Nine Star Qi: Exploring The Possibilities Of Oriental Astrology

NINE STAR QI

EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES OF ORIENTAL ASTROLOGY

By Jim Kendrick

CONTENTS

Introduction ..... 3 Part I - An Ancient Science ..... 5 Part II - The Five Elements ..... 16 Part III - Qi Types ..... 21 Part IV - The Elements In Medicine ..... 36 Part V - Time Cycles ..... 40 Appendix: Three Essays ..... 48

INTRODUCTION

This ebook is intended as an introduction to the world of nine star ki astrology and the psychology of the five elements known to oriental cosmology and medicine. After some deliberation about the structure of the book, I concluded that breaking it down into manageable bits of information was preferable than a barrage of commentary or repeating popular diatribes about the subject.

Thus, the order may not be as appealing to our usual "linear" mode of thinking, which is appropriate since the elements themselves are, for all we can say about them, somewhat of an enigma. In the tradition of quantum mechanics which has at last invited these mysterious "uncertain" principles into its equations, we are presenting the five elements and its subsequent "time science" (nine star ki) in a suitably ambiguous way.

The reader will likely find many references here not found in the traditional texts on feng shui and nine star ki, as the esoteric nature of eastern medicine is flirted with throughout this book. Thus, the corresponding organs of the elements and their psychological and spiritual aspects are mentioned, providing a unique ground for one to launch their own study and crusade to know the elements directly. While much can be gleaned from following the traditional interpretations of nine star ki; a useful calendar to live and plan ones activities by, it is the author's opinion that the real secrets are to be discovered by those who take the tradition more as a basic framework in which to conduct their own peripheral investigations. This is, I hope, what has been achieved with this book.

There will be here some alternate ideas to the commonly held interpretations of the basics of nine qi such as the three personal numbers, the five elements and their relationships as well as the more esoteric and spiritual expressions of the elements in both our body (yin) and behaviour (yang). It can be both leftbrained and right-brained and indeed is a koan in itself, illuminating a path to wholeness on an individual level and a peaceful planet of divinely organised communities on the larger scale. This is a book of possibility, not of conformity or a quest for absolute truth on any matter. It is the expression of a personal and sacred journey with nine qi in which intimate working, intense engagement, struggle and revelation have granted the author the freedom and desire to share some of the things he had learned. It alludes to nothing but an ongoing, life-long apprenticeship where one's perception changes as the sand shifts with the tides.

It is not really a beginner's book whereby we instruct you how to do it, providing calculations and tables etc. One may be disappointed and frustrated here if they are seeking an instruction manual. Ch'i, the life energy which is the cornerstone of the oriental sciences and Taoist philosophies, is not something that can be described definitively. Like the invisible fields of science; electric, magnetic, gravitational etc., we know Ch'i exists through evidence of its influence in the physical. And despite the growing intention to prove it with Kirlian devices and such, what it "is" exactly can't really be grasphed with ordinary thinking. Ch'i is something you come to "know" in flashes of revelation

which leave no trace in your memory banks. It is difficult to refer to it in the past, as is the case with conceptual knowledge which relies on a certain predictibility.

For this reason the book invites anyone, lay or expert, to use these prompts as inspiration, and a path toward unique and personal revelations. It may not come across as "reader-friendly" like some other publications on the subject. It is for people who would like to make a significant inroads into their study and explore the nature of the elements in greater depth. It is a playful and poetic adventure in the realm of nine eternal phases of qi as they wax and wane throughout human lives and human consciousness. From experience, I know that the spirit of the elements do not like to be boxed and labelled. I also know they communicate and interact with one another. As such, it is difficult to examine them in isolation, as one might a museum exhibit. It is only fitting that a celebration of their potentials should reflect this playfulness and "weird" logic. So we encourage you to let the mind wander and wonder at the remarkable body of knowledge that is nine star ki and the five elements and to take some of this with you into your everday life, where the Ch'i quite cheerfully resides.

Note: This book does not contain calculations for working our your personal stars. It is for those who already know their signs and want to deepen their understanding. There are many sources and the method is relatively simple, if you are interested in your personal numbers, you can find a calculation table at the website www.ninestars.net

PART I - AN ANCIENT SCIENCE

Nine Star Qi: A Way Of Honour The ancient oriental science of Nine Star Qi is a timeless tool used to outline certain probabilities in someone's life. This is knowledge that has worked for thousands of years and is regarded as a sacred science. The only difference it has to Western science is that Nine Star Qi acknowledges an invisible Life Force (Ch'i) as playing an active role in the manifest world. It states that we are part of the same flux of nature that stars, bamboo trees and monkeys share. Yet it acknowledges that we are also spiritual beings and within our organism, which is perfectly organised and governed by eternal principles, we have a spark of divinity.

Since the communist infiltration of eastern knowledge, sciences such as nine star qi and Chinese medicine have become more materialistic and "Darwinian" in practise, functional yet perhaps missing the ultimate purpose, which is to empower the individual with a realistic picture of his place in Creation. It is the author's belief that the original essence of these teachings do indeed honour the spirit and intent of a person.

All things created have this intent or Will to live and express their individuality in them, represented by the Water element. With a more communist or totalitarian influence (the West is also showing signs of this though it is labelled something else, socialism etc.), it is more difficult for these sciences to be harnessed for the individual's autonomy and power. Yet, for those who recognise its potential, it is also a means to resist tyranny and stand your ground as a soverign Unit and enjoy a powerful connection to one's Source. In this way, one may think of it as an expression of Bushido, a way to live with honour, courage and integrity; honouring the life we have been given and developing it as we see fit.

Overview Nine Star Qi views all life phenomena as the interaction between five primary forces of creation (wood, earth, water, fire and metal) and witnesses nine distinct phases of transformation which become "energetic influences" expressed in time. The nine phases of Nine Star Qi are unique to the system and are the reflection of heavenly "principles" on earth. They govern the cycles of planetary magnetism, relating the earth to the sun and galactic core. They are a language or a blueprint for understanding many things including the cycles of the body, health, sexuality, relationships and even more exoteric things such as politics, business, war strategy, scientific discoveries and world events.

It is truly the one of the most beautiful and elegant systems of self-exploration

available, revealing a kind of 'biorhythm of the soul'. Nine Star Qi is the astrological branch of an ancient oriental worldview that views all manifestation as the result of the interaction between five forces. It is a means of keeping time in cycles of nine which govern the patterns of energy in the subtle bodies (a la acupuncture) and have a macrocosmic expression in the seasonal progressions of years, months, days and hours.

Nine Star Qi is based on the premise that the life force moves in cyclic patterns through nine distinct phases. There is one water stage, one fire, two wood, two metal and three earth stages. Each phase has a distinct pattern, an energy signature. People who lived agriculturally first noticed these phases as Earth phenomena thousands of years ago. They were then related to the rhythms of the individual. It was seen that each allotment of time had a characteristic pattern, a morphic field which set up certain conditions of potential. The system today makes it easy to determine which of the nine phases relates to our character, emotional habits as well as the "transiting" year, month, day and hour we are residing in at any time.

Mysterious Origins Though its origins are mysterious, it is generally believed to be around 3,000 years old although some scholars suspect it was utilised in earlier civilisations such as Sumeria and Egypt, before knowledge became increasingly geared toward serving the masculine "light" principle and destroying the feminine (void) principle. The mythical victory of St. George over Tiamat illustrates this symbolic move away from the Creator and toward a worship of "things created", an egoic lust for power and dominance of "chaotic" nature. Or, in laymen terms, a move from Love of God toward Fear of God. It was said to have been first discovered by the Chinese and developed further by the Japanese as an agricultural science. Nine Star Qi is thought of by many to be the oldest known systems of divination, eclipsing even the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda by thousands of years. The most famous story about ins inception says that it originated in China millennia ago when the Yellow Emperor, Wu of Hsia, discovered a tortoise shell in the river, thought of to be an auspicious sign from above. The shell was reported to display unusual markings which seemed to reveal a specific pattern of cosmic laws. The pattern was later developed into what is now called the Luo Shu or Magic Square and is also the basis of the Ba Gua used in Feng Shui (the symbolic map of energy in a house or structure).

This knowledge allegedly spread from China to Japan where it was taken up as an agricultural science, with such practial applications as using it to grow certain vegeables in the appropriate time cycle. The Japanese were said to develop the system into what we know today as Nine Star Qi, while the earlier Chinese version is often called Feng Shui astrology. The Tibetans also made use of the system however their version was far more spiritual and deistic. Nine Star Qi is intimately related to the oriental health sciences we still see today such as acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, alchemical practices such as Qi

Gong and the martial arts, divination methods such as the I-Ching and Feng Shui as well as certain philosophical worldviews, most notably Taoism.

It is clear, when one studies it deeply, that its more than just a technical formula for dividing things up into categories. It is a living knowledge, not a fixed system. Nine Star Qi is a deeply embedded code that we all know instinctually as the very foundation of life's evolutionary unfolding. It reveals that time cycles are indeed "morphic fields" known to a handful of insightful biologists that govern the growth and development of an organism. Unlike other astrology which has been contaminated with mankind's perverse relationship to esoteric knowledge, nine qi appears to be a relatively untainted knowledge. It may prove to be the very chalice that holds all other systems and speculations in place. It presents itself as shallow or as deep as the student is willing to look into it.

Astrology Today Astrology today is a tool used by many people to gain insight into the workings of human nature, understand relationships and predict possibilities. Whether we look at our own chart or the charts of others, astrology is essentially a study of the Self. We seek to derive meaning from raw existence; either for the satisfaction of comprehension or the appreciation of the ‘music’ which is our universe. Often we want perspective or clarity about something we’re going through, we desire a map. All systems of astrology, psychology, sociology or whatever we study provide a unique lexicon in which to narrate, perhaps even celebrate the myriad diversity of life's phenomena. They reach us on different levels, and within each discipline is a pot-purri of sub-disciplines, schools, ideas and persuasions.

Astrology is no different. It has many different tongues, many applications and audiences, all of whom resonate with its particular vibration. The Western approach shows us the awesome tapestry of archetypal energies and patters to which we are all a small but significant part of. It suggests we have a pattern of psychic energy, that we are connected to an imaginal world as we are to the physical world. We can see in mythology illustrations of the rich interconnectedness of archetypal patterns. Myths often portray a situation where there is an energy transaction of some kind that produces a new situation, a transformation in the consciouness of the individual. This is the "Hero Journey" which stands at the forefront of Western ideal; our journey toward individuation. Our sense of wonder comes from the notion and feeling of ‘anything’s possible’, which many myths illuminate in us. More importantly, they show us that everything has its place and purpose, that God wastes nothing.

The purpose of Western astrology seems largely to reveal this sense of wonder in our experiences. To recognise and share the unique gifts and significance which each soul offers. It is a way to witness our Self becoming a colour in God’s watercolour painting so to speak. As we change inside, so situations change outside. This revelation is a gateway to wonder. To revisit something and find it has changed, evolved, grown, is none other than the mysterious

expression of "Life’s delight in Itself", as the poet William Blake might have surmised. We could say that everyone’s life is a kind of territory, a space that is conspiring to host our own intricate and special expression of the sacred. It should be the highest application of astrology then to provide a lens we can all use to reveal the beauty and diversity of Life as we find it.

The Eastern model is quite different. Whereas the freedom of the individual and how it reacts to circumstance, how creative he/she can be within the drama that is life, is paramount to the Western psychological model, the East sees liberation from the ego as the goal. The world is an illusion, the Maya, and one's self is a reflection of this illusion. To balance karma, to passively accept fate, to go home; these are some of the tenets of the Eastern model. To return to the primordial, innocent void is the aim. We want to dissolve ourselves into the inevitability of the universe, which is a karmic grind to accept unflinchingly.

Personal choice, wonder in our personality and ‘soul idiosyncrasies’ are not favoured as much in the East as in the West. The collective is more important than the individual, which, rather ironically, is becoming quite a common pursuit in the West these days.

We can observe a difference when we look at Western tribal cultures. Native American spirituality, for instance, delights in the interconnectedness of all Nature and the notion that “I too am part of it”. The Celtic spirituality has a similar bias. Pride in one’s unique identity can be a favourable thing. Pride in the East is often referred to as a ‘poison’, for it inflates our sense of self. Along with the planetary placements, the Eastern chart contains ‘dasa’ periods, which can be anything from 6-20 years in length. Each cycle has a planetary influence as the keynote of the time. These periods are again divided into subperiods (bhuktis) and have a particular influence. It is fascinating to learn of these periods and compare them to the actual experience that occurred at the time.

This is a generalization of course, as many Easterners have a broader view than their own culture yet it is important to realize that "enlightenment" can mean different things in different traditions.

Nine Star Qi: A Neutral Astrology?

As humanity stumbles from dualistic concept to dualistic concept, from left to right, from communism to capitalism, from socialism to individualism, from creationism to evolution, from science to faith and so on, the human heart is craving the tranquility of something to live by that eclipses all these debates.

For with each debate about who's way is correct, millions of humans, animals and plants are slaughtered and/or oppressed. There simply must be an allinclusive view that can make sense of such disparate contradiction. What we find in Nine Star Qi is something which can do just that, provided we are prepared to leave the old model of Hegelian dialectics (thesis-antithesissynthesis) which has led to perpetual (and "justified:) war among nations, tribes, corporations and individuals. In truth the synthesis is already born, it does not require a conflict to bring it about. The nine phases are a complete description of everything, both historical and prophetic.

An All-Inclusive Philosophy Nine Star Qi presents a very broad, all-inclusive picture of the universe. If you think of all the religions being like colours in a rainbow, Nine Star Qi is part of a body of knowledge that is perhaps like the Sky in which that rainbow appears.

In other words, it acknowledges each and every religious or philosophical tendency as a valuable expression of the universe. Even though they appear to contradict each other at times and be at perpetual war with one another, there is a way to see that there is an underlying order to things. Each unique point of view is expressing the essence of one of the five elements and has a right to stand in its power. We are each 'wired' to believe in certain things. It is not that we are limited to fate but just as we each have a natural tendency to walk a certain way, we also have a natural tendency to view God and ourselves in a way that is of special importance to us. Even for an atheist, his god is Science, that is how he apprehends truth, or even morality. One does not have to have a symbolic god to direct ones energies toward a certain end. As Bob Dylan says, "You gotta serve somebody."

In this way, Nine Star Qi will only serve to point out, for instance, why someone feels so drawn to Buddhism or Christianity or Atheism. It is about cultivating respect for someone's perception, not judging it as right or wrong, as fundamentalism tends to do. This knowledge will only serve to deepen faith, providing the faith is authentic. The practitioner of Nine Star Qi has no agenda to convert anyone to anything, for he or she is also a person just like you with their own religious or spiritual beliefs. Nine Star Qi is an atmosphere of kindness, tolerance and acceptance where the true self is given a place to be seen at the level of 'essence'. That means that the forces that have created you are very important to observe and celebrate.

Answering Critics, Dispelling Myths All things alternative or metaphysical tend to get grouped in together with and so a lot of people expect everyone who practises these arts to be a hippie or someone either irrational or sentimental. Often they are fiercely criticised for preying on people's weaknesses and vulnerabilities, being con-job's or parasites. Unfortantely, charlatans will always find a market for their lazy crafts and undigested knowledge. Yet it is most assuredly not like that in all cases.

One thing which seems to confuse people more than anything is the realm of intuition. It is worthwhile to ask therefore, where Nine Star Qi intersects with intuitive practises.

To be truly perceptive and insightful, the practitioner must sometimes use their intuition to solve a riddle or to translate the scaffolding of indicating factors into a fully built house that is comprehensible to the person receiving the information. However the basis for this kind of working has a more 'factual' foundation, though the facts are embedded in a system which is not common knowledge, and would not seem factual to one who had not lived with it for some time. Nine Star Qi is not like fortune-telling because there is a starting point (your birth time) which is independent of the practitioner's subjective

perception. So although Nine Star Qi can most certainly hone your intuition, there is a vast 'scientific' tradition that goes with it.

Not only individuals but major corporations are now making use of the practical science of Feng Shui to attract prosperity and harmony into their sphere. It will only seem superstitious to those who reject the notion of the Life Force (Chi) which permeates and interacts with everything in the universe. Those that know that it actually works will no doubt be very happy if others are cynical about the existence of Chi as they now have a secret weapon that their competitors aren't aware of. When you begin to notice the subtle differences in energy flow around the place, you will see that we can have an active part to play in designing the course of the Chi to our advantage. This is not always about doing a specific thing so much as living with an active awareness of the principles.

Eternal Wisdom Of The Heart Upon acquiring a basic understanding of Chinese Medicine, the theory of Yin / Yang and the five phases of transformation, one can’t help but be inspired by the simplicity which lies at the foundation of this view of the Life process. Nine Star Qi is a simple and organic system which makes sense of Life interpreting energy as a cyclic movement through nine archetypal stages. It is fascinating to learn of the significance of the Heart in Chinese Medicine, which was said to be the residence of our shen, spiritual essence or human consciousness. The Heart is like the enlightened monarch who governs the country (the body) with benevolence, grace and wisdom. The other organs are the happy servants of their beloved King. The Heart gives them Heaven and a future to look forward to, which provides them with incentive and perspective to work optimally.

Health occurs spontaneously when the King is "present". Our essence, our mind in its pure and uncontaminated state, is said to be omnipresent and eternal.

Because it is everywhere, it cannot be tricked. Because it already has everything, it needs nothing. This is a state where one is free to choose experience selflessly, without greed, bias or preference. It is a state of radiant compassion.

Nine Star Qi can mirror this notion and help people realise their own source.

Beyond this, it helps us recognise the diverse dance of energy that underlies our relationships, our inner and outer realities.

One thing that the study of astrology certainly does is sharpen one’s awareness of the subtleties of people’s behaviour. We pick up things we ordinarily would miss. This is not so we get too analytical about everyone, but so that we gradually reveal more of the wonder, colour and depth of experience. We literally see more of life, by looking closer and with more reverence. How refreshing it is to look at the elements and forces behind someone rather than their ego self!

All of life is a conversation, an intense dialogue going on between forces natural and super-natural. Our own life is one such conversation. We are constantly communicating with our environment and with other beings. Within

us also there seems to be a dialogue happening between different parts of ourselves, perhaps between logc and intuition, adult persona and our inner child, our emotions and judgement, memory and projection.

Time: The Thing No One Tells You About Time is the thing that no one tells you about. It is even the thing that all the spiritual systems and philosophies neglect to communicate with much clarity.

Yet time forms the Environment of environments, and to learn of its character, its moods, its action and influence is to remember how to develop in ourselves a most important awareness, something which we seem to have forgotten in modern times. Perhaps time was the original artform, since the eternal soul had to find a way of relating itself to temporal experience. The dance of time is everywhere. Nine Star Qi invites us to embrace a certain revolutionary and ecstatic view of the Self. What if we were not a fixed entity with a name, an ID card, a job, a belief? What if our true and deepest nature was an expression of Time itself? Sounds like a strange notion right?

In truth, who we are is not a static, fixed entity but rather a flow. Life flows, changes, adapts, consolidates, germinates, flourishes and decays. With Nine Qi you have a chance to recognise these great processes operating in your life; through your personality dynamic, your passage through time cycles, your relationships, path and destiny. Learning about which of the five elements (wood fire earth metal and water) are prominent in your life allows you greater awareness, acceptance and insight as you walk your path toward fulfilling your potential. Everyone has an instinctual ability to live artfully, to see Time not as something mechanical but something soulful, warm, full of poetry and mythic significance.

Life can be lived with a sense of wonder and mystery rather than the old paradigms of stress, ambition, time poverty and dull “factual� evaluations about everything. The industrial revolution said Time equalled Money, and that is what it is for most people; a grind, an enemy that sucks the life out of us and leaves us aged, eventually dead. Time has become a hideous Saturn figure in many people's lives. This is unfortunate because we end up hating a part of ourselves when we hate Time. Time is not the industrial prostitute we have been conditioned to believe she is. In truth, Time is a benevolent and wonderful force which we can learn to love. The more we love Time, the more time there is. All we need to do is to activate this part of ourselves that has lay dormant waiting for the time when it can re-emerge as a guide through the many challenges of your life’s unique labyrinth.

We are called upon to relate the universal time cycles to our personal cycles in the Tao, firmly rooted in the flow of energy through our meridians and organs.

When we go through a transit, for example a Water year or a Fire month, what is happening is that the element (and associated organs/meridians) are being activated because the element is at its strongest in our cycle. The other elements don't vanish from our life of course, they are just more "in the background" while the central "star" steps into the foreground. It's as simple and straightforward as that. This means our physical and psychological state is

pronounced, literally coloured by the cycle we are in. What happens then is that something "outside" will manifest to reflect and mirror this inner state. For example, we feel like going to a loud, bright rock concert or stage performance (fire energy) in a fire month. It seems that things are "happening" to us, random and inconsequential, yet actually it is all going on inside of us because the Chi is concentrated in a certain part of the organism. The desire arises as an inner impulse of internal Chi energy, which then finds a resolution in the "real world".

So, you see, this is why Nine Star Qi is not astrology at all, there is nothing "mystical" about the transits as you might find in other astrological systems.

The energy is not coming from the stars or planets - the energy is coming from YOU! The stars and planets are merely holographic reflections of what is going on inside you already. This is why Nine Star Qi is so important, yet paradoxically is the most ignored system of divination because of its alarming simplicity (and perhaps because it avoids the smoke'n'mirrors limelight of new-age paradigms). It is a science of health, psychology and destiny expressed over time, and originating completely in your insides, not some vague esoteric influence somewhere in a galaxy far, far away. You can feel it in your body, in your breath and posture but also in your desires, thoughts and dreams. It is a biorhythm of the soul as much as the body.

We can develop our own inner cosmos through work, attention, observation, humility, patience and foresight and carry out the tasks of living we have agreed to. The gift of our personal time cycles connects us directly to a faculty of intuitive reasoning and instinctual knowing that, in my humble opinion, supercedes many other such systems. It is a remarkable thing to realize that time is already going on in our inner processes, and that with some practice, can become Intuition combined with Intelligence (the science of Qi). Translating inner time to outer event is the work of Consciousness. It is not practise that makes perfect, rather perfect (or appropriate) practise at any time that makes perfect. Who would have thought such a humble system could guide us in this way?

Reconciling Personal Desires With Higher Will If you were to know more clearly who you are, where you are on the cycle, where you have been and where you are going, as well as gain understanding about why you react in certain ways or re-create certain patterns, you would be equipped to live with greater peace and understanding. As you progress on your path, this new way of perceiving can only lead to greater harmony, happiness, abundance and clarity. To tie up the loose ends in one’s understanding brings Integrity and this means you can begin attracting things into your life that come from YOUR innate desire, not from what your parents want you to be, not from what your social conditioning says you should be, not from what your insecurities encourage you to settle on.

The great difficulty in attracting what we want is that often we have no idea

what we really want! In many cases we unconsciously absorb things from Life which eventually become our own drives and motivations. Yet they are not always from the deepest core of who we really are. So, as each of sends many conflicting signals into the world, what we attract is rarely in alignment with our heart’s true desire. One part wants that, another part needs that. Nine Star Qi shows you the true Self which knows who you really are and what you really want. It is a space for something unique, personal and meaningful to come to the surface and though it uses some calculation, a sensitive diviner can avoid the cold, mechanical traps of astrology. The truth is, who you are will always be far greater than your birth-chart reading however it is a launching pad, which is immensely helpful.

Towards A Conscious, Evolving Astrology Our spiritual essence resides in the Heart. The Chinese viewed the Heart as the enlightened Monarch, the representitive of Heaven on Earth. It exists as a timeless wisdom, an omnipresent and eternal presence which is capable of being aware of all things simultaneously. As such, the guidance it gives, the decisions which are made are in the best interests of the ‘country’ it rules over.

That "country" is the human body / mind. The Heart is the King who exerts compassion, selflessness, benevolence, grace and reason. Because the King knows that everything is already his, his leadership is truly in the best interests of his people, not himself. He needs nothing. His people know this, and become the happiest servants, for they receive direction, incentive and love from the King. These helpers of the King are the twelve organ systems of the body, the Officials. The job of the officials is to get the King the things he wants.

Because he is a selfless leader, one who operates from Heaven’s abundance, his wants are quite different to ordinary selfish wants. He seeks nothing more than the fuller and fuller expression of love, beauty, kindness, creativity and divinity. It is the affair of the officials to help the King manifest his spiritual visions on Earth. They forfeit their own judgements to obey a higher intelligence. They can feel the love he has for them as surely as they can feel the sunlight on their cheek. They are only too happy to do what he wants, for they have an uncompromising certitude that its for the greater good, and can only lead to more happiness. As with all life-forms, humans start out as babes.

They are helpless, innocent, dependent and vulnerable.

Despite this, however, their minds are as enlightened as any wise old master!

The consciousness they possess is radiant, unshakable and complete. They know the truth with absolute certitude. The King is undeniably present. Why do we resist the notion that they might actually be more intelligent than us clever adults who know all about history, mathematics and literature? The King is present in the child only until he learns something which changes his life for a very long time. He learns he is Fred, William or Benjamin! He is initiated into the realm of ‘me’. From here on in, everything he learns is geared toward the survival of that funny old concept of ‘me’. It is taken for the norm, the adults around him are all coming from their own ‘me’s’ after all.

Everything in society is supportive of this ‘me’ phenomenon. Every institution educates from the perspective of survival, not from abundance and inherent wholeness. The sense of selfless awareness fades, the King goes on vacation.

Now what happens to the country if there is no leader to call the shots? The officials try to do the best they can with the awareness they do have. Hoever because they lack the broader perspective of the Heart, their actions become self-driven, ignorant and stupid. They do what they can to get by, but life is not as fulfilling as it once was. The King, however, will return to each of us, and there will be peace and wisdom once more.

This has overtones of Confucianism, whereby a society must be designed and organised according to sacred law, or cosmic principle. The ettiquette which exists in relationships are not man-made laws, tyrannical and idiotic, rather they reflect a design by which all life may flourish. Unfortunately what is the most sophisticated and evolved method of organising the flow of energy in society has been usurped by the selfish egotistical drives in man, who misunderstand, or prefer not to realize, the true purpose of leadership. Instead of an intelligent, flexible Cosmic Order, a rigid and unjust New World Order is the current agenda. Only when enough people understand the ways of the ancients and its relevance today, can we begin to live with honour and integrity once more. When Intelligence gathers in mass and velocity, stupidity withers away. It is the author's opinion that this is an inevitability. Selfishness is finite, Love and Wisdom are eternal.

If we are to develop a more "conscious astrology" we would do well to view our situation from the perspective that we already have the King presiding over our life. It doesn’t look at our fate from the personality level (the officials behaviour without the King’s guidance), but from our true nature. This is not to deny our personal idiosycracies to blend into some ‘white light of sameness’. It is to instil a vision of life which originates from a compassionate nature, one which lovingly serves the Heart. The nine phases of astrology can be seen in a much different light. Each depicts a particular facet of spiritual awareness.

This is a system which can show us something worth working towards which is beyond our individual desires, but is concerned with the desire of the human spirit, to which we are all a part of. It can give us a true sense of satisfaction, a delight in the happiness of others and the realization that this is the only source of our own happiness. It is the only way to be fulfilled, to experience ourselves not in isolation but in conscious relationship with the environment.

This book is a mere beginning. It is up to you to work on this, to further develop it, should you perceive a personal reason to. Your consciousness is the raw material of Conscious Astrology, a system which lends itself to fluidity as easy as it does structure, for the cycles of Nature are always in a state of flux.

Nine Stages Of Transformation The 1 Water stage shows us where we need to surrender, accept and trust.

The 2 Earth stage shows us the experience of unity which comes from inclusion of the other.

The 3 Wood stage is the creative vision of the Heart, a clear decision and imperitive to act.

The 4 Wood stage shows us the application of that vision in a flexible way.

The 5 Earth stage shows us the objectivity of being beyond ourselves in a way which can comfort and help others.

The 6 Metal stage shows us or continued adherence to the task.

The 7 Metal stage shows us how to integrate things into a package and let go of what is not needed.

The 8 Earth stage initiates a relationship with the external world.

The 9 Fire stage gives us discernment and truth.

PART II - THE FIVE ELEMENTS

Introducing The Five Elements Everything in the manifested universe is said to consist of five forces, in varying combinations and patterns. A major appeal of Chinese Medicine is that it reveals the individual's affinity with other entities in the natural world. It is taken that the same forces that make a tree make a human, though as mentioned earlier, it also recognises the divine in Man. Yet as far as health sciences go, Ch'i is universal and provides the buzz for all organisms. The recognition of the ‘supernatural’ or spiritual aspect of man, is incorporated into acupuncture for instance, which makes use of ‘spirit points’ along our energy meridians.

Body, mind and spirit are considered to be one unified system of life. It is also acknowledged that we each have a different ‘constitution’ and therefore it is impossible to heal by adhering to set rules for treating everyone the same. An understanding of these five forces, which are in an everlasting dance with one another, is exceedingly helpful in attuning to our own rhythms and tendencies.

To live in a world of relative values while at the same time staying true to our absolute natures is to attend to both the child and adult expressions within ourselves. We can appreciate the diversity of form and expression of all lifeforms, including our own, living with wonder, humility and reverence.

The five elements are water, wood, fire, earth and metal.

Water is where life germinates and grows from. It represents fertility and makes change possible. Its nature is yielding, conforming to the shapes it finds and always taking the path of least resistance. In our personal life, it has much to do with our personal reality, the constancy of time and the link between past, present and future. Water corresponds to winter, when we move downward and inward in order to store up reserves for the coming seasons of activity.

Wood has to do with growth and movement. Wood will grow around obstacles, is determined and driven. It symbolises the ongoing nature of our soul that grows through all lifetimes. Our emotional life has a correspondence with the wood element, as we move out into our environment, ‘feeling’ our way along to find where we belong. Wood is responsible for our psychological function of planning and creative vision. Wood relates to springtime, when we have a sudden burst of ‘waking’ energy after the slumber of the winter.

Fire is that magical element that illuminates the earthly realm with the spark of heaven. It makes human consciousness and communication possible, like a spreading fire that burns whatever it comes into contact with. Relationships, the ability to share space and be intimate with others could be attributed to the fire element. It brings fulfilment, enlightenment and the joy

of being alive in this transient existence. It relates to the summer when Nature’s expression is at its peak.

Earth is stable and reliable. It is the still point that makes the transition from one point to another possible. The Earth element is an example of the selfless giving and compassion, which is the origin of all creation. Our sense of Earth is our feeling of home, as well as the ability to give and receive nourishment.

Earth corresponds to the late summer, when there is some stillness after the peak of summer.

Metal is what enables the contraction and release necessary for the cycle to keep renewing itself. It is the refinement that reveals the beauty and perfection of things. Our logic, reason and powers of reduction are in the domain of Metal.

We derive structure, routine and rhythm from its energy. It leaves us with what is essential to our being and is therefore, well‌.. essential! It relates to the season of autumn when the dead leaves fall away in order to enter the potentiality of the water phase again.

Sheng And Ko Cycles: The Eternal Dance The elements are nourishing, supporting and stabilizing of life. They conceive, create, balance, ripen and destroy all that we find in the material world. They also have a spiritual component and a psychic expression; the five archetypal "gods" of the psyche. All things are a unique interplay of the five elements. Life is "alive" to the extent that it dances, interacts and co-creates.

The elements, as part of a whole thrust of life potential, are the expression of an even greater force which is what the five elements must be obedient to.

This transcendent awareness is perhaps a theological or philosophical consideration yet there are many references to this "galactic" or universal Way in Taoist and Confucian literature to which the five forces follow. It is perhaps beyond the scope of this book to go into it in depth, yet its always wise to not get caught up in treating an element as an absolute. As they interact in order to propel and maintain life in an experiental way, they have relations to each other that are squarely and definitively outlined in oriental cosmology. This is the "law of the five elements" and immediately invokes images of magick, paganism and occult practises as visual representation of the elemental interactions reveals a pentagram inside a circle. This is perhaps misleading as Western magick is an entirely different practise and has nothing whatsoever to do with the original five element system.

The relationships of the five elements, how they play out impersonally through human intercourse, as if we are nothing more than the weather report, is essential to perceiving humans from their essence and not from their personality. However we behave or manifest in life, an element is behind it, and something perhaps even more sacred and special is behind the element.

However as we in the modern world are generally lost in the superficial projections of the outer world, just seeing the elements in people is a huge attainment, and perhaps the first step to approaching one another with due

respect as a spiritual being. We see that, using the most natural of imagery, that wood is burnt (wood generates the fire element), fire becomes the ash of the earth element, earth generates minerals and minerals liquify into water which then nourishes the root of the tree. This is the support cycle, the sheng cycle, knowing no limit. Also in place is the control or overcoming cycle, the ko cycle. Metal cuts wood, wood breaks up soil, earth dams the water, water extinguishes fire and fire melts metal.

An element is either supporting, being supported by, controlling, being controlled by or resonating (being the same element). This is an aspect of the five element interactions that is only partially explained in most contemporary literature. The student of medicine may delve into it further as many things can occur among the elements ruling organ systems in the body. Yet along with the active element (ie the one doing the controlling or supporting), there is also a passive element that is just as essential to this process. The quality of the exchange depends on mutual co-operation. So, we see a very definite quality emerging from the way a passive element behaves in an exchange. For example, if fire controls metal by initiating contact, and metal retreats, then the connection is weak. So fire tries again to initiate connection and this time metal, as if fearful of being controlled, attacks the fire element in order to "defend" itself. This happens in human relationships that are ko cycle oriented; there is a power struggle going on and often much paranoia or mistrust present. So we see, that the passive element, in this situation is reacting and therefore supressing the element that should be controlling it in the natural order of things.

Creation Cycle (Sheng) Water creates Wood Wood creates Fire Fire creates Earth Earth creates Metal Metal creates Water Control Cycle (Ko) Water controls Fire Fire controls Metal Metal controls Wood Wood controls Earth Earth controls Water

The flourishing of each element supports and creates the following one in the cycle. This is known as the creation or sheng cycle. Each element is also responsible for the regulation of another element, to prevent it going to extremes. This is known as the control or ko cycle. A deficiency or excess in an element therefore affects the entire cycle. This can be seen in acupuncture for instance, when a primary disharmony can cause secondary and tertiary symptoms.

Understanding the relationship of the elements as they exist in our own constitution is very helpful. Then we can perceive it in others, and have an idea about what is going on. This is pertinent in relationships. A partnership consisting of a fire person and a water person may involve the controlling cycle for example. An earth and metal combination may be mutually supportive.

A Note On The Heart's Subjectivity The crowning phase of the nine phases, 9-Fire, sheds some light on one of the sworn enemies of 'objective' science, namely subjectivity. How we interpret the five types of Qi energy is highly personal, and something should be said about the Fire element's place in this body of knowledge before we proceed.

It is always wise, in divining the spiritual intent of anybody’s nine star ”type” to have a good look at the shining luminaries who have brought forth the essence of that type; in their philosophical work and creative output. The philosopher George Berkeley demonstrates his 9-fire adult persuasions with his emphasis on the subjective, closely related to the heart’s intuitive reasoning in the five element paradigm. We see with Berkeley, a radical emphasis on subjectivity, or “subjective idealsim” as it has been referred to in philosophical cirlces.

What it points to, is the notion that its not entirely possible to remove your perception from the object you are perceiving, that perceiving alters the object in some way. As we see of late, quantum science is beginning to nuzzle in on this idea; that you cannot observe an event without somehow influencing its outcome with your expectation. With 9-fire, we see a real emphasis on personal perception, subjectivity, and the experience of “I”, the active ego. Berkeley, deeply spiritual man, loved the Creator-God and saw everything manifest as a miracle. He was the bane of many “rationalist”, scientists, as he saw rationality and their idea of some “pure” objectivity as ridiculous, immoral even. He writes: “If we admit a thing so extraordinary as the creation of this world, it should seem that we admit something strange, and odd, and new to human apprehension, beyond any other miracle whatsoever.”

Indeed in Chinese medicine and oriental thought, the Fire Element rules the heart and the small intestine. The heart however is no mere organ, but is actually the vehicle for the mind, for consciousness, for awareness, clarity and leadership. Unlike western medical science, the heart is the source of intelligence, cognition and consciousness, not the brain. The brain reacts and mirrors the heart, which receives impressions of a higher order. The heart too is

where Speech originates, and speech has the power to shape destiny. Speech, to the heart, has special significance, as the sophistication of language (written and spoken) is far different from the kind of animal grunting of the other organs.

Speech to the Heart is a refined spiritual expression, carrying great intent and power. Speech in this realm is magical, with the power to invoke the most heavenly reality ro create the most hellish nightmare. It creates the future.

Speech is seen as a gift from the gods, yet one that is given with free will. It is a divine power, to be used according to the conscience of the person. The samurai have a saying “pen and sword, in accord”. So, for a 9-fire they are particularly aware of this realm of speech, the potential magic of language, the responsibility that comes with leadership. You may be fascinated also by the relationship the heart has to the other organs in the microcosm of the body, which is reflected in society with the power games and politics that go on.

Fire types often choose to become incarnated as warriors, as truth tellers. And of course this often makes for a hard life as the truth is rarely popular. They are often persecuted, punished, ostracised, mocked,victimised, doubted or not believed. Yet their path is to stay close to the truth, which for them is a highly subjective truth, or at least is very coloured by their own perception. Yet we see always a love of truth, enquiry, risk, intensity at the fore. Death is something we are told is a part of life that is unavoidable.

Yet some other 9-fires such as Deepak Chopra have written many books exploring the notion that we don’t actually have to die, that our bodies can keep regenerating if we give it the right messages, and align our conscious will with the biological intent of the organism. To the shen (consciousness), all is eternal, perfect, complete and timeless. The shen cannot die even if the body dies just like we wear out an old pair of shoes.

To the Fire element, all is a conversation, a dialogue. Everything is talking, its just that not everybody knows how to listen. Even inanimate man made objects have soul, intent. The wall and the chair speak. Needless to say, to someone with this sensitivity, life can be a constant bombardment, inside and out.

Impressions come in from everywhere, yet to one who has taken up the challenge and recognised it as a gift and a blessing, it becomes a great ally.

Usually the struggle to know “sanity” is what gives the 9-fire their rites for leadership, for they, like true leaders do not preclude or negate anyone’s point of view. They know that everyone has a valid point, and their reality is real to them, no matter how it appears objectively. In this way, they find they have an infinite source of inspiration precisely because they have a heart that says “Yes” to all possibilites, is life affirming, ecstatic, loving, inclusive, selfless, attentive. The centre is empty, the heart gives and so it is empty, in this way it is always full.

PART III - QI TYPES

The Qi: Movement Through Time And Space According to the ancient wisdom of Nine Star Ki, one of the oldest forms of astrology, all energy moves in cycles of nine. Nine years, nine months, nine days etc. The time a human is born is said to endow him/her with the “soul qualities” or traits of that particular phase. The adult number is calculated from the year and the child number is calculated from the month. The interaction of these two numbers represents the music and evolutionary challenges of the individual. Though we each have a basic number, we also pass through a different mansion as the years, months and days change. It as though the spirit of time is a living being that will grant us opportunities to learn lessons about the higher and lower aspects of our nature. If we have the means of indentification and a finely-tuned perception, we can recognise the events and synchronicity of our lives as gifts to accumulate consciousness.

There is a correspondence between the nine phases and the nine types of the enneagram, a relationship that has yet to be explored. The enneagram is a way to recognise the identifications of the ego/personality so as to increase awareness of our essential, infinite nature. Though the enneagram generally deals with typology, it also hints at a more wholistic way of viewing the human condition and the cosmos; as a way to integrate a knowledge of the nine “points” to understand them more as spirits than types.

To become aware of the nine spirits is to live a life in wholeness. The nine spirits may be thought of as higher octaves of certain human attitudes and characteristics, spiritual tendencies. They exist rather like angels who are there to help us, if only we would find a way to recognise their presence. All layers of evolution have a responsibility to the lower, since their sacrafice made it possible for the higher to exist. The nine spirits represented in this philosophy require us to “feed” them with our experience. Just as ancient cultures knew that keeping the gods happy and well nourished would make for an abundant time on Earth, so too does acknowledging and nourishing the nine spirits enrich our own lives. Happy spirits reward us with health, happiness, abundance, satisfaction, beauty and fulfillment. They are ready to help, it is their responsibility, yet we must give first in order to get back much more than we gave. That’s the golden rule. The way of the Heart.

Everyone will relate to them differently and detect their presence in a different way. There are no rules, and though you may be a “4 Wood” person by birth, you may feel strong affinity with all of the nine phases. The special quality that this philosophy offers is that it is still malleable, in that its formation is in the hands of all of us. There are enough “hints” and basic skeletal guidelines to concede that there is definitely something here, yet it requires our loving work and attention. It presents the opportunity for something new to emerge and will attract the souls that perceive and cherish its potential. It can be integral, evolutionary, yet also soulful in that its not a sterile system of calculations.

The awareness of the spirits is something to grow by making connections, getting an idea about how it is for other soul types and perceiving how each spirit of time has sent us a gift. For this, we need a forum to come together and share insights and compassion. The other type of awareness it can grow is instinctual body intelligence. This is beyond “gut feelings” but actually engages the billions of years of cellular evolution to recognise inner sensations as a more powerful conncetion to reality than the intellect or concepts. Each “attitude” represented by the nine phases is also a definite feeling in our bodies, alive on its own, that can guide our lives in a way that our ego can often interfere with. This is another aspect to explore.

The 1 Water Phase relates to our most primal connection to ourselves, our roots in Nature, matter and the instinctual wisdom of the body. It represents that which stays the same among the changing circumstances of life. It marks the paradoxical nature of the ‘strength of yielding’.

The 2 Earth Phase relates to the alchemical process of combining experience into a unified whole. Here we see images of union, relationship, surrender of the ego and nurturing. It is a phase that emphasises the receptive, attractive aspect of life that can melt away boundaries and reveal beauty.

The 3 Wood Phase represents the creative vision and our ability to leap beyond the moment to imagine new possibilities. It is the romance of Life, which awakens to a curiosity about it’s own nature and identity. Our faith, hope and ingenuity are born here.

The 4 Wood Phase signifies change without stability. We have an image of the free spirit wandering and exploring the environment. It can also relate to Nature’s ability to imitate and expand itself, as well as our cognition that knows things through comparison and relativity.

The 5 Earth Phase is that central point which regulates and balances. Here is where we detach from our feelings in order to create symbols for our experience. This makes things more manageable, as the overwhelming nature of life is reduced to a digestible proportion. It may also be conducive to our sense of ‘I’, the mental construction we have of ourselves.

The 6 Metal Phase gives us rhythm, consistency and stamina. It represents the Law which operates regardless of our feelings and thoughts. Rhythm has to do with the commitment to return to one thing repeatedly. This is necessary to give structure and form to our ideas.

The 8 Earth Phase is about standing as an independent being. By relinquishing expectations, outmoded dependencies and attachment to the past, we and balances. Here is where we detach from our feelings in order to create symbols for our experience.

The 9 Fire Phase is the stage of fulfilment, when we are seen and recognised by the world. It is symbolic of our urge toward individuation and the desire to give our gifts and talents freely to the world.

Introduction to the Personal Numbers According to our time of birth, we adopt the tendencies of the phase we are born into. Each year, month and day has signature energy that is a relative stage of the nine phases. From our birth time, we calculate three numbers. The first is our Principle / Adult number which reveals our basic soul quality, that which is the predominant energetic streak running through our being. It shows us our more archetypal, deeply imbedded quality.

The second number is our Emotional / Child number that reveals the major emotional tendencies we grapple with. Here we find blessings and curses, for what we can overcome and learn from provides us with a big clue about our destiny in this lifetime. How the emotional number plays out is different for everyone. There may even be situations where the child is quite happy playing and supports the adult quite nicely.

Whereas the adult number represents the potential of the person, what they are in the process of becoming, the child number represents their original (child) nature, their vitality and emotions. The person may exhibit signs of their adult number early in life and their ki (life force) structure may show up in the body. Usually the adult number only begins to make its presence known between the ages 18-27. Until that time it is common for the child number to be more clearly apparent in the person. The adult number represents more of who were intended to become, the seed potential and deep down we know we are this being. It is the core of our individuality and personal power, unchanging as the stars in the sky at night.

The child number on the other hand represents our psychological and emotional patterns that fluctuate according to the circumstances of life as well as what we resort to under stress. It is our capacity to change, adapt, accommodate and flow with life. It can also indicate our greatest place of stuckness, the stubborn emotional patterns and fixations that prevent us from changing the perception of ourselves or of life in general.

It is important to realize that while the adult number represents what is inviolate in us ie. what is innate and cannot be taken away, the child number represents what we have acquired from life, mostly in childhood. This includes our belief systems, the language that composes our inner dialogue as well as the strategies we developed to protect ourselves as children and to seek attention. It is our survival mechanism, our myth and drama. This was a very necessary stage in our development as it allowed us to make sense of our chaotic inner world and the overwhelming outer world. However it can become a place of rigidity if we continue living from this place as adults with no inspiration from our adult potentials which are more “level-headed� and not so obsessed with survival, recognition, approval and aquisition.

Usually the adult number only begins to make its presence known between the ages 18-27. Until that time it is common for the child number to be more clearly apparent in the person. The adult number represents more of who were intended to become, the seed potential and deep down we know we are this being. It is the core of our individuality and personal power, unchanging as the

stars in the sky at night. The child number on the other hand represents our psychological and emotional patterns that fluctuate according to the circumstances of life as well as what we resort to under stress. It is our capacity to change, adapt, accommodate and flow with life. It can also indicate our greatest place of stuckness, the stubborn emotional patterns and fixations that prevent us from changing the perception of ourselves or of life in general.

We see with the child number more of an emphasis on where the vitaliity of a person “emerges” from, what drives one. The adult number has more flexibility in general, and while there are definite trends in the types of roles we see the 9 adult numbers in, we should make a distinction here between “what” someone does and “how” they do it or “why” they do it. For example, the 1 Water child may work as a photographer to catch an eternal moment and thereby preserve it, “freeze” it in time. Yet if they have a 7 metal adult number they may do this as a forensic scientist but as a 9 fire may do this for an advertising firm.

So we see, though the drive may be the same, the way it is channeled in the world, and for what purposes can differ greatly. This is one of the many fascinating things to explore as we see how our unique ki combination “alchemizes” to form our life. By referring to the Creation and Control cycle diagrams, we can get a good idea about the dynamic here. For example, if I have a 4 Wood adult number and a 6 Metal child number, we can observe that Metal controls Wood in the ko cycle. Here we may have someone who may have bouts of immature behaviour, as the compulsive impetuousness of the child stifles or distracts the adult tendencies.

Finally, the day ki number has many interpretations and there may be things that are yet to be explored about its symbolic meaning. Most often it is said to indicate the outward tendencies of a person, how they appear in the public eye and their behavioural tendencies in the world. It is sometimes referred to also as the habit number. It may also indicate the strategy one uses to attract attention to themselves as well as the relationship with the opposite sex.

Each of the nine numbers has a corresponding direction that suggests a possible fixation in the “direction” one faces in life as well as the influence that grants someone their unique “signature” in the outer world. Often it is said to show how well we are doing with integrating our first two numbers ie. a chaotic day number expression shows a conflict between our adult and child energies while a smooth and harmonious outer expression indicates we have a good relationship inside us between the adult and child.

The three numbers grant us great insight into our inner workings and clues about how we may feel whole once again in ourselves. There is clearly a link between nine star ki and the ancient science of the enneagram which sees nine “points” of consciousness and makes this distinction between our Essence (true self) and our Personality (ego). It is a vast study and their are different schools of thought regarding the enneagram yet we can see the nine star delineations offer a similar “key” for each person by looking at their three natal numbers.

It is also said that the adult number comprises around 60% of our constititional (biochemical) make-up while the month and day numbers contribute 20% respectively to who we are. Seen in this context, we are not a divided house

split into three separate energies so much as a kind of primordial “soup” that has different ingredients cooking inside of us. Our personal evolution, it would seem, involves identifying what we are made of and intelligently working toward a harmomious integration of these energies. It involves work, time, attention, care, forgiveness, compassion, acceptance, sensitivity and responsiveness; all human qualities.

The other dynamic between the two numbers is that concerning gender. Each number is either masculine or feminine, apart from 5 Earth that is both. 1, 3, 6 and 8 are masculine. 2, 4, 7 and 9 are feminine. If I am a man who has both feminine numbers, an opposite / opposite configuration, we can see the potential for an inner conflict, perhaps some insecurity or confusion regarding my inherent masculinity. People with this combination often experience life as a struggle to keep up, which eventually produces someone who is very strong, capable and independent. People with same / same combinations are generally quite confident in themselves. People with one of each can be quite adaptable and balanced.

The Nine Personality Types The 1 Water person is often strong-willed, determined, hardworking and selfmotivated. Like water, they will seek to find their own level in life and sometimes be philosophical and introspective. They are prepared to flow with life and can surrender their personal agenda to do what needs to be done. The mature water person can hold themself together emotionally and stand firm in a crisis. They are apt to chip away at projects or work day after day and can be achieve wealth and success for this reason. Water people usually want to feel free to go their own way and don’t like being confined too much.

The 2 Earth person is compassionate, gentle and loves beauty. They seek union with others and like to absorb disparate experience into a whole. Relationship is very important usually for these types. They need to be aware of the tendency to get too dependant on others to ‘complete’ them. They have a desire to serve humanity and general and do well in supporting roles, as well as healing professions. They make excellent students and spend much of their life absorbing information and knowledge. The 2 Earth person develops their personal and professional life slowly and gradually over the years.

The 3 Wood person is the pioneering visionary who can dream up wonderful futures. They are like the sudden spring-time burst of growth. They are sensitive to their environment and like precision and stimulation. They are often highly charged and can act impulsively and make rash decisions. If they learn how to harness their energy, they can be very effective in roles that require quick thinking and decision making. Being so in touch with the future, they can often have trouble being in the now. They may make excellent musicians or athletes.

The 4 Wood person can be both emotional and psychological. They are the free spirits of life, who can appear like drifters. They are quite concerned with the ideals and images of things yet to come. The mature 4 Wood can apply the

image in many situations, staying true to the goal even when the circumstances change. The negative tendency is to insist on fantasy and be inflexible and rigid when life calls for some strategy. These people can show us how to navigate life gracefully and how to make good plans and changes.

The 5 Earth person is analytical, linguistic and diplomatic. They occupy the position of ‘central pivot’ in the nine phases and much of their life has to do with realizing balance and harmony. They may enjoy social gatherings and be good at entertaining. Often they feel like they are ‘between’ people rather than in relationship themselves. They are proficient thinkers, and can offer some objectivity in situations where people are too involved to see the wood for the trees. They can show us the ‘impersonal’ truth about life when we get too identified with experience.

The 6 Metal person is disciplined, structured and responsible. They may have a love for what is pure and spiritual and can offer inspiration to those around them. They are like a circle without beginning nor end and may be hard to ‘pin down’ for this reason. There may be difficulties in opening up and being seen without their mask. They set a good example for what committment and responsibility mean and what is needed to bring ideas into form in a grounded way. They are the consistent and reliable influences in the world.

The 7 Metal person is logical and clever. They love the beauty of perfection in design, perceiving the sequential order from idea to form. They are the designers and artists who appreciate math and science, a different type of artist than a wood type. They are logical and rational and can offer clarity and definiteness in many situations. They like to work with what is already available rather than continually make up new things. Instead their genius is more like an alchemist who can find a use for everything, often by transforming it. They need to watch the tendency to be too ‘sharp and to the point’ in situations where emotion is required just as much.

The 8 Earth person is independent, adventurous and assertive. They like to go after what they want in life and generally live with strong desires. They may have a feeling of wanting to perceive the ‘nakedness’ of life, of seeing things without the symbols or masks. For this reason, they can be both great mystics and hedonists. It them. It is the sense of oneness in themselves which is important, however they tend to look for this on their own rather than wanting to merge with someone else into oneness. They like to feel strong in themselves and their ability to make it on their own, however sometimes need to honour the need for company.

The 9 Fire person is generally a lover of truth and a seeker of sorts. They ask many questions in life until they get the answer that satisfies them. Their individuality and distinctness is important to them and they may feel like they come up against many things to take their own journey. They like to feel as though they are radiating themselves into the world and shining like the Sun. Others can be uplifted in their presence and they may be famous, popular and beautiful. They generally seek attention, however there may be difficulties in attracting the type of attention they really want.

Adult and Child Numbers 1 Water Adult The 1 Water adult is adept at accepting situations, containing and integrating them into the fabric of their being. They often surrender their own personal ambitions to simply do what needs to be done. They will often be proficient at a specific skill or ability, apt to chipping away day after day. Ideally, they have little or no resistance to the paths which other’s choose and do what they can to get out of their way.

The 1 Water adult is strong-willed and determined, an example to everyone about the need to never give up. Like the journey of water through mud, dirt, darkness and cold, these people keep going until they find their own level and the situations they belong in. As such, finding friends and a suitable vocation may be a long but immensely rewarding journey.

A major stumbling block for 1 Water’s is their perfectionism and high expections they have of themselves and others. While it is one of their gifts, it can become a rigid and dead-end tendency to be critical to the enth degree.

They may expect everyone to work at the rate and vivacity that they do simply because they know it is possible, regardless of whether it is actaully appropriate for others to do so. This lack of accpetance for limits, and ordinariness, can cause ruptures in family and personal relationships as they push others away with their perfectionism, often unintentionally.

1 Water Child The 1 Water child struggles with accepting the circumstances in which they find themselves. They may fear losing control and resort to trying to control others as a defence against the apparent chaos of life. They may have difficulty containing their emotions and frequently act compulsively on their feelings.

They find it hard to go with the flow in many situations and accept the paths that others choose. Ideally, the water phase represents our ability to ‘get ourselves out of the way’ so that everyone, including us, are free to go their own independent way. Water will always try to find it’s own level, and so those with watery constitutions will often be intent in discovering their own personal truth about matters, no matter what stands in their way.

The 1 Water Child needs to learn to yield and surrender to certain situations and even accept defeat if need be. They need to know when it is appropriate to fight and when it is wiser to let go, without forcing or controlling issues or other people. If they can do this, they will be better equipped to deal with things as they come, accept and integrate them into their experience so they may transform. The fear of losing control is an issue that might come up repeatedly until there is a push others away with their perfectionism, often unintentionally.

The fear of losing control is an issue that might come up repeatedly until there is a peaceful acceptance of one’s limits, the body and instinctual realities.

2 Earth Adult The 2 Earth adult is a compassionate giver, a healing and sympathetic influence on those around them. They are just like the Earth; nourishing, supportive, dependable and often sacrificing. They like to build things in their life gradually, often taking much time to develop careers or relationships. 2 Earth’s are receptive, strong-willed and love to be of service in some way. They are the helpers of humanity and enjoy being in roles where they can give of themselves. Their lives and careers usually develop very slowly and they must be patient with themselves. They are supreme finishers as they invest so much time and attention to details. They need to understand they are developing strong foundations in all areas of life and do not respond well to being rushed.

The people in their life need to be aware of this process they must go through and allow them time and space to develop “organically”.

They are generally the most dependent of the types and may spend a longer period than others bonding with mother initially and then later with siblings, friends and partners. They are very loyal, devoted and make excellent parents due to their steady and reliable disposition. They are known for their maternal, nurturing qualities, even the men of this type. If they make a bond with someone they expect it to last a long time and are easily hurt by shifting friendships or group politics. They need to see their dependence as a part of who they are and not be too negative towards themselves for this. They are excellent students who learn things thoroghly in their own time, and often in their own unique fashion. Due to their love of the earth and nature, 2 earths may become farmers or gardeners or work in a field that relates directly to the earth.

Many 2 earths begin by working for someone else, perhaps as a personal assistant or apprentice. They are excellent students who learn things thoroghly in their own time, and often in their own unique fashion. Due to their love of the earth and nature, 2 earths may become farmers or gardeners or work in a field that relates directly to the earth.

2-Earth Child The 2 Earth child may have issues around feeling attractive, lovability and merging with others in relationships. This could mean either a tendency to merge with anyone and everyone or else a difficulty in letting down one’s guard to share a space. This could result in a tendency to oscillate between two extremes, being completely absorbed into the environment or else not letting anything in as a protection against such vulnerability.

The 2 Earth phase has much to do with making a unified whole out of disparate experience. In relating to others, the main difficulty the 2-earth child has is being able to absorb the imperfections of others in a way that would produce a more meaningful whole. This could suggest an insistence on ideals of perfection, which get projected outside, to which no one quite measures up. As a result, there may be opportunities missed in relationships where apparent imperfections may actually be a source of richness, depth and diversity.

People with 2 Earth numbers, both adult and child, often are attracted to serving humanity in some way. This could mean an interest in the healing arts, counselling, humanitarian causes or something of a religious / spiritual significance. A 2-earth child may be the archetypal sufferer of ‘White Knight Syndrome’, the belief that one is responsible for ‘saving the world’. The 2 Earth child needs to learn how to accept others into their life as they are, so that beauty shines through all forms. This will come only when one has accepted oneself, warts and all, and has discovered what it means to feel lovable.

3-Wood Adult The 3 Wood adult is a visionary of sorts, full of bright ideas and illuminating insights. They are often pioneers in their vocation and capable of spurring others on to be enrolled in their lofty futuristic scenarios. They may be like the eternal children of humanity, full of optimism, energy, hope and enthusiasm.

They generally believe in the abundance of life and are more likely to view God in a favourable, generous light rather than a strict disciplinarian figure.

Often, their ideas are all that is required, for they can leave the groundwork to others who are more suited to actually bringing them into form. Their energy is like the sudden eruption of energy, the springtime growth which inspires and fills people with promise. As such, they are often very sensitive to what is going on around them, as if part of them is waiting for that signal to awaken them into action.

They are the romantic souls, prepared to see beyond what is apparent in the present moment to envisage ‘what could be’ in the future. They are important people for progress. Due to their intense energy, they might make excellent musicians, artists, athletes or life coaches. They can be rash and impulsive at times, and may need to channel these tendencies so they don’t scatter themselves. 3 Wood types bring hope and foresight to those around them, as well as spontaneity.

3-Wood Child The 3 wood child is full of vigour and enthusiasm, possessing an abundance of energy that is often hard to contain. They may be flighty, impulsive and have difficulty following through on ideas. Sticking to something and making definite decisions about things may often prove to be a major problem. They can either be very romantic and live in a fantasy world or else lack any vision for the future at all, having difficulty coming up with new ideas.

They may be judgemental of themselves and others, always trying to weigh up or measure people’s actions and behaviour to decide what’s right and wrong, by their book. The biggest challenge a 3 wood child might face is to come out of the future and into the present. They may be so accustomed to living in their vision for what could be in the future that they are somewhat cut-off from the reality of what’s happening here and now.

Anger and frustration may be common for 3 wood types. This may be due to a

lack of vision or clarity about what is ahead of them or a feeling of hitting constant dead ends when they advance of their path. If they can achieve some clarity, make clean and decisive plans and stick to them, they will be able to use their ideas well. It is by seeing how the future relates to the present that one is in a position to execute plans effectively by taking the appropriate steps.

4-Wood Adult The 4 Wood adult is generally quite an emotional type, one who may appear as a free spirit, ‘blowin’ in the wind’. The 4 Wood phase marks that period after we get a vision for a new possibility. Now we find ourselves exploring the outside world to see how our vision measures up, or where our new identity could fit in the world. It is the smooth growth into the environment which indicates the mature 4 Wood adult.

Ideals and fantasies may be prevalent in the life of a 4 Wood. These people like to have a role model, someone to whom they can take as their measure as they advance in life. As such, 4 Woods may often be told to ‘get in the real world’ by those who can see their reliance on images rather than reality. We could say that the image we have of what we want to become is what we are pitting ourselves against in the 4 Wood phase. How we measure up, how we judge ourselves and the ‘shape’ we take in the world is of prime importance to a 4 wood type.

4 Woods make good strategists. Growing into the world, expressing one’s self and fitting that expression into the environment takes strategy. We make a move, then the world at large makes a move. Successful participation in life requires that we know the strategy involved in relationships, and that we have respect for others, holding a genuine space for them to ‘make their move’. For this reason, the 4 Wood adult is often very tender, caring and sensitive to those around. At their best, they can take a vision or an idea and apply it anywhere, thereby spreading and growing life.

4-Wood Child The 4 wood child may have rigidity in attitude that makes it difficult to grow into the world and embrace their destiny. They are likely to be quite psychological creatures, making many comparisons and judgements about themselves and others. They often have issues in relating, feeling a little out of step with their environment. In making decisions in life, they can be confused about when to wait and when to proceed. Somehow, things rarely feel smooth and aligned with what’s happening outside.

A breakthrough comes for them when they realise how to apply their visions or ideas in way which calls them to be flexible. 4 Wood children have quite set ideas about how things should be and what works and what doesn’t. If the rest of the world doesn’t conform to this, they are likely to get angry, despondent, resigned or lose direction.

They would do well to realise that they may have to bend a little rather than try and force their own ways upon the environment. To do this doesn’t mean relinquishing what is important but to roll with the punches and be adaptable.

When the 4 Wood child eases their stubborn insistence, they may find their 5-Earth Adult The 5 Earth adult is one who enjoys relationships and is capable of having harmonious interactions with others. They may enjoy socialising, entertaining, and looking good. They may be prone to a fluctuating emotional life, and alternate between being too hot or too cold in their relations with others. For this reason, 5 Earth adults may be a little unpredictable. They may be accused of selfishness, as they usually feel very centred and focussed on themselves.

The positive here is that 5 Earth Adults can be great mediators, bringing people together by providing a warm atmosphere for intimate relating among friends, groups and couples. If they can learn how to be harmless, respecting the space of other people without trying to control them in any way, they can be a tremendous help in all kinds of relationship situations.

They may have a comical nature, and like being the clown or making people laugh. They often bring people down to size if they are being pretentious or egotistical. Language and mental pursuits may be very important to these people. They may be thinkers, deliberators, worriers and delight in analysing situations. If they can tune into their talent for detaching from their feelings in order to be rational about certain situations, they may find their horizons broaden and many possibilities open up. Basically, the 5 Earth Adult enjoys the ‘musical’ side of life.

5-Earth Child The 5 Earth Child loves socialising, placing relationships often as the pivotal factor in life. Indeed, they find it difficult to imagine a life without their friends.

They love being diplomatic in social situations and ‘bringing people together’ sometimes feeling like the mediator between parties. The urge is toward making people feel comfortable, providing a warm environment where people can open up.

The 5 Earth phase may be likened to that stage in a child’s development where language is beginning to form. We take the ‘big picture’ and reduce it to a ‘digestible size’, a word or an idea which then makes the situation more manageable, less overwhelming. This requires a detachment from our feelings and immediate experience, something necessary for survival.

While words may not be made of anything tangible, they provide a map for us to navigate life, both inner and outer worlds. We can see from this, that a corresponding emotional tendency might be to overdo the ‘labelling of experience’ function. Thus, we read too much into things, forever ruminating and analysing things that happened, who said what etc. The 5 child must learn to see beyond the mental constructs that one has made about certain things

and to attempt to perceive reality beyond symbols and explanations. This may mean developing new ways of relating.

6-Metal Adult The 6 Metal adult is consistent, reliable and even conservative at times. They are willing to do the work necessary to bring ideas into form, staying committed to the task at hand. They seek the middle way of all things, avoiding any extremes where possible. They feel secure and safe sitting on the fence of life experience, avoiding confrontation or ‘breaks in the rhythm’ where possible.

They are quite down to earth, pure and prefer not to get their ‘hands dirty’ in dealing with others. They may have high ideals and even be quite spiritual.

They are generally very noble souls and like to be in the position of giving advice. Because of their strong work ethic and ideals, they do not like dealing with shady characters or corrupt business practices.

Their joy in life is in expansion, reaching for the heavens and inspiring others to do the same. They can see through the mundane dross of life into the bare essence of a situation. Thus, they can maintain focus while in the midst of trying or confusing circumstance. When they learn that its alright to shine, they can be exemplars of leading a life of integrity and spiritual value.

6-Metal Child The 6 Metal child may have a preoccupation with ideals, spiritual and otherwise, which make it difficult to see the wood for the trees. They may have issues surrounding self-respect, trying to identify with structure and dogma in an attempt to curb a feeling of emptiness inside. The tendency is to become attached to routine and structure to compensate for the absence of these feelings within. As such, they may be susceptible to any external idea which ‘fill in the gaps’.

They make good artists and have an infatuation with the beauty of design.

Basically they are perfectionists who love symmetry, maths, logic, reason and the ability to perceive connectedness between things. They could of course go the other way and deny the importance of such things! They may need to come to terms with an authority figure, both inside and out. They may be too strict with themselves and others or else lack any clear boundaries. Discipline is a major life lesson. They should seek to know the ‘middle way’; ‘not too slack, not too tight’, as the Buddha puts it.

The 6 Metal child needs to learn moderation in all things, especially in relationships. If there can exist a sense of internal rhythm, consistency and integration, this will reflect in the outside world. A healthy sense of spirituality is well advised, however it may be better to be found on one’s own rather than relying on teachers. The 6 Metal child can flourish and be a useful influence by bringing form to ideas.

7-Metal Adult The 7 Metal adult is quite a logical person, grounded well in time and space.

They know the limits to experience and are aware of the fact that nothing is ever wasted or completely insignificant. They can be conservative, economic, rational and very cautious for they know that every action has some kind of consequence. This may be known intuitively from an early age or else through experiencing ‘karmic consequences’ of their own actions.

They can be quite successful financially due to their instinct for accountability.

They are more allied to the past than the future, often spending much time dwelling on things that have happened, trying to come up with explanations that make sense. They may delight in ‘resurrecting’ things from their past, old relationships or friends, forgotten interests etc. They usually know when it’s time to let go of something, and can do it with definiteness and conviction.

Much of their energy is spent in trying to make connections between things in the manifested world. This can be done mentally, by comprehending the interconnectedness of events, theories and concepts or else socially, by an inherent infatuation with the ‘network’ of relationships. Because they aware that everything affects the whole, being a participant in the comings and goings of a social circle is quite important. They may enjoy group activities for the same reason. They like to have a reason for doing something.

7-Metal Child The 7 metal child has difficulty letting go of what is no longer needed. Grieving, mourning, moving on to make new connections can be a problematic area for a 7 Metal child. They like their friends and being part of a network of relationships. Often they can get very caught in this web and succumb to gossip and group politics.

They identify very strongly with their friends and immediate contacts, so much so that they often don’t experience much personal freedom with this. They get themselves into situations where every move made, every word uttered has some kind of meaning in the fabric of the social network. This can be a limiting experience, which stops one from making new bonds as an independent person.

If the 7 Metal child can learn how to let go, make new connections apart from the ones already established, this will lead to a position of greater choice and authority. Another tendency of this type could be to be too restrained with their own feelings, too logical and cold in their thinking and feeling life. The message remains the same; let go!

8-Earth Adult The 8 Earth adult may be quite an independent and adventurous person who lives with a strong desire life. Coming into contact with what one wants, having the drive and assertion to present oneself to what is ‘nourishing’ is the affair of

the 8 Earth adult. They like to roam the countryside in search of new and different experiences, meeting interesting people, sampling the diversity of life.

The 8 earth phase marks that time when the ties of dependence are severed so that one stands alone, on one’s own ‘lilypad’ of experience. This opens us up to a whole new realm, one quite different from the previous metal phases, where everything is quite reliant and connected to everything else. By standing alone, one begins to perceive the ‘equality’ of all moments of experience. By admitting to our own independence, we perceive the level playing field of adulthood, where everyone is independent.

Here we come into a different relationship with others than the linear, logical linkages of the metal phase. We realise that we are free to choose any experience we want, just like everyone else. The 8 earthy adult then may be seen as greedy at times, being quite concerned with what they desire, what ‘belongs’ to them or what they are responsible for. The 8 earth adult stands proudly alone, providing the world with nourishment and standing as an ‘option’ for the menus of others.

8-Earth Child The 8 earth child is likely to oscillate between being up for oneself at all. They may have a difficulty being the ties which are bolstering them up. This could workmates etc. They could have difficulty in knowing to assert oneself in the pursuit of those goals.

greedy and not standing independent, and cutting be with family, friends, what one wants and how

Or they may be too identified with what they want themselves that they are insensitive to what those around them want and desire. Knowing exactly what one ‘owns’ in life, energetically and otherwise is what leads us into the realm of responsibility. Once we know what is ours; be it a career, a child, a lover, a house, a talent or interest; it follows that we realise that we are responsible for that. It is up to us and no one else to do something about it.

The 8 Earth child may be reluctant to admit responsibility for things, fearing the limitations that this might entail. It is far easier for them to never admit to having a dream, for example, that acknowledging the work that comes along with that admission. The 8 earth child needs to gain the courage, determination and energy necessary to claim what is rightfully theirs in this lifetime.

9-Fire Adult The 9 Fire adult likes to discriminate between phenomena to perceive the separate forms of all things. They like to shine from within, to radiate their presence to the world and appreciate the individuality of each distinct life-form.

They are often analytical people, forever trying to make distinctions between people, events and ideas. They are generally lovers of truth, trying to shine their light onto matters so that what is real becomes apparent.

Their own sense of uniqueness is likely to be very important to them. They may go through struggles and trials as they fight for their own independent existence. This entails confronting the inertia and excuses which have limited their right to stand as their own person. Perhaps they have come across resistances from family or society. They love socialising and feeling part of it all, making others feel warm and acknowledged.

Spirituality may be a pertinent pursuit for a 9 Fire type. They may be interested in seeking enlightenment form the world of appearances to contact their own Inner Light. Fire symbolises the simultaneous nature of all experiences. The time is always now. This remains to be the simplest way to approach spirituality, and is the foundation for the illuminating teachings of Zen Buddhism for example. The 9 Fire person delights in the excitement and contrast of each moment.

9-Fire Child The 9 fire child may have issues around relationships with others. Discernment may be problem, they may not know the difference between someone who is ‘right’ for them or someone who isn’t. They may let the ‘wrong’ people into their intimate space with no discernment as to their appropriateness.

Conversely, they may have difficulty letting anyone in at all and keep a wall up around the heart.

One of the main issues with a 9-Fire child is that they can live in a dream-world, a perpetual fogginess which can alienate others. They can over-subjectify situations and overlay their perceptions on everything, often missing the point entirely. They can be very striking in their appearance and attract a lot of attention from the world. This could be from a natural charisma and attractiveness, or by dressing in a radical way.

The key lesson for a 9-Fire child is to learn the value of reason and logic and to break down their emotions. They need to learn how to speak their truth and not to lie about who they are in order to impress others. Also, taking their desires seriously is a big part of their maturation process as they can be inclined to put their desires "on ice" for fear their passion may upset their environment.

PART IV - THE ELEMENTS IN MEDICINE

Water Element: Kidney and Bladder The Kidneys and Bladder are said to be the storehouses of our life energy.

Kidney ‘Yang’ Energy is the spark that gets things moving, the motivating and mobilising power of the organism. If any area of the body needs to perform a task, the kidneys are like the minister of labour who sends the right amount of workers for the job. Therefore, they hold much power in the smooth running of the body. Kidney ‘Yin’ is responsible for internal secretions and fluids, which ensures lubrication.

The genetic essence we inherit from our parents constitutes our jing, our basic ‘substance’. The finite, durational nature of our life is relative to the quality of our jing. Our general energy and motivation are conducive to the water organs.

On a psychoemotional level, the bladder in particular helps us to ‘stand upright’ in life, and face whatever we come across with acceptance and strength. They give us a connection to the past, to an ancestral lineage and help us orient ourselves in the present, as part of the continuum. Memory is also largely a ‘water function’.

Earth Element: Stomach and Spleen The Earth element in Chinese Medicine consists of the stomach and the spleen / pancreas. The job of these officials is to acquire nourishment and then process and distribute the nutrients throughout the organism. On a physical level, this obviously has to do with food and the subsequent assimilation of the goodness that comes from the food. However food is the grossest end of the spectrum of what we ‘take in’. We are constantly receiving impressions from our environment and from other people.

Being able to process and share the goodness of the experiences we partake in is just as necessary to our survival as the need for good food. Our Heart yearns to be nourished by the fruits of life, relationships, creativity and inspiration. The Heart is like a child waiting to be fed and entertained. It is the affair of the spleen to provide every part of our being with nourishment. This can be in the form of wonderful thoughts, ideas, memories of impressions or hearty food.

The spleen is like the minister for transport who distributes the goodies evenly and fairly throughout our body / mind. Healthy spleen energy also gives us a sound and sturdy mind, able to think about things in a ‘one-pointed’ meditative way. We can therefore use our thinking capacity effectively and be a secure presence around others. Indeed, it’s our ability to have a strong thought that enables us to ‘move’ it or ‘think’ in a creative way.

The stomach sometimes referred to as the official responsible for ‘rotting and ripening’, like a compost bin that breaks down matter so that it can be useful

and nourishing. The Earth elements, as mentioned, also has to do with our thinking capacity and the stomach energy can process information so that we don’t have an accumulation of thoughts congesting our system. Unprocessed thoughts, like unprocessed food can be a problem.

Stomach energy is also necessary to place ourselves in a position to give and receive nourishment. It gives us the ability to be ‘fed’ by others and to provide them with something useful and interesting. By being able to ‘swallow’ the many experiences of life, we can digest them, keep what is good for us and discern what is not.

Wood Element: Gallbladder and Liver Gallbladder energy is our connection to the future. It is our ability to know what is about to happen so that appropriate decisions can be made. It is our foresight and clear vision which allows for right action in the moment. This leads to an effective decision-making capacity. Our decisiveness, precision and judgement are the domain of the gallbaldder function.

It is an awareness of what is beyond the moment that can contextualise what we decide in the present. We want to do something that leads to a beneficial future. While we may not all utilise clairvoyance (clear vision), it is possible to have a sense for what’s about to happen so that we are nimble enough to move this way or that. If we lack this awareness, we may experience dead ends, or a road which isn’t smooth.

On a physical level, our liver energy is responsible for movement. On a psychological level, it has much to do with planning and flexibility. It is the sudden thought which motivates us into action. It is our ability to retain an awareness of the goal or destination, no matter what circumstances seem to oppose or thwart our path. This enables us to make good plans and to revise plans if we hit an obstacle. Being too rigid makes it hard to adapt if something happens which we don’t expect. But if we have a constant awareness of where we are heading, nothing that happens can compromise that completely. No matter what our individual expressions are, our goals as humans are pretty similar; to be free to give, to expand love, to create and participate in the Life process.

Metal Element: Lungs and Large Intestine The lung in Chinese Medicine occupies a spiritual position, being our connection to the Heavens and to Life. More than just a mechanical device for oxygenating the blood, it is our link between Heaven and Earth. A solid connection to Life gives us the internal structure necessary to perform the tasks we need. It also provides us with a boundary that protects us from harmful influences. Our immunity has much to owe to the strength of lung energy.

It is a ‘tender’ organ, one easily affected by early experience. Because we are constantly breathing between ourselves and what is other than ourselves, our early environment, how people treat us, can be very formative of our lung energy. One needs ‘breathing space’ to become an individual, to perceive one’s distinctness and to know boundaries. In situations where there is ‘smothering’ or other forms of space invasion, the lung chi may get weak. These patterns affect the functioning of the entire organism.

On a psychoemotional level, the lungs assist in bringing ideas into form. They are a bridge from spirit to matter. Being grounded in our body, on the Earth and able to exist within rhythms and time is the affair of the lungs here. To create solid structures in life; career, work, family, relationships, art; one needs to possess strong internal structure to manifest them in the physical realm, and keep them going.

The large intestine is responsible for letting go of what our organism no longer needs. He is like the rubbish controller who dispenses with what is useless to our organism, the residue of bad thoughts, negative impressions and physical substance which is not nourishing to our body. It is this energy which also allows us to make mental connections, to ‘join the dots’ and ‘pull it all together’. Our ability to integrate things and form structure in our life has much to do with our large intestine energy. If this organ system is not working, we are full of useless junk and have difficulty knowing when it’s time to let go and move on.

Fire Element: Heart and Small Intestine, Pericardium and Triple Heater The Triple Heater, the sanjiao, is not a physical organ and is therefore often refuted by Western medicine. It is said to consist of three ‘burners’ in the chest, abdomen and lower belly. The Triple Heater’s function is to regulate the ‘temperature’ of these three areas so that there is harmony and balance. It therefore occupies a very important role, for it is responsible for making sure each area of the body had the appropriate conditions to perform well. It also provides all the other organs with the life energy from the kidneys. It is like a selfless networker.

On a psychoemotional level, the Triple Heater is our ‘public self’, a kind of ambassador we send out on behalf of our true nature to deal with the world in relationships. We can see an obvious potential problem here: we mistake ourselves for the mask we wear! Yet, if understood in its proper place, our inner ‘diplomat’ becomes a harmless influence for the world, a way of approaching others with respect and warmth. Until we know how to access this, we may be prone to adjusting the ‘temperatures’ of others to suit us.

The small intestine and pericardium are in the business of sorting the pure from the impure, the useful from the useless, and the friendly from the harmful. The light and heat of fire reveals the distinctions between separate forms. The small intestine breaks down the substance of our food and / or impressions so that discernment can be possible.

The pericardium or heart protector acts as a kind of guard who only allows good things to enter the heart. This is particularly important in all relationships, for it is the keeper of our innermost essence and vulnerability. The pericardium is also the monitor for what is moral and ‘appropriate’ in our behaviour.

Sometimes our raw impulses may need to be sublimated in a way which is harmless to the environment.

The heart is the most important organ for it houses the "shien" or spiritual essence. It contains the organising intelligence which directs the organism and guides the flow of energy. While on a physical level it is responsible for circulation, it also has connections to the face and sense organs as well as speech. Psychoemotionally, the heart is responsible for sophisticated thought and cognition, language, the exprience of joy and inner authority. Too much fire can make one tyrannical and fanatical yet too little makes one sad and despondent. A good balance of fire energy brings happiness and enlightenment.

PART V - TIME CYCLES

How Important Are Time Cycles?

Perhaps more than the personality profiles, one of the things that constantly astounds me about this ancient system is the time cycles, things re-occur in cycles of nine; years, months days and hours. Each year bears a kind of energy signature, where different things arise in ones life, yet on further examination it is clear that they first emerge in the psyche of the individual, as a kind of potential, an image, revelation, desire or epihany. Not many are aware of it, but the circumstances of one’s life are usually but a reflection of a deep inner process. For example, one may fall in love with an exciting (fiery) person during a fire year failing to see that it is only a projection of something within themselves.

I have discovered through years of study and practise, that there is indeed a biorhythm of the soul just as there is now documented a biorhythm of the body.

The only difference being that the body exists in the causal time-line of things whereas the soul is grounded more in a timeless realm. It takes a whole different kind of sensitivity to feel where people are at on this level, it is not a mechanical process, though there are certain predictible zones to look in, given the point on the cycle one is at.

By paying attention to the time cycles, we will come to see how these energies manifest in our personal sphere. It can give us a clue as to how to ride the wave, to co-operate with the currents that desire us to be the best we can be.

Like all things, they can be used for alturistic purposes or for selfish and ignorant pursuits. It is rather unfortunate, as it leads ultimatgely to suffering by the people that cannot see how they relate to the whole. The spirits of time, when recognised consciously, have an entirely different function to when they are relied on unconsciously. They move beyond simply being an aspect of nature, moving cyclically, and become an aspect of the supernatural, activating the divine possibilities of human beings.

This is the true application of astrology. It is not about your personality, your “luck” or anything else. It is about your relationship to time. What has bred under the umbrella of astrology since the Greek renaiisance has been clouded by an intent to use esoteric knowledge to gain power over “fate”. This was perhaps a necessary “limb” of human consciousness to develop, timely and necessary. However now it weighs down the human spirit, it has no relevance to the modern human. It belongs to the past and therefore has contributed something. Holding onto it however, just like holding onto the ego after it has served its purpose, is akin to keeping the wrapping paper and throwing away the gift.

Each sentient energy is like a visitor and an outline which we fill with our own colours and experience.

They have several applications: As a potential friend or ally, as opposeeds to an enemy.

As a tool to build or fashion something.

As a key to unlock other doors.

As knowlege to navigate, plan, adapt.

As a spiritual principle to live by.

As a way to love and support one another, to nourish and be nourished by life.

As a way to develop empathy, compassion in relationships, to consider other points of view.

As a tool that we must learn how to use properly so that it lasts.

As a tool for self-discovery.

A Journey Through The Palaces

1-Water: Sea Palace This is a time to go with the flow, when you may find yourself in the unknown.

The past few years may have likely seen a lot of activity and intensity that served to bring issues to the surface. This year you will do well to accept whatever comes your way without trying to control things too much. There is no ‘pushing the river’.

There may be less social activity this year and you will probably want quiet time to you. Respect your body’s need for rest, for what you consolidate and ‘store up’ now will serve you well in the coming years, as new projects begin to take off. It is a good time for reflection and planning, taking things as they come and trusting that it will all be for the best. Surrender and trust are indeed the keynotes of the year.

In the West, we look at willpower as something we employ to overcome obstacles and conquer ‘bad odds’. In the East however, willpower is the ability to find nothing wrong with any situation. It is our capacity to have no ambition to change things, but like water, simply accept and flow around whatever we come across. Water is the most perfect example of a harmless nature, one that is unselfish and doesn’t manipulate.

The wisdom of the sage lies in non-resistance.

2-Earth: Soil Palace This year is about slowly and gradually building something in your life. We can only build things, however, if there is co-operation present. It is by giving unconditionally and without attachment that we are made whole. It is a time to plant a seed into the unfathomable depths of creative intelligence. Gather the parts you need and then let it go so the parts can combine alchemically to form something new in your life.

This year consider acceptance. Acceptance is like a jewel that gets passed around from person to person. Everyone who receives it is blessed, for he has received everything. Yet he soon learns that he too must pass it on, for the lustre of the jewel can only be added to by giving it away. To be graced with the jewel of wholeness is to be strong enough to give. If you receive the jewel of acceptance this year, know that it is the sum total of every act of kindness and love in the universe. You are free to add to it.

No matter how convincing the ‘colours’ of your experience are, know that they’re not the only colours. If you learn how to combine the colours of your experience with others, you will learn the alchemist’s secret. For we don’t need to be rid of anything, though we sometimes need to transmute the old. Know that in all of your experiences lie the seeds of your most marvellous creations

This is a year to be receptive, pay attention to relationships and assert boundaries. It is generally a work-oriented year and calls you to carry the load with diginity. Be willing to enjoy yhe dat to day things. You will find it harder to make plans and execute them this year and you must be patiend for next year your qi will be moving more dynamically and quickly.

Assert your boundaries and try not to drain yourself in relationships. Don’t give too much of yourself away this year. A good year for things relating to the slow building process, to study and prepare for next year. Conserve energy like a bear storing fat for the the winter. Be economical and consistent. Seek healing and be aware of what nourishes you in life and what will not. Stay close to nature and the seasons this year.

3-Wood: Thunder Palace This is a very paradoxical year for the soul, because there is a real sense of something new beginning but there is also often a sense of loss associated with it. In browsing a couple of your writings this morning, I came across something that is an incredibly obvious illustration of the 3 year. The 3 Wood year is likened to the first stirrings of spring, after the slumber of the 2 earth year and the totally unknown situation of the 1 water year. The 3 year is a kind of awakening, and may have a sense of restlessness, of impulsiveness and suddenness about it. The wood element is assosicated with growth, vision, direction, flexibility and hope.

Hope is a very important thing to consider. It is an opportunity to understand the difference between true hope and false hope. False hope being the kind of “fake it until you make it” type of new-age affirmations where we have to constantly push ourselves into believing in something in order to feel faith. Real hope being the kind of faith we feel when we have seen Reality as it is, without an image. This is really the crux of the 3 year, for those who want to go there.

It is about seeing Reality, not Pictures.

So the nascent beginnings of the 3 wood year have to br treated sensibly, with care and gentleness, as one would tend to a young sapling. Its about nurturing beginnings, in whatever form that takes, and seeing the process of beginning as complete in itself, without too much recourse to the final product. One can’t expect a baby to be anything but a baby. Philosophically it is like “beginners mind” of Zen, always fresh and new, without preconception or judgement.

4-Wood: The Wind Palace This year is a good year for movement and growth towards your goals. You may find there is not as much stability as there has been in previous years, yet this is necessary now for progress. You may be more engaged in dealing with the public and external world this year.

In many ways, it is a time for growing out into your environment so you become ‘part of it all’. This sometimes requires strategy. You can think of it like

a chess game between you and the world. You have your move, then you have to wait patiently for the world to have its go. Then you have your move again and so on. This involves relinquishing what has worked in the past and evaluating each decision, each ‘move’ with a fresh, flexible awareness.

It also means having respect and tolerance for others around you at home and work, for to get what we want sometimes requires learning how to dance with many partners. Know when enough is enough. Pay attention to your intuition and you will know if it’s a time to move or a time to wait. Enjoy the tenderness of this time in your relationships. Let yourself be like a gentle breeze that touches others yet doesn’t blow them away!

5-Earth: The (All-Important) Central Palace This is a karmic year for you. Every nine years we return to the centre, the void from where everything came. This year is your turn! We see that some moves we make in life yield “no-result” and this is a good thing, as it leaves no trace, no aftertaste. Some other moves result in a kind of spiritual jetlag which affects our perception of time. Ever noticed how sometimes time seems to burn up quickly and other times a day seems like forever?

Be particularly aware this year of how time feels to you. Does it feel fast or slow? Do you feel in harmony or not? Reflect on the moves you have made in your life, your actions, your decisions and your speech. What have you created? This year is like a divining mirror. The people you meet or spend time with are telling you something about what you have been projecting in order to integrate a lesson. Remember, nothing is a mistake. All moves, whether they yielded stability or instability are things that will teach you if you are sensitive.

The 5 Earth year marks the central point in the nine-year cycle and as such is a very important time. It is the middle, both the beginning and the end, the source of primal power that is both creative and destructive. Usually, it is issues of identity that are at the fore around a 5 Earth year. It is a time of harvest in many ways, where the “behind the scenes” work that has gone into creating an identity or lifestyle has manifested in some way in your life. This is not always a welcomed situation, since what we are presented with show us a clear reflection of ourselves and that is not always a pleasant thing. At any rate, it is a time of confrontation with the Self, the very centre from which all things manifest from.

The 5 Earth phase is like a divining mirror that shows us the extent to which we have been projecting onto others. Someone may come into our lives that seems to be the epitome of all that we have admired and aspired life, your actions, your decisions and your speech. What have you created? This year is like a divining mirror. The people you meet or spend time with are telling you something about what you have been projecting in order to integrate a lesson.

Remember, nothing is a mistake. All moves, whether they yielded stability or instability are things that will teach you if you are sensitive.

6-Metal: The Sky Palace This is a year for connecting to the heavens and receiving inspiration. It will likely be a year in which the structure of your life is prevalent in some way. This could mean that you become aware of your routines and help things run in a more orderly fashion.

Your working life will be prominent and you may feel an urge for the constancy of work in some way. You may be mentally sharper than usual and use your mind to put things into perspective. You may feel as if you have something great to aspire to, or may act as such an example for people.

It is the year of the Father. Issues regarding your own father may arise, or perhaps with your own masculine energy. The more spiritually inclined may feel connected to the infinite inspiration of the sky and heavens. It is a year to get the ‘guts’ of your life sorted out through being consistent and working steadily toward your major dreams.

By getting the structure solid, your life becomes a strong vehicle to ground your visions. If you can access your stamina this year, you will create a space for your dreams to manifest. But remember that endurance comes from pacing yourself, not from burning out! Breathe deeply and enjoy the rhythmic pulse of everything.

7-Metal: The Lake Palace This year is about refining your life so that you live within an enjoyable structure. This may involve letting go of things that are blocking you or relinquishing your attachment to things that no longer serve you. If this can be done, your year will be joyful as you revel in living with what is essential to you.

You may feel more logical, rational and sharp than you have in years past. This year has much to do with making connections and allowing all parts of life to integrate. It could be that your personal and public identities begin to fuse into one unified expression of who you are.

You may find a new use for something old. Perhaps you will resume a friendship or relationship with someone from your past. Or you may decide to finish a course of study or else revisit something, which has held interest for you. It’s about bringing the past into the present so that you make your previous efforts count.

It can be a very pleasurable year when celebration is at its peak. Money may accumulate easier than in the past. It is a good year for sensuality, sexuality and appreciating things of beauty. Be sure to know the difference between what is useful and what is useless to you. Don’t hesitate to cut away what is not required for you to live a happy life.

8-Earth: The Mountain Palace This is the year of the Mountain for you which is an energy that can make you very aware of your independence. It can often feel like a time of retreat for many and you may just want to be left to your own devices and not be as social. This may be quite different to the last two years where there was more energy available for groups and cultural activities.

The key is to surrender to the process and look at what solitude can offer you this year. Even if you are around people during the day, including family members, don’t be afraid of withdrawing a little. Explain to them that you haven’t gone anywhere you just need some space. It is a wonderful opportunity to find your self-reliance this year and utilize your power. Remember, the world is attracted to those who stand in their power, right where they are. The less ambition you have for moving, the more people will gravitate toward you.

This is a year to enjoy the sacredness of each moment. It is a time to stand in your independence and appreciate your own individuality. If we can let go of outmoded expectations and ideals, we can treasure each event in it’s own right. This year, examine the things and people you rely and depend on and ask yourself whether they are still necessary and appropriate. You may find that if you stood on our own, you suddenly open yourself up to new experiences, relationships, adventures and other sources of ‘soul food’. It’s a perfect year for travel, trying new things and also ‘mystical’ activities such as meditation, yoga etc.

Gratitude is important now. It is through feeling genuinely grateful for what we have that enables us to feel contentment and stillness in the Now. Digesting something, ‘taking it in’ is not always the selfish act of getting what we want.

Gratitude reveals what we have, not what we lack. It is the absence of expectation. When we relinquish expectation, we see things as they really are, and realise that all things are possible.

9-Fire: Sun Palace This is a year for seeking truth. This may take many forms; personal, professional, spiritual. It is only when we perceive the light between things that we can discern differences between separate forms. In the light, it is seen where all things belong by perceiving their distinctness.

Fire years are often very busy, we are spreading ourselves widely through many situations. We may feel discontented with our work, social circle, family, relationship, course of study etc. We might be inclined to try many different things in our search for a personal truth. This is fine, you don’t have to be stuck in one place this year.

What we are often trying to do is detach from our experience in order to evaluate it more objectively and with greater discrimination. For this reason, this year might take on a dramatic nature, where you feel that you are going ‘beyond yourself’ in some way. Issues in personal relationships, communication

and general life direction may flare up in a way, which could usher in a whole new direction for the years to come.

In many ways, this year marks both completion and beginning. If you are spiritually inclined, it is an excellent year for seeking enlightenment and finding your place in the experience of Now. By taking heed of your impulses, the truth will become apparent. Follow your passions.

The 9-Fire year carries all the potentials for being seen, exposed, illuminated, enlightened etc. In other words, if you were to present your portfolio to an agent or your book to a publisher this year, they would experience it as being impressive because of the fire influence. If you tried next year in your water year however, when the energy is more at a low point (that doesnt mean bad or negative just low), it may be harder to get noticed.

In other words, this is a time to make your mark, leave an impression, be seen or recognised or else have the truth revealed to you in some way that brings clarity. One thing about the fire year, don’t be afraid of the word “No”! By seeing what something is not, be it a relationship, job, belief etc. you are freed up to search for the “Yes”. Think of this year as ticking all the boxes, by process of elimination the truth of the Heart is revealed

APPENDIX - THREE ESSAYS

Day Qi Chemistry: An Alternative Meaning The influence of the day number is one of the most mysterious aspects of Nine Star Qi. There are several methods for calculating the day star and various interpretations on its meaning, just as there are for year and month stars. In one version of the story, the third number is derived from the relation of the year star in the Luo Shu of the month star which provides a uniform an unchanging set of numbers.

It is apparent that the day number seems to reveal something of the outer character of the person, how they are perceived, the impression they make etc.

This is usually given in contrast to the month star which may indicate a more private, emotional side to a person. It seems quite clear that the month and the day offer a kind of right brain-left brain delineation of a person’s character and performance with the year star induicating the most stable part of a person, which interacts with both month and day but stands independently. The story of the year star is a universe to itself and seems more profound than simply a contributing factor to health or energy or charisma.

In truth it is the day star which is responsible for our interactions and relationships with other day stars. While the energy dynamics between year and month elements are factors worth considering when viewing any relationship, it is perhaps not as mechanical as we may otherwise think. Many teachings will say a relationship between someone who has earth year star and someone who has water year star will have all the characteristics of the ko (control cycle) in their relationship. Yet, with some sensitivity it is seen that the year stars interact differently because they live in a realm of infinte possibility.

Thus it is possible for earth and water to be harmonious year stars even though they are relating along the ko cycle.

It is much different with the day star however for these interactions follow the most Newtonian chemical reactions among themselves. In this way, things are predictible and relationships can be viewed in a light that can allow, within reason, for a certain amount of supposition. It should be pointed out however that although we are saying day stars are having relationships among themselves, this is by no means an indication of the whole person. We are much more than our day star interactions. We see here only the most superficial expression of a person and often an awkward representation of someone’s true nature. Where, for instance, we see someone with a Fire outer number but a Water inner (month) number we possibly have a situation where a person feels mis-represented by their persona and frustrated that people do not “believe” their watery nature. It is like the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

What I am going to suggest here is a radical way of viewing the situation but one that makes sense and releases the spirit. I would suggest that instead of thinking of the day number as a fixed entity (ie because I am both on a 3 wood day… I have a “3 wood” day star that does not change), we begin to view our day star only in context of its relations with other day stars. In other worlds we

use the laws of the five elements, the sheng and ko cycles, to determine something beyond the initiating factor, which is the day star following your date of birth. This would mean that at any given time, our day star is off “in the world of relationships” like an ambassador representing who we are but not actually BEING who we are.

This would give us a primary freedom for it would mean we no longer IDENTIFY with our relationships and ever-fluctuating chemistry but simply observe it as a feature of our life rather than the core of who we are. As we seem to have created a society that runs on addiction, temporary fixes and happiness, we have many people that only know themselves as their day stars or perhaps, if they are insightful, as their month stars. But very few are aware of the inspiring energy of their year stars and so this ripe and fertile field of possibility in a person’s life is left un-harvested.

To see the day star clearly for what it is, to let it play out but to remain unmoved by its behaviour, we would quickly have a number of self-empowered and insightful people on the earth. It would also give us greater choice when it comes to selecting the relationships that suit us the best. It would give the knowledge to avoid a toxic relation and to pursue a harmless and mutually beneficial one. If you study someone’s path and the tapestry of relationships they have woven right from early family days to present, you can see predictible patterns of day qi chemistry. Like the theory of karma, it seems we repeat the same kinds of relationships and situations until we find the perspective needed to choose something new. Breaking the pattern of course, just as the chemical rebellion we experience when we quit smoking for instance, usually results in adversity until the storm subsides. Most fear this period of “limbo” to such an extent that they do not dare take their day stars out of the chemical soup for fear of the repurcussions.

From this perspective, there are basically three types of relationships that your day star is involved in at any given time; controlling (ko), supporting (sheng) and resonating (same element). Each of the three types has five sub-types relating to the particular element combination, for this also is a factor in itself.

For instance, Wood-Earth carries a signature energy as does Earth-Metal, as does Water-Water. When you take your day star and apply it to the relations you do have in your life; with your spouse, your child, your mother and father, your friend, your workmate, your dog etc. you now have a much more realistic view of what your day star actually is. It lives in the world, connected to but independent from your true self. It lives in the world of mechanical chemical transactions and behaves according to these laws. All goings on within a group, politics, alliances, emnity, romance, sexual attraction, conspiracy… all can be seen in the light of day star interactions.

2. Calendar Reform Calendar reform may sound a lofty impossible goal, but even if a handful of people run the cyclic nine star calendar alongside the julian-gregorian calendar, it would have a net effect on consciousness. If there is one thing I could emphasise more than any other thing I have noticed from studying nine qi, it is the effect that time perception has on spiritual awareness AND biological health.

The lungs monitor the tides of chi, the patterns of life force. Yet the wei-chi can and is influenced from the outside. If you watch a scary movie you might breathe faster or more shallow because the metal element is seized by impressions and suggestion. This affects the entire organism by altering the frequencies and patterns of lung qi.

This much is easy to comprehend. But what if I were to say that the very calendar you follow, which is a type of rhythm, could have a deep, profound effect on your qi regulation, personal autonomy and perception of more subtle states of being. After a while, for example, our body entrains to “expect” saturday and sunday as days of rest and all centres around that. If something happens on saturday that stifles that then the wood element is aroused and we get angry, bitter and frustrated. Our body, in this industrial slave-time paradigm, is set to empower the cold martial law of metal, with “rules of time”.

The more flexible and free wood element, hun (eternal soul) goes completely uneducated when we obey the Gregorian calendar. What people do not realize is how deeply this goes, it affects things right down to the cellular level of the body, the binary organisation of everything.

The difference between following a nine day “week” and a seven day week is absolutely immense. It alone has the potential and power to free the body, mind and soul from industrial war time. Jose Arguelles has been a good proponent for this. While I don’t agree with everything he says, he has done a wonderful job of pointing out that since the industrial age we have externalised time, thinking it exists “out there in the clock” and not in here in our bodies.

This makes us sitting ducks when it comes to conditioning, hypnosis, suggestion etc. Despite how we may glorify it, the history of “civilization” as we know it from Sumerian or Egyptian times, is none other than the history of human enslavement.

Arguelles said that suddenly time equalled “money” and that is still how we think about it, as if one moment has more “value” than another. That, if I were a CEO, five minutes could equate to a thousand dollars yet if I were a rubbish collector, that SAME five minutes could equal ten cents. We do not see how deeply this psychosis has affected us. His answer is “time = art”, which I am personally in full alignnment with.

Following the nine day week and nine month lunar cycle and nine year solar cycle is of immense relevance and importance to everyone. It is where we need to be working in my opinion, I have come to see that chatting to people about their elements etc has some benefit, but the essentials are quickly forgotten as they slip back into the magnetic thrall of the artificial calendar.

What I am trying to say here is that there is something trying to come through here that is no longer speaking to the individual, but trying to make itself known to the group mind. Astrology itself is still seen as a fringe discipline, but within that nine ki is the fringe of the fringe! I feel it would be a huge waste to see it relegated to a nice little quiet corner in the alternative world rather than see it as the sublime science that it is, but also the master key for many other disciplines, even those not remotely related to feng shui, taosim or alternative theory.

Observing Sacred Time is a way for you to take back your power. Time is not money, it is power. If you own your time, you own your power. If you feel that the world owns your time, you are diseempowered. You are not living at the centre of your life, you are living on the periphery. There is a simple way to take back your time and that is by realizing that your heart and soul follow a different "calendar" to the one society enforces upon you.

If you realize the nature of each day, hour, month and year then you are connected to Sacred Time, your own personal time. When you go beyond the mechanical, industrial calendar of seven days and 12 irregular months, you begin to live Time again. This is where the soul of a child lives, where animals live, where the human heart too lives. It is a cycle of nine and blocks of threes.

It is fractal time, reaching all the way back through evolution to the slip back into the magnetic thrall of the artificial calendar.

What I am trying to say here is that there is something trying to come through here that is no longer speaking to the individual, but trying to make itself known to the group mind. Astrology itself is still seen as a fringe discipline, but within that nine ki is the fringe of the fringe! I feel it would be a huge waste to see it relegated to a nice little quiet corner in the alternative world rather than see it as the sublime science that it is, but also the master key for many other disciplines, even those not remotely related to feng shui, taosim or alternative theory.

Observing Sacred Time is a way for you to take back your power. Time is not money, it is power. If you own your time, you own your power. If you feel that the world owns your time, you are diseempowered. You are not living at the centre of your life, you are living on the periphery. There is a simple way to take back your time and that is by realizing that your heart and soul follow a different "calendar" to the one society enforces upon you. If you realize the nature of each day, hour, month and year then you are connected to Sacred Time, your own personal time. When you go beyond the mechanical, industrial calendar of seven days and 12 irregular months, you begin to live Time again.

This is where the soul of a child lives, where animals live, where the human heart too lives. It is a cycle of nine and blocks of threes. It is fractal time, reaching all the way back through evolution to the dawn of creation itself.

There is no need for this to be complicated. True time is elegant, perfectly organised, beautiful and all-inclusive. True time is love. False time is borne from insecurity. It is the invention of a handful of people who were deeply disturbed, fearful and could only feel secure by controlling others. False time is only a few centuries old but true time is eternal. False time is an invention of the mind, implemented to make things predictible, to iron out the bumps in human

temperament. We were demoted from the wild glory of nine to the painful slavery of seven. There is a world of difference between nine and seven.

It is extremely easy to return to true time. It is not just the way of nature, it is also the way of heaven. It is perfect alignment with the way of the universe, the ebb and flow of Life Force. This electrical, positive, nourishign "stuff" is everywhere and obeys certain laws. To know the laws is to live "in" real time. To be ignorant to the laws, or be rebellious in the name of "freedom" is to live "out" of real time. It is a simple choice.

The true state of Being is timeless. Yet time is like the moods of eternity. While we are on earth, in a body, time is our means of contact with the divine. Our soul knows of a special time "rhythm" and its possible to uncover this in our everyday life, no matter what the circumstance. All we need to do is see the faint outline and as we take action, life will colour it in. False time has a thick, rigid outline. True time has a subtle, faint outline. We need to develop a sensitivity to perceive it. It comes with practise, yet just a daily intention is all that is required.

Its up to you to notice the different energies during the seasons and transitions.

You will find your own way of securing your understanding so that you become, in time, intuitively certain of what phase you are in. When it reaches a certain point, you will have an immunity to deception as your inner truth will be fastened within the "timeless realm of time." and nothing can distort that. All of this is a means of developing psychic safety, immunity and personal power, which will allow you to live a grand life free from the tyranny of institutions, authorities and other parasitic beings. You don't have to meditate or do any special exercises, or even change your beliefs. It works on a much more fundamental level than beliefs, being rather like the bowl that contains all the ingredients.

The skill and mastery of inner time lies in the difference of time frequencies you are personally attuned to. The year, month, day and hour all set in motion a personal time frequency that then gives each individual a "relative" point cycle running alongside the "absolute" wave cycle. Yet each time frequency inhabits a domain of its own and without the sensitivity of inner wisdom, these frequencies all live in their separate isolated worlds, unrelated to the others.

You can become, in time, intuitively certain of what phase you are in. When it reaches a certain point, you will have an immunity to deception as your inner truth will be fastened within the "timeless realm of time." and nothing can distort that. All of this is a means of developing psychic safety, immunity and personal power, which will allow you to live a grand life free from the tyranny of institutions, authorities and other parasitic beings. You don't have to meditate or do any special exercises, or even change your beliefs. It works on a much more fundamental level than beliefs, being rather like the bowl that contains all the ingredients.

This is the art of time. We have to see that the experience of pain in life is essentially the result of being "out of time", or when we have a difference in time freqency within ourselves, which then is transalted outside as being out of step with other beings.

3. Musings On Responsibility I do consider nine qi to have a magical quality that seems to only really show up in dialogue. Like a rainbow that needs moisture, sunlight and witness, so nine qi’s most powerful insights seem to shine through in relationship. I have found it hard convincing people about this, as most will still see it only as something that can relate to them personally and their “luck” so to speak. To actually respect a qi phase as a kind of “visiting spirit” changes the game entirely, you look for it in the sychronicity, in the flashes of shen. When more than one experience it simultaneously it is my belief that something quite miraculous happens that is of great benefit to all who are involved. Nature takes us only so far, the spark of Will in a person has to pick up where nature leaves off. Why nine qi speaks to me personally, is that it doesn’t ask of you that you do any special thing to notice it like many esoteric studies. Being a 2 earth soul myself, this aspect of “inclusiveness” is very important. Nine qi is very much that, all-encompassing, it does not border itself off for the “elite” to use and exploit. A lay person can apprehend it and over may years, perfect himself. Thats what I like about it.

Another thing that is impotant to mention is that our recent infatuation with “balance” causes much confusion for those genuinely interested in these matters. It perhaps had something to do with an Indian infiltration of western culture, obviously not just India, but the whole “eastern enlightenment” which has become an accepted norm for many Western seekers of all ages. I had this explained to me and I have never forgotten the teaching: that in the eastern enlightenment, one sees oneself as a relatively passive entity in which Nature or the Universe is using us to achieve its homeostasis. If we have a good or bad life, it is said to be our “karma”. The enlightened man in the eastern context is the one who “accepts” his fate and knows its always higher forces at work in an individuals life. “Psychology” as we know it here is almost non-existent to the eastern enlightenment, we are just like cells in the body of society. Peace comes when we are doing the right thing, in the right place. There is no Creator, and no real meaning to anything.

Unfortunately this is, since the 60's, many spiritually deprived Westerners have come to see as spiritual attainment, a kind of surrender process which is furnished by many New Age dolphins and rainbows stuff. (The New Age incidentally was started by people that worship the god of the morning star, Lucifer. Not many people know at all what they are dealing with when they get innocently involved in these pursuits, they think the “dawn” is some sort of positive outcome for humanity failing to realize that it is a complete uprootment of the original biologically sound human). As such, the person seeking the eastern enlightenment, assuming he is not an easterner, lives in complete infiltration of western culture, obviously not just India, but the whole “eastern enlightenment” which has become an accepted norm for many Western seekers of all ages. I had this explained to me and I have never forgotten the teaching: that in the eastern enlightenment, one sees oneself as a relatively passive entity in which Nature or the Universe is using us to achieve its homeostasis. If we have a good or bad life, it is said to be our “karma”. The enlightened man in the eastern context is the one who “accepts” his fate and

knows its always higher forces at work in an individuals life. “Psychology” as we know it here is almost non-existent to the eastern enlightenment, we are just like cells in the body of society. Peace comes when we are doing the right thing, in the right place. There is no Creator, and no real meaning to anything.

My reason for raising this is that if we were to consider ourselves “responsible” in any way for safeguarding human evolutuion and the sacredness of knowledge, we should see that Nine Qi is not Chinese, not Japanese, not oriental. How it has been packaged in the past is not necessarily how it is. It may speak to a Westerner, with all his predicaments, very nicely and go nowhere near the province of eastern enlightenment. It is universal and perhaps what we know of this “system” are only very recent examples.

This ebook is the intellectual property of James L. Kendrick and is under full copyright protection.

This prohibits the usage of any content of this work without prior permission from the author.

Copyright. 2011. All Rights Reserved.