Hi everyone,
Yes its that time of the year again!
For years now I’ve written and given talks about the Chinese New Year time in terms of the Chinese ‘astrology’ (maybe more correctly ‘geomantic’) part, which traditionally, also connects to their ancient traditional medical system.
This coming year marks the final one in the sequence of 12, the party at the end of the circular rainbow, the Chinese year of the Earth Pig! It starts on Tuesday, February 5th.
And if you haven’t heard yet, I’ve been fully back living and practicing in Ashland, and no longer in Portland, as of August of 2018 (it does appear some have heard as I placed in “Best of Ashland” in the Sneak Preview once again 😃). It’s feeling great to be back in one place – and such a nice place it is!
Ok, here we go…
As seen on Chinese restaurant placemats, the cosmological sequence goes like this (endlessly) – and is composed of:
“12 Earthly Branches” – the Animals
The sequence starts with Rat (zi): Rat – Ox – Tiger – Rabbit- Dragon – Snake – Horse – Goat – Monkey – Rooster – Dog – Pig – Rat….and so on. These also represent the 12 moons in a year, and 2-hour periods during the day.
“10 Celestial Stems” – the Elements
Which starts with Wood (chia): Wood, Earth, Fire, Metal, Water, Wood….and so on. 10 because there is a yin and yang aspect of each. In China, there used to be a 10-day long week.
The entire combined Stem/Branch system is known as the “sexagennial cycle” and creates a 120-year epoch of time. Commonly the cycle is thought of though in terms of the 60-year (letting go of the yin/yang aspect). The “Wood Rat” (1984) was the last beginning of the 60 configurations of the Stem/Branch system. Also it’s said when you live 60 years, you’ve been around the cycle once, so are fully grown up! If you make it to 120, I’m sure you’ve attained actual immortal status 🙂
February 5th begins the 2019 Year of the “Earth Pig”. If you were born 60 years ago in 1959 you are also an Earth Pig (though you may prefer not to be called that)
This cycle has been found very useful in kind of getting a general feeling for the both ‘character’ of the year as well as for the people born in that year. So maybe how your class was generally when you were in elementary school (and before you all began to act out of hormonal excess). Like if the teacher said perhaps “these kids are so righteous and always questioning authority” maybe you were all Roosters. Through this labeling of your character through the year you were born, this ancient Confucian culture is perhaps pointing out more than anything how each ‘type’ has different qualities, abilities, and issues. Indeed, rather than pointing out how ‘special’ and unique you are, as can be attempted to be done with more ‘accurate’ astrological Views, this is done in the interest of helping us get along! It points the way to understand that we have differences that are superficial but important. If we can better understand these than we can all accept and work with each other better and help ‘float the boat’ of society
And of all the signs, the Qi (energy) aspect of the Pig is perhaps the most ‘inclusive’. We look at the Chinese animals here in terms of being the development cycle of energy through 12 phases – the Rats being initiating, breaking new ground (and dislodging old foundations), and the Pigs transforming at the end of the cycle…We also look at how the animals actually ARE by nature- not Disney, but perhaps Ratatouille and Charlottes Web aren’t far off at all. The Pigs ARE good natured and kind of adorable in their own way.
The Pig year is considered very inclusive because fundamentally Pigs can easily assimilate almost anything and turn it into edible flesh. No matter how you feel about eating animals and especially pork, one can at least acknowledge that they are in one sense amazing recyclers. A small subsistence farm in China can go on for generations because the pigs can digest human waste and turn it into usable fertilizer, food, etc. Just sayin! 😉
I’m writing here more about Chinese astrology in general, with more about the Earth Pig coming in another newsletter in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile there is this…
My New Years talk for the Jacksonville Chinese New Year Festival on Saturday February 9th. 12:30 at the Old City HalI.
I started doing this talk with the initiatory Rat in 2008 (the year Obama was elected). My talk is based primarily upon my time as a student of Liu Ming in the Bay Area and tries to carry on his perspective and View of what it all means – mostly in the spirit of having fun. And we will talk about everybody’s birth Animal of course and how how well we can personally assimilate the Qi of the upcoming year. On one level it’s also been fascinating kind of following the sequence culturally/politically particularly since the Fire Monkey (2016) I’ll also send out another newsletter/blog after the event summarizing my talk.
This festival is always special and fun – for the whole family! The historic town is turned into the event – with many venues, speakers, the Lion Dance, etc. Last year there were dogs everywhere!
Traditionally the end of the old year (now) is spent preparing for the New Year by cleaning up and winding down, and it’s considered better not to push anything or sign up for something new. When I was in Malaysia for this my Chinese friends’ mother suddenly became super nice to me even though before I was treated as if invisible – good time to be pure-of-heart! It could be an opportunity to make resolutions if you missed the ‘regular’ new year.
The actual day before Chinese New Year is a ‘cold food’ day. Everything cleaned up, food prepared, very quiet, not much cooking, fires are low. So that when Chinese New Year comes it’s kind of a big BANG of a Qi event that really rolls on for a couple of weeks!
And naturally the New Year period is an excellent time to check-in and get a tuneup if its been awhile (and you can easily make appointments online). We’re in the middle of a couple of food indulgent years, if we need to talk about that!
All the best,
Ken
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