Description
Essential reading for serious students of Chinese practical arts, including medicine, martial arts and FengShui, Master Zhongxian Wu and Dr. Karin Taylor Wu provide a detailed explanation of the 22 GanZhi symbols in this book, outlining the characteristics of each, and their interactions and relationships.
TianGan (Heavenly Stems) and DiZhi (Earthly Branches), commonly abbreviated to GanZhi, originated in the ancient Chinese cosmological sciences and is a complex calendrical system which was created to codify the patterns of life and of the universe itself. The ten symbols of Gan express the Yin or Yang perspective of Five Elements and embody the Way of Heaven. The 12 symbol of Zhi, made manifest in the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, hold the root of each Element and embrace the Way of Earth.
Poetic summaries from the Song Dynasty’s astrology classic, DiTianShui 滴天髓, give the reader a deep understanding of the nature of each Stem and their relationship to each other. Offering an unprecedented insight into the subtleties and far-reaching influence of this ancient system, this book will be invaluable for the study or practice of Chinese medicine, FengShui, Chinese astrology, traditional Chinese cosmology, Qigong, Taiji and other inner cultivation practices.
Contents:
Foreword. The Role of TianGan DiZhi in Yijing Culture. Preface. RenTianZhiDao (The Way of Man and Nature). 1. TongTianShenShu (Mystical Tree of Heaven): The Way of Heaven and Earth, The Origin of GanZhi, The Magic Tree, Celestial Connection of GanZhi, GanZhi YinYang, GanZhi WuXing, QiYun (The Rhythm of Qi) 2. TianGan (Heavenly Stems): Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui. 3. DiZhi (Earthly Branches): Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xü, Hai 4. GanZhi He Hua (Transformation): WuXingXiangSheng (Birth Principle), WuXingXiangKe (Control Principle), WuShiWuXingHuaTu (Wu Family Five Elements Transformation Diagram), TianGanHeHua (Stems Transformation Principle), WuYun (Five Cosmological Energies), DiZhiLiuHe (Branches Six Unions Principle), DiZhiSanHui (Branches Tri-gathering Principle), DiZhiSanHe (Branches Tri-combination Principle), DiZhiLiuChong (Branches Six-Repellings Principle), LiuQi (Six Cosmological Qi), DiZhiLiuHai (Branches Six-Harmings Principle), LiuShuiHuaJia (Sixty Stem Branch Combinations) 5. GanZhi JingShen (The Spirit of GanZhi): JiaMu, YiMu, BingHuo, DingHuo, WuTu, JiTu, GengJin, XinJin, RenShui, GuiShui. Afterword. Appendix. Index.
Reviews:
“This book offers an unprecedented contribution to Daoism, the Yijing, traditional medicine, internal alchemy and Qigong practice to the English-speaking world.”
—Grandmaster Ren FaRong 任法融, China’s leading scholar of the DaoDeJing and Daoist internal alchemy and president of the Chinese Daoist Association
“A must read for every serious student of classical Chinese medicine and ancient cosmology.”
—Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D., Founding Professor, School of Classical Chinese Medicine, National College of Natural Medicine
“From, to and for the Great Oneness comes a soul size gift in the form of a book—Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.”
—Dianne M. Connelly, Ph.D., M.Ac. (UK), co-founder of Tai Sophia Institute (now Maryland University of Integrative Health), author, and Chinese medicine practitioner
“From star pattern etymology for Chinese characters to practical seasonal advice, from discussion of the application of hidden stems to the complexities of alchemical transformation, this book serves as an essential primer that will be of use to beginner and advanced practitioner alike in the study of the pulsing rhythms of unfolding time.”
—Peter Firebrace, BAc, MBAcC, co-founder of Monkey Press, past principle of the International College of Oriental Medicine (England), Chinese medicine practitioner and musician
