Chapter 4 The Fourth Dimension: Interaction On An Area
The fourth dimension is a Yin dimension, as '4' is an even (Yin) number. In the '4'th dimension of awareness, mankind became aware that the cycles of nature are finite (Yin).
The cycle of nature that enabled mankind to become aware of the '4'th dimension was the cycle of the month.
When mankind first became aware of the '4'th (Yin) dimension, time was '2'nd (Yin). As mankind looked vertically (Yin, as time was '2'nd) along the '2'ndary (Yin) pair of directions from east to west, he became aware of the '4' (Yin) dimensional 'area' of space-time. Both time and space in the '4'th dimension of awareness can be symbolized by the geometric area. When mankind looked along his area, he became aware of the cycles of '2' (Yin) objects in the sky, the sun and the moon, which pass along the segment (called the ecliptic) at the top of the area.
Unlike the '3' dimensional cycle of the day, which is based on the sun, which is Yang, and so infinite, and which appeared to continue without end, the cycle of the moon, which is Yin, and so finite, has a clear beginning and a clear end. Each month a moon is 'born' (known as the 'new' moon), it grows, it shrinks, and then it 'dies'.
When mankind became aware of the cycle of time of the month, the monthly cycle of the moon, he recognized that the life of mankind is such a cycle, and that each life begins at birth, grows, declines, and ends in death.
Unlike in the Yang stage of the cycle of life, the '3'rd (Yang) dimension, where mankind was not aware of death, in the '4'th (Yin) dimension, the Yin stage of the cycle of life, mankind became aware of the finiteness of life.
4.1 Language In The '4'th Dimension
In the '3'rd dimension of awareness, there was awareness of '1' object in motion. In the '4'th dimension of awareness, this awareness of '1' (Yang) object in motion ('1' clause) subdivided into awareness of '2' (Yin) objects in motion ('2' clauses), simultaneously, at the 'same time and space'. When '2' objects are in motion at the same time and space, they can interact, and the '4'th dimension of awareness is awareness of interaction among objects in nature.
Three dimensional nouns, such as 'teacher', are 'objective', as all people of the same culture orient in the same way to the segment. Four dimensional nouns are 'subjective', as no two people have the exact same orientation to the area. Each person's orientation to the area is different not only from the orientation of all other people, but each person's orientation changes over time relative to itself. The appropriateness of four dimensional nouns, with their 'shades of meaning' over an area of possibilities, may change at any given point in time, and each person must decide if and when this point in time is reached, based on an 'infinite' variety of factors, including such as a person's change in attitude, mood, health that day, etc.
With three dimensional nouns such as 'father', 'Joe' either is or is not a 'father'. 'Joe' cannot be 'somewhat', or 'sometimes', a 'father'. With four dimensional nouns, such as 'friend', it is possible to be 'sometimes a friend', 'somewhat of a friend', 'no longer a friend', etc., and no two people will understand the noun 'friend', certainly as it is applied to any given person, in exactly the same way.
Four dimensional adjectives also cover a range of meanings over an area of possibilities. An example is the adjective 'friendly'. There is no linear flow (as symbolized by the segment), or clear-cut stages of progression, from 'friendly' to 'unfriendly'. As well, any shade of one could pass to any shade of the other at any point in time. When a person uses such a word, it is not possible for another person to know 'exactly' to which point within the area of possibilities the speaker is referring.
Awareness of the four dimensional cycles of the sun and the moon enabled mankind to become aware of many new grammatical forms, such as number (singular, dual, and eventually plural), gender (masculine, feminine, and eventually neuter), and 'voice' (active, middle, and eventually passive).
In the '4'th dimension of awareness, mankind developed the '4'th type of word in language, the '4' dimensional '(direct object) transitive verb'. Transitive verbs symbolize the interaction of '2' segments on an area of space-time. Ancient Indo-European languages developed '3' forms (known as 'voices') of transitive verbs. Interaction can be 'at a segment' in the present, or 'from a segment' or 'to a segment' in the past or in the future. Examples include 'Joe hits Joe', 'Joe hits Bill', and 'Bill is hit by Joe'.
Transitive verbs enable expression of the interaction of an object with another object on an area of space-time. Transitive verbs combine two three dimensional clauses, each of which may consist only of a two dimensional phrase or a one dimensional word, in the form of a four dimensional clause, in order to express the interaction of a noun with another noun on an area of space-time. An example of the four dimensional type of word, a 'direct object transitive verb', that is used in the expression of the interaction of the noun 'man' with the noun 'bird' on an area is the four dimensional clause 'man eats bird'.
In the '4'th dimension of awareness, language developed another unit of meaning. The four dimensional unit of meaning is the 'subordinate clause'.
In the third dimension of awareness, there was awareness of the 'segment'. In the fourth dimension of awareness, there was also awareness of the 'area'. Three dimensional segments can interact on a four dimensional area. The clauses 'big man goes to little rock' and 'little bird goes to little rock' are examples of 'clauses', the three dimensional unit of meaning. The four dimensional clause 'big man who goes to little rock eats little bird that goes to little rock' is an example of two segments that are interacting on an area.
In order to better understand how awareness of the cycles of the sun and the moon in the fourth dimension of awareness provided mankind with models that enabled the development of four dimensional grammar, the evolution of the 'voice' of transitive verbs will be explored in greater detail.
The interaction of the moon with the sun every month became the model for the interaction of mankind with other people and with other objects in nature. Verbs that symbolize an interaction of two objects, as with the moon and the sun, are called transitive verbs in English. In English, the object that causes the interaction is called the subject, and the object with which the subject interacts is called the direct object. The model presented by the moon during its interaction with the sun led to the development of the so-called voices of the transitive verbs. There are, or were in the past, three voices in Indo-European languages, the 'active' voice, the 'middle' voice, and the 'passive' voice.
There are two types of interaction, exemplified in the motion and changes of the moon in its monthly cycle relative to the sun, of which early four dimensional man was aware. One time each month, the moon approaches the sun, and at that time the moon can exert an influence on the sun. The moon can, on occasion, hide the sun, in what is known as a 'solar eclipse'.
This is the model for what is called the active voice, wherein one object influences another object, as the moon at this time influences the sun. In such a model, the moon is the subject, and the sun is the direct object.
The moon is the influencing noun, as it is the object that changes as it moves through the sky, whereas the sun is the influenced noun, as it follows a constant daily path. The moon is the 'I', which can influence the sun, the 'you'. This evolved to such sentences as 'Joe eats bird', 'Joe hits Bill', etc.
At the other end of the month, one half of a moon cycle later, when the moon is on the far side of the earth from the sun and is alone in the sky, on occasion the moon too will disappear, in what is known as the 'lunar eclipse'. Since the sun appeared to early four dimensional man not to be involved, it appeared that the moon at this time was influencing itself.
This is the model for what is called the middle voice, wherein one object influences itself, as the moon at this time was thought to influence the moon. In such a model, the moon is both the subject and the direct object. The middle voice is often called the 'reflexive' voice in English, as in the example 'I get (myself) up', from the model sentence 'Joe gets Joe up'. The reflexive is much more important in Spanish, for example, where the equivalent to 'myself', 'itself', etc. must be included in the form of a pronoun with verbs such as 'get up', where the subject is also the direct object. For example, the equivalent to 'I get up' in Spanish is 'me levanto' ('I raise myself').
The third voice is known as the passive voice. The passive voice is considered by linguists to have evolved out of the middle voice in the Indo-European languages. How did the passive voice evolve from the middle voice? As mankind came to better understand the relationship of the moon and the sun, he eventually came to realize that the sun is involved in the lunar eclipse, and therefore that the moon is being influenced by the sun. As the moon, the subject, was recognized to be influenced by another object, this served as the model for the passive voice, wherein the subject is influenced by another object, as the moon at this time is influenced by the sun. In such a model, the moon, the subject, is passive, and is acted upon by the other object, the sun. Examples in English include 'Joe was eaten by the bird' and 'Bill was hit by Joe'. With mankind's increasing awareness of the nature of the sun's involvement in the eclipse of the moon, many Indo-European languages evolved away from the form of the middle voice.
In the '4'th (Yin) dimension, Yin is '1'st (Yang), and so the moon (Yin) symbolizes the subject, the noun that influences the other noun, just as the moon changes over the course of its cycle across the sky. The sun (Yang) symbolizes the direct object, the noun that is influenced during its otherwise constant cycle across the sky.
An example of the active voice is the clause 'Joe hit Bill'. When the verb 'hit' is spoken, the subject 'Joe' has already been spoken, and so is in the past, and the direct object 'Bill' has not yet been spoken, and so is in the future. The active voice symbolizes interaction from a segment in the past (the noun that is spoken 'before', in the past) to a segment in the future (the noun that will be spoken 'after', in the future).
An example of the passive voice is the clause 'Bill is hit by Joe'. When the verb 'hit' is spoken, the direct object 'Bill' has already been spoken, and so is in the past, and the subject 'Joe' has not yet been spoken, and so is in the future. The passive voice symbolizes interaction from a segment in the future (the noun that will be spoken 'after', in the future) to a segment in the past (the noun that is spoken 'before', in the past).
An example of the middle voice is the clause 'Joe hits Joe' ('Joe hits himself'). Both the active form of 'Joe hits Joe' and the passive form of 'Joe is hit by Joe' are 'identical' in meaning.
4.2 English In The '4'th Dimension
In languages that orient to the '4'th dimension, such as English, the '2'nd and '3'rd dimensions are integrated into a single dimension, the '3'rd dimension, which is symbolized by the '2'nd number, '2'. Therefore, the number '3', which symbolizes the number of bones in each finger, came to symbolize awareness of the '4'th dimension.
As awareness of the '4'th dimension of space-time was symbolized by the number '3' in Greek, Latin, and English, the number '3' came to symbolize the finite cycle of the moon, and all of the other finite cycles of nature, such as the cycle of each person's life. Just as the bones of the index fingers symbolized the past, present, and future, they also came to symbolize the '3' stages in the cycle of life. As '3' symbolizes the pattern of finite cycles, the finite life of mankind was recognized as a cycle that flows through '3' stages; life has a beginning (the first bone), followed by a middle (the middle bone), followed by an end (the last bone), where the end of life is understood as 'death'.
Whereas in the '3'rd dimension of awareness mankind recognized cycles of nature to be infinite (Yang), because he was unaware of death, in the '4'th dimension of awareness mankind became aware of death, of the finite nature of life, of the Yin nature of life, as '4' is a Yin number.
Quite naturally, in ancient times, the ancestors of the speakers of English came to recognize '3' primary cycles of time by which to measure the finite life of mankind; the cycle of the 'day', the cycle of the 'month', and the cycle of the 'year'.
In their understanding of the world, the heavens are where the gods reside. The gods were considered to be immortal, infinite, Yang, and so there is no death in heaven. Mankind, on the other hand, lives on the earth, and is mortal, finite, Yin. The word 'mortal' implies that that which is 'alive' will eventually be 'dead', and so there are '2' (Yin) states in the finite (Yin) existence of mankind (Yin), compared with '1' (Yang) state of existence for the immortal (Yang) and infinite (Yang) gods. As the gods are Yang, or '1', there is '1' home of the gods. As mankind is Yin, or '2', there are '2' homes of mankind. Therefore, in addition to heaven and earth, the number '3' came to symbolize the 'underworld', which is the place where mankind exists after death. Society evolved, such that when a person dies, he is now buried 'under' the 'world', in the underworld (below the surface of the earth). The number '3' symbolizes the four dimensional area, which is oriented vertically through the body of mankind. The area therefore passes from the heavens, where the gods, the givers of time, have resided since the beginning (in the past), to mankind in the middle, where mankind resides while he is alive (in the present), to the underworld, where mankind will reside in death (in the future).
How does this affect the English language? All cycles in English that are finite, and that have an end, are organized and identified in a series of three. For example, all of the letters of the English alphabet, which start with A and progress until the end of their cycle at Z, are often represented by '3' letters, the 'ABC's'. Any series or sequence of letters or numbers can be symbolized by listing the first '3' of them, such as X, Y, Z, or 1, 2, 3.
The number '3' was recognized as the end of the cycle of numbers. It was not until the awareness of the fifth dimension that mankind would learn how to join the end of the finite cycle of numbers together again with its beginning, and thereby to perpetuate an infinite cycle of numbers. The entire English system of numbers, known as 'counting', reflects this organization. English now has '3' primary counting units, 1, 10, and 100. There are larger units, but they follow the same cyclic pattern; thousands are counted 1 thousand, 10 thousand, and 100 thousand, millions are counted 1 million, 10 million, and 100 million, and so on.
It seems more natural to English speakers to identify the cycle of the musical scale known as the octave by the first '3' symbols, 'do, re, mi', than, for example, by the first '4' symbols, 'do, re, mi, fa', because '3', and not '4', is the number that symbolizes finite cycles in English.
A B C
X Y Z
1 2 3
Do Re Mi
1 10 100
1,000 10,000 100,000
'3' Symbolizes A Series In English
4.3 Chinese In The '4'th Dimension
Among the ancient Chinese, it was the number '4' that came to symbolize awareness of the finite cycles of nature, such as the monthly cycle of the moon and the cycle of life and death.
How were the ancient Chinese able to symbolize the four distinctions of the fourth dimension on their fingers? '4' distinctions in nature was counted using the thumb to count off the '4' fingers of each hand.
Based on the pattern that is presented by the moon in its monthly cycle across the sky, the ancient Chinese recognized the life of mankind to follow a cycle of '4' stages. The cycle of the '4' stages of life is modeled on the cycle of the moon. The first stage is birth and growth in childhood, when light first appears in the previously dark moon; in the second stage the moon and people grow to their strongest, when the moon is full of light ('full' moon); in the third stage the moon and people pass their prime and begin to decline; and in the fourth stage the moon and people continue to decline, ending in death, when the moon is completely dark. Even today, the word for '4' in the different Chinese languages and in Japanese as well has the same pronunciation as the word for 'death', and for this reason it is widely considered to be an inauspicious number.
Quite naturally, in ancient times, the Chinese came to recognize '4' primary cycles of time, by which to measure the finite cycle of life; the cycle of the 'day', the cycle of the 'month', the cycle of the 'year', and the cycle of the entire life of mankind. This fourth cycle symbolized the life span of people who die in old age, and is a cycle of sixty years. It is based on the period of revolution of the planet Jupiter, which is very close to twelve years (11.86 years), and the number five, which will be discussed shortly. 12 x 5 = 60.
How does this affect the Chinese language? All cycles in Chinese that are
finite, and that have an end, are organized and identified in a series of four. The Chinese equivalent to an alphabet is often named by the first '4' sounds, bo, po, mo, fo. The first '4' numbers of a series can symbolize the entire cycle, such as the first '4' numbers, 
(in modern times, Arabic numerals are becoming increasingly popular, and there is a greater tendency to list only the first '3' numbers), or the first '4' of the Yang counting system, 
, which names each of the '10' fingers, or the first '4' of the Yin counting system, 
, which names each of the '12' bones of the fingers of each hand (excluding the thumb).
The number '4' was recognized as the end of the cycle of numbers. It was not until the awareness of the fifth dimension that mankind would learn how to join the end of the finite cycle of numbers together again with its beginning, and thereby to perpetuate an infinite cycle of numbers. The entire Chinese system of numbers, or 'counting', reflects this organization. Chinese now has '4' primary counting units, 1, 10, 100, and 1,000. There are larger units, but they follow the same cyclic pattern, 1 with four zeros, 10 with four zeros, 100 with four zeros, and 1,000 with four zeros. Therefore, the Chinese equivalent to the English number '1 million' is expressed as '100 ten-thousands'.
Bo Po Mo Fo
1 10 100 1000
1,0000 10,0000 100,0000 1000,0000
'4' Symbolizes A Series In Chinese
4.4 Chinese Finger Symbolism In The '4'th Dimension
In the fourth dimension of awareness, the 2 (of the Tao) gave rise to 3. With awareness of the '4'th dimension, the '3'rd dimension subdivided into '2'. The '4'th dimension symbolizes an awareness of '3' subdivisions into '2'. The number '2' with '3' subdivisions can be symbolized mathematically as '23', and as '23 = 8', in the '4'th dimension there is awareness of '8'. The '3'rd subdivision of the unity of the Tao was the subdivision of '4' into '8'. These '8' distinctions of the '4'th dimension are known in Chinese as the 'Ba-Gua' (
), which roughly translates into English as
the '8 distinctions'.
In the third dimension, the Chinese were only aware of a bi-directional flow of space into time and time into space. In the fourth dimension of awareness, there is a subdivision of the '1' (Yang) pair of directions into '2' (Yin) pairs of directions. In the third dimension, space and time were a segment, a segment of '2' rays in time and space, the 'before' and the 'after'. In the fourth dimension, time and space subdivided again. Time and space subdivided into a segment that is active (Yang) and a segment that is still (Yin). An active (Yang) segment that is horizontal (Yang) and a still (Yin) segment that is vertical (Yin) together symbolize the four dimensional 'area' of space-time. In the fourth dimension, mankind became aware of the 'area'.
The '4'th dimension symbolizes '4', and as each subdivides into Yang and Yin, '4' dimensional awareness enables an '8' stage cycle (4 x 2 = 8).
How did ancient mankind symbolize the '4' distinctions of the '4'th dimension on the hands? Below (Yin to) the index finger of each hand are '3' other fingers. Instead of using '1' (Yang) finger, as in the third dimension, in the '4'th dimension '4' (Yin) fingers are used.
The cycle of nature that enables awareness of the fourth dimension is the cycle of the month. As '4' is an even (Yin) number, the 'month' is Yin. There are '8' finger positions for each hand, '2' (Yang and Yin) for each of the '4' fingers. Because the '4'th dimension is a Yin dimension, as '4' is even (Yin), the fingers are organized vertically (Yin). The '4' fingers are subdivided '1'st into '2' groups of '2' fingers. The top (Yang) '2' fingers are Yang to the Yin of the bottom (Yin) '2' fingers. (Photo 4.4-1). Notice that any finger that would be '1'st for the left (Yang) hand would be '2'nd (Yin) for the right (Yin) hand, and vice versa.
Photo 4.4-1
The top '2' fingers form '1' unit, and the bottom '2' fingers form '1' unit. The thumb relates to each pair of fingers as '1' unit. There is a Yang pair and there is a Yin pair. Each pair of fingers is further subdivided into '2'. The top (Yang) finger of each pair is Yang to the Yin of the bottom (Yin) finger. (Photo 4.4-2).
Photo 4.4-2
At any given point in time, one hand is active (Yang) and the other hand is still (Yin). On the hand that is active (Yang), at any given point in time, one pair of fingers is active (Yang) and the other pair of fingers is still (Yin). Of the pair of fingers that is active (Yang), at any given point in time, one finger is active (Yang) and the other finger is still (Yin).
When a given pair of fingers is active (Yang), its '2' fingers interact symmetrically with the thumb and with each other. An interaction of the top (Yang) pair of the left (Yang) hand will be described. The bottom (Yin) pair of the left (Yang) hand follows a symmetrical pattern. The '2' pairs of fingers of the right (Yin) hand will be symmetrical to the pattern of the left hand. The top (Yang) pair of fingers on the left (Yang) hand will become active (Yang) on the '1'st, '3'rd, '6'th, and '8'th of the '8' stages; in other words, on the odd (Yang) numbered stages of the '1'st (Yang) half and on the even (Yin) numbered stages of the '2'nd (Yin) half.
The '1'st (Yang) time that the top (Yang) pair of the left (Yang) hand becomes active (Yang), the top (Yang) finger in the pair points up (Yang). The thumb holds down the other finger so that it is still (Yin). The thumb is Yin, and 'holds down' the other finger just as the Yang of the sun 'holds down' the Yin of the moon during a lunar eclipse. This is symbolic of interaction between '2' objects in nature, and the '4'th dimension is the dimension of 'interaction'. Whereas the top (Yang) finger begins up (Yang), the thumb begins down (Yin). The '1'st (Yang) time that this pair of fingers becomes active (Yang), the bones of the thumb bend into '2' (Yin) directions, the thumb moves near (Yin) the hand, and the thumb interacts with (holds down) the near (distal) (Yin) bone of the still (Yin) middle finger.
The '2'nd (Yin) time that the pair of fingers is active (Yang), the '2'nd (Yin) (middle) finger will point down (Yin), whereupon the thumb will become Yang. The bones of the thumb will flow in '1' (Yang) direction, the thumb will extend far (Yang) from the hand, and it will interact with the far (Yang) (middle) bone of the still (Yin) finger. The thumb is Yang, and 'holds down' the other finger just as the Yin of the moon 'holds down' the Yang of the sun during a solar eclipse.
After each finger has been active '1' (Yang) time, each will become active a '2'nd (Yin) time. The '2'nd (Yin) time, the middle (Yin) finger is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang). The middle finger is pointed up (Yang), as it pointed down (Yin) the '1'st (Yang) time. As the finger is up (Yang) the thumb is down (Yin), and the thumb holds down the near (Yin) bone of the still (Yin this time) index finger. The fourth time that the pair of fingers becomes active (Yang), the index finger will point down (Yin), as this is its '2'nd (Yin) time, and the thumb will be Yang, and will hold down the far (Yang) bone of the middle finger. (Photo 4.4-3).
Photo 4.4-3
The thumb must forcefully hold down the ring and little fingers in particular, as most people are not otherwise sufficiently dexterous to hold down one of these fingers while the other is extended. When the thumb interacts with each pair of fingers, the other pair of fingers relaxes (Yin). If a pair of fingers naturally slides partially open when a finger of the other pair is extended, do not force them to close. Allow them to relax (Yin) in whatever position is natural.
Each pair of fingers symbolizes '2' interactions, each of which has a Yang and a Yin distinction. Each of the '2' pairs of fingers flows through the same '4' interactions. The interaction of the thumb with the fingers symbolizes the interactions that occur among objects in nature. The '4' dimensional word of language is the direct object 'transitive' verb, which symbolizes '1' (Yang) object, the thumb, interacting with ('holding down', influencing) a '2'nd (Yin) object, one of the fingers. The '4' dimensional unit of meaning in language is the subordinate clause. Subordinate clauses are symbolized by the interaction of the different pairs of fingers. One pair of fingers symbolizes the clause that is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), and the other pair of fingers symbolizes the clause that is active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin). (Figure 4.4-1). In this example, the subordinate clause 'Joe ate the chicken' is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang). It is spoken '1'st (Yang), at which time the clause 'Joe hit Bill' is still (Yin). When the '2'nd (Yin) clause is spoken, the '1'st (Yang) clause will have been spoken 'before' (Yang), in the past (Yang).
Transitive Verb Clauses: Joe Hit Bill. Joe Ate The Chicken.
Subordinate Clause: Joe, Who Ate The Chicken, Hit Bill.
Figure 4.4-1
The cycle of nature that enabled awareness of the '4'th dimension is the cycle of the month. The month goes through an '8' stage cycle of life. The moon, in its monthly cycle across the sky, can be subdivided into '8' stages, just as the sky can be subdivided into '8' parts. The cycle of the moon will be described in detail in Part II. Briefly, each month begins when each moon is 'new'. When the moon is new, the first light (Yang) of the moon can be seen, just as the first light of the moon can be seen when the moon rises at the point of the horizon in the east. The moon is brightest when it is 'full', just as the moon is brightest when it is high in the sky at the point of the south. The moon 'dies' at the end of its cycle, when it is completely dark (Yin), just as the moon becomes dark (Yin) at the point of the horizon in the west.
Figure 4.4-2 demonstrates the view of the sky from the standpoint of a person who is facing south. When speakers of Chinese orient to four dimensional time, the fingers subdivide the sky into '8' parts, each of which symbolizes one of the stages in the life of each moon, one '8'th of the sky, and one '8'th of everything else in nature of which mankind became aware in the '4'th dimension.
Figure 4.4-2
In order to orient to time in the fourth dimension, the hands are positioned as for orienting to time in the second and third dimensions. Because time is Yin, the right (Yin) hand is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang). The right (Yin) hand points to the east (Yang), where the moon rises.
Before each new moon is 'born', there is no motion (no light of the moon). The right (Yin) hand is still (Yin). Then there is motion (Yang). Where is motion (Yang) symbolized '1'st (Yang) on the right (Yin) hand? The most Yin finger, the little finger, is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang). How does a finger become active (Yang)? Because time is Yin, the '4' fingers become active (Yang) vertically (Yin). Each finger can actively move upward (Yang) and each finger can actively move downward (Yin).
As time is Yin, the Yin finger points downward (Yin) '1'st (Yang). The little finger points downward (Yin) to the lowest point on the eastern horizon (Yin), the place where the moon first rises, where there is motion (Yang) '1'st (Yang). Because the hand inclines slightly outward (Yang), when the little finger points downward (Yin) as the '1'st (Yang) finger to observe time, it points horizontally (Yang). (Photo 4.4-4).
Photo 4.4-4
Which finger is next? The ring finger is the other finger in the bottom (Yin) pair of fingers, but the ring finger is Yang, as it is the top (Yang) finger of the pair. As the bottom (Yin) pair of fingers is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), the top (Yang) pair of fingers is active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin). Of the top (Yang) '2' fingers, the middle finger is Yin, as it is below (Yin to) the index finger. The middle finger is Yin, and Yin is '1'st (Yang) when observing time (Yin), and so the middle finger is '1'st (Yang). Because the middle finger is Yin, it also points downward (Yin) the '1'st (Yang) time. The middle finger points to a part of the eastern sky that is above (Yang to) the point of the horizon to which the little finger points. (Photo 4.4-5).
Photo 4.4-5
The Yin fingers were active (Yang) '1'st (Yang). Now, the Yin fingers rest (Yin), and the Yang fingers become active (Yang). The index and ring fingers are the top (Yang) fingers of their pairs. Time is Yin, and the lower (Yin) finger becomes active (Yang) '1'st (Yang). The ring finger is Yang, and so it points upward (Yang) its '1'st (Yang) time. The ring finger points to a part of the sky that is above (Yang to) the point to which the middle finger points. (Photo 4.4-6).
Photo 4.4-6
The fourth finger is the index finger. The index finger is the topmost (Yang) finger. Therefore, as time is Yin, it is counted fourth. As the index finger is on top (Yang) in its pair, it points upward (Yang). (Photo 4.4-7).
Photo 4.4-7
Notice that each finger can be active (Yang) or still (Yin). There is no 'slightly' active or 'slightly' still. Therefore, when each finger is active, be sure to extend it fully, or else it will not point to the proper part of the sky. Each finger has now been active (Yang) '1' (Yang) time. The fingers have pointed to (symbolized) '4' of the '8' parts of the semi-circle of the sky.
At this point in time, the point when the motion of the moon is at the point of the south in the sky, Yang evolves into Yin and Yin evolves into Yang. As time is Yin, Yang now becomes active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin). The order is symmetrical to the order of the '1'st (Yang) half of the cycle. The index finger, which became active (Yang) last (Yin) in the '1'st (Yang) half of the cycle, is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang) in the '2'nd (Yin) half of the cycle. The '1'st (Yang) time, the index finger points upward (Yang), and so the '2'nd (Yin) time it points downward (Yin). The index finger points downward (Yin), toward the eastern horizon. Now, however, the orientation of the bones of the finger is also symmetrical. The orientation the '1'st (Yang) time was to the distal (Yang) bone, which points toward the east (Yang). This '2'nd (Yin) time, the orientation will be to the proximal (Yin) bone, which points toward the west (Yin). The proximal (Yin) bone of the index finger points to the next '8'th of the sky along the segment of the ecliptic, where the moon passes. (Photo 4.4-8).
Photo 4.4-8
In like manner, the ring finger is next, and points downward (Yin). The middle and then the little finger point upward (Yang) their '2'nd (Yin) time. (Photo 4.4-9 - 4.4-11).
Photo 4.4-9
Photo 4.4-10
Photo 4.4-11
Photo 4.4-12 shows a front view of the '2' halves of the cycle of the right (Yin) hand.
Photo 4.4-12
The right (Yin) hand subdivides the sky into '8' parts. As time is Yin, the right (Yin) hand subdivides the sky '1'st (Yang). In order to have a symmetrical awareness of time in the fourth dimension, the cycle is repeated a '2'nd (Yin) time, using the left (Yang) hand.
Because time is Yin, the left (Yang) hand is active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin). The left (Yang) hand points toward the west (Yin), where the moon sets. However, whereas the right (Yin) hand begins with an orientation to the distal (Yang) bones of the fingers, the left (Yang) hand begins with an orientation to the proximal (Yin) bones of the fingers.
Before each new moon is 'born', there is no motion (no light of the moon). The left (Yang) hand is still (Yin). Then there is motion (Yang). Where is motion (Yang) symbolized '1'st (Yang) on the left (Yang) hand? The most Yang finger, the index finger, is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang). As this is the Yang hand, the Yang finger points upward (Yang) '1'st (Yang). The index finger points upward (Yang) to the highest point in the western sky (Yang). At this time, the proximal bone points downward (Yin), to the lowest point on the eastern horizon (Yin), the place where the moon first rises, where there is motion (Yang) '1'st (Yang). (Photo 4.4-13).
Photo 4.4-13
The middle finger is the other finger in the top (Yang) pair of fingers, but the middle finger is Yin, as it is the bottom (Yin) finger of the pair. As the top (Yang) pair of fingers is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), the bottom (Yin) pair of fingers is active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin). Of the bottom (Yin) '2' fingers, the ring finger is Yang, as it is above (Yang to) the little finger. The ring finger is Yang, and so the ring finger is '1'st (Yang). Because the ring finger is Yang, it also points upward (Yang) the '1'st (Yang) time. The proximal bone of the ring finger points to a part of the eastern sky that is above (Yang to) the point of the horizon to which the index finger points. (Photo 4.4-14).
Photo 4.4-14
The Yang fingers were active (Yang) '1'st (Yang). Now, the Yang fingers rest (Yin), and the Yin fingers become active (Yang). The middle and little fingers are the bottom (Yin) fingers of their pairs. This is the Yang hand, and so the upper (Yang) finger becomes active (Yang) '1'st (Yang). The middle finger is Yin, and so it points downward (Yin) its '1'st (Yang) time. The proximal bone of the middle finger points to a part of the sky that is above (Yang to) the point to which the proximal bone of the ring finger points. (Photo 4.4-15).
Photo 4.4-15
The fourth finger is the little finger. The little finger is the bottommost (Yin) finger. Therefore, as the left (Yang) hand is active (Yang), it is counted fourth. As the little finger is on the bottom (Yin) in its pair, it points downward (Yin), and the proximal bone points upward (Yang). (Photo 4.4-16) Each finger has now been active (Yang) '1' (Yang) time. The fingers have pointed to '4' of the '8' parts of the semi-circle of the sky.
Photo 4.4-16
At this point in time, the point when the motion of the moon is at the point of the south in the sky, Yang evolves into Yin and Yin evolves into Yang. As this is the '2'nd (Yin) half of the cycle, Yin now becomes active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin). The order is symmetrical to the order of the '1'st (Yang) half of the cycle. The little finger, which became active (Yang) last (Yin) in the '1'st (Yang) half of the cycle, is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang) in the '2'nd (Yin) half of the cycle. The '1'st (Yang) time, the little finger points downward (Yin), and so the '2'nd (Yin) time it points upward (Yang). The little finger points upward (Yang), toward the western sky. Now, however, the orientation of the bones of the finger is also symmetrical. The orientation the '1'st (Yang) time was to the proximal (Yin) bone, which points toward the east (Yang). This '2'nd (Yin) time, the orientation will be to the distal (Yang) bone, which points toward the west (Yin). The distal (Yang) bone of the little finger points to the next '8'th of the sky along the segment of the ecliptic, where the moon passes. (Photo 4.4-17).
Photo 4.4-17
In like manner, the middle finger is next, and points upward (Yang). The ring and then the index finger point downward (Yin) their '2'nd (Yin) time. (Photo 4.4-18 - 4.4-20).
Photo 4.4-18
Photo 4.4-19
Photo 4.4-20
Photo 4.4-21 shows a front view of the '2' halves of the cycle of the left (Yang) hand.
Photo 4.4-21
Figure 4.4-3 is a symbol that has been used since ancient times in China to symbolize the subdivision of the sky into the '8' stages in the cycle of the moon. This is the written symbol for 'time' in the fourth dimension. The square and the circle are the '2' symbols of the '4' dimensional 'area'. The square symbolizes the '4' (Yin) subdivided (Yin) sides of the '4' dimensional area. The square is a symbol of subdivision (Yin). The circle has no distinct sides, but seems to have only '1' (Yang) side. The circle is a symbol of unity (Yang). Because time is Yin, the written symbol of time uses both of the '2' (Yin) symbols of the 'area'. The outer (Yang) circle (Yang) symbolizes the 'Tai-Ji', the Chinese symbol of unity (Yang). Within the unity of the Tai-Ji are the '4' subdivisions of the '4'th dimension, as symbolized by the '4' sided square within the circle.
Figure 4.4-3
There are '2' columns in the bottom row. Each of these columns symbolizes the '4' proximal bones of each of the '2' hands. There are '4' columns in the middle row. Each of these columns symbolizes the '2' middle bones of each of the '4' pairs of fingers. There are '8' columns in the top row. Each of these columns symbolizes the '1' distal bone of each of the '8' fingers.
As time is Yin, the fingers are oriented vertically (Yin) in the written symbol for time. White symbolizes Yang and black symbolizes Yin. As time is Yin, the right (Yin) side of the symbol is white (Yang).
Let us examine the symbolism of this symbol of time. Ignore the order of the fingers in the symbol for a moment, and look at your hands. The '1'st (Yang) finger that becomes active (Yang) in the four dimensional cycle of time (Yin) is the right (Yin) little (Yin) finger. As the right (Yin) hand is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), the proximal bone is symbolized by white. The little finger is also of the pair of fingers that becomes active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), and so the middle bone is white. The little finger is '1'st (Yang) in its pair as well, and so the distal bone is white. All '3' bones of the little finger are symbolized by white (Yang), for the '1'st (Yang) finger.
The right ring finger is also on the hand that is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), (the proximal bone is white), and is of the pair of fingers that becomes active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), (the middle bone is white), but the ring finger becomes active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin) within its pair, (and so the distal bone is black). The right middle finger is on the hand that is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), (the proximal bone is white), but it is not of the pair of fingers that is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), (the middle bone is black), although of the pair of fingers, the middle finger is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), (the distal bone is white). The right index finger is on the hand that is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), (the proximal bone is white), it is not of the pair of fingers that is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), (the middle bone is black), and of the pair of fingers, the index finger is active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin), (the distal bone is black). (Photo 4.4-22).
Photo 4.4-22
All of the fingers of the left (Yang) hand are of the hand that is active (Yang) '2'nd, and therefore for each the proximal bone is black. The left index and middle fingers are the pair of fingers that is active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), and so the middle bone is white for the index and middle fingers and is black for the ring and little fingers, which are the pair of fingers that is active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin). Of each pair of fingers, the index and ring fingers are active (Yang) '1'st (Yang), (the distal bone is white), and the middle and ring fingers are active (Yang) '2'nd (Yin), (the distal bone is black). (Photo 4.4-23).
Photo 4.4-23
How can this four dimensional symbol of time be symbolized in written form? As 'I' look at my fingers 'before' (Yang) me in space, my fingers are Yang to me (closer to south), and 'I' am Yin to my fingers. 'I' look at my fingers from the perspective of the heavens (Yang). When 'I' write this symbol down, 'I' literally write it down (Yin) on the ground, which is below (Yin to) me. In this relationship, 'I' become Yang, and the Yang of the fingers evolves into the Yin of a written symbol. In other words, when 'I' look at my fingers, my Yin hand points to Yang and my Yang hand points to Yin. When 'I' hold my written symbol, however, 'I' do not want my Yin hand to symbolize Yang or my Yang hand to symbolize Yin, but rather that my Yang hand symbolize Yang and my Yin hand symbolize Yin; 'I' want to see the symbol from 'my' perspective.
Because time is Yin, the hands are rotated in a Yin direction. Extend all fingers from the base position for observing time. Bring the fingers of each hand together, such that all fingers point east or west. (Photo 4.4-24) Rotate the hands '2' (Yin) times. The '1'st (Yang) time, rotate both hands in '1' (Yang) direction, upward (Yang), such that both hands are vertical (Yin), as time is Yin. (Photo 4.4-25). The '2'nd (Yin) time, the '2' hands are rotated from front to back, in '2' (Yin) directions. Both hands rotate the thumbs inward (Yin), such that the left hand rotates right and the right hand rotates left. Now, the backs (Yang) of the hands face rearward (Yin). (Photo 4.4-26) This is the proper perspective for a symbol that is seen while looking downward (Yin) instead of looking forward (Yang). The fingers can now be lined up with Figure 4.4-3, with the backs up, and the fingers will match the symbol. To use the symbol, turn the hands face up and overlay the symbol. This is the proper perspective from 'my' viewpoint. The hands are held together (Yang), they are horizontal (Yang) to the earth, and the fingers point in '1' (Yang) direction. The '8' fingers are used in this orientation to symbolize time in the fourth dimension. (Photo 4.4-27).
Photo 4.4-24
Photo 4.4-25
Photo 4.4-26
Photo 4.4-27