to remove the cold from inside through urine.


To be continued...

February 19th, 2012. "rain water, the 2nd small Spring season arrives

      In 2012, the season of "Rain water" arrives on February 19th, same as last year. Celestial longitude: 330 degree. For some of the seasonal information please read this article from last year.
    
      Here are some additional information:


      As its name tells us, this is a very damp season with strong harmful wet energy. The wet energy harms the spleen and stomach system the most. Plus when liver energy gets strong with the spring seasons energy, it will weaken the spleen-stomach system as well. In other words, this is a small season when we also need to nourish the spleen-stomach system, besides liver and lungs. Some food remedies include beef tripe, sweet potato, sticky rice, cherry, white bean, oat, squash, chestnut and dates. Also one food remedy I mentioned in the past is the Barley red bean soup. This remains as one of the most effective remedy for strengthening the spleen and removing excessive body fluid.


      Here are some tips to prevent from getting the common cold in this season: 

1. Start to do more proper physical exercises. I know that I have been holding everyone back from exercise during past seasons. But now I will do the opposite, it’s time. 
2. Follow the energy of the spring and keep a positive and optimistic mood. A worrier often has weak spleen-stomach energy as excessive worrying harms it. 
3. Eat right for your spleen-stomach as we mentioned earlier. 
4. Do not take off your thick clothes too soon. Wear loose, soft and warm materials. 
5. Open your windows when the day is nice to allow the sunlight in and exchange the air. 

      Regarding tip #4 above, this is a unique traditional Chinese health theory. In general we believe that we should adjust our clothes according to the weather at the moment. This is correct too, and sometime very important. But in a bigger picture, we need to not only see what is happening "now", but also what is going to happen "next". In early spring time, there are basically two other kinds of energy appears beside the spring warmth itself:

1. Cold air returning. Cold weather is no stranger during early spring, sometimes even mid or later spring. Therefore to keep the thick clothes on will protect your body from being surprised and harmed by the unexpected cold air. As spring is also a wind season, without good protection the wind will “open” our protective energy easy and other harmful factors will then follow right after. 
2. Summer heat coming. After the spring warmth we will be facing the summer hear. In order to adjust the body to that, we want to keep it warm and warm-er so our skin starts to open in order to release the extra heat inside. When real summer heat arrives, our body will be ready for that already. But if you leave your body cool during the spring time, the skin will stay closed instead. When the summer heat arrives it will be a big surprise to the body. 

      After looking at both situations, it’s clear that to keep the thick clothes on makes a lot sense for health purposes in the spring.

February 4th, 2012. "spring commences", the 1st small Spring season arrives

    Happy New Year and Happy new Spring! Many people knows this as the year of "Black Dragon" or "water Dragon", but from the universal health perspectives, this is the year of the "Tree Wind". We will be under strong influence of the wind energy. I will post an individual article about this year's energy pattern soon.


    In 2012, the season of "Spring Commences" arrives on February 4th, same as last year. Celestial longitude: 315 degree. For some of the seasonal information please read this article from last year.
    
    Here are some additional information:


   We have used up most of our Yang energy through the winter, and now we have much less left. So during this Spring to Winter transitional time, our body is considered being weak. But the good news is, Spring is also the best time for us to “renew” and “recharge” our Yang energy as well. The main goal is to take advantage of the natural energy, to make it easy to understand, we need to clean the cold out and restore the warmth. 


    Tips:

1. Take more sun bath: simply the best way to gain Yang energy for the body. 
2. Comb your hair (scalp) often: To increase the blood circulation in the head area and the neck area as well. Ideally use a good wooden comb instead of plastic one. If you cannot find a good, simply use your fingers. Meanwhile make sure still protect your neck, especially the back of your neck.

    For those who love vegetables, now is the best time to enjoy, especially greens. Chive, spinach, and all kinds of sprout are the best choice. Avoid strong sour taste food.

    And no matter what the harmful factors are, to maintain a strong immune system is the ultimate solution. This is a broad topic but let’s make it simple for this season – eat well, rest well and try get rid of all the bad life habits.