Gerard

Not a problem Taomeow. Interesting how nearly 4,000 years later at exactly the same date something like that occurred. I wonder what the Chinese ephemeris were on the 05/03/53.

Very interesting and I can confirm that too. I'm based in the southern hemisphere below the Earth meridian of latitude: Tropic of Capricorn. It is just a bit above the navel. Everything shifts when one lives below the major meridian line of the Equator, including Qi flow. Taoism is a marvellous science.

The Chinese Zodiac is one aspect of Chinese Cosmology, in particular an expression of the 12 Earthly Branches. The Wu Xing (Five Forces or energetic transformations of the yin-Yang) is the underlying concept. It all started in a key date (1953 B.C) which was finally discovered by the NASA not that long ago (1993). On that remarkable date, the sun, moon and five planets (Jupiter-Wood, Mars-Fire, Saturn-Earth, Venus-Metal and Mercury-Water) all lined up in the sky at dawn. It must have been an amazing phenomenon and one I'd love to have witnessed. Astronomers Solve Ancient Mystery of the Chinese Calendar

I forgot to mention the Tai Shui. In Chinese Astrology, there are 60 heavenly generals who take turns to govern the energies of the earth, each serving a year. These generals are collectively known as Tai Sui or Grand Duke Jupiter . Every year, people born in certain zodiac signs are said to be in conflict or offend the Tai Sui of that year. When one is in clash with the Tai Sui, they are advised to take precautions to avoid misfortune, by attending Tai Sui appeasement ceremonies or wearing protective amulets. In 2024 these animals are the Dog, Dragon, Ox and Rabbit. Generally, the year of Fan Tai Sui (clash Tai Sui) means setbacks, such as unstable luck for career and wealth, obstacles or troubles in marriage, health issues, and even disasters. If you are in conflict with the Tai Sui, you should be extremely careful in the year, during which you will be prone to disputes and conflicts, and cast down by setbacks. The best thing to do is pay attention to personal health and safety and avoid dangerous activities. Maintaining positive energy, practice daily meditation, mindfulness activities and engaging in acts of kindness can help mitigate the adverse effects of Fan Tai Sui. Spreading positivity will counterbalance any misfortune that may come due to conflicting energies. Incorporating remedies, amulets, and cures into your daily routine. Whether it's wearing a protective charm or performing rituals to appease Tai Sui. Amulets like the Tibetan red string bracelet, the Chinese Pixiu bracelet and the Pi Yao are powerful talismans to appease the Tai Shui. Wearing a Rooster amulet this year is another powerful talisman since this animal is the Dragon's best friend. Alternatively you can carry a Tai Sui card or amulet with you, or you can hang a Tai Sui plaque or painting in your home and office. Don’t face or sit directly opposite to the direction of Tai Sui, which is SE in 2024. This is considered disrespectful and may provoke its wrath. Don’t renovate or dig in the direction of Tai Sui, which may disturb its energy and cause misfortune. Don’t argue or fight with others, especially those who are under the influence of Tai Sui (Dog, Dragon, Ox & Rabbit). This may trigger more conflicts and troubles. 2024 Animals offending the Tai Shui: https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/zodiac/fan-tai-sui/2024.htm

For those of you who are familiar with Feng Shui, 2024 is not only the Year of the Green Dragon but also the start of period 9 of the Flying Stars. So far we have: Period 1 – February 4 1864 –February 3 1884 Period 2 - February 4 1884 – February 3 1904 Period 3 – February 4 1904 – February 3 1924 Period 4 – February 4 1924 – February 3 1944 Period 5 – February 4 1944 – February 3 1964 Period 6 – February 4 1964 – February 3 1984 Period 7 – February 4 1984 – February 3 2004 Period 8 – February 4 2004 – February 3 2024 Period 9 – February 4 2024 – February 3 2044 Period 10 – February 4 2044 – February 3 2064 When period 9 begins, the number 9 Flying star will become the prominent and most auspicious Flying star for the next 20 years; in period 8, the number 8 star was the most auspicious and so on. Period 9 Feng Shui will belong to the Li Kua (Fire element) and in period 9, we can expect a lot of prosperity and progress for females; especially the middle daughter of a family. From Chinese Five Element Stem-Branch calendar, the name of 2024 Chinese Zodiac Year is Jia Chen. Jia is Male Wood and Chen is Dragon. The zodiac name of 2024 is Yang Wood Dragon. Yin is female and Yang is male. The color of Wood is Green. Therefore, 2024 is the Male Green Wood Dragon year. Before predicting your fortune regarding to your money, career, marriage or health in 2024, you have to know which element you are and what is your "lucky" element is from your Astrology Birth Chart. The "lucky element" is the major factor to determine people's fortune. Those whose lucky element is Wood, 2024 will bring luck to your life: https://www.mastertsai.com/ChineseAstrology/Chineseastrology.htm The Year of the Dragon, 2024, in the Hsia calendar, is symbolised by two Chinese characters with Yang Wood sitting on top of Dragon which is ruled by the Earth element. So it is a Wood year on Heavenly Stem conquering Earth in Earthly branch. According to the cycle of creation and destruction, which governs the relationship between the Five Elements, if the two elements are in the destructive cycle and have conquering relationship, then the year will have more conflict and less harmony. As Dragon is a symbol of strong Earth, earth disasters such as earthquake, landslide, avalanche, collapse of buildings will also occur since the Wood is piercing the Earth (conflict relationship between Wood-Earth Elements). Inside the 2024 Dragon, there is Earth, Water, and Wood but no Fire, which is the driving force behind economic activities. Fire is also the symbol of happiness and positive energy in the Five Element Theory. Fire is necessary to stimulate optimism and confidence. When it is totally absent, there will be less incentive and less drive for investment activities; this may lead to pessimism in the economy and set back in the stock market. From the evolution of the Year of the Dragon in 2024, there will be more earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and wars in 2026 (Fire Horse) and 2027 (Fire Goat/Sheep) years. Compatible Chinese Animals Sign in 2024: Rat, Monkey and Rooster. Incompatible Chinese animals in 2024: Dog. Good Travel Directions in 2024: north, east and south. Lucky colours for 2024: gold, silver, copper, grey and bronze.

I don't live in the USA. Zero interest in politics and my prediction is global. Will post it soon! This is a dragon that conceals water even though is an Earth animal (balance) with a strong affinity to Wood (change, movement).

Basically like this forum and the countless lower tantien & MCO threads, people carry on with the same useless discussions without knowing exactly why. Edit: the I don't know why but I must read a lot of books on this subject as if the more I read the better for my progress. Of course the grandaddy of all: enlightenment. It all falls under the banner of "spiritual materialism."

OP, The problem of retaining Jing is building up "potential" energy and not allowing it to circulate properly. Hence you either enter a serious food intake mode (not really recommended if you work or study full time) or start moving a lot. Moving as in becoming a wanderer or hiking many kms per day in order to burn excess stored energy.

You need to undertake massive changes in your diet and lifestyle to tackle sexual desire. It starts with a serious and dedicated practice over a long period of time that will change gradually your diet and lifestyle. You'll end up eating one meal a day before noon.

China it was, is and will be. The Hindu system is completely static; Chinese/Taoist is dynamic. Qigong owes nothing to India; end of story. Its roots are completely shamanic in nature (imitates movements of animals and the natural cycles). Most likely Siberian/Mongolian practices could have been influenced Qigong in the Neolithic period.

Ba Gua is vastly different from TJQ and they are mutually exclusive. Not a good idea training the two side by side. Now with Ba Gua. It's internal in itself without needing to teach specific details like TJQ; the problem comes with people not focusing on the basics which is perfect footwork, circling and 8 Mother Palms; you can throw in some Ba Da Zhang stuff for fun but it won't matter as it's not essential stuff. Also FOUNDATION work is a must in the internal arts or Kung Fu in general. He Jinghan has released a ton of video material on this which is his specialty.

If you prefer the "hardness" that Chen style brings to the art, I found this video very good as it teaches the essentials of Chen TJQ: Hope you find it useful.

As sweets, I do cook my own pastries & desserts. This one is Central European but its origins are a lot older than that (Middle Eastern). Pear Strudel (with homemade dough) I normally replace the cranberries with other dried berries like sultanas or currants or a combination of these two since I'm not a big fan cranberry fan. Ginger is missing in that recipe but what I do is add a 2-inch/5cm minced ginger root to the filling ingredients. Ginger adds a nice layer of depth and spiciness to the strudel. Guten Appetit!

Yes quick answers and many want to acquire results from reading books & paying fake masters for quick results. None of this works. Gong Fu = hard work. This and practicing in the natural environment will help you understand Taoism your your true nature.

You need to do the RIGHT PRACTICE (1) in the right environment (2). I already gave you a clue for number 2. For no. 1: This is what I do: But from time to time I play with TJQ a bit too: Learned both from legitimate lines and highly experienced teachers. Then you'll understand and connect with the principles within (Tao). So it's method + environment (nature is the best place to train). You need to find a good teacher. It's a very important aspect of this path.

Very easy:

Through religion; in other words follow the rest like sheep. The eagle, the lone wolf discerns by itself through relentless observation and careful analysis of the principles that exist within. Self-realisation vs. faith. One example: I spoke the other day to a Yang TJQ stylist at the park which I have seen practising for an entire year most early mornings all by himself. I decided to approach him and have a chat. Well, his practice is paying off. He said to me, we are a microcosmos placed between Heaven & Earth (San Cai). He is probably the first Tai Chi practitioner who I have spoken to which is focused on inner work rather than looking good in his routine performance. He moves extremely slowly; far from the style of TJQ that is so popular today: I asked him about his year of birth: Fire Rooster. Ha! It makes sense now.

Yeah many siddhies. My favourite: 1. Good health 2. Wisdom 3. The realisation of what you/we truly are The rest who cares they like fireworks. Easy to impress children with them.

You can learn the entire 108 Yang style Long Form for free on YouTube with detailed instructions both visual and audio: https://www.youtube.com/@AndrewPlitt/videos There are a total of 93 videos. Hope this is helpful to prospective students.

This is a good place for the Year of the Water Rabbit:

Correct practice means a traditional method passed on from master to student by many generations. 1. Internal Martial Arts: Ba Gua, Tai Chi & Xing Yi (Kung Fu, Taoism). 2. Vipassana meditation retreat (Buddhism). Examples of poor lifestyle choices which plague modern society: Spending 10h a day in front of the computer, smartphone, etc.; years of academic study and poor posture; eating dinner; etc.

Check He Jinghan's entire YT channel for solid practice rather than spiritual mumbo jumbo, fairy tales and all those snake charmers who make money by selling books and courses. https://m.youtube.com/@HeJingHan-Baguaquan-Taijiquan/videos FREE OF CHARGE. He is a good noble man. There is a very good reason why he has put out so many videos. Find out through serious practice and you'll know why. Attend a Buddhist Vipassana retreat snc soon you'll find out what is really going on. Good luck!

The only way you'll fix your sleep issues is by correcting a pattern of disharmony in the Wood Force (Liver & Gall Bladder) To do that you need to introduce significant lifestyle changes which will result from correct practice. A Qigong method won't do that because all those styles never go deep enough plus practicing them for one hour a day tops isn't enough. Hope this helps.

1. Quieten the monkey/thinking mind which is an entire discipline. 2. Relax and let go while focus on breathing. 3. The rest will take care of itself.