The Chinese Time Clock and all of Traditional Chinese Medicine was almost lost in the early 1900's as China's Northern Warlords resolved to wipe it out. When the People's Republic of China came into power they first outlawed it, then began to recognize the importance of their heritage, then jailed and killed Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors in the 60's and 70's until finally in 1979, the Chinese Government established a National Organization to preserve Traditional Chinese Medicine. Many texts were republished and since have been translated and the knowledge of this ancient practice is spreading and growing in popularity. People like myself, who look for alternatives, are thankful for the resurgence of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine dates back to over 5000 years ago. The Yellow Emperor’s Cannon which has been preserved from sometime between 800 and 200BC is still in existence. This cannon of Traditional Chinese Medicine mentions one’s treatment being dependent on the time of day, the day, the season, and the configuration of the sun and the moon. This specific practice including the time is not widely used today.
Traditional Chinese Medicine maps meridians through the body on which energy flows. All the meridians have beginnings and endings on the hands and feet and run through the major organs of our bodies. It is believed that the cause of illness, both physical and mental illness, is either blocks in energy flow or too much energy flowing through meridians. The meridians are accessed and the flow of energy is changed through acupuncture, acupressure, tapping, massage and reflexology today. At least these are the most popular techniques available in my area. And these techniques have the most information available online that I have found.
In China, there are a large number of exclusively Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals and a number of hospitals that integrate Eastern and Western medicine. I hope to see more of this evolve in the United States.
The knowledge of the time of day the qi is peaked in an organ is known as the Chinese Meridian Time Clock or the Meridian Flow Wheel. There are bits and pieces of this clock out and about online or buried in text of Traditional Chinese Medicine. But from talking to people who practice energy healing and qi gong, it is not widely used or even known about. I am creating a resource which will pull a wealth of knowledge about energy flow through meridians and balancing techniques together into one source in my thesis project which I call the QiCLOCK. This project illustrates Chakras and Meridians and their connection to the Chinese Meridian Time Clock.
Chakras are a teaching from ancient India. The origin of the Chakras goes back to the Vedas, meaning 'knowledge'. These writings were created from an even older oral tradition of the Aryan culture. This is believed to be an invading Indo-European tribe that swept into India during the second millennium B.C.E. I find it interesting that Chakra also means wheel. This energy system is not as complex or detailed as the Chinese Meridians. The Chakras simply stack in our body from the top of our head to the base of our spine. Today many people attend to the Chakras through meditation. My thesis shares balancing techniques which affect both Chakras and Meridians. Because research has now connected these two energy maps in our body, it has been easy to color code techniques to the Chakra colors and describe when certain balancing techniques may be helpful. Color coding to the Chakras, of which there are only seven in the body which is a smaller number than the number of Meridians in the body, simplified the organization of information on my QiCLOCK.
There is an ancient myth from Traditional Chinese Medicine which is based, largely, on the reputation of Emperor Yü, who is one of five legendary founders of Chinese civilization (one for each of the Five Elements; Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, was associated with the earth element; Yü, with the wood element). Historically, Yü is known for his work in “draining and ditching” to control the flow of water, especially to control floods (it was reported that, in the time of Yü, there were 9 floods in a period of 10 years), and he is thus ascribed the position of founder of Chinese agriculture (his predecessor, by about six centuries, Shen Nong, taught the basics of agriculture, but Yü made its development possible). Chinese agriculture evolved, as it did in all countries, along large rivers. The southern Chinese staple grain, rice, requires intensive water regulation. The farmers’ ability to produce plants, that ultimately resulted from Yü’s effective flood control, are, perhaps, the reason he is affiliated with the wood element (associated with growth) rather than with the earth element (manipulating the soil).(Dharmananda)
The five elements are a part of many of the Chinese Time Clocks you will find online. I am not including this information in my thesis project, the QiCLOCK, just to keep the simplicity of the clock and stay focused on the time, organs and balancing activities. To my knowledge and experience, the elements are not as popular or widely addressed as the Chakras and Meridians in today's Eastern energy healing practices.
The mythology of the Chakras lies mainly around the Aryans. They were said to have entered India on chariots. The original meaning of the word Chakra as 'wheel' refers to the chariot wheels of the invading Aryans. The word was also a metaphor for the sun. The sum was described as a great wheel that rolls across the sky like a blazing chariot of a Chakravartin. This was the name for the Aryan chariot-rulers. The wheel also denotes the eternal cycle of time called the Kalachakra.(History) Throughout history, the wheel has represented time, celestial order, and balance.
This is of interest to me in that the Chinese Time Clock is also represented as a wheel and promotes order and balance in daily living while illustrating a continual flow of energy in a never ending circle of time.
One modern day ritualistic practice which may include information from the Chinese Meridian Time Clock is meditation. Meditation has proven benefits and there are studies which examine length of time of meditation and have shown that longer meditation times provide greater results of relaxation and healing over shorter periods of time. Many people practice meditation as a ritual.
Traditional Chinese Medicine in general would promote a ritualistic lifestyle waking and going to bed at the same time each day over a swing shift in life as many experience in their work these days.
The QiCLOCK dictates the ideal activities during each time period each day, including the best time to meditate. Many of the balancing techniques included in the QiCLOCK site are things which don't require time such as wearing certain colors or stones as well as listening to certain types of music which can be done throughout your day without setting aside a specific time to pray or to dance. Praying and dancing may need to be scheduled into your day, but can be fun activities and can be part of a meditation and also include similar relaxation and healing benefits.
Because the time clock instructions include the times beside each other and directly across from each other can also be helpful to the organ in the time you are focused on, the activities can be turned clockwise or counter clockwise by one time slot and still be beneficial. Even turned so they are on the completely opposite time for those who are working nights. I am looking forward to working with people specifically on this practice and seeing what the results are in lives. So, it is alright is some people are early birds and some are night owls, the Chinese Meridian isn't a curse for those who do not live within the initially indicated time slots.
Another important aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine is Tonics. Sometimes referred to as Tonic Alchemy, these are herbs which have been used as part of the art of longevity and radiant health throughout Chinese history.
There is a legend about how garlic came to be used as a medicine:
There was once a farmer who wanted desperately to become a doctor like his famous neighbor. He pleaded with his neighbor to take him as a student, but the doctor refused. In those days, it was customary to only teach the medical profession to members of one's own family.
Knowing that the doctor generally taught his family in the evenings after his clinic closed for the day, he secretly hid beneath his window to listen in on the teachings.
That evening, the family conversation went like this: "They've already put off paying for a long time, do you want to charge interest?" The doctor said, "Just collect for the diagnosis and the medicine", "You can forget the interest (suan li k'o chih)."
The farmer, hearing only the last four words of the conversation, misunderstood the doctor as saying "garlic can cure dysentery (suan li k'o chih)." which has the same pronunciation.
It so happened that the farmer's uncle was seriously ill with stomach troubles, so the farmer set off to help him. He gave his uncle garlic to ingest, and sure enough, it worked. The uncle recovered completely.
The farmer stayed at his uncle's house and started a medical practice of curing dysentery. The herbal treatments worked on all his patients and the farmer's reputation spread far and wide. When the famous doctor heard of this, he visited the farmer and said, "I hear you have a cure for dysentery, who taught you?"
"Actually, it was you," replied the farmer, describing the incident under the window. Laughingly, the doctor explained that the comment was about late payment of a patient's bill, not a cure for dysentery. He then said, "It seems you are smarter than I first thought, so I've decided to take you as a student after all".
Although the treatment was based on a misunderstanding, it turned out that it really worked. Garlic has been used in China as a popular medicinal ingredient for many stomach disorders since that time.(How)
Traditional Chinese Medicine and its connection was not only for healing but also for enlightenment. I think this story represents how the Universe can orchestrate events to bring about change or in this case, a cure.
A connection from mythology with alchemy is also present in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are seasons in our lives and the Alchemy chart illustrates this well by years. The QiCLOCK is illustrating days. Tonic herbs, an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, are an alchemy bringing about changes in the form of improvements in our health, potentially increasing our time on this planet.
Qi Gong is another form of alchemy, now a weekly practice for me, since I am interested in increasing my lifespan and have recently moved only to find a studio where this is taught close by my new home. This is a practice that stems from Taoist spiritual practice and is closely linked to Traditional Chinese Medicine. It focuses energy on each organ using simple movements and sounds to bring them each to balance. Balance means there are no blocks which keep energy out of an organ or trapped in an organ. I do some simple qi gong movements on days when I don't have class. There are simple techniques for pain relief or quick techniques for energy which work better when you have all of your energy balanced. Because it can be quick and easy to increase your energy, I can fit it into my life.
I originally learned about the Chinese Time Clock in conjunction with taking supplements back in the ‘90’s. This supplement was best taken at different times based upon your symptoms. I really didn’t utilize it much at that point in time, but as I researched alternatives following my cancer experience, I saw it again and became fascinated by it and the connection between the Chakras and Meridians. I am not good at doing much in a ritualistic way, so by researching simple techniques to balance Chakras, thus Meridians, I am improving my health and vitality daily without having to do the same things(rituals) at the same times each day.
Growing up in church and experiencing a Sunday ritual never convinced me that ritual had great importance. After a “born again” experience and my marriage to a friend who had a similar experience I found even more that a Sunday ritual didn't improve the way I was treated or more important to me, the way my children were treated. The ritual seemed like more of a cover for who my husband really was than a cure to help him improve how he acted or felt, since his actions were indicative of how he was feeling, which was out of control.
All of my experiences combined have led me to this research and knowledge of energy healing, the Chakras, Meridians and the Chinese Time Clock. Because of the benefits that I have received in the process of learning and practicing a variety of techniques I am compelled to share and help others improve their lives as well.
Mythology has kept the Chinese Meridian Time Clock alive. It is a part of the heritage of China and may have been lost except for a growing interest in alternative medicine and healthier lifestyles. Today, people in America want fast and easy and the site that I am creating illustrating the QiCLOCK will provide just that. It isn't about meditating for a long time or going to an acupuncturist or other holistic practitioner, it is about making simple adjustments to our lifestyles which can help to balance our energy and our life. This may help to keep us alive longer with an even better quality of life.
Works Cited
Dharmananda, Subhuti, Ph.D. "Understanding of Acupuncture through Ancient Chinese Myths." Itmonline.org. Institute for Traditional Medicine, Apr. 1998. Web. 21 May 2016.
"History of the Chakra System." IndiaNetzone. Jupiter Infomedia Ltd., 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 May 2016.
"How Garlic Became an Herbal Medicine." Qi-journal.com. Qi Journal. Web. 21
May 2016.
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Email: sharibrandtdesign@gmail.com
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