WINTER SOLSTICE 冬至
There was a saying that the Winter Solstice is “Larger” than the Year, 冬大如年. What does it means? Winter Solstice 冬至 is one of the twelve solar seasonal markers denoting the peak of winter. It is supposed to be the coldest time of winter where astronomically speaking, the earth is the furthest away from the sun, yet in contrary, the northern hemisphere is also the nearest facing the sun. Such dichotomy is reflective in the saying, in the absolute Yin 太陰 the young Yang 少陽 is born. This is a time of the year when YinYang 陰陽 threshold is blurred. It is a transition time or we called, the “crossover” that usually take place in 21 Dec or 22 Dec each year. Such YinYang threshold 陰陽界 is important for most of the Chinese Metaphysical sciences like FengShui and so forth. When someone is strong enough to withstand such time of extreme cold and turbulent Qi, this someone is said to be able to survive for another year. Therefore for each passing of the winter solstice, a year was added to the age. This is known as the Winter Solstice is “Larger” than the Year, 冬大如年.
BEGINNING OF SPRING 立春
The beginning of spring 立春 is another solar seasonal markers denoting the arrival of spring usually take place between 4 Feb – 5 Feb each year. It is a time where a new chapter of the year begins. It is technically a new year. However, this again is not really a time where it is the “hottest” or “wettest” of the year, yet it is taken as a “birthday” of the year. Most of the FengShui masters in town will take this LiChun BaZi as the natal chart to predict the auspicious and calamity of the coming year, where they will probably say, the new TaiSui 太歲, SanSha Three Killings三殺 have arrived and certain location cannot have ground breaking. Saying that, some forgot about the 5 yellow actually already kicked in since DongZhi Winter Solstice 冬至 not LiChun beginning of spring 立春. With all the confusions of FengShui techniques liked XuanKong and QiMen 玄空奇門, which solar markers denote the transitions of YinYang, subject to many debates.
SOLAR TERMS 節氣
Winter solstice 冬至 and beginning of spring 立春 are but two of the 24 solar terms or JieQi 節氣. What makes these two different and not made known is the differences between ZhongQi 中氣 and JieQi 節氣. ZhongQi 中氣 are the time periods or some called the eight periods 八運 that demarcate the intangible Heaven Qi 天氣 while JieQi 節氣 are the location of the eight trigram 八卦 that governs the tangible Earth Qi 地氣. That is why winter solstice 冬至 is the coldest days of the year and not the arrival of winter 立冬 because solstices are ZhongQi 中氣. That is why, Wu 午 month and Wu 午 hour are always hot and Wu 午 year or a Wu 午 day may not necessary be hot. Saying that with the protruding of Bing 丙 doesn’t really mean the sun has arrived at the mountain 太陽到山 and therefore all evils subsided. These are all false and misleading teachings.
THE THREE FACTORS 三才
Not all Chinese metaphysics methodologies measure the same thing. The question we always asked is, which Heaven, example early, later or middle, do you measure? Which YinYang 陰陽 thresholds 界do you measure? Zi 子 and Wu 午? Chou 丑 and Wei 未? Yin 寅 and Shen 申? For example, we know that in QiMen 奇門, the YinYang Dun 陰陽遁 will change position upon entering the solstices 至. However do you use the same when you apply in FengShui using the SanHe Heavenly Star Methodology 三合天星法? You will be entirely wrong using the demarcation of Heaven Qi for a job require you to measure Earth Qi. That is the reason, without knowing how to apply the 3 factors of SanChai 三才 you will not able to construct a FengShui formation and any amount of “salt water” cure or placement FengShui water features would best be just trial and error plus a little bit of blind faiths. This is NOT FengShui.