3rd Major Qi Period : May 21~July 22, 2008

Dear Friends,

          

     Image from www.Baidu.com                                 Image from leonardo-energy.org

• Are you calling it quit for 2008 ?
• 溫家寶(Wen Jiabao) said to a girl who lost both her parents in the quake : “你要好好的活下去! “  (“You have to live on, and live your life well for the sake of your dead parents”, translated by “ch”, see comment.)

I have addressed some related topics on the cosmic forces of 戊子年 (”Wuzi Year”) in earlier postings. (春分 (chun fen) : beginning of 2nd Major Qi Period,  What’s in store for the coming Summer,  The Cosmic Forces in Year 2008).

We will be soon entering the 3rd Major Qi Period of Wuzi Year, from May 21 to July 22, 2008. This is the 3rd period out of 6.

• In addition to the central theme of Strong Fire (火太过) with Dryness (燥金) characteristics of Wuzi Year, the 3rd Major Qi Period is also influenced by Strong Heat element (相火). This period will bring the “heat characteristics” to the highest level in the year in Northern Hemisphere (though temperature will linger on into 4th Period, the Earth is a big ship, takes some time to reflect).

• Note that Dryness (燥金) is represented by “Metal”, it gets cold and dry when the heat descends into the ground. However, it gets very hot if the heat remains in the atmosphere.

This additional Strong Heat element (相火)  is a bit tricky. It makes it harder for summer “Heat” (which is already above average in Strong Fire year) to descend into the ground, i.e. it will spend most of its time above ground.

As a consequence, we will witness maximum “heat expression” as we progress through the 3rd Major Qi Period.

The most distinctive characteristic of this “heat expression” in a Strong Fire year will be “sudden eruption” of unknown risks.

I can’t say for sure whether the recent devastating Sichuan earthquake is prelude to this “sudden eruption” characteristic (due to drying out of underground water). I tend to relate this overly “heat expression” with sudden major outbreak of epidemics with high fatalities.

• With Strong Fire/Heat above the ground, a likely by-product will be devastating fire/storms/typhoons. In particular we are likely to see serious fire/flooding as a result. (This could shift into the 4th Major Qi Period, depending on long the Heat lingers above the ground). And of course, with emotions high and cool-heads lost, risk of war and social disharmony increases. (hope I got all these wrong).

• As for health, Strong Fire/Heat is always challenging, for it affects the calmness of 神 (”shen”, our “mind or heart”). A disturbed “shen” will lose its integrity in holding the body and mind in sync, resulting in lost of sleep, inability to focus, lesser temper etc. Physical expressions will be higher blood pressure, headache, potential stroke/heart disorders, lung/skin disorders, anxiety or depression. The upper body (above navel) will have  a stronger tendency to show “heat” symptoms. (also refer to As Good as Gold : 内关 (”Nei Guan”) acupoint for basic remedy to calm the “shen”).

Go take a good holiday. Whatever undertakings you do in this period, do them in moderation. Conserve as much energy you can, for you will need it just as much later in the year.  The remainder 3 periods after this will be just as challenging, in their own rights. (I will address them as we approach later periods).

As mentioned earlier, it is a taboo to forecast for it is said 天機不可洩漏 (”secrets of heaven are not to be reviewed”), I will stop here and share with you some wisdom of 老子 (Laozi) :

• 知不知, 上 (”知”=know,  “不知”=don’t know, “上”=wisdom/wise),
• 不知知, 病 (”不知”=don’t know, ”知”=know,  “病”=sick/foolish).

Make some sense out of it, in your own way.

p/s :

(1). the Strong Heat element will finally break Hillary Clinton (Wood), with Obama manages to fend off with his (Water) Personal Cosmic Orientation. See US 2008 Election : Clinton/Obama/Edwards, Who wins ?

(2). In trying times, people tend to get superstitious. Chinese calendar system is not superstitious, once you understand how it works. It is a very strong empirical study over thousands of years.

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20080512: 14:28 ; 60 sec of Total Destruction in Sichuan

• On May 12, 2008 at  14.28 hour, the Earth went berserk in Sichuan Province,  many villages/towns were reduced to rubbles in 60 seconds. Sichuan is the most populated province in China (more than 100 millions). Most affected towns/villages were the most inaccessible. We have to face the cold fact that the final toll is very likely to exceed 50,000. It is a heart breaking moment for the entire world.

It will take a long time for the wounds to heal.

庄子 “Zhuang Zi” reminded us that (see posting Give Cancer cells an Exit music.) :

• “福輕乎羽, 莫之知載; 禍重乎地, 莫之知避 “, i.e.,
• “good fortune/happiness is so light (like feathers) that we do not know how to carry it; misfortune is so heavy (like Earth) that we do not know how to unload it.”

Even in despair and destitute, one can always find another person who is in more desperate position than oneself. On the contrary, if one feels happy, then one is the happiest person on Earth.

• Unloading the heavy burden of misfortune, is necessary for the healing process.

As per Zhuang Zi, the answer lies in how we turn light feathers heavy and heavy earth light.

 

I leave you with these touching pictures (images from Baidu.com).

     

     南无阿弥佗佛…

         

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In Remembrance of All Who perished in Sichuan and Myanmar

 

 

To All Who perished in Sichuan earthquake and Myanmar cyclone :

 

                             May All of You Rest in Peace.

                    

                      image from   heightsfirstsaturday.com   

                                                                   南無阿彌陀佛…

                                                   

Sichuan and Myanmar

Dear friends,

          

           image from www.theflowerexpert.com

• No word can fully express our sadness on the two most devastating disasters in recent times. Our deepest sympathy to all who have lost their lives, suffered or lost their loved ones in the tragic disasters.
• They suffer so much, because we enjoy so much. We ARE every bit why they ARE suffering so much.

There shouldn’t be any political consideration in helping our fellow brothers and sisters in pain.

• It is in tragic time like these that will bring out the best of human nature, in helping the needy and each other, irrespective of colour, race, religion or nationality.

My heart sank to see so many school children lost their lives in the quake. While we cannot fight the force of nature, certainly some unneccessary damages can be prevented, especially that of lives. Young kids are the future of our society.

The school buildings were definitely not built according to the building codes of those earth-quake zones. Behind every modern block we see in big costal cities, there are 1,000X as many “toufu” enginnering works all over the China. Sichuan will not be the last tragedy. All schools should be immediately checked to see whether they clear the building codes. No more student life should be lost due to substandard school premises. Students should feel safe studying in the schools.

The road to a rising super-power is indeed a long and difficult one, as the Torch-relay to Qomolangma symbolises. For a nation of 1.3 billion with 800 million farmers, it will take couple of generations to elevate the entire population to a higher level of well-being with a well intention and dedicated government.

Tragic time brings out the best or worst of the government. As in posting Just Government, 仁政, all that is needed is 12 Chinese characters :

• 风调雨顺，国泰民安， 安居乐业, (”feng tiao yu shun, guo tai min an, an ju le ye”)
• i.e. “Harmonious natural environment, Peace and Stability, a Decent Livelihood”.

Nothing more, nothing less. The rest are cosmetics.

Gate Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha.

The Coming of 3rd Major Qi Period of 2008

Dear Friends,

  

Image from www.jeffsweather.com

In posting 立夏(li xia) : Lifting the Veil on Summer Phase, I highlighted of the probable events that are likely to happen in 2008,  especially as we enter the 3rd Major Qi Period of 2008 (May 22 to July 21 2008). (also check posting The Cosmic Forces in Year 2008).

While it is normal in the course of the year to get warmer at this point, this “heat” element is elevated in 2008 as it is “Stronger Fire Year”.

As it is at the moment, we are already starting to see these expressions as a result of increasing “heat” element in the atmosphere.

• Sudden eruption of “epidemics” : we have seen some small scale sudden outbreaks of flu and now the foot & mouth disease,
• Storms hitting us Stronger and Earlier this year.

Fasten your seat-belt. The “heat element” has yet to reach its peak. It will be another 3 to 4 months before we see a turn-around. (As mentoned earlier, “temperature” is only one expression of “heat” characteristics in the Universe. Where we have storms (created by heat), the temperature will temporarily drop there, followed by intense heat thereafter.

In posting “US 2008 Election : Clinton/Obama/Edwards, Who wins ?“, I discussed the Personal Cosmic Orientation of Clinton, Obama and Edwards.

As the ”heat element” gets more elevated in 3rd Major Qi Period, Obama will be better equipped to face the challeges from the “heat element”, this is a consequence of their respectve Personal Cosmic Orientation. For the Cosmic Forces act on all of us and their effects will be expressed in our physical and mental well-beings. Political campaign demands the most from physical and mental strength.

Well, politics is never quite straight forward, time will tell whether they have outdoned their respective PCO.

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The Flame on Mt. Everest and Wisdom of 易 (Yi)

Dear Friends,

• Qomolangma ?

image from pictures.traveladventures.org

That is Mount Everest in Tibetan Language. 珠穆郎玛峰(zhu mu lang ma) is a direct translation in Chinese.

• Qomo means “Goddess” and “langma” means “the Third”. This is because there are 4 peaks in the neighbourhood, Qomolangma is the third peak. It is the most sacred mountain to Tibetans.

Qomolangma is at the border of China and Nepal, the Northern slope is in China while the Southern slope is in Nepal. In 1953, on May 29 at 11.30 am, climbing from the Southern slope, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first men ever to reach the top of the world, at 8,848 meters above sea-level.

On May 8, 2008, 19 torch-bearers reached the top of Qomolangma. Yes 19 of them !. Actually about 100 made it there, to carry all equipments for direct TV transmission of the Torch relay.

Here are the two videos showing the feat at that historic moment :

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YF2hRZI4hQ&feature=related

If you think about the challenges confronting all climbers in conquering Qomolangma, then such a feat involving so many climbers all at the same time is all the more incredible.

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Every host country will bring the Olympic Flame to spots where she is most proud of. Australia brought the Flame down to the Great Coral Reef.

• So China wanted to bring the Flame to the top of Qomolangma. It is madness. But then again greatness comes from many “mad” ideas. To the careful eyes, the feat tells us the rise of a super-power. It involves technology, skilled human resources, complex organizational skill, will power and of course, money.

There are a lot of subtle messages in the Torch Relay to Qomolangma. We can understand this via the wisdom of “易” (yi). 易 is the wisdom contained within the Book of Change (”易经”, Yi Jing) . Pls refer to postings Pre-Conditions (先天八卦) (1) ,Pre-Conditions (先天八卦) (2) and Post-Conditions (後天八卦) for some basic concept of Gua systems.

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1. Mountain is represented by Gen Gua (艮卦) and Fire is represented by Li Gua (離卦). Bringing a Flame to the top of a mountain creates a 旅卦 (Lü Gua), i.e. Lü Gua is formed by Li Gua on top of Gen Gua under the 64 Gua System.

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                            離卦 艮卦

• “旅” (Lü) means “journey/travel”. Wisdom of “traveling” is to take the proper roads, no short cuts, back alleys etc. That will prevent the traveler from trouble. So China is on the rise, it wants to take the proper and legitimate routes to achieve this., no matter how challenging the journey is.

• 離 (Li) is Fire, representing light, means understanding right from wrong. 艮 (Gen) is Mountain, representing solidness/impartiality, means decisions/actions are taken after careful and fair judgement. Therefore, with “Light” guiding the “decision making” process, Chinese wants to tell the world about “旅” nature of its mind and actions.

• In a situation where the enemy has to travel over long distances, 旅卦 suggests that the defender should sit tight while the enemy exhausts its supplies. China is telling foreigners and Tibetans that Tibet is part of China within its embrace, “don’t waste your time” trying to achieve otherwise.

The combination of various elements of the feat also illustrated the wisdom of 泰卦 (Tai Gua), which has 坤卦 (Kun Gua) above 乾卦(Qian Gua).

                        乾卦 坤卦     

• Kun Gua is “All Yin” and Qian Gua is “All Yang”. Now one of the characteristics of “all Yin” is “descending” and that of “all Yang” is “ascending”. Therefore when Kun is above Qian, then there is maximum interaction as Yin Qi descends and Yang Qi ascends. The result is harmony.

• The exact opposite is a 否卦(Bi Gua), which has 乾卦(Qian Gua) above 坤卦 (Kun Gua). In this case Yang Qi moves upwards and Yin Qi moves downwards, each moves separate ways without engagement and therefore a bad combination. The result is disaster.

• Cering Wangmo (次仁旺姆, a distinguished Tibetan Woman climber) was the last torch bearer, standing at the peak. She received the Flame from below, from Huang Chingui, a male climber. This is 泰卦 (Tai gua) formation.

• Also, with team coordinator Li Zhixin at Base Camp and Cering Wangmo at the summit, this is another 泰卦 (Tai gua) formation.

• Of course Cering Wangmo being the last torch bearer has other significance, it achieves the “3 sacredness” : “圣山，圣火，圣女”, i.e. “Sacred Mountain, Sacred Flame, Sacred Lady”. Cering Wangmo is the youngest woman to ever conquered Qomolangma when she was 21 two years ago. She is also the youngest in the team.

With the 旅卦 of The Sacred Flame on Qomolangma and the 泰卦 of its people consideration, the recent noises surrounding the Olympic Flame is likely to go away.

• Separately on 旅 (”journey”), a journey becomes a journey when one is too aware of it all the time, and it becomes a chore. A Journey becomes enjoyable when it is not viewed/felt as a journey, but rather home as it is. That’s another thing to take away from the wisdom of 旅卦.
  
• A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step (Laozi <道德经> Chapter 63/64 “…图难于其易，为大于其细；天下难事，必作于易；天下大事，必作于细…..千里之行，始于足下”.

Have fun appreciating your 旅卦 and in all things you engage in, try to organise it to fit 泰卦.

.

image from Baidu.com

Cering Wangmo surrounded by teamates at the summit of Qomolangma om May 8,2008.

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Rich Man gets sick, Poor Man doesn’t

Dear Friends,

image from www.orientaloutpost.com

We hear lots of noises re “Human Rights” these days. Wonder what they really are, under different space-time environments.

Well, regarding health, rule of thumb would be,  if :

• one can eat well,
• one can shxt well,
• one can sleep well,

then one can say to 2 standard deviations (>95% confidence level) that one is very healthy, body and mind.

In modern “civilised” society, we want more than health, we want more ”Human Rights”.  Well, if only the world  can just satisfy the following items for 75% of its population, it will be a terrific world :

• Right to have a roof over one’s head,
• Right to have food, clean water and basic healthcare,
• Right to earn a living.

Where’s “Right of Freedom of Speech and Expression” ? you may ask.   I refer to you Jean Jacques Rousseau’s famous line : “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chain”.  This was true in the 18th century French society, it is true today even in the most democratic systems and will continue to be true in future societies. That is, provided that we free ourselves of cligging to/chasing after man-made ideas.

• “Freedom of Speech/Expression” has always been with us all, deep in our mind. Is it not enough that we need to shout so the whole world can hear them?  There is a saying, 1.3 billion Chinese, 1.3 billion “China”. Guess it is true for the whole mankind, only nobody gets excited talking about it.

Back to our topic of this posting.

There are some 800 million farmers trying to support the 1.3 billion population with food. They may earn 10X as much compared to 20 years ago. But then nothing is “free/cheap” now. Education, Housing, Healthcare. Add inflation. They are the biggest losers. The holes in the social welfare net is getting bigger even as the country achieves economic miracle in a millenium of human history.

• Therefore, most farmers (and other poor men) in China technically ”don’t get sick” now. If you can’t access the hospitals, you are not in the statistics.
• Hospitals are business enterprises now, with financial budgets to achieve. Some are even dedicated to foreigners ! Most healthcare services are provided under insurance programs, or to those who are employed by corporations or governments.
• Who employs the farmers?  Themselves and without insurance. So they resort to DIY, sometimes with tragic consequences.

That makes us ponder over the philosophy and the cost of modern healthcare systems.

Digress for a moment and look at natural wildlives. Animals living freely in nature do not have healthcare systems.  We call it jungle and it is the survival of the fittest. That’s how their genes get stronger.

While treatment for common illnesses is definitely the collective wisdom of mankind, we have ventured way beyond that. To the point we want to save every life, nevermind how hopeless the situation is.  Loaded with emotion, we want to  ”do whatever possible” to save lives. In the mean time, millions of healthier boys and girls are simply deprived of basic foods and healthcare in lesser part of the world.

No critising, no right, no wrong. No holier than thou here. Today we are in  better camp A, tomorrow we might be in lesser camp B ? (that said, in lesser camp B, they may see things better than better camp A. For it has been said “塞翁失馬 焉知非福”. Look at Chen Sui Bian. If he hadn’t been elected as President, he would not find himself in the current mess. Presidency was a misfortune to him). So in the final analysis, it may not really matter whether “Rich man gets sick and poor man doesn’t”. 

• Now, Science is spending billions in DNA/health technology to see whether we can tackle some of the most difficult diseases of mankind.
• Perfecting the “DNA technology” is the works of nature, through the interaction of the Heavenly Qi and Earthly Qi over million/billions of years.

We try to play dice with nature by fast winding forward the process. Ask ourselves, as part of the Universe, can we be okay out of sync with nature over an extended period of time ?

Now, we already have more than enough wisdom to deal with the trauma caused to us and our loved ones by diseases/illnesses. I repeat :

• “The Wind didn’t blow and the Leaves didn’t sway. It was the Heart that moves.”

Water, water vapour, cloud, rain and back to the ocean. We see birth of cloud, we see death of cloud. That’s because our heart move and we see a beginning. By definition of natural 4 seasons, a birth means the beginning of a death.  We didn’t see H2O. Therefore if we cherish birth, then we will have to embrace/cherish death. Or if we fear death, then we should fear birth just as much, for they are the inevitable twin-brothers once we perceive one or the other they way they are defined.

Enjoy finding your H20.

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立夏(li xia) : Lifting the Veil on Summer Phase

Dear Friends,

image:www.buttonwoodfarmicecream.com/                       image:www.skooogle.com

In posting 春分 (chun fen) : beginning of 2nd Major Qi Period, we discussed the characteristics of this period for 2008, which runs from Mar 20 to May 21, 2008. I will address the 3rd Major Qi Period in coming postings.

By next Monday, May 5, 2008, it is 立夏 (Li xia) and we will be entering the Summer season which lasts until Aug 7, 2008. (So you see Beijing Summer Olympic actually starts the day after 立秋 (li qiu), which signifies the condition of Autumn has been established in 2008 in Chinese calendar. It is not in the “pure summer”).

• 立夏 (Li xia), by definition, means the foundation/condition for the “summer phase” has been established. We see everywhere shades of “夏象” (summer phase), with 春象 (spring phase) fading slowly into the back and becomes invisible as we move forward. The Yang energy is about 70% above the ground level and continues to ascend towards the peak of summer.

Summer season consists of the following 6 Minor Qi Periods (each about 2 weeks) :

• 立夏, 夏滿, 芒種, 夏至, 小暑, 大暑 (夏滿芒夏二暑連).
• (Li xia, Xia man, Mang zhong, Xia zhi, Xiao shu. Da Shu)

I have addressed the general characteristics of Summer in Universal Four Seasons.

Given 2008 is Stronger Fire with Dryness Characterisitcs, this “heat symptoms” will continue to escalate quite strongly in the 3rd Major Qi Period (May 21 to July 22, 2008). Note that the “Cosmic heat characteristics” are more than just temperature, which is only one of the expressions of heat.

• In matters of human body cosmic resonance, the Heart System will receive the full load in this coming Summer. The “heart” will “move” more vigorously.
• We will witness increasing incidence of heart disorders, sleeping problems, increased anxiety level, stroke and potential sudden outbreak of fierst epidemics and more deadly storms in the weather.

That’s why we see the emotions are high and people are easily agitated. That’s why even the Monks in red are “dancing” and punching their fists in the street. They can’t keep their cool irrespective of years of trainning, it is the karma of cosmic forces. Kids are especially prone to “heat”, while older folks are more prone to “heat”’s effects on the heart-system.

• So by 立夏 (li xia), let the body expresses itself and don’t try to cage it. It wants to go out. It wants to meet the sun. It wants to burn energy. It wants to have fun. Avoid getting angry. Sleep late and get up early (relatively). Across the land, all things are full of live, energy and activities.

I have addressed the coming summer in “What’s in store for the coming Summer”. So enjoy your coming summer while take note of its characteristics in 2008.

p/s : We are currently in the last Minor Qi Period of Spring, which is 谷雨(Gu yu). It is the mild rainny season essential for the farmers to have good harvest later in the year.

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Gone With The Wind, asap

Dear friends,

 

                                                    image from www.boxofficereport.com

In posting   Flu season - Get Your Windscreen, we discussed some simple ways to defend ourselves better in flu season.

If you are in an office environment, it is quite common to spot some colleagues who are more prone to common cold. They are said to be generally weaker in Qi and need to beef up their overall body strength. Acupoint exercises on the Twin Brothers of good health (Zusanli and Neiguan) will help to address the fundamental weakness.

When common cold symptoms first appear, the bad external element (外感邪气) is still at “shallow” level. It has not penetrated deep into the internal organs. If the body’s Yang Qi is strong enough, the bad element will be repelled even before it entered, or if it has entered the body, it will be stopped very soon. In most cases, with rest and plenty of water to flush out, the body will recover in about 7 days. If symptoms get worse beyond 7 days, then it is not a very good sign. (Note that strong body generally shows strong symptoms for it fights hard with the invading bad elements. Weaker bodies generally shows milder symptoms but getting it more frequently).

For those people with weaker Qi, they would need some help to assist their body to fight against the bad elements.

• Traditional Chinese Medicine’s fundamental approach towards external bad elements is to find an “Exit” for them. They are unwelcome guests so you want them to leave quickest possible without messing up the whole body. (Unwelcome though they are, the bad elements do provide the body Qi the chance to strenghten themselves so that they can deal more effectively with them in their next encounter).

Imagine you discover there is a burglar in your house in the middle of the night. What’s the best way to deal with it ?

A thief’s sole objective is to steal something and leave quickest possible without a trace. If he finds himself trapped inside the house, he will panic and start to mess up the whole house, breaking all things he has no intention of doing so in the first place, i.e. he becomes very dangerous. If the owner of the house is strong and armed, he can afford to enter into a fight with the burglar, it is a case of who is stronger. Of course, such is not a circumstance to prove who is stronger. A “better way” is to let the burglar realised that he is not trapped and that the door is open/unlocked. He can leave and disappear as quickly as he had entered earlier, no question asked.

• Therefore, for those people with weaker Qi, the fundamental approach the body should take is to try to guide the bad elements to the exits quickest possible. Most Chinese herbal formula on this situation help the body to open up all the “doors” and let the bad elements go away in no time. For common cold, the “doors” are the sweat pores, once you sweat, the common cold would go away.

An easy DIY method, at the earliest sign of common cold, is to do the following exercise, without taking any medicine.

• Roll the edge of a tissue paper into a “tooth pick” like structure of about 1.5 inch long. Insert this into either side of the nostrils. The tingling sensation will cause sneezing. Do this until the nose will not sneeze anymore. Ensure there is nobody immediately around you when you sneeze. Followed by a cup of hot honey with ginger or a hot bowl of congee and jump into the bed and cover oneself with balnket. Wait for the sweat, after which the Wind will be Gone ! Generally, this should be enough to arrest further development of the cold. For weaker person, they might want to beef up their body defence further by taking “Jade Windscreen Powder” as described in posting “Flu season - Get Your Windscreen”.
• This exercise can be performed each day by people who contracts common cold regularly. Soon the”Wind” will be gone too.

image from www.blogcadre.com

Hey this is so simple that they don’t teach you in the school, especially medical schools. Why? If they do, the GPs will run out of business. Common cold is their biggest incomes. And of course this is so “simple” to believe that many prefer to pay the GPs anyway, weakening their body along the way. For unless we constantly train our muscles, their will degenerate over time.

Have fun perfecting your sneezing. (of course there are many ways to induce it. Create one for yourselves!)

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Give Cancer cells an Exit music.

Dear Friends,

    Yone Minagawa, healthy and smiling at 114.

image from youkosoitalia.terapad.com

I struggled whether to write this posting. For cancer is a difficult illness, physically and psychologically to the patient. Who wants to openly talk about it ?

• That said, 庄子(”Zhuang zi”) reminded us that ” 福輕乎羽, 莫之知載; 禍重乎地, 莫之知避”, i.e. “…good fortune/happiness is so light (like feathers) that we do not know how to capture/carry it; misfortune is so heavy (like Earth) that we do not know how to avoid/unload it.” (read posting Guten Tag : Everyday is a Good Day on similar thoughts)

Modern definition of cancer is a group of cells growing out of control within the body. They consume a lot of energy/nutrients which otherwise will be used for other vital body functions. The body loses control of itself rather quickly once the cancer cells reach critical mass.

Modern medical approach to cancer is early detection, find it and take it out through surgical, chemotherapy or other means. Empirically, the success rate is highest at Stage 0 or Stage 1 at the latest, before the cancer cells start to migrate through circulatory or lymphatic systems.

Chinese Medicine’s approach towards cancer goes a bit further from here.

• First, the cause of cancer : It is viewed as a result of prolonged disturbance/disruption to normal Qi flow in the body. Normal smooth Qi flow ensures all 5 major organ-systems works harmoniously to support good health. It regulates the normal “4 seasons” of different type of body cells and provides the body with enough “正气” (zheng qi, “energy for body defence”) to fend off internal and external bad elements (“邪气”, xie qi).

Say Syonara to Cancer :

Cancer cells are one of those internal bad elements. When Zheng Qi is strong, these abnormal cells are removed by the body when they first appear, preventing then from growing further.

• Understanding this basic principle is important. Prolonged disturbance/disruption to normal smooth Qi flow provides a fertile land on which the cancer cells grow. Therefore, unless this unhealthy Qi flow condition is addressed head-on, the body will continue to provide a fertile land for future cancer cell growth. (think about relationship between fertile-land condition for weeds and weeds themselves)

I have high-lighted the importance of the Liver-system in posting “What Modern Women need to know”. In fact it is just as important to men alike. In addition to Liver-system, the Lung-system provides as a twin to regulate smooth Qi flow in the body.

• Liver-system controls temper, Lung-system controls sadness/depression. The most powerful weapons in removing the fertile land for cancer cells from the body are therefore :

1. smooth Qi flowing in the Liver Meridian,
2. smooth Qi flowing in the Lung Meridian,
3. a healthy life-style (what’s healthy life-style?)
4. optimistic attitute towards life

I can’t really help you in items (3) and (4) as they are private matters of choice. It is in essence a question of whether it’s the wind that blows, or the heart that moves.

• (1) and (2) is rather easy to address. By smoothing the Qi flow in the Liver and Lung-systems we are creating an “exit” for the “bad internal elements” by destroying the “fertile land” condition for cancer cells. It is that easy a concept that few cares.

See attached diagrams for Liver and Lung Meridians. Using the comfortbale part of your fist or equivalent, tap comfortably along both Meridians (on both sides of your body). For the Liver Meridians, just from the foot to the thigh will be sufficient. For the Lung Meridians, from upper arm to just behind the thumb.

a. Liver Meridian : along flat side of Tibia then moves to middle below knee and middle in the thigh.

b. Lung Meridian : on the upper inner side of forearm.

Have fun keeping your Qi flowing smoothly. If you are an accomplished Qigong practitioner, then the effects will be similar.

For patients diagnosed with cancer cells, seek medical treatments right away for it is a race against time. Bad Qi has crystallised in form and tapping the Meridians, though helpful, is insufficient. It is a question of who is faster in this stage.

Having said all things about cancer cells, they are like the lesser members of a big family, members that can’t fit in the big family nicely and comfortably. But we can only conclude that the lesser members are there because the rest are there. I have pondered over what’s the best way a family can deal with its own lesser members. Surely it wouldn’t be by attacking/destroying them. Afterall, they all come from the same roots.

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