4 Seasons
Myths, Symbols, Cosmos and Medicine
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with Geneviève Le Goff, L.Ac.
20 CEUs/PDAs
recorded course - access for 1 year
Description and outline:
The four seasons are a central theme of Chinese medicine. The idea that the human being conforms to the seasons is described at length in excavated and received texts from the Warring States onward: this can be reflected in the natural philosophies of the Zuozhuan 左傳 and Huainanzi 淮南子, the physiology described in the Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen 黃帝內經素問 and Ling Shu 靈樞 , and, in the Eastern Han, takes on a refined form translated into formula architecture theories with the works of Zhang Zhong Jing 張仲景 and Wang Shuhe 王叔和. While these medical theories on the functioning of the human being only appeared in the 3rd century BC, their ancestry can be traced to much more ancient concepts which one can retrace via the study of the myths, cosmology and artifacts of the Shang and early Zhou dynasty.
Please join me in exploring the spirit of the four seasons and directions, retracing the evolution of ancient Chinese thought about each of them, from ancient symbology to the refinement of canonical herbal medicine and their applications in the clinic today. We will meet around the solstices and equinoxes over the next year. For each season, we will first explore myths, religion, cosmology, Yi Jing 易經, pulses of Bian Que’s Mai Shu and Wang Shuhe’s Mai Jing 脈經, signs and symptoms, dietary and lifestyle advice from the classics; the second part of class will be devoted to the relevant formulae of the Shang Han Za Bing Lun 傷寒雜病論, and present case studies to illustrate them.
Winter: Water
5 CEUs category 1/PDAs, pending CAB provider #1005, NCCAOM provider #1134
Cost and cancellation policy below
9:00 - 10:00 AM
Flood myths, Turtle and Snake, the Toad of the Chu kingdom
Constellations of the Dark Warrior (Xuan Wu) heavenly quadrant
10:00 - 11:00 AM
Yi Jing
Physiology of Water and Shaoyin and Taiyang
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pulses, signs and symptoms
Diet and activities
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Shang Han Za Bing Lun Formulae
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Case studies
Spring: Wood
5 CEUs category 1/PDAs, pending CAB provider #1005, NCCAOM provider #1134
Cost and cancellation policy below
9:00 - 10:00 AM
Dragons, Phoenixes, Peng bird
Constellations of the Azure Dragon (Qing Long) heavenly quadrant
10:00 - 11:00 AM
Yi Jing - 乾 qian heaven and the Azure Dragon constellations
Physiology of Wood, Jueyin, Shaoyang and ministerial fire
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pulses, signs and symptoms - Mai Jing, Nei Jing, Shang Han Za Bing Lun
Diet and activities
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Shang Han Za Bing Lun Formulae
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Case studies
Summer: Fire
5 CEUs category 1/PDAs, pending CAB provider #1005, NCCAOM provider #1134
Cost and cancellation policy below
9:00 - 10:00 AM
Totemic fire bird cults of the Shang dynasty, swallows, crows
Constellations of the Vermillion Bird (Zhu Niao) heavenly quadrant
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Yi Jing
Physiology of Fire, Taiyang and Shaoyin
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pulses, signs and symptoms - Mai jing, Nei Jing, Tang Ye Jing
Diet and activities
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Shang Han Za Bing Lun formulae
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Case Studies
Autumn: Metal/Earth
5 CEUs category 1/PDAs, pending CAB provider #1005, NCCAOM provider #1134
Cost and cancellation policy below
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
The receiving of the egg and the setting sun; tiger, snakes and the unicorn
Constellations of the White Tiger (Bai Hu) heavenly quadrant
The central heavenly region
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Yi Jing
Physiology of Metal, Yangming and Taiyin
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pulses, signs and symptoms
Diet and activities
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Shang Han Za Bing Lun formulae
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Case Studies
Logistics:
Recordings will be available for 1 year in our online classroom.
Cost:
All 4 classes: $500
Payment plan available (see registration form)
Cancellation policy: full refund within 24 hours of sign-up; no refunds thereafter.
Please email us with any questions!