Rest and activity in the Year of Sagely Living
You might wonder why you haven’t yet seen a post from me about March’s Year of Sagely Living goal. Fittingly enough, I was at a Qigong retreat all weekend in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been with some of the greatest people I know. It was a good way to start off my contemplation of the rhythm of relaxation and focused work in my life! It reminds me that my program, while rigorous and sometimes quite difficult, does try to build in time for rejuvenation - we have a retreat every term! A luxury, no doubt about it.
When conceiving the Year of Sagely Living we decided to focus March, the time of first real visible manifestation of spring, on the balance between activity and rest. This is such a wide topic, there are a variety of possibilities within it. Originally, I explained:
Lung, Yin 寅 (Tiger)- Activity/Rest: This category will contain practices having to do with appropriate cycles of rest and activity in daily life - for instance, appropriate waking times throughout the seasons.
I am reminded to consider the Lung and everything we learned about that organ system in our classes with Heiner Fruehauf . When I read back through all the symbols associated with Lung I see a lot of contrasting elements. This makes sense given the “tension between opposites” that the actual physical Lung deals with. It interfaces between liquid and gas, it is part of what oversees the interchange between carbon dioxide and oxygen… One of the interesting contradictions we’re asked to ponder as we study the Lung organ system is the fact that while the Lung is most often referred to in terms of metal - as per the Neijing Suwen (and many other places) on the organ clock it is solidly placed in the spring! What can this mean?
I have thought of it in many ways over the last couple of years. First, the Lung/metal is in charge of descending the Qi of the body and the wood is responsible for ascending movement. This vital pillar of human physiology serves as the mechanism by which rhythm is maintained in the body. The Lung is readily associated with rhythm - along with the heartbeat our breathing rate is one of those regular things that happen all day, every day, without our even thinking about it.
Another way to look at it is simply by assuming there is something about the Lung which is Fall and something which is Spring. What parts of Lung function are similar to Fall? The Fall is crisp and cool, it is a time when the Yin energy begins to dominate strongly over the Yang. The Lung, too, is a Yin-like environment as an organ and as one of the six conformations. The Taiyin damp aspect of the Lung creates an organ that likes to be relatively cool (though not cold) and wet (though not filled!). There are other similarities, but I will move on. What parts of Lung function are in resonance with Spring energy? I think the best way to understand this is to take a few minutes and do some really deep breathing. See how the light returns to your eyes? See how your energy rebounds?
I will be thinking about the tension and similarity between Fall and Spring as I enter March and this phase of the Year of Sagely Living. I have a few ideas of what one might consider as practices to learn about rest and activity.
1. Chinese organ clock and its application: I have spoken many times on the blog about the Chinese organ clock. One of the pieces of information associated with the clock that most everyone has heard about is the two hour periods associated with each organ system. Here’s a quick rundown of the associations:
- Lung - Fèi 肺 : 3-5 am
- Large Intestine - Dà Cháng 大腸 : 5-7am
- Stomach - Wèi 胃 : 7-9am
- Spleen - Pí 脾 : 9-11am
- Heart - Xīn 心 : 11-1pm
- Small Intestine - Xiǎo Cháng 小腸 : 1-3pm
- Bladder - Páng Guāng 膀胱 : 3-5pm
- Kidney - Shèn 腎 : 5-7pm
- Pericardium - Xīn Bāo 心包 : 7-9pm
- Triple Burner - Sān jiāo 三膲 : 9-11pm
- Gall Bladder - Dǎn 膽 : 11-1am
- Liver - Gān 肝 : 1-3am
While the organ clock is vitally important and often eerily accurate, it is still something we must look at through the lens of individual experience, cultural application and the normal seasonal changes. Regarding individual experience - this is simply recognizing the changing terrain of the human body. While I believe the human body is essentially the same as it was thousands of years ago, certainly the introduction of many human created chemicals and conditions have altered our bodies in some way. Perhaps some are more resistant to these changes than others. Regarding seasonal changes - in most parts of the world the Yang or light parts of the day are longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. This means that the organ systems located on the “Yang” or daytime side of the clock will have, comparitively, more time in those months.
As an aside - if you have a Mac running OSX (anything before Leopard) you might want to go over to the site of my colleague, Brandon Brown. He has skillfully and artistically created a widget that takes into account these seasonal changes. At this point, it is somewhat limited in that it is focused on the West coast of the United States. He says he’ll work on a more robust version someday. :) Regardless - the main lesson of the organ clock is to remember that all energy isn’t in all places at all times naturally. Everything in its time, in its season. Regarding all this organ clock business, one possible March practice would be to pay close attention to the flow of energy through my organ systems and consider how I might best organize my time to take advantage of the flow.
2. Appropriate amounts of sleep. In the Neijing Suwen, there are some important discussions about the importance of sleep - in particular, the optimal seasonal variations for sleeping and waking. In general, we understand that sleeping is important to bring the Shen back to be housed in the Heart and to allow the Wei Qi to descend into the organs to begin the process of rejuvenation. Sleep is vital! So, when should I wake? How long should I sleep at night? A natural goal here would be to try to achieve my mythical optimum and see how it affects my life. Another would be to try some kind of artificial sleep schedule, something outside of my optimum, and see how that affects my life.
3. Regulating relaxation. We are all told that we need to take time to relax. But, this means many different things to different people. In Chinese medicine school, we learn a lot about the taxing effect that continuous work has on both the Spleen and the Heart organ systems. Depletion of the Qi and Blood leads to what is often jokingly called “Exhausted Student Syndrome.” On my Qigong retreat, I found myself contemplating whether it is better to work very hard with little time for “relaxation” and then take a stretch of time COMPLETELY off or whether it’s more advantageous to work continuously, but with small regular breaks. Further, what is true relaxation? Watching television? Hiking? Playing a sport? Meditating? It’s a variety of things, to be certain, but what is it for me?
A subset of the relaxation question concerns the importance of taking microbreaks while doing sit down work, especially at the computer. Repetitive strain injury is something all Chinese Medicine students and bloggers should think about. One quick note - some recent software programs help you avoid long stretches at the computer with no break. One simple practice I could incorporate into my daily life is simply to use a program like that and to review my ergonomics at my desk.
I’d be interested to hear how other people think about rest, relaxation and work in their own lives. Please leave your thoughts in the comments. In my next article, released shortly, I will declare my March Year of Sagely Living goal.
Eric
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Tags: Acupuncture, autumn, fall, focus, human physiology, lung, organ-clock, Seasons, spring, symbolic-thinking, symbolism, Year of Sagely Living
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7 Responses to “Rest and activity in the Year of Sagely Living”
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Hi Eric,
I like one long break a year (preferably over Christmas - summer in Australia). One day a week off is important too. Apart from this there are little breaks to stretch and so forth when working at the computer. And not doing work while eating is a good break too.
The only real way for people to find their own rhythm is for them to pay attention to what works for them. Keeping a diary of some kind may be best.
I think Meditation also plays a vital role in work focus and Rhythm of life.
Thanks for such a nice article
Im on leave from PCOM and enjoy your blog tremendously, keeps me in touch with the TCM world. This theme of balance is very important to me as something I have struggled with my whole life(and Im 53!)Getting enough sleep and getting everything that needs to be done, done;(housework,kid stuff, work, study, exercize, etc)is my impossible dream. I think I actually brought on Fibromyalgia through lack of sleep while in school and still dont average more than 6 hr/night adding in weekends. Im eager to see how you work this out.
[...] I described in my last post on the Year of Sagely Living, March is meant to have us focus on the balance of rest and activity in our lives. I’ve [...]
Hi Eric,
Now that you have figured out that I have a propensity for trying to uncover mysteries, it probably does not surprise you I have much to say on the subject of the Lung being both wood and metal. I agree, that this is a fundamental mystery to all of students of classical Chinese medicine since we learned of it in cosmology class first year. Many students (including myself) have spent countless hours examining the information and trying to make sense of it. Even our professors seem to be unable to wrap their minds around this one fully. Could this be possibly one of the greatest mysteries of classical theory that has yet to be explained?
Well, I can explain some details, but I for certain, do not have all the answers. The month of Dec. goes with the first month according to legend. Lord Buddha, summoned all the animals to come bid him farewell before he departed the Earth. 12 animals showed up, and as a token of appreciation he named a month after each of them. Recall that the rat jumps of the back of the ox as soon as they hit shore, and thus races to Buddha first before the ox arrives. This story explains why rat goes with first month, and also the shrewdness of the rat. Now, keep in mind that the animals weren’t adopted into in Chinese astrology until much later on in history after the Neijing, but I feel they play a very crucial role in my understanding of the cosmological connections since they are easy for me to relate to and understand. This is a mythological explanation.
A more physical explanation is that the difference is one of lunar and solar. The solar calendar starts in Dec. since this is the time of winter solstice, (return of the light)which is the shortest day of the year. Hex. 24, Fu, translates as Return (of the light). So, the solar cycle starts here in Dec. with the gallbladder organ system.
The Chinese use several calendars. Originally, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches were used as a counting system to keep track of hours, days, months, and years. That is why we have associations with times of days, months, and such in Chinese medicine with the organ systems. Theses associations originally come from these stems and branches. The other 2 calendars used are the solar and the lunar. I explained the solar- based on sun and the solstices and equinoxes, are important symbols and markers of solar calendar. The lunar calendar starts on the 2nd new moon after the solstice. This is why Chinese New Year is in Feb- celebrating lunar, while we are celebrating solar new year here in US. The Chinese New Year was Feb. 7 this year, which is the 2nd new moon of the solar year.
The sun and moon represent yang and yin, or heaven and earth, in one sense. The sun being more yang, or heaven-like, and the moon being the yin, or earth-like. The heavenly stems and eartly branches present in our natal chart tell us exactly what the energy of the world was like at our birth, which is important because this energy deeply resonates with us for the remainder of our life. Treating someone constitutionally, or holistically, involves taking these birth elements into effect because they are what make us individual, or different from other people.
The solar calendar has more of an effect on the energy (earth and the macrocosm) of the seasons and the external weather and the lunar energy (human or microcosm)has more influence on how energy moves within the human body, is how I view it. We are influenced by BOTH. The Dec. rat gallbladder connection makes sense for describing how the seasons start energetically. Gallbladder is Wood organ, but Dec. is winter, or water month. Thus, rat and gallbladder represent wood being born from water. Water is the source of all life, but before life was stillness- like frozen water. So this represents the movement of earth. The first earthly branch, zi, means child or seed, and gallbladder is also associated with the heavenly stem jia, which means breaking through. The seed breaking through the frozen ground and starting the movement of life describes the movement from Water to the Wood element.
The human post-natal life starts with our first breath outside the womb, and so qi, or the breath of life, is associated with Lung organ network. That is why it is associated with being in charge of qi as well as the external organ, meaning closest or first to interact with outside world. Lung time is probably when most of the ancients woke up. I am assuming they got up by dawn and did qi gong exercises while in Lung time. So Liver time is about sleep and dreaming to restore body by gathering heavenly energy so we can be recharged, and then next comes Lung time, which repesents balance since our energy is “reset” during sleep so that we can wake up feeling renewed and in harmony.
In Cosmology of the Organ Systems class, we associate Lung with metal, because we are talking about the human body. When dealing with astrology and the seasons the Lung must be considered yang wood, because it is positioned in the spring time or 1st month (Feb).
I used to get stuck on this because I thought of it more as a transformational process. Meaning, I thought the wood energy of the seasons somehow became metal once in the body. Similar to the idea of bian-hua theory. Yet nothing was consistent or matched up throughout the organ clock when I looked for some kind of pattern. Now, instead of being stuck on this idea like I was for two years, I think of it as mutual containment. Yes, our beloved ancient herbalist/prime minister/sage friend Yi Yin was on to something when using the idea of mutual containment to describe herbs. Afterall, herbs are so complex, so how can they purely be one element if they have so many actions? Only the elements, or archetypes themselves can be purely one element. Everything in the physical world is a combination of all the elements, and so mutual containment is inherent in all living things. Some elements just influence or play a greater role than others in any given time or space. It doesn’t matter if we are describing herbs, human body, or the seasons.
The animals are very powerful meditation guides for understanding the mutual containing properties of the organ systems or seasons. For example, the tiger is metal and wood. The tiger is metal because it has sharp teeth and claws for killing, and thus can cut you like a metal blade. Tiger’s also diplay signs of wood element such as their loud roaring voice or their ability plan and strategize when attacking prey. They have calm metal-like outside, but inside they are anxious (wood) to pounce on prey. Both the wood animals, Tiger and Rabbit, are similar because they have the ability to leap or spring forth. Tiger, being yang wood, will spring forth to attack prey, while rabbit being yin wood, usually springs forward to run away. This shows how they are both wood, but both different- yin/yang pairings. Also, leaping forward represents movement of nature in spring, and also is associated with connective tissue. Without strong connective tissue it would be impossible to be able to jump or move swiftly a gracefully like the tiger and rabbit, and this is an insight as to why Wood is related to the connective tissue.
I believe that the idea of mutual containment is especially important when dealing with what Heiner coined “the four hooks”. These hooks, are the four animals with horns- dragon, ram, dog, and ox. In the astrological, 5 season perspective, earth goes with the months that represent transition from one season to the next. These are a kind of balancing out of energies as one wanes and the next waxes. Thus, these animals represent earth, which is the element most strongly associated with this idea of mutual containment. Earth is often considered to be a balance of, or contain all the elements. So when talking about the months that go with these animals one should pay attention to the hidden and/or transformational energies that exist. For example- the ox is the northern hook. Ox we say in CM goes with the liver (Wood), but in astrology it goes with (Earth) because it represents the month between winter and spring. This is when using the 5 element perspective of the seasons. When using 4 element perspective to look at seasons, Jan. and Ox belong to the Water, since it is winter. In terms of numerology ox goes with water when using the 4 element persepctive of season (or maybe it is best to say 4 directions- ox being north), earth with 5 element persective of the seasons, and wood when using the 12 organ network perspective. We think in CM that the numbers 5 and 12 have more affinity with human body, and so we don’t talk about the fixed element of water, although I believe it should be incorporated when talking about the ox and the month of Jan. Afterall, how could anyone deny that January is not winter? The ox is wood in that it represents counterflow- working in dark, and pulling the plow in opposite direction. Ox is water in the way it moves and thinks- slowly. Ox is earth in its physical structure- big, low to ground, and stable. I think that thinking in this way can only broaden our understanding of the true nature of the 5 elements, and if we understand it correctly, does not contradict anything we have learned. Anyone have anything to add, any comments, questions or corrections? I think this is a fun topic with lots of potential for teaching each other our personal insights and wisdom on CM theory, so hopefully we can discuss more on this topic. I would love to say more, but I will be late for school if I don’t start getting ready now!
Blessings,
Delli
Thanks for this.
You seem to be saying that the different qualities of a complex reality are symbolised by the different elements, if I read you correctly.
You certainly do love to delve into things.
[...] His article is a fine elaboration of the ideas I briefly presented in my post about Rest and Activity in the Year of Sagely Living. I will post the remainder of the article over the next few days. It will be followed up by another [...]