Week 1:  Macrobiotic Fundamentals:

Macrobiotics is a strange word that is Greek derived (makrobios = long life) but can be traced back to Indo European speakers who used the form makro (long) + gWei (to live).

It is a term that has been around for approximately 8,000 years. 

What is even stranger about this word is how it is used in colloquial (modern everyday)language which utilizes a central philosophy that comes from the Chinese Taoist school of thought which uses the term yin/yang as its central, unifying theme. 

The ancient Chinese philosophers however used a different word, Yangsheng, but the underlying ideas of both the Greeks and Chinese were basically the same.  Yangshengmeans “nourishing the vital principle” in order to achieve balance with nature and to ensure health and longevity.  The Greeks did not use the Taoist term yin/yang.

Both ancient cultures that practiced makrobios and yangsheng believed in living a life of MODERATION, avoidance of extremes, and ate a diet that was PRIMARILY vegetable-based.  This does NOT mean that animal foods were completely avoided, only that animal foods were used occasionally. Therefore we can say that makrobios and yangsheng were not purely vegetarian diets.

QUESTIONS (for cyber-students):

1. At some point in time the ideas of the Greeks and the Chinese were merged to form the modern concept of macrobiotics.  Who was the person responsible for this and when did this occur. 
2. Why do you think this merger took place?
3. Who were the first Greek authors to discuss the makrobios idea and who were the first Chinese authors to do the same?
4. Do you think there was some form of cultural exchange between the Greeks and the Chinese during ancient times?
5. What about the Greeks and the Indo-Europeans.  Was there any ancient world cultures that may have had and influence on the makrobios idea of the Greeks or the Chinese?
6. The Greeks may have not used the term yin/yang but did they have their own words that had the same meaning as yin/yang?
7. When did the Greek word makrobios get changed to macrobiotics and who was the author of this word change?
8. What does yin/yang mean?
9. How does the colloquial meaning of macrobiotics differ from both the ancient Greek and Chinese idea?
10. What was the difference between the non-macrobios diets of the ancient Greeks and Chinese from the macrobios/yangsheng diets that later came about? 

Please feel free to answer any or all of these questions during the up-coming week and I will reply to your answers.  A new topic will begin next Sunday.  Have a good week.

In peace, Roy

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Addendum (WEEK 1):

Early man left the African continent about 2 million years ago, when the earth's tectonic plates were not as far apart as they are now.  This means that there were three main exit routes that could be crossed by foot.  The only great obstacles were mountain ranges that had been formed by the previous ice ages.

During the Pleistocene (2,000,000 - 10,000 BCE) the major portion of the Northern Hemisphere was covered with ice and treeless tundra vegetation.  Therefore the early hominids (who knew tool making and hunting skills) were mainly concentrated in southern regions, away from glaciers.

The migration pattern of the early peoples from Africa were both northward (southern Europe) and westward to India, Southeast Asia, and then to China.

The diet of these early homo species consisted primarily of raw food (mainly plants and scavenged meat scraps).  There is some charcoal evidence at one Chinese site that indicates that both H. erectus and H. ergaster had some knowledge of cooking skills.

These venturing tribes were small and cautious, and these groups were followed by others over time, with nearly all of them favoring the more warmer climate of approximately 30 degrees latitude, like Mediteranian and fertile crescent.  Then in

300,000 just before the next big ice age came there evolved modern man (homo erectus) who had a larger variety of plant life available to him (according to theory by Adam CHou) which helped to increase brain mass (more yin thinking) but then later another ice age came and plants became more scare.  Hunting skills however were better developed and cave living was a standard way of life.

At the end of the Last Glacial phase (50,000 BCE) another period of warming came and with it the appearance of thorougly modern humans (like us) and they began to spread across the Eurasian continent.  By 10,000 BCE the Ice AGe was over and early agriculture was invented.  Pottery too was invented.  Therefore by this early time people knew how to make fire, cook in pots, and grow grains and vegetables. 

So if we use common logic we can say for certain that macrobiotic lifestyle did NOT exist before 10,000 BCE because to be macrobiotic you need to have good knowledge of fire, cooking (in pots) and plenty of home grown grains and veggies, no?  So who were the first macrobiotic peoples and how did their ideas get into CHina, Greece, Iran, Egypt, etc.?  All these major early civilizations were in and around latitude 30 degrees, correct?

Let's see if this extra information helps with some of the former questions....

In peace, Roy

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Richard responds: 

1) Logic, as far as what I have seen in history, does not apply. Logic
gives us numbers, dates, places etc.. Mostly imagination. What really
happened? The pyramids are said to be X number of years old, (4,500?)
yet there are some things which point to the pyramids being very much
older. (10,500) This simply points to the fact that drawing conclusions,
is just like making up a story...his-story.

2) Who were the first macro people? What we consider macrobiotics today
is a "highly evolved" philosophy. I use the term highly evolved to say
that it has changed quite a bit. Though there are some core ideas which
have not changed.  Isn't it simply health through living close to the
force of nature? Eating locally. Being active. In "modern society", we
look back and say the ancients lived very well. They ate only that which
they could grow. Everything they consumed was simply prepared. No
processing available. From what they left behind, it's obvious that they
lived close to God/Universe. Simple lives. How much talk would you hear
of "the war on cancer" or "living with diabetes", if people were
foraging for food in organic soil. Out in the weather all day, looking
for food or traveling from place to place.  Is macrobiotics really just
about understanding how to use fire to yangize food? Is macrobiotics
really just about being able to vocalize what the forces of Yin and Yang
mean or do?

Roy To Richard:

Richard: 1) Logic, as far as what I have seen in history, does not apply. Logic
gives us numbers, dates, places etc.. Mostly imagination. What really
happened? The pyramids are said to be X number of years old, (4,500?)
yet there are some things which point to the pyramids being very much
older. (10,500) This simply points to the fact that drawing conclusions,
is just like making up a story...his-story.

RC: Logic refers to the science of correct reasoning using valid deductions.

In terms of mathematics you learn certain fundamental concepts of how numbers work and what they symbolize, etc. Then you are given a set of problems and use LOGIC (simplified reasoning) to figure out how the numbers are being used, etc. and to find an answer to the problem based on the value of the numbers. Logic is a useful tool, and you, Richard, use it every day, even your response to these questions took a bit of logic.  Dates, places, etc., have nothing to do with logic, they are reference points only.

Logical reasoning issues from the left side of the brain, according to Nobel Prize Winner Roger Sperry's "split-brain" experiments.  It was found that various functions of thought are physically separated and localized to a specific area on either side of the human brain.  The left side perceives the world in a more linear, rational and logical fashion, while the right brain hemisphere perceives whole patterns and is associated with creative, and imaginative thinking..  Ideally both brains work together in people with optimal mental ability.  According to Sperry modern society discriminates against the right side, meaning, that logical thinking dominates imaginative thinking.

Based on physical evidence and historic records we can learn a lot about past cultures and the way people lived -- much more accurate than using one's imagination.  The fact that pyramids exist and have been carbon dated to a certain time frame in history (with found objects, artwork, mummies, etc.) tells us quite a lot, and provides us with certain reference points to which we have put our logic to use to find that the ancient Egyptians were one of the civilizations that knew how to use fire, to cook and used whole grains as their primary food source.  The archaeological record is fairly accurate about the rise of agriculture following the Ice Age.  Logic would dictate that it would be quite difficult to grow anything when the weather is always cold, no?  You don't need a his-story book to use logic, only rational thinking.

It is good however that you have mentioned the ancient Egyptian culture.  They were part of a larger trade route and quite simply shared the knowledge that was available from that time period.  Most logical thinking was going on at the 30 degree latitude point.  Is that a coincidence?  No. That is where the food was being grown -- not scavenged or foraged from the wilds.  Thank you for your answer.

Richard: Who were the first macro people? What we consider macrobiotics today
is a "highly evolved" philosophy. I use the term highly evolved to say
that it has changed quite a bit. Though there are some core ideas which
have not changed.  Isn't it simply health through living close to the
force of nature? Eating locally. Being active.

RC: Living close to nature is a big part of macrobiotic philosophy, that is true, but just as important is the ability to adapt to the changes in the seasons and to know how to make BALANCE via the proper selection and preparation of foods.  This is does by the rational concept and dialectical tool called yin/yang. Therefore only people, not lower animals, can be macrobiotics.

Richard: In "modern society", we look back and say the ancients lived very well. They ate only that which they could grow. Everything they consumed was simply prepared. No processing available. From what they left behind, it's obvious that they lived close to God/Universe. Simple lives.

RC: Some of us think this but most of those with rational brain and knowledge of historical and archaeo-LOGIC knowledge, know that it is not universally true.  Many people in ancient times lived with great hardship and not all ancient peoples had knowledge of agriculture until a much later date. Some primitive cultures still know only how to hunt and forage. Although wild plants grow most everywhere for latitude 0 to 60+ this does not mean that they are all balanced according to yin/yang idea and may require certain preparations, etc. before cooking.  To just eat what goes natural and not cook the food is NOT a macrobiotic concept.  All wild animals do this. Most people in ancient times died at very young age with most illness related to over/under exposure to the elements, famine, and war. Most primitive cultures did not believe in God, that is a more modern idea and requires a good deal of right brain thinking...

Richard: How much talk would you hear of "the war on cancer" or "living with diabetes", if people were foraging for food in organic soil. Out in the weather all day, looking for food or traveling from place to place. 

RC:  I agree with this Richard, as these and other diseases are due to improperly chosen foods that have been contaminated by environmental toxins. Macrobiotics is quite concerned with organic, fresh foods, and renewable resources.  Macrobiotics have respect for all living things.

Richard: Is macrobiotics really just about understanding how to use fire to yangize food? Is macrobiotics really just about being able to vocalize what the forces of Yin and Yang mean or do?

RC:  No, of course not. It is a helluva lot more than that. I don't remember making a statement as shallow as that! I wonder where these idea comes from? Proper growing, selection and preparation of food, and finding how to make balance with one's environment and the greater world of people is also part....

Thanks Richard....

Roy to Class (because too many personal health questions were being asked):

Greetings.  It is important to stick to the questions at hand before proceeding to the next level.  The main point I am trying to show at this time is this:

Cross cultural interaction between the Eurasians and Africans has been going on for thousands of years. Then with the invention of FARMING and growing grains and vegetables (between 10,000 & 6,000 BCE) we see a sudden rise in culture and the greatest civilizations are built.  Most of these are along the latitude of 30 degrees because this is where soil is most fertile.

With FARMING, mankind evolves to a higher level of consciousness.  This due to the fact that farming takes you away from the monotony of hunting and foraging and allows you more LEISURE TIME to think, and observe life, and frees up time for CREATIVITY.  Thus we see, along with farming, the sudden appearance of

ceramic pots!  Yes, very creative move -- two things that evolve together

(farming, pot throwing).  Now you will begin to see the yin/yang idea start becoming more prevalent....

Let's continue to ask questions to make this more fun, OK?

In peace, Roy

Response from Bonnie:

 The "lower animals," though, seem to often intuitively make more real balance
in their lives than we do.  A dog will eat grass when he has a stomach ache
and then he's okay. Is that not at least as good an example of making balance
as driving to Walmart and buying some PeptoBismal, taking it, and then going
out for another acid meal (and more PeptoBismol, thus keeping our
consumer-driven culture in balance if not himself, I suppose). Who's the
lower animal here?

Roy to Bonnie:

Yes, Bonnie, I see exactly what you mean in this case.  Both intuition and rational thinking need to be utilized to the highest degree when making sound judgment calls.  Yin/yang thinking involves both intuition and a rational objective.  We might say that because a tomato is red that it is yang.  But then we have to seek other considerations, such as acid taste and smell, high water content, soft texture and short shelf life. Then we know that more yin factors dominate. It is not enough to rely only on intuition alone. One needs also to understand that the diet of lower animals and the diet of higher animals are drastically different. Even between species numerous differences exist. Same in the plant world: mushroom requires different type of nourishment than corn for instance.  You cannot live well on a dogs diet and vice versa. There is always a relativity factor that needs to be understood and adhered too.  Dog is relegated to specific limitations but you and I have more choices to make.  This does not mean we will make the right choice.

When higher evolved hominids learned to plant their own food this helped to change the course of their lives and gave them more freedom and chance to enjoy and appreciate life. No more running around like dog or rabbit, boar, or bison -- each being preyed upon by one another. Now you can paint, compose poems, etc. Still we all need to respect all life and if we get too divorced from Nature our judgment gets clouded and we become lost and judgment level lowers.

Human beings, even the most advanced species do not have the same level of judgment or reasoning powers. Not all of us run out for Pepto Bismal when we have indigestion. I actually have never met one person in my life that has done this, only have seen a TV commercial for it. 

Thank you for your response.  You may not like the terms higher and lower animals.  It does sound discriminating but really only means degree of specialization.

In peace, Roy

Bonnie to Roy:

Hi Roy,

I see what you mean. Thanks.

Bonnie

Richard to Bonnie:

Lower and higher are two aspects of the one. As are left and right,
night and day, open and closed....on and on and on... It could be a
mistake to use the terms to mean something else. The cycle of acid -
alkaline, is just that a cycle. As I watch my dog eat, I'm continually
surprised that an intuitive animal will put himself out of balance so
often. Of course he's out of his natural environment as I am with what
he's eating and how he eats, also what he chooses as "snacks". If we
were living in the woods together, our diets/lives would be drastically
different though basically just a different cycle. I don't see
macrobiotics exclusively as a way to balance my condition with nature.
I've seen Pepto-Bismal pop up a bunch of times. It is, actually, the
perfect response to a hamburger and fries. Richard

Roy To Richard:

Good Point Richard.  Balance is always being made, regardless of
time/space, environment, or species.  The more technical our society
becomes the more distant we become from nature and the more hardened we
get because of it.  Body function changes and adapts to the new
circumstances in each new equation of our evolution.  Medicine is one
example of how we are changing.  The more we lose touch with the natural
world the more specialized medicine becomes.  Still at this
technological level this new form of medicine is helping to restore

balance (at some level) to meet the demands of the new world.  It can
not be judged as right or wrong only meeting the demands of what the
masses want, based on how they choose to live.  That is their right.

I have witnessed first hand many instances where even the purest of
the health conscious set have been stricken by events from their modern
environment that could not be remedied by brown rice or an herbal drink.
It may have been due to motor vehicle accident, birth defect caused by
a fertility drug or pesticide, or a carcinogenic toxin being emitted
from a sulfur burning smokestack near their home.  In the phylogenic
tree every species of life from the lowest zooplankton to the highest
primate, malignant tumors have been found in their tissues.  Thousands
of species have become extinct since the advent of chemical fertilizers.

Macrobiotics plays a big role in preventing disease and helping us
become happier, more relaxed and balanced in a world of high stress, but
it is not a cure-all.  If one accidently gets his arm sliced off at a
toll both it would be to his advantage to get to the nearest emergency
room, where the probability of reconnecting it would be quite high. I
once witnessed the death of a macrobiotic child when the parents refused
to bring him to a hospital when ill with fever.  Later it was found that
the child contracted a strain of bacteria from a friend that picked it
up from a foreign country who had recently visited the child's home. 
That bacteria, once identified, was known to have been easily treatable.
Yes, balance is at all levels.  We macrobiotics, like it or not are
part of the new world and we interact with it in a multitude of ways. 
Pepto Bismal may work for some but not for all.  We must learn to see
the different layers of judgment and consciousness in all areas of life.
Thanks for the post Richard.

In peace, Roy

Richard to Roy:

Awesome points Roy! Thanks for the response. More than anything, I see
people over complicating ultimately simple situations. Simplify,
simplify, simplify. If it assists you to ponder something, ponder it.
Know that the words we follow and what we are seeking all come from and
go back to one place. I know everyone who is reading these words has
this experience of the universe. Check your doings with your knowings

Tom to Roy: I hear the Macrobiotic community say it, and you say it;
"Macrobiotics is not a cue all". That is incorrect, Macrobiotics is a
cure all if practice correctly.

RC: You can follow macrobiotics correctly and still not cure many diseases.  That is correct, and rational.  Many diseases are simply associated with inherited disorders and environmental factors, etc. Not only have numerous species of wildlife become extinct because of chemical pollutions and pesticides, but human beings too are losing the battle as well.  All people in modern society are born with DDT pesticide in our tissues.  If you drill 2 miles down into the polar ice caps you will find Strontium-90 fall out residue from atomic bombs dropped more than 50 years ago.  We can only do so much to protect our health – which was much easier before the advent of industrial society.  You can practice macrobiotics correctly your whole life and still go bald and wear eyeglasses and develop allergies as you age.  Aging is part of life and as you age immune system and rate of healing begins to slow down.  Try to race a twenty-yard dash against a meat eating teen-ager when you are 75.  I agree with the “macrobiotic community” on this.

Tom: I'm not saying that Macrobiotics is going to cure someone who had
neglected his health for 50 years and has problems that are
irreversible.  Or doing a job that the end result is death. Or
contracting a disease or infection that moves through the body so
fast that your body hasn't got the time to confront the problem due
to physiological limitations.

RC: So then you are in agreement with the macrobiotic community and that it is NOT a cure all!

Tom: Macrobiotics in it's very nature of the definition means to live life
at your very best.  Constant never ending change, the ability to
adapt quickly.  Being able to apply intellectual thinking along with
the incredible power of intuition, with out relying on experts. 

RC: Without going too deep into the core principles of macrobiotic philosophy I would pretty much agree with this, but the key word you are missing is BALANCE.

Tom: Easy Roy, here is the question; What do you do when all the experts can't
agree? Step very carefully, no, yes?

RC: Everything is relative.  It depends on who the expert is.  Didn’t you say “everything changes” and not to rely on “experts”?  You need only to put your ear to the ground and hear the beating of Nature’s heart and then you will know who the real expert is!

Tom: We are designed to survive in adverse conditions, not ideal
conditions,  just recently a young boy was saved by having stem cells
injected into his body.  He had some blood problem from birth, and he
was dying.  Well the stem cells replace his entire blood with a
different type and he is now cured of his disease.

RC: That is terrific! Kudos and congratulations for the medical doctors. What a fascinating diagnostic system they have!  They can see yin/yang going on at incredible minute levels that the naked eye cannot see, and still it is there, on all levels of existence…

Tom: If that's not Macrobiotics that I'm at a lost as to the actual
meaning, and the point of being Macro.

RC:  It is definitely NOT macrobiotics, but rather scientific medicine which is symptomatic for the most part and sees disease the body and nature as separate, not one. Maybe not all people are macro for the same reason you are Tom.  Remember the keyword: balance.  That is in thought, and deed.  Looking at both sides as one.

Tom: Refusing to go to the dentist to fix a tooth ache is a violation of
the very principle of Macrobiotics, as far as I'm concerned.

RC:  Maybe not a violation but if your teeth are bad and don’t get help from the dentist then you cannot chew your food properly and disease state will eventually come. Good teeth are important for not just macrobiotics but for all people.  George Ohsawa tells us that macrobiotics is only for sick people, like me and you.  Why do you need macrobiotics if you are healthy, free and enjoying every second of your life?

Tom: When people say to me that Macrobiotics didn't work, because It makes
me feel bad.  Well, obviously they are doing something wrong.

RC: Or, maybe they did not give it enough time, or maybe their illness was irreversible like you said earlier, or advanced from acute causes.  Macrobiotics works slowly. It is not obvious to me that they did something WRONG.  You have to weigh each case on its own merits.

Tom: Perfect work, will yield perfect sleep.  Macrobiotics really means
"DO What Ever It Take To Win!"  And I don't me lying, cheating,
stealing, taking advantage of other people's misfortunes in life, or
using deceit to trick someone into thinking otherwise.

RC:  Win and lose are relative terms.  This thinking is highly dualistic and goes against the macrobiotic principle or respect all life, and create hardships for yourself.  There is a front and back to all things.  Winners become losers, and vice/versa.  It is more important to experience all of Nature – the negatives and positives, whatever unfolds and accept, accept, accept CHANGE.  I will guarantee it that there will be someone who will defeat you in some thing.  The higher up the mountain you climb, the greater the fall is downward. 

Tom: I believe that; "Do What Ever It Takes To Win!" is the new definition
of Macrobiotics,  and I invented the new meaning, thank you very
much.  I often tell people this when they ask me what is
Macrobiotics.  And you know what, it make them feel good.

RC:  Sorry you think this way.  It is not rational or truthful and has nothing to do with macrobiotics. It is only the dualistic thinking of one person.  I’m sure everyone has their own meaning for macrobiotics as well, however. 

Tom: I hope this doesn't upset you to much Roy

RC: Not at all.  I’m really more surprised that someone who calls himself macrobiotic can have such an ego-centric and narrow view of what macrobiotic is.  This is a lot different from what Bill Neall proposed earlier.  Do you see how everything is relative?

We will talk more about the principles of macrobiotics and how they arose here at this free lecture series in a few days.  Hope you all have the fortitude to endure it…

In peace, Roy

Tom to Roy:

Tom: I'm going to have to meet you one day, maybe by then I'll be balanced.

If you think I'm ego-centric and narrow viewed now, than you should
of heard me five years ago when I thought Macrobiotics was a fancy
term for vegetarians.

RC:  You have made great progress.  You should continue on this path if the results are so noticeable!

Tom: My sister asked me to try Macrobiotics for a month! with so much
passion that I had no choice but to say "OK".  I couldn't lie, nor
fake it either, because I knew I would have to look her in the eye at
the end of the 30 days and say that it had not worked. So I said to
myself "how bad can it be, 30 days, no problem. I've been in worst
situations".

Well, all my discomforts and pain went away, what an eye opening
experience.  I've never gone back.  Though I've fell of the wagon
many times and I'm still going of course so to speak as you can see,
but each time, I get back on, because pain and discomfort is my
"Stick".

RC:  Sounds like one cool sister to me.  You are lucky top have a sister that cares so much for you.  I hope you show the same toward her.

Tom: My goal, it's a twin target; Stay socially connected while practicing
the principles of Macrobiotics.

RC:  Sounds like a plan, man…

Tom: Thanks Roy, I'm at a loss as to the definition of Macrobiotics if using
science to safe a life is not Macrobiotics.

RC:  Keep reading the course materials and the various definitions will be revealed.  Right now we already covered the FIRST PHASE MACROBIOTICS who eat

SEASONAL< LOCAL<COOKED<PRIMARIALY GRAIN/VEGGIE-BASED

FOODS but have only RUDIMENTARY KNOWLEDGE OF YIN/YANG and how it needs to be more carefully SELECTED and PREPARED to make better balance of body/mind. 

Tom:

I look forward to your course.

RC:  So far you have an “A” for effort for interacting and admitting that you have a narrow view and are ego-centric.   If one can truly admit such a thing then in my book you have leadership ability and chance to be a great person!  It takes courage and open-mind to say this.  Only open mind can be filled.  Closed mind goes nowhere and stays with narrow view.  George Ohsawa called his first macrobiotic center Center for the Ignoramus.  None of us can know everything.

In peace, Roy

Roy’s Reply to Tom’s Two Questions:

First Question;
The source I'm referencing, places the "Green Bean" in the occasional list while the "String Bean" is place in the regular list??  What's up!, what's the origin of the "Green Bean" and the "String Bean".  And how do you know who's correct??

Aren't they the same vegetable??

RC: I don't know what source you got your information. String beans are the
same thing as green beans or snap beans.  They are a variety of kidney beans
with long, narrow, green pod.  All beans are in the legume family of plants (Fabaceae) which comprises some 13,000 members.  Most characteristic
of legume plants is that the seed pods holding the dry fruits split along
two side seams.  Examples include peas, lentils, carob, kuzu, and mesquite.  Peanuts fall into this classification as well but they are atypical legumes since their fruits develop and mature underground.

All beans are dried fruits (yang) as opposed to wet fruits (yin) which have
more sugars and liquid nutriment in their expanded ovaries to offer more
aid to their offspring.  Whole grains are also in the dried fruits category
but are even more compact with less liquid in the seed ovary.  Thererefore
grains are more yang, and beans more yin.  The more expanded the bean
fruit (larger with more liquid) means they are more yin.  If the beans
are from a hot climate they are more yin and if they are grown in a colder
climate they are (usually) more yang and hardy. 

Last year I left some green beans that I planted in my garden to dry out
after the harvest. When they started to dry out I picked them and finished
drying them in my attic on the floor (on newspaper). I removed the fruits
and discarded the pods. In the spring I planted some of the dried beans
and they, of course, grew into healthy plants.  I also took a cup of the
dried beans and soaked them overnight. The next day I put them in water
and boiled them.  The color changed slightly brown.  I added a little tamari
and ate them.  They tasted no different than kidney beans.

Tom:

Second Question;
Please don't think I'm trying to be a smart ...;
Macrobiotics says that sodium is heavier than potassium.  Yet, according to the 109 naturally occurring elements in nature, each element is place on the chart according to their specific atomic weight, and sodium is place on the chart before potassium which make sodium lighter that potassium not heavier.

Please explain.

Thanks
Tom

RC to Tom on Sodium/Potassium:

Tom.  In macrobiotics we are not talking about the isolated elements from the period table but rather the sodium SALTS in food that combine with the liquids inside our bodies.  Read on:

Sodium is a metallic element, member of the alkali group of metals with the atomic number  11 and atomic weight of 22.9898 and boiling point 883.0 degrees C.  Elemental sodium is a highly reactive, silvery-white metal that is soft enough to be cut with a knife.  It has a hardness of 0.4 (less than talc).  It oxidizes immediately upon exposure to air and reacts violently with water, forming sodium hydroxide and hydrogen.

Potassium is also a metallic element, member of the same alkali group of metals as sodium, with the atomic number 19 and atomic weight 39.098 and boiling point of 758 degrees C.  This metal is also silver-white and like sodium is soft enough to be cut with a knife. It is slightly harder than sodium at 5.0.  Potassium metal oxidizes as soon as it is exposed to air and reacts violently with water, yielding potassium hydroxide and hydrogen gas.

The atomic number refers to the number of  protons in the nucleus of an element.  There are 11 in sodium and 19 in potassium.  Potassium is heavier and harder than sodium and therefore is more yang.  You are correct on this matter.  But then here is where I think the confusion lies: When these two elements combine with ACID they form salts and become antagonistic and complimentary to each other!  Potassium SALT ACTIVATES oxidation and sodium SALT INHIBITS oxidation.

In grains and vegetables there is a good amount of potassium which helps to oxidize the blood so that is functions well.  In red meat, poultry, fish and eggs the amount of sodium is very high which tends to deplete blood oxidation and leaves a poisonous acid residue. Greater longevity in people occurs when vegetable quality food is eaten (more yin, higher potassium) and is shorter when animal foods are eaten (more yang, higher sodium).

I hope this answers your question.

Bill Neall to Roy:

Roy,

Would you give an explanation how good and evil fit into yin and yang?

Thanks,

RC: Sure Bill.  Yin/yang is a dialectical tool that shows two aspects of one reality that oppose each other.  ANY TWO, whether it is:

temperature (cold/hot)

climate ((tropical/temperate)

texture (soft/hard)

gender (male/female)

biological (vegetable/animal)

succession (growth/decay)

 season (winter/summer)

light (dark/bright)

form (long/short)

behavior (active/passive)

etc., etc., 

In the last category (behavior) I would tend to class good and evil, both terms relative to the person asking the question.  Both have to do with moral sentiments which have much to do with our behavior.  The sentiment called "good" is closely associated with positive energy, helping others, expressing kindness, and having the inner STRENGTH to be able to walk away from strife, or at least attempt to reconcile difference (all embracing attitude).

Quite frequently being a good person requires an even temperment and internal organs are in good shape.  This goodness leads to happiness. EXTERANLLY, however, the good person is often less aggressive and more OPEN than the negative, aggressive person who, realatively speaking would be called the "evil" or "bad" one by an onlooker. Depends who the onlooker is, correct?  There are both yin and yang components going on in each form of sentiment. The good has more yin at the surface and more yang interior.  The evil is quick to judge, fight, show power and control.  Therefore on surface there is yang showing.  But why is yang showing?  Because center is yin, and person is fearful, internally weak and negative.  I hope this helps.

Bill to ROY:

Roy, are you saying that yin and yang explain moral behavior? 

Bill

Roy To Bill:

Yes, Bill, precisely!  Yin/yang (notice I spell it as one unit) determines EVERYTHING... A narrow view of life, a broad view of life, religious or occult leanings, more materialistic, pessimisim, optimism, aggressive and base behavior, passive refine behavior.  Its all there, in every cell, every thought, energy and matter are one.

In peace, Roy

Bruce to Roy on Yin/Yang

"..the very first incident that shows ancient people knew yin/yang?"--
Might that 'incident' be the use of fire to cook food?
-Bruce

Roy to Bruce:

Good Bruce.  You are in the right time frame (Upper Paleolithic, 30,000 BCE)

in what we now call France.  Here the Neanderthals developed a high culture

and knew art making, use of fire, and were good hunters. They were highly rational and were know for a hunting technique that required group effort to herd wild horses and bison to the edge of a high cliff and then chase them over to their deaths.  Below they would gather their carcasses for food. They also prefered to eat the brains of their (human) enemies and much evidence shows skull caches with precise incisions under the rear of the skull with brain removed.  SO here they are thinking in terms of increasing own brain capacity with other brains.  This is a type of SYMPATHETIC MAGIC.  In macrobiotics we use some similar ideas, no?

But this is not the answer. They could see that stars were bright in the dark sky, no doubt.  They could also see night turn to daylight. They could see when their bodies moved that opposite limbs countered each other when they walked, ran, etc.  They were attracted to opposite sex, etc.  This is all yin/yang at rudimentary level.  Use of fire and its application is also somewhat rudimentary, but fire is nearly all yang (hot, expanding upward and out to meet the yin space).

The chief evidence comes from their art work. In the wonderful and informative book by Brian Cunlife (1994 Oxford University Press) the author states that "the whole spectrum of Paleolithic art might be seen as reflecting some fundamental 'binary opposition' in Upper Paleolithic society, structured (perhaps predictably) around the opposition between make and female components of society.  This view -- propounded mainly in the publications of ANdre Leroi-Gourhan- assumes that all of the major species of animals represented in the art can be seen as a reflection of either 'male' or 'female' symbols, which were distributed differently throughout the various areas of the caves (the female symbols in the more central parts [where it is darker] and the male symbols in the more peripheral parts [in the light], often in association with supposedly male or female abstract signs in the form of various arrow-like figures (male) and broader triangular or tectiform designs (female)."

Quite an interesting find, no?  So when do we see the next bit of evidence to depict the yin/yang idea?  Hint: Yangshao Tribe in Gansu Province, CHina (@ 3,500 BCE)

Keep using your noodle, Bruce.  Good job.

In peace, Roy

Greetings Students of the Middle Way! 

Due to technical problems with our webpage and its settings I was unable to complete what I had intended for this first class.  I will therefore extend this class one more week and hope that you will continue to interact, and have patience until our new forum class is redesigned and more user-friendly.  We have over 100 students now signed up.

Please be patient as I am trying to present the conditions and situations that lead up to the heart of macrobiotic philosophy.  This I feel is important and then from there we will go deeper and deeper into every other aspect of macrobiotics including yin/yang discussion, plant identification and use, cooking, medicine making, relationships, work, family life, nature, religion, etc.  We may need only to get through this week before we arrive to these other aspects.  All aspects, however are connected and are equally important, especially for the serious macrobiotic who wants to know how all of this yin/yang stuff began and how it has changed through time, and also how it is perceived differently by all peoples through time. 

Again, if you just want to ask personal questions regarding current macrobiotic practice you can do this on the main FORUM page at cybermacro.com (chick on cybermacro.com and you will arrive there.  Then ask your questions on one of the three forums set up there.)  But PLEASE lets us try to stay focused on only the information that issues from this class and ask questions, give remarks and criticisims, etc. about this class material.

Let us continue:

ADDENDUM 2 (to week 1):   Previously I summarized the geologic and climatic events that paved the way for the emergence and evolutionary development of modern Homo in Eurasia.  This time span roughly covered the period from 2,000,000 BCE through 10,000 BCE.  This evolutionary pattern, along with its cultural traits, appears typical of Homo throughout Eurasia and the subcontinents (save for the "atypical" intellectual advances of the Neanderthal, which do not appear in the Far East.) 

If, we compare the cultural developments of the Far East during the mid-Neolithic, with events taking place throughout the rest of the Eurasian continent, we will find numerous similarities.   Regional variation appears to have been a common occurrence attributable to the availability of materials and differences of ideas, habits, and the needs among peoples living in different terrains.  Quite often these differences gave rise to more sophistication and refinement.

Also, during this time frame I wanted to show that climatic and geologicevents and conditions posed no great obstacles to travel.  Semi-nomadic lifestyles back then was both common and widespread.  For travelers, trade in commodities and ideas are practically inevitable.   The curious student might want to read the book by archaeologist Elizabeth Barber titled The Mummies of Urumchi (WW Norton 1999) that discusses in detail the cross cultural connection along the Silk Route during ancient times to read this evidence. 

In light of these findings I find it difficult to accept the idea that highly technical innovations, such as pottery making, agriculture, animal domestication, cooking with utensils, or even hunting with a bow and stone-tipped arrows to be independent innovations in separate regions.  Instead, it appears far more likely that one person developed the idea to invent/create a specific thing, or practice, and others who saw its value attempted to replicate it.   Once a commodity or practice is found useful, it quickly gains acceptance by others and is readily and widely distributed.

Over the next two thousand years (to approximately 4000 BCE) we come to find another advancement in cultural evolution that was also a shared practice (but slightly varied in execution) among the peoples of Eurasia and its subcontinents.   This was the advent of "civilization", an arbitrary term used to distinguish an advanced state of a human society in which a high level of culture and science has been reached.   A civilized society is usually typified by having an urban state, a governing body, and a written form of language.  It is not by coincidence that this advancement was concentrated along 30 degrees north latitude, a well-known trade route, later to be known as the "Silk Road". 

The major Civilizations found along latitude 30 degrees ( “Silk Route.”) during this time were:

1.  Crete/Aegean: Minoans use copper tools and make fine jewelry.  Stone vases, use of bronze and water-piped irrigation.  Hieroglyphic script used.  Minoan civilization collapses after volcanoes erupt.  Mycenana take over to rebuild Minoan palaces.  Frescoes and gold work appear. Linear script A & B replace hieroglyphs. 

2.  East Mediterranean (Syria & Palestine): Canaanites and Semitic nomads begin major trade ports at Byblos and Ugarit.  Large-scale use of iron.  After Hebrews migrate to Egypt (during famine) Hittite Kingdom dominates Middle East. 

3.  Egypt (Old & New Kingdoms): Hieroglyphic writing.  Irrigation and stone structures.  Coppersmithing, bronze weaponry.  Records written on papyrus reed.  Stone vessels, chariots.  Embalming techniques developed.  Mathematics and calendar in use.  Karak later becomes religious center with stone temples.  Tax system begins.  Hebrews are enslaved. 

4.  Mesopotamia:  Sumerian cities of clay and brick.  Irrigation methods known.  Jewelry making.  Wheel-thrown pottery.  First wood-wheeled carts and chariots.  Cuneiform writing.  Mesopotamia later replaced by Babylon, Elam and Assyria (conquerors were Persians and Amorites from Arabia.)  Sumerian and Akkadia languages become international language of Middle East. 

5.  Indus Valley/Aryan:  Dravidians build a civilization in Indus Valley.  Mud-brick structures dominate in wealthy cities.  Irrigation and bullock carts used.  Cotton is grown as export item.  Use of bronze for tool making, statuettes, cylinder-like seals.  Persian warriors (Aryans) overthrow Dravidian rule and impose caste system.  Aryan priests (Brahmin) teach Vedas (Hindu Scriptures.)

6.  Xia/Shang Dynasties:  Silk worm culture.  Stone sculpture, bronze and jade crafts (and weapons,) wheel-thrown pottery, use of chariots.  Oracle-bone writing (pictographs) developed.  Human sacrifice and slavery.

Although technical skills were quite advanced during this time and many people were eating grains and vegetables, much meat eating (from past prehistory) continued and knowledge of yin/yang principles, especially applied to cooking and medicine was very imperfectly understood and applied during this time.  Herbal concoctions of local plants, widespread use of honey and alcohol drinks were common.  Minor surgical techniques like drilling holes in the skull to release evil spirits, etc. were also known, and removal of brain and entrails of the dead who were mummified. 

As I stated before, we can call the majority of these peoples FIRST PHASE MACROBIOTICS because of seasonal foods and grain-based diets they ate but yin/yang understanding was not applied to an advanced degree (especially as applied to the body and the medical paradigm)

Religion during this time was mainly animistic, pantheistic, and/or polytheistic.  The Egyptian queen Neferiti would be the first one to introduces worship of a single “god”, the Sun (Aton.)   Some yin/yang elements are also seen in early creation myths as in the Egyptian myth of the goddess Nut who represents the sky and female (yin) which is opposed and complimented by the god Geb who represents the earth and male (yang).  Slavery, oppression of peoples and wars are common.  Some civilizations are quickly assimilated by others.  Still cultures interact and trading of wares and ideas continue.

Around 4,000 BCE we begin to see the earliest stirrings of one of the first philosophical schools of thought beginning to emerge in China’s Yang Shao culture. This early culture was situated in North Central China in the Gansu region which touched the North/Eastern most point of the Silk Route.  Like other cultures of the time that were also situated along this early trade route, the Yang shao also had the knowledge of argricuture, pottery, weaving, fishing with nets, use of mortar and pestle, erecting houses with central wood beams, animal domestication, and the regulation of marriage.  The Yangshao skills however are not as refined as the other cultures and trading was perhaps limited due to their great distance away from the other cultures.  Writing was not known by the Yang Shao, but what was known and advanced to a high degree was the concept of PHYSICAL yin/yang and the idea of moderation and equality of gender.

These concepts are put into line symbols and set into memory by means of poetry and strong images.  These line symbols known today as the Ba Gua (Eight graphs) was developed by Fu Xi.  This system was used both as a divination method and as a means of learning and applying three of the most important laws of the universe, which is the foundation for our modern macrobiotic philosophy. 

How did Fu Xi come to develop this system? 

What are the 3 Universal Laws?

We will talk more later about this.

In peace, Roy

 
>
>
> Yin/yang comprises one unit called the tai chi.  They are any two
> opposites that you can think of.  In the Old Text school (of physical
> thinking) yin is the force of energy that expands up and out, you are
> correct.  Yang is the force that opposes it so it is constrictive, and
> moves inward and down.  Expansion/constriction, outward/inward are
> only two aspects of yin/yang.  There are numerous more:  female/male,
> cold/hot, heaven/hell, right/left, good/evil, darkness/light,
> passive/active, tall/short, electron/proton, soft/hard, etc.
>
>
>
> Yin/yang exists everywhere in the physical world.  Everything is
> always making balance.
>
> When hot from working in the sun you lose water through perspiration
> and seek out cold, wet liquid to make balance.  Same thing if you are
> cold in the winter.  You build a fire or put on extra clothes, or
> activate body more to make heat.  You might be attracted to more hot
> soup, salty foods, and animal food. This will make balance.  The
> better understanding of yin/yang you have the easier life becomes.
>
>
>
> We will talk about more yin/yang later on in this class. Actually very
> soon.  Yin/yang is intuitive inside us.  All of our body functions
> work on this system. It is the central core of homeostasis.  Without
> it we fall down and wither away into compost.  Can you tell me the
> very first incident that shows that ancient people knew yin/yang?
>
>
>
> In peace, Roy

Stephanie to Roy:

If Yin and Yang represents pairs of opposites, and combine to make a unit called Tai Chi, then does Tai Chi stand for balance?

"Can you tell me the very first incident that shows that ancient people knew yin/yang?"    These are strictly guesses, but the first two things that come to my mind are: 1) They wore animal skins in cold climates and loin cloths in warm climates   and 2)  The used fire to warm themselves and their food.

~Stephanie

Roy to Stephanie:

Yes, exactly that is what Tai Chi stands for: balance of the whole.  More specifically it means Great or Ultimate Energy (or Extremity).  The Tai Chi issues from the Tao.  The Tao, means the Way.  It has no beginning and no end but continually manifests itself.  It has nothing to do with God or Deity.  More thinking about yin/yang and deity will come during the time of the great empires (around 5,000 BCE - 1100 BCE) especially with the Egyptians and the Chinese. WE will call this group FIRST PHASE MACROBIOTICS. Then heavier thinking about Tao, Tai CHi, yin/yang will come at a later time (600 BCE), this is when and where the SECOND PHASE MACROBIOTIC thinkers come into existence and we can begin more serious discussion about modern macrobiotic practice.

I think I already answered the question posed to Tom.  Maybe you did not receive it, but it had to do with cave art and symbols representing male/female interaction, during the Upper Paleolithic... (see the reply to Bruce above).

In peace, Roy

Stephanie to Roy:
 
At some point in time the ideas of the Greeks and the Chinese were merged to form the modern concept of macrobiotics. Who was the person responsible for this and when did this occur. Why do you think this merger took place?

I would suppose that as people traveled and moved from place to place they: a) experienced foods they'd not seen before;  b) missed foods they were used to; and c) and perhaps experienced some displeasure and discomfort at both.   This might lead to experimentation and dialogue and learning from each other comparing successes and wisdom of each culture.

~Stephanie

Roy to Stephanie:

Hi Stephanie:  The Greeks were using some elements of Chinese thought in their healing paradigm beginning around 600 BC, such as hot/cold, wet/dry, called the four humors, The Chinese were also beginning to focus on physical culture that was espoused by the Greeks, along with their theories of adjusting diet according to level of illness and then changing it as the patients improves, etc.  A lot of ideas from India were also prevelant in both societies and Indians were using some runimentary form of yin/yang and 5 elements during this time.  Medicinal plants were common as well. Much activity in the way of trading wares and ideas went back and forth across the Silk ROute from China to the Mediterranian and on to Greece.  In fact Greek obsidian (black rock) was a favored material across all of Eurasia for use as spear and arrow tips.  In Shang Dynasty (2,000 BCE) we find Horse and chariot fittings from the STeppes in CHina.  Some eggshell pottery too.  In Western CHina we have recent mummy finds of Indo-EUropeans from 2,000 -3,000 BCE that knew the use of cooking with fire, salt and ate whole wheat as main food.  These mummies had nearly perfect teeth.  Some were buried in the same graves with the Chinese of opposite sex.  Behind their heads a bag of grain was placed.  So important to them was the grain.  I wonder why. 

However, we do not see strong evidence of a merger between these two cultures until the late 1930's, when George Ohsawa takes the Greek term "macrobios" and uses yin/yang theory as its central theme.  Yin/yang comes from the Taoists of the 6th century BCE and the term macrobios is first used by the Greeks around this time as well.  A coincidence? Maybe.  Why is a Japanese using Greek and Chinese ideas for health and longevity program?

In peace, Roy

Marcie Rsponds:

I found the discussion of whether or not macrobiotics is a "cure all" fascinating. I was originally drawn to macrobiotics like so many because of chronic health problems. Like so many starting out, I thought I had found a way to complete health. I practiced the lifestyle religiously, went off all my medications and proceeded to crash and burn. Obviously I had missed a few of the macro concepts along the way, the most important being my heritage. I inherited a weak endocrine system and I cannot be "cured" from this no matter how perfect I live the macro life. But I CAN improve the quality of my life and enjoy better health than my family because of macrobiotics. I have also heard that macrobiotics is not very effective on people inflicted with Crohn's Disease. Is it a cure all? I would have to say no, not in all cases, but it is the best chance anyone has of beating any kind of health problem and improving their quality of life.

Thanks,