Recently, I have been studying the Japanese language. There are several reasons for this, but one of them is very much related to the work of this weblog. The purpose of this weblog has been to explore, learn, and discuss the Ancient Wisdom that is the true foundation for Traditional Sciences, such as astrology once was. Much of the material currently available to astrologers is post-Aristotelian. As I discussed in previous articles, Aristotle taught a subtle, but quite significant, deviation from Traditional Wisdom with respect to the nature of Perfect Form and its relationship to physical manifestation.
I have observed that this deviation is embedded in all of Western thought, science, and philosophy. Such a deviation did not occur in the East until the East was exposed to Western thought. One can find information and clues with respect to Traditional Wisdom in Japanese kanji. Recently, I have been studying time expressions, and the kanji for them are quite fascinating.
In order to fully understand why these kanji are so fascinating, it is important to understand the original and primordial purpose behind astrology. As our ancestors became more consolidated into the material world, it was important to them to ensure that their earthly activities were still in harmony with the Divine Music of the Spheres. They looked to the heavens and studied the movements of the heavenly bodies to determine the time that their endeavors were in accord with this Divine Music.
The Feminine Scriptures contain references relevant to this:
It is Love that holds the stars within their courses, and all the worlds of the immeasurable cosmos within the harmony of the celestial music.
Truly, all the cycles of the times and the seasons; all the rhythms of the soul and of the mind and of the flesh; truly all these flow from the love of Our Lady, the Maid, that creation may not decompose, each several member flying away into black eternal chaos.
The Clew of Love
For there are ways and rhythms in the course of life, of day and night, of seasons and the moon, by which all life, all thought, all work are governed and these movements are the breath of the Divine, reflected in the highest spheres and every living thing.
All nature is a vast and subtle movement to which the innocent soul is close attuned.
The profane assay to sever themselves from this music, fixing new laws of gain and self-advantage against the law of universal love.
Honor in all things the times and the seasons, keeping fast in the times of fast with diligence and care; rejoicing in times of feast with generous outpouring.
No tree may blossom out of season, nor any flower greet springtime with austerity, but a maid lacking in inward control is broken from the rhythm.
The Way of Simplicity
For readers of the Judeo-Christian tradition, these concepts can be found in the Hebrew written tradition as well:
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:14-15 (NRSV)
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NRSV)
These are the traditions I am most familiar with; however, I would imagine that this is a Universal concept, and that it can be found in all traditions.
To my joy and delight, I discovered that this concept seems to be embedded in the Japanese kanji for time expressions.
On the left is the kanji for time, toki, and also, ji, the marker for hour expressions, the Japanese equivalent of “o’clock.” This kanji is made up of two other kanji. The element on the right is the kanji for “temple.” The element on the left is the kanji for “Sun.” Quite simply, the hours are marked by the temple watching the Sun.
The Japanese word for time in the abstract sense and the word used to mark a number of hours is jikan. The kanji for jikan is to the right. As you can see, this kanji incorporates the kanji for time with a second kanji. This second kanji also includes the element for Sun, but it is inside an element that symbolizes a gate. The Sun is contained inside a gate!
Another interesting kanji is found in the word, matsu, “to wait,” 待つ. The kanji is the first character in this word. The temple is in this kanji as well. The other element of this kanji, is labeled “going man,” by Rikaichan, a wonderful translation aid/kanji analyzer that works with Firefox. That element, or radical, is also found in the kanji included in the word, iku, “to go,” 行く. I think one could speculate that the kanji contained in the word for wait may indicate that human endeavors are being directed by the temple; in other words, people are waiting for the proper time for action!
See also:
The Days of the Week and Japanese Kanji
For even more information about the metaphysics behind Japanese kanji, I refer the reader to the following excellent articles on the subject:
Japanese Kanji for Left and Right: Why They Are What They Are
Kanji Symbols – Fire, Movement and Humanity
Learn Japanese Kanji through Symbolism
The Wisdom of Our Grandmothers 