Chris Meistre

Chinese I Ching Coins are very important ingredients in the practise of Feng Shui. It’s a very powerful symbol of abundance.

The coins are round in shape, with a square hole in the center. The circle is used to represent heaven, while the square represents earth.

When used or worn by people, it creates a cosmic trinity of luck. This is Heaven + Earth + Man (or perhaps rather person ). The coin has a Yang side and a Yin side. The Yang side is represented by four Chinese characters. These 4 characters represent the reign of each of the Chinese emperors during a dynasty. On the Yin side of the coin you’ll have 2 characters. Whenever you use these coins, the Yang side will always be facing up.

The most popular coins are the ones that focus on the Ching Dynasty. When compared to the other dynasties, the Ching Dynasty is believed to be the most powerful. All the other dynasties usually fell in less than a century.

The Chinese coins where a creation of the advisors of the emperors and that is why these coins are such powerful representations of wealth, prosperity and endless fortune. They also provide protection against danger and harmful energies.

Coins are sometimes used in groups to activate their power even further. These are in multiples of 3, 6 or 9, and most of the time a red thread is used to bound them together.

The significance of these numbers:
3 – trinity of heaven, earth and mankind
6 – heaven luck
9 – represents the wholeness of the universe

Everyone knows the Yin Yang symbol, and for each of us it has a different meaning. Some might associate alternative healing with it, others associate martial arts with it and then there are those that think of spirituality whenever they see it. We see this symbol almost every day in different places, and it’s good to see that a symbol like the Yin Yang can be so universally accepted by people for different reasons.

Yin Yang

People use it as tattoos, on martial art clothing, in jewelery, and website logos. And each time you see it, you can bet that it has a different meaning to the person that used it than to the person that created it.

Images of the Yin Yang Symbol

Where does the Yin Yang symbol originate from though? I searched and researched a bit and found the answer to be quite fascinating. It stems from ancient Chinese Astrology.

After observing the universe for quite some time, they found that it is changing every day. Based on this they were also able to observe seasonal and annual changes and cycles happening.

They decided to start measuring and recording these changes. They observed the sky at night, and recorded the position of the Dipper. During the day they would watch the shadow off a 8 foot pole.

Dipper

With this they were able to determine four directions. Sunset in the direction of West, sunrise in the direction of East, the shortest shadow is South and the longest shadow is North. During the darkness of night, the direction of the Polaris star would be North.

While determining the four directions, they noticed the seasonal changes as well. Whenever the Dipper points towards the East, it would be spring, and when it points to the West, it would be fall. When the Dipper’s point shows towards South, it is summer and when it’s North, it’s winter.

Using the 8 foot pole at a right angle to the earth’s surface, they were also able to determine that a year’s length is 365.25 days. This was done by recording the positions of the shadows.

Now it becomes a bit more complicated. Using the year’s cycle, they divided it into 24 equal segments. Some of the segments include the Vernal Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice. Then with six concentric circles they divided the segments into 24 sectors. On this diagram they marked the length of shadow every day using the 8 foot pole.

Marking it in different colors for the Summer Solstice (Yin) and the Winter Solstice (Yang) you were left the following image:

Yin Yang

You will see the ecliptic angle of 23 26’19″ marked on the image. This is the apparent path of the Sun around the Earth. Not saying that the Sun rotates around the Earth! Perhaps this image will provide a clearer understanding of what I mean to say:

Ecliptic Angle

I’m enjoying this form very much.  When you watch it, you wonder to yourself how can this really be exercise.  Do it a couple of times a night, and feel how your legs feel the next morning.  It’s because of the way you’re supposed to swift your weight from your one leg to the other continiously that works it out so much.

I’m at about 2:40 of the video on Tai Chi 42 Form

It’s 20 days later and I know about 1:30 minutes more of this form.  Thinking back now, we’ve only really practised this form about 2 times after that, due to bad weather and being inside, or doing other things.

Last night we started with the first 4 movements of the Bagua Eight Section Brocade.  I might have the name wrong here, but I’m pretty sure.

Simply put these are breathing and stretching exercises that help with your Chi management.

So I thought I would come back home and read up on it a bit more.  What did we ever do without the Internet?  I found a lot of information, but with all things on the Internet, you first have to sift out the info you didn’t really want before you get to the stuff you really want.

I found an excellent resource at http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/esb.htm, although the movements sound slightly varied from the ones we did.

Simply put, mobilising your joints just means to exercise your joints by “using” them.  This is through simple exercises like flexing your wrists, turning your feet at the ankles, and many more.

One of the biggest complains when people get older, is that their joints are starting to ache and that they have trouble using them.  By taking 2 minutes a day, and just doing a few simple joint exercises you are able to fight against “getting old”.

If you search Google for “mobilising your joints” you’ll find a couple of websites offering you some tips on exercises.

In Tai Chi and Kungfu we always start our warm up sessions by mobilising all the joints.

The sequence is:

• Holding your two hands together, with your finger locked together, flex your wrists up and down create like a wave pattern in front of you
• While doing the above one foot at a time, by pointing your toe towards the ground, lightly touch the ground and rotate your ankle.  First clockwise, and then anti clockwise.
• The next thing you can do is to swing your arms up and over your head, and swing them down again, keeping them on either side of your body
• To work your spine you can hold your arms horizontal to the ground, with your fingers together (almost like hugging someone) and then twist your body from side to side.  While doing this make sure you only twist the upper half of your body
• For your neck you simply lean your head to either sides, front and back
• The hips are quite interesting, as it will look like you’re playing with a hula hoop.  Simply stand with your hands on your hips, and rotate your hips in either direction as if you had a hula hoop around your waist
• Finally you’ll just have your knees left.  Put your feet together, bend slightly and put your hands on your knees.  Now rotate clockwise and then anticlockwise.

Simple hey?  I’m told, and have also read, that just doing the above few exercises every day will help your health so much.  Why not try it, you have nothing to loose, except 2 minutes a day!