Connection via String Theory

The new advances into string theory may explain how we all are connected. Perhaps we live on the surface of the cube, and are connected inter-dimensionally via these strings which have end-points in our dimension. This could explain how we "know" when someone is going to contact us, and how we are able to communicate telepathically, and also how we are able to send healing energy to other people.

See the news article below that goes into more detail on how this works:

"Strings link the ultracold with the superhot: perfect liquids suggest theory's math mirrors something real."

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Strings+link+the+ultracold+with+the+superhot:+perfect+liquids+suggest...-a0198714390

Shadows live in a simple world. They glide effortlessly across any sort of surface, oblivious to the higher dimension of space in which 3-D bodies move, collide and sometimes block the paths of rays of light.

Shadows have no idea how important that third dimension is, and how objects in it endow those very shadows with their quasi-physical existence. Indeed, the laws of shadow physics all depend on the third dimension's presence. And just as the clueless inhabitants of the shadow world require an extra dimension to explain how they exist and interact, reality for humans may also depend on an invisible dimension or dimensions unknown.

Physicists, in fact, have long pondered possible higher dimensions beyond the familiar four--three of space and one of time--that describe ordinary experience. Such extra dimensions have emerged as essential features in a sophisticated mathematical pastime known as superstring theory. Believed by some theorists to be the ultimate building blocks of all physical reality, superstrings are supposedly inaccessible to experimental study. If they exist, they would be far too small to detect directly--enlarging a superstring to the size of an amoeba would be the equivalent of making an ant as big as the visible universe. Similarly, the extra dimensions that strings require would probably be far too small to detect by available methods.

So string theory has long remained in the physics version of The Twilight Zone, disconnected from the ordinary world of sight and sound. But now the extra-dimensional math has begun to audition for Reality TV. For the first time, superstring theorists can point to a place where their formulas help other physicists understand something they can see in their experiments.

One such experiment generates matter in its most fiery form--simulating the temperatures of the Big Bang itself. Another probes matter most frigid--atoms vastly colder than even the depths of outer space. At both extremes, matter behaves surprisingly like a liquid, contrary to all expectations. More surprising still, explaining this behavior apparently requires an extra dimension of space, something that superstring theory conveniently provides. And so the scientists who study hot matter, cold matter and string matter have found themselves sharing common ground in an extra-dimensional world.

"It surprised the heck out of us two years ago when we started realizing that this was the case," says physicist Peter Steinberg of Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, N.Y. "It's a once-in-a-generation convergence of scientific communities. None of us really saw this coming."

Cosmic soup

Steinberg and other scientists discussed the new developments recently in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Speakers at a session there described the surprising confluence of different physics fields as a sort of perfect storm, with the eye centered on the esoteric idea of a "perfect liquid."

Liquids are usually the Goldilocks state of matter, the not-too-hot, not-too-cold, cohesive yet shapeless assemblages of molecules that exist only in a relatively narrow range of temperatures. Colder, and matter typically becomes solid--rigid and crystalline. Hotter, and matter turns gaseous, with molecules flying about freely and occasionally colliding. Hotter still, and a gas should become plasma, with electrons torn from atoms to form an electromagnetic mélange of charged particles, a gas with flash.

When the universe was very young, and still superhot from the aftermath of the Big Bang, plasma should have been the only state of matter around. And that's what scientists at Brookhaven expected to see when they smashed gold ions together at 99.99 percent of the speed of light using a machine called RHIC (for Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider) RHIC physicists thought the ion collisions would melt the gold's protons and neutrons into a hot plasma of quarks and gluons at a temperature of a trillion kelvins, replicating conditions similar to those a microsecond after the birth of the universe. But instead of a gaslike plasma, the physicists reported in 2005, RHIC served up a hot quark soup, behaving more like a liquid than a plasma or gas.

"It's given us a certain amount of consternation about what to call this stuff," says Barbara Jacak of the RHIC team. "It certainly shows liquidlike properties."

An ordinary plasma's electrically charged particles should block the path of light, for example, just as a thick fog dampens the beams of a car's headlights. But light passes right through RHIC's quark-gluon soup, says Jacak. And free-flying quarks would easily be able to zip through the rarefied molecules of a gas, like a bowling ball scattering any pins in its way. But even the heaviest quarks get stuck in the soup.

"That is really astounding," Jacak says. "It's as if these bowling pins stopped the big giant bowling ball, and the only way they could do that is if they are somehow tied together with strings."

Soon after the RHIC experiments, string theorists realized that their strings might be tying the bowling pins together, explaining the odd liquid like behavior of the quark-gluon plasma. That was a spectacular realization in itself. But around the same time, another branch of physics found itself dipping into a perfect liquid, this time made from cold lithium atoms.

Very cool

In 2002, physicists at Duke University first created what they called a stable, strongly interacting gas of cold atoms, using the isotope lithium-6. Using laser beams to confine and cool the lithium atoms, researchers produced an atomic cloud with a temperature lower than a tenth of a millionth kelvins--barely above absolute zero.

Curiously, when researchers released the cigar-shaped cloud from its laser prison, it expanded at its sides, but not at the tips. Such an odd "elliptical flow" also described the expanding cloud of quarks and gluons produced at RHIC.

"It's quite remarkable that we have such different systems, yet we have this common behavior," says Duke's John E. Thomas, who also spoke at the Chicago meeting.

Such similar flow seemed especially surprising given the wide disparity of the two systems, with a temperature difference of 19 orders of magnitude separating them. In both cases, the flow seemed to signal the features of a liquid--and a liquid with extremely low resistance to flow. Both cases constituted what physicists call a "strongly coupled" system, in which the particles exhibit collective behavior.

Strongly coupled systems are like a baseball stadium with a big crowd, where the fans can perform the wave, rather than a poorly attended game with the crowd so "weakly coupled" that nobody else notices if one fan stands up. In strongly coupled systems, string theory-based calculations suggest, there is a limit to how low the resistance to flow, or viscosity, can go. A liquid with that lowest possible viscosity earns the label "perfect," and both the hot RHIC soup and the cold lithium cloud turn out to be nearly as close to perfect as possible.

This formula for perfection is actually a ratio of viscosity to entropy--a measure of disorder that depends on the system's temperature. For a perfect liquid, the viscosity-entropy ratio is a very small number (about 0.08 in units derived from certain fundamental constants). For ordinary water, the ratio is 380 times higher than that theoretical minimum; liquid helium's ratio is only 0.7, still about nine times higher than perfection. But both RHIC's soup and the lithium atoms approach the theoretical limit even more closely. Cold lithium's ratio is less than 0.5, and the quark-gluon soup is in the neighborhood of 0.2.

Not only does string theory predict the perfect liquid limit for the viscosity-entropy ratio, string math also offers an explanation for how the cold and hot worlds can be so similar. Both systems can be described as something like a shadow world sitting in a higher dimension. Strongly coupled particles are linked by ripples traveling through the extra dimension, says Steinberg, of Brookhaven.

String math describing such ripples stems from an idea called the holographic principle used by string theorists to describe certain kinds of black holes. A black hole's entropy depends on its surface area--as though all the information in its three-dimensional interior is stored on its two-dimensional surface. (The "holographic" label is an allusion to ordinary holograms, where 3-D images are coated on a 2-D surface, like an emblem on a credit card.) The holographic principle has value because in some cases the math for a complex 3-D system (neglecting time) can be too hard to solve, but the equivalent 4-D math provides simpler equations to describe the same phenomena.

"The point is that we have two different kinds of systems capturing the same kind of physics," says string theorist Clifford Johnson of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "String theory provides us with a dictionary that translates between these two systems."

One of the two systems is a realm of four spatial dimensions where the string math describes gravity and quantum theory; the other is the 3-D world of quarks and gluons. Usually the math for describing each of these systems looks very different. But string theory's extra dimension allows the math to be transformed in ways that show the two systems to actually be equivalent--in technical terms, the systems are "dual" to each other.

"The bottom line is we can exploit all this, because we can use ... easy computations in the gravity system to compute hard-to-compute things in the dual system," Johnson said at the Chicago meeting.

So just as shadow physics is hard to explain without knowing about objects in the third dimension, quark physics makes more sense using the 4-D math. Quarks can be viewed, for instance, as the endpoints of strings that vibrate in an extra dimension, and that explains how they can be so strongly coupled. Precisely the same math can then also describe the collective behavior of the cold lithium atoms. As Johnson points out, viscosity is all about how neighboring pieces of a fluid communicate with each other. With an extra dimension, that communication can take place as disturbances in the higher dimensional space, explaining the perfect liquid behavior.

[Phoenix here. . . It was explained to me like this: our energetic or conscious (or telepathic, or healing, or any other) connection is able to be established between people because we are connected at the end points of the strings while the rest of the string is in another dimension. When we activate the connection through intention – or however it is made – our intention, consciousness, or energy is sent to the other person across the string that resides in the other dimension. Imagine it like this: we are all connected as end points on a telephone system (the edge of the circle) the "strings" or wires of which are "in another dimension" (inside the circle). When we use our conscious intention to communicate with another person, we pick up the phone and call them, sending the signal over the wires that reside in that other dimension.]

Strings strike back

In recent years it has become popular to criticize string theory as out of touch with reality. Popular books have been written by scientists, some prominent and others not so prominent, arguing that string theory makes no predictions that experiment can test, that its fundamental objects can't be observed, that physicists have wasted their time on an enterprise that isn't even scientific to begin with.

Such arguments leave an impression of utter unfamiliarity with the history of science. In times past, the same kinds of aspersions were cast against quarks, neutrinos, even the very existence of atoms. Superstrings are in good company. And string theory's limit on how low viscosity can go now seems to have established that string math does indeed mirror something real in nature. "This may well be the first prediction from string theory to be validated by experiment," Steinberg writes in a recent paper (arxiv.org/abs/0903.1474).

Superstrings' success with perfect liquids does not, of course, establish that the whole theory is the correct description of the universe. Much work remains to figure out how much of reality string theory actually captures beyond the realm of perfect liquids. But the usefulness of superstring math in these instances argues strongly that those equations capture something true. Establishing that truth for certain will still not be easy.

It's not surprising, of course, that such groundbreaking science should be difficult and controversial. Advances in physics today are naturally much tougher to achieve than they used to be--because the problems remaining to be solved are precisely those that have resisted solution for so long.

"A new truth always has to contend with many difficulties," the German physicist Max Planck said decades ago. "If it were not so, it would have been discovered much sooner."



* View slides from the AAAS (AAAS American Association for the Advancement of Science) session "Quest for the Perfect Liquid" at www.bnl.gov/aaas09/perfectliquid.asp

Listen to Heaven and Nature Sing

Here is a Winter Solstice gift for you!


NASA video of the planetary sounds





Outback Australia - Nature sounds of nature




Happy Holidays!

The Galaxies at the end of the universe!

Here is a Summer Solstice gift for you!

The Hubble Deep Field.

"In 2003, the Hubble Space Telescope took the image of a millenium, an image that shows our place in the universe. Anyone who understands what this image represents, is forever changed by it."

If you have ever wondered why, for eons and eons, the sky along with all its heavenly bodies has been considered the abode of Crator, Spirit, God, watch this breathtaking six and a half minute video. Turn off the lights, let it fill your screen and your senses.....be One with the awesome body of the universe!

I Ching (Yijing) throughout the year – the Tidal Gua (aka the Monthly Hexagrams)

There are twelve special hexagrams in the Yijing (I Ching) that are often called the Tidal Gua. They each represent a solar month and are symbolic of the rise and fall of yang and yin throughout the course of the year, starting with the Chinese Solar New Year in February.

The equinoxes and solstices are also each represented by a hexagram which will be described in the appropriate month.

February

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 11, Tai, Advance, or Peace, Harmony, Good Opportunity. The element is Earth, and the chakra is the Solar Plexus. This is the first month in the Chinese solar calendar ~ Happy New Year ~ !

This is an especially favorable time...the beginning of a new year...and as all beginnings, notice that it starts in balance with the lower yang lines and upper yin lines. The active energies are strengthening and moving upward and outward. The passive energies are decreasing, resting on and meeting with the active. Since the trigrams move toward each other, the lower moving upward, and the upper moving downward, this symbolizes the combining or co-mingling of opposites thereby establishing a state of balance and harmony of the natural energies. In the trigram family, the upper yin lines represent the Mother, the lower yang lines represent the Father. When Mother and Father come together, all things may be conceived, may be born, grow and prosper.

Also, this is a reminder to us to work toward the balance of inner strength, virtue and correct conduct, with outer softness, showing mercy and compassion to others. Personal spiritual growth and self-cultivation is a good thing to work on at this time. The days are a little longer and a little warmer, allowing us to get outside and back into Nature. That, in turn, gives us the opportunity to mingle with others (we all get out more when the weather is nicer!) and share some of that rising, positive energy.

March

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 34, Da Zhuang, Great Strength, thunder over sky or heaven. The phase is wood, the chakra is the Heart. With the coming of the Spring Equinox this month, we see that growing yang has overbalanced receding yin. Being of the wood phase, the energies are outward moving, but sideways, like a tree sprouting spring buds, rather than straight upward. Eventually the leaves will reach for the sun, but not yet. Likewise, we are coming out of a hibernation of sorts, re-exploring our newborn surroundings after the sleep of winter. The Great Strength we see is the inner strength of Virtue; outwardly, we should still reach with the gentle, soft touch of the heart when dealing with others. An astral journey may be indicated with the feet (thunder) over the head (heaven); this reversed body position could be symbolic of climbing the upside-down World Tree sometimes depicted in Northern Asia as having roots in heaven and branches touching the earth...the paradox of going up (toward heaven) and down (toward the roots) at the same time. Thunder in the sky represents the spring rains that will nourish the crops, the food to sustain Life and bring future prosperity, both physical and spiritual. Thunder, the eldest son, above Heaven, the father, reminds me of the scene in the movie "The Lion King" where King Mufasa, standing on the cliff above the other citizens of the African plains, holds aloft his eldest cub Simba, his great promise for the future. That scene always gives me goosebumps, much like an approaching thunderstorm!

Spring Equinox is symbolized by hexagram number 51, The Arousing, Shocking, thunder over thunder. This is quite a lively month with all the thunder symbolism! Doubled thunder represents a blast of energy, doubled feet a lot of movement. There is great potential for creativity and new beginnings, but much disruption, too. Like the warning of the Tarot Tower card, caution must be taken that any "shock" be met with inner firmness and outer flexibility, be weathered creatively but not allowed to push us from our path.


April

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 43, Guai, Eliminating, or Resolution (equivalent to "eliminating" obstacles or hesitation), lake over heaven/sky. The phase is metal, and the chakra is the throat. As coincidence has it, this chakra attribute coincides favorably with the upper trigram which also represents the mouth, and the advice of the I includes "Declaring," "howling," and to "notify," all voice related activities. This is a time when the five strong lines below are one step away from eliminating the weak yin line at the top. The image speaks of water from the lake accumulating high above. There is the tension as of a coming storm. (You may be reminded, as I am, of the little poem "April showers/bring May flowers.") As it happens, it's raining even as I write this!

The lower trigram of three yang lines is the Father. Of the metal element, this is indicative of great inner strength and wisdom. The upper three lines, two yang and one yin, the lake, is the youngest daughter in the trigram family. She is named "The Joyful" or "The Joyous." Her elemental correspondence is metal also, making this a very strong combination indeed. The strength of the yang lines pushing upward and finally bursting through the one yin line shows that we can overcome any lingering inferior yin forces. It is definitely a time for overcoming obstacles (within ourselves, or in our external environment), for action and support for worthy causes! However, rushing into action recklessly would be a mistake.

It is worth noting that our youngest, joyful daughter also represents the metal of weapons -- and we can't help be wary of having "sharp tongues." Speaking out sharply would only cause further strife when we are trying to relieve tensions. Rather, we should take the time to consider and choose our words carefully, use our Voices, yet resolve to speak out against negative influences with thought, clarity, and virtue.

May

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 1, Qian, The Creative, or Initiating, heaven/ sky over heaven/sky. The phase is metal, and the chakra is the third eye.

Heavenly, yang energies are at their peak this month just as the longest days of the year occur during this month. Sometimes people wonder why this is the May hexagram instead of June, as we usually think of June as being the Summer, very yang, month. The reason is the Solstice; Just as the hours of daylight were (finally!) longer than the hours of darkness with the coming of the Equinox in March, the hours of daylight begin to wane again with the coming of the Solstice in June. Therefore, May is really the month with the most hours of sunlight each day.

This hexagram is one of the few which contain all four of the most auspicious Judgments in the I Ching: sublime initiation (yuan), prosperous and smooth (heng), favorable and successful (li), and steadfast and upright (zhen). It contains the full circle of sprouting, growing, blooming, and bearing fruit. Ancient oracle bones tell us that this sequence once may have represented the proper way to conduct a divination. Heng and zhen meant "sacrificial offerings" (to Heaven, Earth, and ancestors) and "divination" respectively. Master Huang, in The Complete I Ching, says "From the ancient pictographs of yuan, heng, li, and zhen we comprehend that one needs to prepare for divination by aligning with the spirit of Heaven and Earth and presenting sincerity and reverence as sacrificial offerings; then one will reap the harvest of the divination to obtain guidance for favorable actions and to avoid misconduct that invites misfortune." (p.23)

This information, combined with the third eye chakra (Second Sight!) correspondence, not to mention the real & symbolic "light" of this month, it seems that divinations are especially favored! You may want to ask at this time what the next year will bring. Good luck!

June

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 44, Gou, Encountering, or Meeting Together, heaven/sky over wind/wood. The phase is metal, and the chakra is the crown. Following the Summer Solstice, the yin, dark energies begin their yearly return as we see in the bottom line of this hexagram; the darkness beginning to encroach on and displace the bright yang lines.

Because of the single yin line at the bottom, which is advancing, this hexagram is considered an unfavorable omen; dark forces or unworthy persons are approaching. The wind in the sky penetrates everywhere; one must be vigilant lest negative influences try to worm their way into one's life. Competition between the yang lines (men) for the single yin line (woman) is another symbol associated with this sign: beware of entering into competition with people or the Self; arguments and disruptions will surely occur if you do. Also, take care to not regress into bad habits.

The summer solstice is marked by hexagram number 30, Li, Radiance, or Brightness, fire doubled. Fire is the symbol of the sun. It is also the symbol of the middle daughter, and of the eye; the middle daughter is the diviner, the clairvoyant who sees clearly and can interpret well the advice received through an I Ching divination. Fire is also sometimes referred to as "the clinging" because it clings to that which is burning. When one "clings" to brightness, that which is virtuous and correct, one is able to avoid darkness and danger. However, one should not attach to too much brightness, or one will burn oneself out!


July

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 33, Dun, Retreat, heaven/sky over mountain. The phase is metal, and the chakra is the Third Eye; having reached the crown last month, qi is now moving down the front of the body as the Microcosmic Orbit, as it is known in qi gong, continues.

The dark, yin forces are advancing. Retreat tells us that now is not the time to oppose them. Just the opposite, we are advised to draw back and regroup. How does one draw back? In an orderly fashion. This is not a turn-tail-and-run sort of withdrawal, but rather we should acknowledge the strengthening of dark forces without becoming involved with them. The two trigrams, heaven and mountain, do not move toward each other; the favorable energy of heaven moves upward, but the mountain stands still. Allow yourself to look upward, beyond the negativity; rise above it and stand fast in your virtue.

The top trigram also represents the father, and the sage, the repository of creativity and wisdom. The lower mountain trigram represents the youngest son. In other cultures, when the youngest son goes to his father for a lesson, he seldom fires off questions; he sits quietly and observes keenly. These are his lessons; patience, looking beyond the trivial, and paying attention to the higher, important happenings. An appropriate proverb might be "Good things come to those who wait."

When we seek creativity and wisdom, we should emulate the youngest son, assume the stillness of a mountain (better yet, find a place to sit on top of one) quietly in meditation, retreat to an inner place, and watch what unfolds from the heavens, for, assuredly, something will!


August

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 12, Pi, Hindrance or Misfortune, heaven/sky over earth. The phase is metal, and the chakra is the throat; qi continues to move down the front of the body as the Microcosmic Orbit of circulating energy continues.

There is no integration of yin and yang energy here; worse, the yang energy above, following its natural course, continues to move upward and farther away while the yin energy below continues to sink further downward foretelling the continuation of imbalance and disharmony. Master Hua Ching Ni, in The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth, tells us: "Much is given; little is received." (p. 282) All our energy is being poured outward; our inner energy is in danger of being completely depleted if we continue to give without remembering to rejuvenate ourselves.

Perhaps we have, during these longer and balmy summer days, spent more of our time out and about enjoying Nature than we have spent practicing the cultivation of inner energy or our spiritual selves. We may have gotten "carried away" with all the outdoor activity of the season, and may now be experiencing a decline in our reserves. (It's somewhat amazing to notice the number of people who are relieved by the arrival of Labor Day in September...they get to slow down a little!

Of course, everything cycles over time, so while we should certainly be careful at a time like this which calls to our attention the prevailing state of imbalance and disharmony, we know that this is not a lasting condition; we need only to return to the practice of cultivating our inner selves and spiritual energy.

September

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 20, Guan, Watching, Contemplation or Point of View, wind/wood over earth. The phase is wood, and the chakra is the heart.

With the equinox fast approaching, the dark hours will soon overtake the daylight hours; so begins the seasonal strength of the annual yin cycle. Guan is sometimes spelled Kuan, and this hexagram may belong to Kuan Shih Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The trigrams of wind and earth represent the eldest daughter and the mother; the hexagram itself resembles the doorway to the temple, or an altar. The advice for this symbol is to prepare oneself to make a sacrifice. Perhaps the mother and her daughter come together to celebrate a ceremony of thanks for an abundant harvest, or perhaps they prepare for meditative practice where the offering is made to "show one's sincerity," (Huang, p 186) remembering it is as important to maintain spiritual practice at one's inner altar as to visit the temple or shrine.

It is also a time for looking back over the year to ponder your accomplishments. Did you do what you set out to do? Do you need to continue efforts in any area?

Also, in actually looking downward (from the "high" yang lines at the top), which implies that you, as a person in a "high" place, are looking "down" upon your followers, you have the opportunity as a leader to make sure you are leading in a correct and virtuous manner. Do not watch just your followers; more importantly, watch yourself as well so that inner negative forces do not overcome the positive. Keep in mind, a person in a "high" place is always being watched by someone! As Master Ni says, "Just as a penetrating wind pervades everywhere, a good way of life and good teachings influence everyone they touch." (Ni, p. 328)

The autumnal equinox.









October

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 23, Bo, Falling Away, Erosion or Decline, mountain over earth. The phase is earth, and the chakra is the solar plexus.

This hexagram is often spoken of as depicting a landslide; the single yang line at the top of the mountain cannot be supported properly by the advancing yin lines of the earth, and therefore yang energy will soon disintegrate. The youngest son (the mountain) may want to advance or stand alone away from his mother (the three yin lines at the bottom), but his strength has been vastly reduced; he has no other recourse but to accept the darkness of the time and await the turning of the seasons. As Master Ni succinctly says, "Now is not a good time to go anywhere." (p. 344)

We see here a reminder of two things. First, stay grounded and be prepared; the mountain also indicates thoughtfulness and steadiness. We know that winter will soon be upon us; plan for the season. Be sure the pantry is well stocked, and the firewood is close at hand. Don't even try to rush around at the last minute, or you may feel as though you are caught in the middle of a landslide! Second, this is not a time to depend on others - remember, the yin lines cannot offer proper support to our actions. Depending too much on others could mean lack of preparedness just when it's most needed.

This hexagram looks too much like a doorway to not comment upon that symbolism. This is definitely a time to "go inside," go within yourself. This is surely the time for meditation (mountain), and calmness and transformation (earth). Hopefully, your transformation won't be of the "landslide" variety. But even the fall of a mountain opens new vistas and new paths to tread, though the going may at first be rocky.

November

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 2, Kun, Responding or Receptiveness, earth over earth. The phase is earth, and the chakra is the sacral.

Due to the reintroduction of yang energy at the Winter Solstice, November is the most yin month of the year, hence the hexagram of six yin lines. This is the hexagram of Mother Earth, just as the trigram of three yin lines represents the Mother in the trigram family.

She is both the receptive and the responsive for that is the interaction of her strength, and yet she contains the potential to manifest all creative possibilities. At this time we are like the seed in its furrow of earth waiting patiently (for how else does a seed wait?) for the warmth of spring to stir us to virtuous deeds. It is a time to be completely grounded and know where you come from, a time to follow along with the seeming drowsiness of winter, and yet a time of great potential if one practices meditations and visualizations for the future.

Now is the time of gestation. Imagine yourself as the earth resting beneath her snowy blanket. Go within, Be quiet, Follow your dreams.

December

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 24, Fu, Return or Turning Back, Earth (upper three lines) over Thunder (lower three lines). The element or phase is Earth, and the chakra is the Root Chakra. In the Chinese calendar, December is the eleventh month. It embraces the Winter Solstice which is marked by the single Yang line at the bottom of the hexagram; outward, active energies are just beginning to cycle in and upward but, as yet, remain buried deep within the stillness of earth like a seed awaiting the summons of spring. The symbolism of this hexagram is of a person turning homeward, or inward. Spiritually, it indicates a time of turning back to the source, our inner selves and our inner connections. This is a good month to sit by a warm fire with a cup of hot cocoa (with marshmallows!) and contemplate or meditate upon that inner spark of the lightening which accompanies Thunder, that tiny flame in the DanTien (our Spirit Energy Center) which connects us to the Higher Powers.

The Winter Solstice itself is governed by hexagram number 29, Kan, Darkness or Abyss, water over water. Here we see the yang energies, lines 2 and 5, trapped between yin energies just as the short winter days are trapped between long winter nights. (The lines that make the sign for water can be seen as the winter solstice day from midnight to midnight: 8 hours of darkness - bottom yin line, 8 hours of light - center yang line, and 8 hours of darkness - top yin line.) One way to interpret and apply the symbolism of this hexagram is to be like water: the water (the yang line) flows between the earthen banks (the yin lines). It remains steadfast on its course. Water has the ability to overcome the firmest of obstacles with its gentle persistence. (Consider its effect on the Grand Canyon!) When we meet obstacles with gentleness, remain flowing and letting the earth guide us along our course, we will usually find that the turning point toward a favorable outcome is nearer than we expected.


January

The I Ching hexagram governing this month is number 19, Lin, Approaching or Advancing, Earth (upper three lines) over Marsh or Lake (lower three lines). In the Chinese calendar, January is the twelfth month. The element or phase is Earth. Yang energy is increasing (note there are now two yang lines at the bottom) and moving upward and outward. Internally, this indicates energy moving upward along the spine to the Sacral Chakra. (Energy movement is upward following the yang Governing Vessel Meridian until June when it reaches the Crown. In July, it begins to descend along the yin Conception Vessel Meridian (front of the body), returning to the Root Chakra again in December. In Qi Gong, moving qi through your body along these channels is called the Small Heavenly Circuit.)

The trigram Earth represents the mother; the Lake represents the youngest daughter, and the mouth or voice. One of the written symbols for this hexagram indicates a person in a position of leadership; some suggest a teacher. The name of the hexagram implies the leader or teacher is growing toward greatness. Another part of the ancient writing for Lin shows three mouths, indicating "people." Perhaps the leader is moving toward greatness with her timely and correct advice or lessons to her followers.

Spiritually, it is a time to become more active, and yet be responsive to your inner voice. Perhaps dialoguing with your inner mother-self in a journal would be beneficial and help to clarify lessons you have learned that have led you on the correct path. It is also a time to be a good daughter/listener, to yourself and to others. As the Sacral is the chakra of partnerships, your inner dialogue may find an outward expression by your adopting the role of a big sister, leading or teaching others through the sharing of your experiences and insights.

For an excellent explanation of how these hexagrams came to represent the months of the year, see LiSe Heyboer's "From Gui to Gua" page on her website "Yi Jing, book of sun and moon."

Tong Shu - Auspicious date selection in Chinese astrology

The 28 Lunar Mansions

The Tong Shu is a calendar based on the Twenty-Eight Constellations or "Mansions" of Chinese Astrology. It shows the most auspicious and warns against the least auspicious dates for a number of important lifetime events. You can determine the best date (and avoid the worst date) for a marriage, a funeral, the start of an important project, and many other things. This post tells you where (at the time of posting) to find a current Tong Shu calendar for the current month online and free, and also contains instructions on how you can calculate the auspices for any date yourself.

Tong Shu online

http://www.fengshuiweb.co.uk/advice/teachyourselffengshui.htm look for "Almanac (Month)" for the month you want to look at and follow the links. i.e. look for "Almanac December" for the month of December.

The following instructional post is from:

http://www.egroups.com/message/chineseastrology/308 [Egroups is long defunct. This email list was operating as the "chineseastrology" Yahoo!Group the last I heard. Any comments added by me are found between [ ] throughout the document. I have updated the chart of years and added a complete table of the serial numbers of the days of the year. Also, symbolic animals, planets, and other items have been added for each of the 28 days.]

Date: Wed Jun 10, 1998 6:03am
Subject: T'ong Shu workings.

Howdy All,

This post is for those of you who have not come across a copy of the T'ong Shu yet.

It provides you with the details of how to work it out for yourselves, complete with basic interpretations.

It was copied from de Kermadeks book "Four Pillars of Destiny" [The Way to Chinese Astrology: the Four Pillars of Destiny by Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec, 1983, ISBN 0041330102; translated by N. Derek Poulsen]

Enjoy ! ;-)

John Mausolf

[At the time of the original posting in 1998, John was a feng shui practitioner in Australia.]

Step 1. Find the serial number for the day. e.g. June 6th has a serial number of 157

This is based on the Western calendar. [Jan 1st = 1; Dec 31st = 365, or 366 in a Leap Year.]

[The chart of dates and serial numbers of first halves of months has been expanded into a table showing first and second halves of months with corresponding serial numbers.]

Month	January	February	March *
Dates	1 to 16	1 to 16	1 to 16
Serial #	1 to 16	32 to 47	60 to 75
Dates	17 to 31	17 to 28	17 to 31
Serial #	17 to 31	48 to 59	76 to 90
Month	April *	May *	June *
Dates	1 to 16	1 to 16	1 to 16
Serial #	91 to 106	121 to 136	152 to 167
Dates	17 to 30	17 to 31	17 to 30
Serial #	107 to 120	137 to 151	168 to 181
Month	July *	August *	September*
Dates	1 to 16	1 to 16	1 to 16
Serial #	182 to 197	213 to 228	244 to 259
Dates	17 to 31	17 to 31	17 to 30
Serial #	198 to 212	229 to 243	260 to 273
Month	October *	November*	December*
Dates	1 to 16	1 to 16	1 to 16
Serial #	274 to 289	305 to 320	335 to 350
Dates	17 to 31	17 to 30	17 to 31
Serial #	290 to 304	321 to 334	351 to 365

* In a leap year, don't forget to add 1 to every date and serial number starting from 1 March.

Leap years are underlined in the following chart. [Not as I received it.]

Step 2. Add the day serial number to the right hand number in the following chart for the appropriate year.

This table is only to be used for the 28 constellations. [The chart in the original post covered the years 1898 to 2009. I have updated and replaced it with a chart that covers 1924 to 2050. Every year immediately above an xxxx is a Leap Year; i.e. 1924, 1928, 2032, 2036 are Leap Years.]

For the year ……………………. Add:

xxxx 1943 1965 1988 2010 xxxx 1
xxxx 1944 1966 xxxx 2011 2033 2
xxxx xxxx 1967 1989 2012 2034 3
xxxx 1945 1968 1990 xxxx 2035 4
1924 1946 xxxx 1991 2013 2036 5
xxxx 1947 1969 1992 2014 xxxx 6
1925 1948 1970 xxxx 2015 2037 7
1926 xxxx 1971 1993 2016 2038 8
1927 1949 1972 1994 xxxx 2039 9
1928 1950 xxxx 1995 2017 2040 10
xxxx 1951 1973 1996 2018 xxxx 11
1929 1952 1974 xxxx 2019 2041 12
1930 xxxx 1975 1997 2020 2042 13
1931 1953 1976 1998 xxxx 2043 14
1932 1954 xxxx 1999 2021 2044 15
xxxx 1955 1977 2000 2022 xxxx 16
1933 1956 1978 xxxx 2023 2045 17
1934 xxxx 1979 2001 2024 2046 18
1935 1957 1980 2002 xxxx 2047 19
1936 1958 xxxx 2003 2025 2048 20
xxxx 1959 1981 2004 2026 xxxx 21
1937 1960 1982 xxxx 2027 2049 22
1938 xxxx 1983 2005 2028 2050 23
1939 1961 1984 2006 xxxx xxxx 24
1940 1962 xxxx 2007 2029 xxxx 25
xxxx 1963 1985 2008 2030 xxxx 26
1941 1964 1986 xxxx 2031 xxxx 27
1942 xxxx 1987 2009 2032 xxxx 28

Step 3. Add the day serial number to the number in the right hand column for the year.

e.g. 157 (June 6th) + 14 (1998) = 171

Step 4. Divide the sum of the two numbers by 28 and the remainder will be the number of the constellation.

e.g. 171 divided by 28 equals 6 (168) with a remainder of 3.

So giving us the third constellation on this day June 6th 1998. Wasn't so hard was it? ;-)

[I have verified that the calculations hold true for the year 2000 and beyond.]

The daily predictions of the 28 constellations.

[Some personal comments by the original poster have been removed. Additional information on symbolic animal, planets, and other items in italics added to each daily prediction are from The Complete Astrological Handbook for the Twenty-First Century by Anistatia R Miller and Jared M. Brown, Schocken Books, NY 1999, ISBN 0805210865]

1. The Horn Thursday Auspicious
To whomsoever builds on this day, this constellation will bring glory and prosperity, and men of letters will be able to approach near to the throne of the Emperor.
Marriages on this day will result in numerous posterity.
But to repair a tomb or go to a funeral may provoke a new grief.
Symbolic animal – crocodile.
Associated with the Wood planet (Jupiter) and with favorable winds and rains, as well as agriculture and horticulture. Ideal day to buy land.
Presides over marriage, birth, and growth.

2. The Neck Friday Inauspicious
Do not build on this day; let the eldest not take the succession; let nothing be undertaken for in the ten following days a disaster will occur.
Funerals and marriages will cause untimely death and will risk leaving widows in the house.
Symbolic animal – dragon.
Associated with the Water planet (Mercury), weather extremes, and the chemical industry.
Presides over judgments and punishments.

3. The Root Saturday Inauspicious
To build on this day will be inauspicious enough, and the celebration of marriages will bring endless calamities.
Journeys by boat will be shipwrecked.
Funerals will cause the impoverishment of descendants.
Symbolic animal – badger.
Associated with the Earth planet (Saturn), and strong rains and winds, as well as the aviation and patent-medicine industries.
Presides over proper actions.

4. The Chamber Sunday Auspicious
To build today assures wealth and abundant prosperity.
Spirits of Happiness, of Longevity, of Honour, of Riches and of Glory hasten to meet you.
If funerals are celebrated today, officials will be promoted three ranks.
Symbolic animal – hare or rabbit.
Associated with Sun, heat, and interior decorators.
Presides over building interiors.

5. The Heart Monday Inauspicious
To build today will be most inauspicious and everything will lead to ruin sooner or later.
Similarly burials and marriages will be seen to be disastrous and will assure three years of repeated calamities.
Symbolic animal – fox.
Associated with Moon and heads of state.
Presides over imperial power.

6. The Tail Tuesday Auspicious
To build today is to be assured of blessings and a numerous progeny.
To undertake any business matter or to flood a paddy field will assure prosperity to descendants.
Funerals and marriages will lead to the ennoblement of the family and the obtaining of posts in the Capital.
Symbolic animal – tiger.
Associated with the Fire planet (Mars) and the heir apparent of a family.
Presides over boats, dams, legacies, mothers, and children.

7. The Basket Wednesday Auspicious
To build today gives an assurance of power, and the beginning of any enterprise will assure the family the greatest good fortune.
Marriages and the repairing of tombs will be beneficent; coffers will overflow with gold and silver and the granaries with grain.
Symbolic animal – leopard.
Associated with the Water planet (Mercury) and prosperity in general.
Presides over new projects and burials.

8. The Ladle Thursday Auspicious
To build today assures a supreme abundance of wealth.
To put a tomb in order or to celebrate a funeral will assure descendants of prosperity.
To open an establishment or to flood a paddy field will assure the multiplication of livestock.
A marriage will be guaranteed happiness upon happiness.
Symbolic animal – unicorn.
Associated with the Wood planet (Jupiter), rains and floods, rewards, and businesses that involve oil or wine.
Presides over building and digging.

9. The Buffalo Friday Inauspicious
To build today will assure nothing but danger and calamities.
Paddy fields and silkworms will bring no profit to the unhappy master.
A marriage or the opening of a business will behold a sea of troubles, and livestock will suffer from it.
Symbolic animal – buffalo.
Associated with the Metal planet (Venus) and the real-estate business.
Presides over roads, paths, and land.

10. The Woman Saturday Inauspicious
To build today will be very damaging to the charm of pretty women and make brothers quarrel among themselves like wolves and tigers.
Burials and marriages will cause luck to disappear and oblige the family to emigrate.
Symbolic animal – bat.
Associated with the Earth planet (Saturn) and the weaving industry.
Presides over property and dowry.

11. The Void Sunday Inauspicious
To build today will be calamitous.
Boys and girls will sleep uncherished.
A wind of debauchery will blow through the family from a lack of rites; and the wives of sons and grandsons will sleep in other beds.
Symbolic animal – rat.
Associated with the Sun, rains, and cold, undertakers, and frozen foods.
Presides over cemeteries.

12. The Roof Monday Inauspicious
Today nothing large should be built, and burial or the repairing of tombs will provoke effusions of blood.
To open a business or to irrigate a paddy field will cause continual unhappiness and law suits.
Symbolic animal – swallow.
Associated with the Moon and the building industry.
Presides over fortification.

13. The House Tuesday Auspicious
To build today will bring an increase in land and livestock.
Sons and grandsons will enjoy glorious careers.
All enterprises will bring riches and prosperity in the dwelling.
Marriages and funerals will take away care for ever.
Symbolic animal – pig.
Associated with the Fire planet (Mars) and religious orders.
Presides over physical work in general.

14. The Wall Wednesday Auspicious
To build today will bring great prosperity; marriages will bring only peace and joy.
Funerals will assure wealth and prosperous descendants.
To start an enterprise or to irrigate a paddy field will assure progeny.
Symbolic animal – porcupine.
Associated with the Water planet (Mercury), literature, and the arts.
Presides over marriages and expansions.

15. The Legs Thursday Inauspicious
To build today will be very auspicious, Harmony and Prosperity will blow through the door of the family home.
But a burial today will produce a mysterious death, and to do business or flood a paddy field will only attract calamities.
Symbolic animal – wolf.
Associated with the Wood planet (Jupiter), cold weather, textiles, and shoes.
Presides over clothing, canals, and armaments.

16. The Tie Friday Auspicious
To build columns today is equivalent to building up to the gate of Heaven; the family will see its riches increase and everything will prosper.
Today's marriages will be fruitful, and descendants will gain honours and social promotion.
Symbolic animal – dog.
Associated with the Metal planet (Venus), wt and mildly cool weather, and the pharmacy business.
Presides over symphonic music and festivities.

17. The Stomach Saturday Auspicious
To whomsoever builds this day everything comes like a wind blowing riches and precious glory,
and innumerable joys will be theirs.
Funerals will assure social promotion and marriages will see the flourishing of complete harmony.
Symbolic animal – pheasant.
Associated with the Earth planet (Saturn), floods, and the banking industry.
Presides over marriages, burials, investments, and earthworks.

18. The Lights Sunday Inauspicious
To build today would be like letting a buffalo into the paddy field.
Funerals will bring incessant worry.
To begin anything will surely lead to calamities, and marriages will only engender misery.
Symbolic animal – rooster.
Associated with the Sun and the legal profession.
Presides over judgments.

19. The Thread Monday Auspicious
Light will shine on him who builds.
Paddy growing and worm breeding will know years of abundance.
Luck and blessings will flow to your door.
Marriages and funerals will procure a doubled longevity.
Symbolic animal – crow.
Associated with the Moon, rains, and the military.
Presides over marriages and hunting.

20. The Turtle Tuesday Inauspicious
To build today will invite a lawsuit.
Celebrate a funeral and before long the house will collapse; at least three deaths will follow, and reserves of provisions will dwindle away.
Symbolic animal – monkey.
Associated with the Fire planet (Mars) and animal breeding.
Presides over flocks and herds as well as the afflicted.

21. The Three Associates Wednesday Auspicious
To build today will bring ample prosperity.
The star of the lettered person will bring light.
Irrigation of the paddy field and business will be under happy auspices.
But funerals and marriages will shatter the family.
Symbolic animal – gibbon.
Associated with the Water planet (Mercury) and authorship.
Presides over labor.

22. The Well Thursday Auspicious
To build today will bring prosperity to paddy fields and silkworm breeding.
The family name will be the first on the golden list.
In the case of funerals, take extra care if the deceased has died a violent death.
Every enterprise will bring money and numerous inheritors.
Symbolic animal – tapir.
Associated with the Water planet (Mercury), rains, the civil service, and veterinary surgery.
Presides over widows and examinations.

23. The Spirit Friday Inauspicious
Under this inauspicious star, building will cause disappearances and the threshold will no longer have a master.
The celebration of funerals will procure advancement but a marriage will see a woman lonely in the nuptial chamber.
Symbolic animal – goat.
Associated with the Metal planet (Venus).
Presides over respect for the dead.

24. The Willow Saturday Inauspicious
To build today will lead to trouble in the courts; and disasters and thieves will put the house in danger.
Funerals and marriages will be the prelude to a series of miseries.
Symbolic animal – buck.
Associated with the Earth planet (Saturn).
(No "presides over" listed)

25. The Star Sunday Inauspicious
This day is good for building houses, and prosperity and advancement will lead to the feet of the Emperor.
But to celebrate a funeral or to proceed with irrigation will cause the wife to abandon her hearth and look for another man.
Symbolic animal – horse.
Associated with the Sun, heat, and the garment business.
Presides over bridges and dyestuffs.

26. The Fishing Net Monday Auspicious
On this day if a pavilion is built all descendants who are officials will approach the Emperor.
To celebrate funerals and to flood the paddy fields will attract money and riches.
Marriages will be the cause of unending harmony and happiness.
Symbolic animal – stag.
Associated with the Moon, and the business of the theater.
Presides over festivities and entertainment.

27. The Wings Tuesday Inauspicious
Construction of a high building should be avoided, for this will cause the death of successive masters of the house.
Marriages and funerals will not bring prosperity.
Young girls will run after boys away from home.
Symbolic animal – snake.
Associated with Fire planet (Mars) and politics.
Presides over ceremonial rites.

28. The Chariot Wednesday Auspicious
To build under these auspices will attract promotion.
A marriage will receive the Emperor's blessing.
To celebrate funerals will make bright the star of the lettered person.
Prosperity will equal a cairn of gold and a mountain of jade.
Symbolic animal – earthworm.
Associated with the Water planet (Mercury) and wind and storms.
Presides over travel, speed, marriage, digging, and construction.