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The
Twenty Eight
Lunar Mansions
By
Eloise Helm
The
Chinese Calendar is derived from the placements of the New
and Full Moons, and is consequently known as the Lunar Calendar.
It is the oldest in continuous use, and is undoubtedly more
complex than the Western Solar calendar. The Chinese also
have a solar calendar, which is fixed to the four solar
markers: the two equnioxes (March 21st and September 23rd)
and two solstices (June 21st and December 23rd, and divided
into the twenty-four periods of fifteen or sixteen days.
These twenty-four periods are known as ch'i. Ch'i, as we
already know, has several meanings. The various meanings
include agricultural terms such as corn rain, corn sprouting,
great heat, white dew, etc. The original Chinese did not
have names for months. They were only known as the first
month, second month and so on.
The
Chinese epoch is a period of 3,600 years, divided into sixty
cycles, each of sixty years. 1984 was the beginning of the
eighteenth cycle of the second epoch since the beginning
of Chinese history. Each cycle of sixty years is divided
into five great years of each twelve years. The twelve years
are numbered to a sequence called the twelve Branches. The
twelve animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger and so on) were not known
in early Chinese history.
One
of the significant factors in Chinese Feng Shui is the twenty
eight lunar mansions and their influence on character and
events. "Lunar Mansion" refers to the twenty-eight
segments of the sky containing the constellations; that
is the constellations that the moon passes through during
its 28-day cycle in the sky, starting with the New Moon.
The New Moon is a conjunction of the Sun, Moon and Earth
all in the same degree. The Full Moon follows 15 days later.
The full moon occurs monthly when the Sun and Moon are in
opposition in one of the 12 segments of the zodiac or constellations.
The Earth is always in opposition of the Sun, therefore
when there is a full moon, the earth is always in conjunction
with the Moon. This is when most people feel strange. The
word lunatic is derived from this association of strange
behavior with the moon.
The
twenty-eight sediments have always been of prime importance
in Chinese culture. Edward Schafer in his book, "Pacing
The Void", quotes the poet TU Mu (AD 803-852 as my
birth was in Chio (Hsin1) Mao (Hsiu 18, the Pleiades and
Pi (Hsui 19, Hades) are eight places away, the place of
sickness and frustration; also called the Palace of the
Eighth Curse.
In
western astrology these two segments are known as Taurus
28 degrees and Scorpio 29 degrees. The seventh curse are
the placements of the planets, Saturn and Mars, so Saturn,
earth star in this degree, followed by (Mars, the fire star,
and the Wood Star, Jupiter. "Wood was in Chang (Hsui
26, the eleventh from Chio, the Palace of good fortune and
virtue.
Getting
back to ch'i. The twelve ch'i are known as Monthly Festivals
or Chieh. They are important factors in determining what
is called the fatal periods. Each period was celebrated
by a Festival. At least two of these Festivals have a special
significance in the Chinese social calendar. Ch'ing Ming
(Clear and Bright falls on or about April 4th. It is a special
day for decorating and cleaning family tombs and offerings
made to the ancestors. It became a season for holiday making
and country excursions since the tombs were originally situated
in the country. It is interesting to note this time is around
our Easter. The first of the solar periods, Li Chun is considered
the first day of Spring and is always represented on the
Chinese almanacs as the Spring OX. If it appears on the
left hand side of the farmer it is before Feb 4, which is
celebrated as the date for the New Year. If it is on the
right hand side it is after this day. Li Chun is the first
New Moon in Aquarius. The first New Moon in Aquarius can
occur anytime from Jan 21st through February 19th. The New
Moon falling before Feb. 4th is considered to be a year
this is the luckiest for marriages, festivals and harvesting
of good crops, thus stimulating world wide prosperity.
To
this day, Chinese almanacs include another calendar which
combines 28 day periods to a 13- day cycle, producing a
year of 364 days, thus slipping behind the regular calendar
by 30 days every three years. An extra seven months are
intercalated every nineteen years. This is known as the
'Metonic Cycle.' The distribution of these extra seven months
is made so that the spring equinox always occurs in the
second month, the summer solstice in the fifth month, the
autumn equinox, the eighth month and winter solstice, the
eleventh month. These intercalary months always have the
same number of days. The first, eleventh and twelfth months
are never duplicated. |
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