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March 19, 2011
Taoists practicing in the 24 points of the solar term
I have also added a solar term calendar to the home page.
Be sure to set your time zone and location to ensure accurate time calculation.
You can instantly see where we are in the solar year and relate your practice directly to the Heaven and Earthly energy relating to that time. Watch carefully at the major changes (equinoxes and solstices).
See Kathy Li's article on the Long Men Pai web site for more details:
http://www.longmenpai.com/forum/showthread.php?98-Taoists-practicing-in-the-24-points-of-solar-term
Posted by james at 11:22 AM
March 17, 2011
Hsien Tien Method page upgraded
The Hsien Tien method of accessing the I Ching is the most popular page on the Energy Master site by significant margin. I recently updated the page and method to include the option of correcting the calculation for your local time zone. The ancient Chinese were extremely precise in their time calculations. All official time related to one reference in the imperial capital, and even today, China lives under one time zone (+8) and Chinese are used to there being an 'official' time and a 'local time'. Local time is Sun time. The time the sun is highest in the sky and directly south is local noon. Taoists use local noon for all astrological and biological calculations. The possessed incredibly accurate solar water clocks in relative antiquity and could easily determine longitude to great accuracy before western civilization had even primitive time-keeping.
Previously, the Hsien Tien method calculation used Bejing time. Now you have the option of using your local time ( like a Taoist, or Imperial time, like a Confusian ). For the original method, set your time zone to 8 West(+). That's exactly 12 hours difference from my local time in zone 4 E(-) and a completely different hexagram. After all it's approaching midnight in Bejing at the moment while it's still before noon here.
This is a long standing issue with Chinese astrologers I have met, who in preparing a chart want only to know what time it was in Bejing when you were born. The Imperial powers did not have that level of control over the Taoists by any means.
Posted by james at 10:46 AM
New Features Added
The updated main page now includes a local time calculator ( thanks to Google and the GeoCoder) and a graphic display of the local hour according to the Taoist 12 2 hour segments that make up the 24 hour daily cycle.
The displayed hour will be correct for your location when you enter your Country and City.
If you have a postal code entering that will often correct the calculation by a few seconds.
Local Sun Time will be 12:00 noon at your location when the sun is actually crossing your local meridian ( ie, true local noon).
In the Long Men Pai, Complete Reality tradition, the shen returns at the moment of the change of the two hour period. There are twelve of these moments each day. These will occur locally when your sun time is exactly on the odd hours. The 'living midnight' usually refers to the beginning of the hour of tzu, ( 11:00 pm). In stillness, the subtle return of the shen in one of it's many forms marks the 'huo tzu' or living hour of the eternal return.
To continually see the corrected time, you must refresh the display. ( F5 on a PC)
By observing the clock time (right under the time zone tool) when the sun time is exactly on the hour, you will see the exact difference so you will then know, for me, here at my location, the transit of the hourly meridian takes place at so many minutes and seconds before or after the hour. You may then notice in your meditation an event like a block of wood being struck, a gong, or other time marker. Glance gently at the clock. Was the calculation correct?
Posted by james at 9:49 AM