Lunar calendar
Yesterday I was lying on the table under a piece of paper, with needles poking out of my arms and hands and belly and I said to Tuan, it is six months exactly since my first time here. He made a noise acknowledging this fact, non-committal in nature. Then I thought about it and counted again and realized it was actually seven months. When I said that, he said calendars are hard and everyone makes mistakes. They really don't make any sense.
And this started a 15 minute lesson on the lunar calendar. For most of these months, Tuan has said very little except pleasantries. And just to report on the results of these seven months, I have to say that many small complaints that I have accumulated over time have faded away. I can lift my right arm without pain, my hands don't fall asleep, my digestion is perfect, etc. I still have arthritis in my knee and I still limp, but I think the symptoms are less severe. Very little inflammation. I am still overweight as usual and that just may take a change of mindset that is bigger than I imagine. That can still happen, just hasn't happened yet. Overall, I think this acupuncture experience has been mysterious and wonderful. You have to stop hoping for a specific outcome, except for improvement.
Okay, back to the calendar. Tuan said the lunar calendar, and there are many versions from many cultures, is far more complicated and hard to understand. Each time zone has its own (?). He studied it for a long time because of its relationship to human bio-rhythms. He had to learn to read ancient Vietnamese characters which no one uses anymore since the French took Vietnam -- he wanted to study the books from ancient times that are only in special libraries across Southeast Asia. He said it was hard, but he did it.
In ancient times, there was a bronze drum. It looks like a musical instrument because it looks like a drum but it is not for playing. This drum was placed in the middle of a big level ritual space, and it was put on a raised pedestal which was leveled perfectly. The drum was leveled (using a water level, he says). Around the base of the drum, facing each of the four directions, were four frog statues with a tiny metal ball sticking right at the edge of their mouths. At certain times, when they wanted to know exactly what day it was so they would know what agricultural activities were supposed to be happening, they got a long piece of bamboo and stuck it in the ground next to the bronze drum. They hung a pendulum from the top of the bamboo (which is flexible and bends) and it was right over the exact center of the drum. This was a sundial, and the drum had markings all around it to tell them what they needed to know.
Once when he was at a conference about lunar calendars, he was in a session with a Chinese expert who taught that all calendars started in China and other cultures adopted them. When it was time for questions, Tuan asked if the lecturer knew about the bronze drum. He said of course he did. Tuan asked if he knew what it was for and the teacher said it was a musical instrument. For some reason, Tuan was prepared with a presentation so he taught them about the actual purpose and history of the drum. He says he got the most questions about the frogs. Well, in Vietnam they haven't had any earthquakes for a very long time but other countries around them have earthquakes and the aftershocks do affect Vietnam. So if there is any shaking, the little metal ball will fall out of the mouth of the frog, and then that information is reported to the king so he knows to check structures in the direction the frog was facing.
You just never know what you will learn. There is no end to the things I do not know.
Tuan went on to say more about the moon and its path. It is not anything near as simple as we all think. It does not just travel around the earth in a clear orbit. There are 60 "movements" that affect the path of the moon (Jon looked it up later and the other word was "perturbations."). Anyway, the moon has a complicated journey around the Earth and that is why the lunar calendar is so dang hard. There are many different moons at what feel like random times, but they are completely not random: the blue moon, the harvest moon, the blood moon, etc.
I said, with a complete lack of sophistication, I love the moon. He said immediately, we all love the moon. The moon is the mother, the sun is the father (distant, strong, not as closely engaged, he said. So interesting.). The mother is close by and watching over us.
Before, I never thought to have curiosity about ancient Vietnam. He ran through the history of its various invaders and culture appropriators in about two sentences. He listed every neighbor in about a breath. Now I know what to ask about when I go to acupuncture. Who cares about my sore foot. There is so much more to learn.
And this started a 15 minute lesson on the lunar calendar. For most of these months, Tuan has said very little except pleasantries. And just to report on the results of these seven months, I have to say that many small complaints that I have accumulated over time have faded away. I can lift my right arm without pain, my hands don't fall asleep, my digestion is perfect, etc. I still have arthritis in my knee and I still limp, but I think the symptoms are less severe. Very little inflammation. I am still overweight as usual and that just may take a change of mindset that is bigger than I imagine. That can still happen, just hasn't happened yet. Overall, I think this acupuncture experience has been mysterious and wonderful. You have to stop hoping for a specific outcome, except for improvement.
Okay, back to the calendar. Tuan said the lunar calendar, and there are many versions from many cultures, is far more complicated and hard to understand. Each time zone has its own (?). He studied it for a long time because of its relationship to human bio-rhythms. He had to learn to read ancient Vietnamese characters which no one uses anymore since the French took Vietnam -- he wanted to study the books from ancient times that are only in special libraries across Southeast Asia. He said it was hard, but he did it.
In ancient times, there was a bronze drum. It looks like a musical instrument because it looks like a drum but it is not for playing. This drum was placed in the middle of a big level ritual space, and it was put on a raised pedestal which was leveled perfectly. The drum was leveled (using a water level, he says). Around the base of the drum, facing each of the four directions, were four frog statues with a tiny metal ball sticking right at the edge of their mouths. At certain times, when they wanted to know exactly what day it was so they would know what agricultural activities were supposed to be happening, they got a long piece of bamboo and stuck it in the ground next to the bronze drum. They hung a pendulum from the top of the bamboo (which is flexible and bends) and it was right over the exact center of the drum. This was a sundial, and the drum had markings all around it to tell them what they needed to know.
Once when he was at a conference about lunar calendars, he was in a session with a Chinese expert who taught that all calendars started in China and other cultures adopted them. When it was time for questions, Tuan asked if the lecturer knew about the bronze drum. He said of course he did. Tuan asked if he knew what it was for and the teacher said it was a musical instrument. For some reason, Tuan was prepared with a presentation so he taught them about the actual purpose and history of the drum. He says he got the most questions about the frogs. Well, in Vietnam they haven't had any earthquakes for a very long time but other countries around them have earthquakes and the aftershocks do affect Vietnam. So if there is any shaking, the little metal ball will fall out of the mouth of the frog, and then that information is reported to the king so he knows to check structures in the direction the frog was facing.
You just never know what you will learn. There is no end to the things I do not know.
Tuan went on to say more about the moon and its path. It is not anything near as simple as we all think. It does not just travel around the earth in a clear orbit. There are 60 "movements" that affect the path of the moon (Jon looked it up later and the other word was "perturbations."). Anyway, the moon has a complicated journey around the Earth and that is why the lunar calendar is so dang hard. There are many different moons at what feel like random times, but they are completely not random: the blue moon, the harvest moon, the blood moon, etc.
I said, with a complete lack of sophistication, I love the moon. He said immediately, we all love the moon. The moon is the mother, the sun is the father (distant, strong, not as closely engaged, he said. So interesting.). The mother is close by and watching over us.
Before, I never thought to have curiosity about ancient Vietnam. He ran through the history of its various invaders and culture appropriators in about two sentences. He listed every neighbor in about a breath. Now I know what to ask about when I go to acupuncture. Who cares about my sore foot. There is so much more to learn.
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