The 60 Year Cycle: Understanding the Qi of the Year and Its Clinical Implications

The 60 year Cycle: Understanding the Qi of the Year and its Clinical Implications

Nei Jing Su Wen: Chapters 66-71, & 74

Unschuld: “over 1/3 of the Su Wen”

Unschuld, Paul U. Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen: Nature, Knowledge, Imagery in an Ancient Chinese Medical Text, Berkeley:

University of California Press 2003

~100 page appendix about this topic Su Wen Chapter 2: “In the old days, the sages treated disease by preventing illness before it began…”

Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 7 Su Wen Chapter 9: “Through careful observation of the time of the season and the arrival of the appropriate weather and cyclic pattern, we can understand and apply the knowledge of the transformation of the five elements. Thus, a doctor who does not understand or had misinterpreted the peaks and valleys of the cycles of nature will not understand the mechanism by which people get sick. That doctor will be ineffective in both the treatment and prognosis of patients.”

Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 39 Su Wen Chapter 66: “In ancient times the sages observed the heavens and noted their surroundings carefully and proposed a complex system, consisting of several subsystems to account for all possible variables in the forecast of macrocosmic influences upon the world, especially the weather and the effects on people.”

Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 237 Su Wen Chapter 66: “The five elemental phases and the six atmospheric influences have a definite pattern and rhythm. This knowledge is very profound. If one grasps it, one can know the changes that will transpire in the natural world. One who masters this science can enjoy eternal health. One who neglects to learn this will suffer danger, injury, and even death by having violated the natural rhythms and patterns of the universe. Please learn, understand and apply this knowledge carefully.”

Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 240 Su Wen Chapter 66: “The interactive dynamic between the stems and the branches produces subsystems that make up the large system of meteorology. This system is not just about predicting weather patterns but also is about the influence of these weather patterns on all living things in the world, especially people’s well-being. It is immensely useful for forecasting epidemic illnesses.”

Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 239

Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches

Each Year: Yin or Yang Heavenly Stems

WOOD Yang Wood

Yin Wood

FIRE Yang Fire

Yin Fire

EARTH Yang Earth

Yin Earth

METAL Yang Metal

Yin Metal

WATER Yang Water

Yin Water South

June July May Horse Goat Snake Yang Yin August Fire Earth Yin Sheep Monkey April Fire

MetalYang

Dragon Yang Earth West Dragon September

Rooster

Metal

Earthly Yin

Yin

Wood March Rabbit Branches East WoodYang

Tiger Yang EarthDog Febuary EarthYin Dog Yin Ox Yang Water Water October Ox Boar January Rat

November December

North Earthly Branches

WOOD - Yang Wood - Yin Wood - Yang Earth Dragon FIRE - Yin Fire - Yang Fire - Yin Earth Sheep (Goat) EARTH - Yin Earth Ox - Yang Earth Dragon - Yin Earth Sheep - Yang Earth Dog METAL - Yang Metal - Yin Metal - Yang Earth Dog WATER - Yang Water - Yin Water - Yin Earth Ox 60 Year Jia-Zi Cycle

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Stem +wood -wood +fire -fire +earth -earth +metal -metal +water -water Branch +water -earth +wood -wood +earth -fire +fire -earth +metal -metal Stem +wood -wood +fire -fire +earth -earth +metal -metal +water -water Branch +earth -water +water -earth +wood -wood +earh -fire +fire -earth Stem +wood -wood +fire -fire +earth -earth +metal -metal +water -water Branch +metal -metal +earth -water +water -earth +wood -wood +earth -fire Stem +wood -wood +fire -fire +earth -earth +metal -metal +water -water Branch +fire -earth +metal -metal +earth -water +water -earth +wood -wood Stem +wood -wood +fire -fire +earth -earth +metal -metal +water -water Branch +earth -fire +fire -earth +metal -metal +earh -water +water -earth Stem +wood -wood +fire -fire +earth -earth +metal -metal +water -water Branch +wood -wood +earth -fire +fire -earth +metal -metal +earth -water Relationships Between the Elements Between Heaven & Earth Between Elements Strength Timing Unseasonal; or “off-timed” weather

FIVE ELEMENT CONFLICTS

Yang Wood Yang Metal Yin Wood Yin Metal Yang Fire Yang Water Yin Fire Yin Water Five Element Correspondences

Five WOOD FIRE EARTH METAL WATER Elements Color blue & green red & purple yellow & white & gray black brown Direction east south center west north Season spring summer all 4 autumn winter seasons Nature/ evil wind heat dampness dryness cold Yin Organ Liver Heart Spleen Lungs Kidneys Yang Gallbladder Small Stomach Large Urinary Organs Intestine Intestine Bladder Body tendons & blood & muscles & skin bones & Tissues nervous blood fat bone system vessels marrow Sense eyes tongue mouth nose ears Organs Body Fuids tears sweat drool nasal mucus saliva Emotions anger joy worry & sadness fear over-thinking Moral kindness & courtesy & trust justice wisdom Characters compassion respect Heavenly Yang Wood Yang Fire Yang Earth Yang Metal Yang Water Stems Yin Wood Yin Fire Yin Earth Yin Metal Yin Water Earthly Yang Wood Yin Fire Yang E Dragon Yang Metal Yin Water Branches Yin Wood Yang Fire Yin E. Sheep Yin Metal Yang Water Yang E. Dog Yin Earth Ox

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 yang fire yin fire yang earth yin earth yang metal yin metal yang water yin water yang wood yin wood dog/ yang pig or boar/ rat/ yang ox/ yin tiger/ yang rabbit/ yin dragon/ snake/ yin horse/ goat/ yin earth dog yang water water earth ox wood wood yang earth fire yang fire earth dragon sheep or goat hot hot el nino hot hot el nino/ hot

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 yang fire yin fire yang earth yin earth yang metal yin metal yang water yin water yang wood yin wood monkey/ rooster/ yin dog/ yang pig or boar/ rat/ yang ox/ yin tiger/ yang rabbit/ yin dragon/ snake/ yin yang metal earth dog yin water water earth ox wood wood yang earth fire metal dragon

Note: El Nino = warm water; La Nina = cool water; for ocean temps in tropical Paciﬁc Ocean http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/cei/graph/us/cei/01-12; hottest year on record in USA = 2012 hottest on record worldwide = 2014 (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/summary-info/global/201412) 2014 = driest year in California (http://plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/?p=9466) 2015 = third wettest year on record (https://weather.com/news/climate/news/record-warmest-wettest-december-us-2015), 2015 = wettest winter on record in England & Wales (http://www.metofﬁce.gov.uk/news/releases/2016/winter-statistics)

Resources

• Ni, Maoshing. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine, Boston: Shambala 1995 Pg. 240

• Unschuld, Paul U. Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen: Nature, Knowledge, Imagery in an Ancient Chinese Medical Text, Berkeley: University of California Press 2003

• Unschuld, Paul U and Tessenow, Hermann. Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen: An Annotated Translaon of Huang Di’s Inner Classic – Basic Quesons, Berkeley: University of California Press 2011

• Wang, Bing. Wu, Nelson Liansheng and Wu, Andrew Qi, translators. Yellow Empero’s Cannon Internal Medicine, Chinaq Science & Technology Press 1997

Quesons?

Master Wendy S. Goldman, L.Ac.

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