Help with terminology

[Guest guest]

What are the Twelve Earthy Branches, and how do they relate to

Traditional ? I have heard these terms referenced

before in relation to other things, but I don't quite understand what

their application is. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Mbanu

[Guest guest]

>What are the Twelve Earthy Branches, and how do they relate to

>Traditional ? I have heard these terms referenced

>before in relation to other things, but I don't quite understand what

>their application is. Any help would be appreciated.

 

The 12 Earthly Branches are representations of Qi movement on earth. They

are symbolized by rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep,

monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. They usually are seen in Chinese astrology

though the symbolism also turns up in some TCM treatments having to do with

time of day.

 

" Not one of the 12 animal signs represents a star or a constellation.

Rather, the animals represent the movement of earthy qi expressed in cycles

of time. Call the Twelve Earthly Branches, each of the 12 animal signs

corresponds to a branch, or component, of 12 twi-hour increments, 12 months,

and 12 years.

 

" Most zodiac astrolgers consider only the year, month, and hour of birth

when determining a client's astrological chart. But, what of the day you

were born? Determining the day branch requires a series of mathematical

calculation that is either ignored by, or not known by, astrologers who

practice this system. As you'll soon learn in Chapter 22, " The Four Pillars

of Destiny, Part 1, the Chinese believe we have eight components to our

personality. If the day/animal branch is ignored, then this analysis will

account for only three-eighths, or less than half, of our overall makeup.

 

" So, what purpose do the animals serve? The animal signs attached to each

branch are merely mnemonics to aid learning the different types of qi and

their associated natural and human phenomena.

 

" Take the rat, for example. A nocturnal and social creature, the rat is an

ideal emblem for yin's midnight hour, for winter, and for north. The rat

person is at his best at night and in a crowd. Directly opposite the rat is

the horse, the emblem of noon, summer, and south. The horse symbolizes

independence, passion, and masculinity - all characteristics of yang's force

at its highest. " (The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui, 2nd. ed.,

Dlizabeth Moran, Master Joseph Yu, and Master Val Biktshev, pp. 268-269.)

 

So what is the TCM applications of this symbolism associated with Qi

movement on earth in cycles of time? Symptoms at certain times of the day

can point to imbalance in a specific Organ. For example, if a person wakes

up about every night between the approximate hours of 3 am and 5 am, this

may be an indication that there is imbalance in the Lungs. The Qi flow from

roughly 2-4 am is symbolized by the ox, and that from 4-6 am is symbolized

by the tiger. There may be imbalances in Earth energy (Ox) and Wind energy

(Tiger). Furthermore, in a few cases treatment is best administered at a

certain time of day in order for the treatment to be effective.

 

" The 10 Heavenly Stems " refers to the Yin and Yang phases of the 5 Elements:

Yin Wood, Yang Wood, Yin Fire, Yang Fire, Yin Earth, Yang Earth, Yin

Metal, Yang Metal, Yin Water, and Yang Water. For example, there are Wood

Rats, Fire Rats, Earth Rats, Iron Rats, and Water Rats. The Wood, Fire,

Earth, Metal, and Water categories also symbolizes manifestations of Qi

(energy). For more details, check out Dagmar's newsletters Letter From

China in the message base. She explains the symbolism very well. For

example, some people will have an excess of Wind. They tend to be impulsive,

hot-headed, red-faced, etc. and suffer from headaches and eye problems.

Think of Liver Yang Rising or Liver Fire Blazing (and possibly attacking the

Lungs). Wind is the predominate type of energy in the spring of the year and

just before and at sunrise. It is a time of increasing Yang and a time of

very rapid and new growth. Noon and summer (Fire) are the most Yang time of

day, autumn and sunset (Metal) are times of increasing Yin (people and

animals start slowing down and preparing for winter or night), and midnight

and winter (Water) are times of maximum Yin.

 

People with particular imbalances can run into problems at certain times of

the year or day. For example, a person who is Yang Deficient often will

hate winter and have more health problems during cold weather than at other

times of the year. Nights also can be particularly hard on these people

because they are Yang Deficient, and these are times of maximum Yin. They

are getting no help from the environment in turns of what they need.

 

Likewise, a person who is Yin Deficient often hates the summer and has more

problems at the summer or around noon than at other times. This is a time

of maximum Yang, and the person is getting little if any Yin from the

environment. The person already has too much Yang relative to Yin, and the

environment is just adding more Yang and worsening the imbalance.

 

Note to those new to TCM: What's being discussed here is something called 5

Element Theory. Many TCM schools don't teach it, but I recommend students

becoming familiar with it. Sometimes a knowledge of 5 Elements can give the

little extra knowledge and fine-tuning of treatment that can make the

difference between a cure and a less than successful outcome. It's also

possible armed only with an acupoint chart and a basic knowledge of 5

Element theory to figure out successful acupressure and acupuncture

treatments. Voice of experience here.

 

Victoria

 

 

 

 

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