Grandmaster Tse’s Qìgōng Dāo 氣功道 444

When we practise Qìgōng 氣功, we should find a place where we can see the stars, even if it is daytime, the stars are still there. So, we should stand in a place where the sky is above us and also the earth is beneath us. The earth will take our negative energy, which is particularly important when we are unwell. It is even better if we can walk barefoot on the ground, and so we should be practising on grass which is more comfortable on our feet. The sky above us will give us good energy. The sky above and the earth below us is natural and Qigong follows nature to balance our bodies and make us healthy.

Of the stars in the sky, the most important is the Purple Star, also known as the Zǐ Wēi Xīng 紫微星 – Purple Star or Qī Xīng 七星 – Seven Stars, in the West it is called the Big Dipper. In Western astrology there are many signs, in Chinese Astrology we use Èrshíbā Xiù 二十八宿 – 28 Constellations and for animal images. The East is the Green Dragon, the South is the Red Phoenix, the West is the White Tiger and the North is the Black Turtle. They are called the Sì Shòu 四獸 – Four Animals and we use these in Qigong, horoscopes, Feng Shui and in many other ways.