The Origins of Five

In the beginning* there were five moving planets in the sky.

They all moved at different speeds.

These came to be known as the Five Stages of Change.

In the beginning these five planets were arranged according to their relative speeds.

Mercury was called the Water Ball.

Venus was called the Metal Ball.

Mars was called the Fire Ball.

Jupiter was called the Wood Ball.

Saturn was called the Earth Ball.

The numbers were added to the arrangement.

Then numbers were added to align with the sequence. The numbers followed the sequence of the five planets.

They were arranged in the sequence of:

 1. Mercury – Water Ball

2. Venus – Metal Ball

3. Mars – Fire Ball

4. Jupiter – Wood Ball

5. Saturn – Earth Ball

With Western numbers added

Then the names of the planets were added as elements of change without the word ball connected. ( I think this may  have occurred in the translations. The element name was actually the name of the planet.)

With the direction arrows removed.

The symbols for the planets were not included. The original map would look like this.

The planets were the different stages of change. The first five numbers related to or affected the personal world of individuals.

The numbers 6 to 10 referred to the social, cultural, political world ruled by the Emperor.

They followed the same order as the planets numbered 1 to 5. The numbers followed the sequence of the five planets.

Just the numbers 6 to 10.

Add the planets.

The direction can be seem from planet to planet.

With the western numbers added.

The five names for the planets or elements of change were added.

The original map for the numbers 6 to 10 would have looked like this.

All together the original map would look like this. This put the personal (1 to 5) and social-political (6 to 10) levels together.

10 levels together.

*The above maps assume that there was an earlier version preceding the Yellow River map and the Lo River map. They were created to show a natural progression from the Earlier world to the Later world. From the time of phases and trigrams to the era of mathematical association and trigrams.

Further Considerations

The numbers 1 to 5 represented the personal worldly changes…what is below

And the number 6 to 10 represented the social political changes…what is above.

This could be seen as the first half is on the earth and the second half is above.

Similar to the first six houses (1-6) of a horoscope… the houses below

And the second six houses (6-12) of a horoscope… the houses above

It is also similar to the houses below, and the zodiac signs above.

The five planets go through changes in the houses and in the zodiac signs.

The number 5 represents the planet Saturn and the 5 states of change on the planet.

The number 10 represents the planet Saturn and the 5 states of change in the heavens.

5 and 10 are the two main boundaries or limits of influence…of what is below and what is above.

If you add the two together 5+10=15.

These are the boundary numbers. These numbers were given a special prominence.

More Further Considerations:

Five Stages of Change

-wrongly referred to as the 5 elements: Water, Metal, Fire, Wood, and Earth.

The 5 words (stages) in Chinese represent the 5 wandering planets that we can see:

Water Ball is Mercury…the waters of the mind,

Metal Ball is Venus….rich  metals

Fire Ball is Mars … the red planet,

Wood Ball is Jupiter … because it grows and expands,

and Earth Ball is Saturn.

These 5 Planets or Stages of Change correspond to the 5 yogas of Hinduism.

Water Ball is Mercury and Raja Yoga … Yoga of the mind.

Metal Ball is Venus and Bhakti Yoga … Yoga of love and devotion.

Fire Ball is Mars and Hatha Yoga … Yoga of physical movements.

Wood Ball is Jupiter and Jnana Yoga … Yoga of understanding.

Earth Ball is Saturn and Karma Yoga … Yoga of work and its results.

These five planets are instrumental in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine. When one realizes the five elements or stages of change are in fact the functions of the five planets, a great enhancement can be made to the practicality of this book.

Likewise the planets have a major place in Aruvedic medicine and the Nicholas Culpeper’s Herbal Almanac.