Climate Characteristics and Yangsheng Pointers for 2012 (Renchen Year)
By the calculation of the Huangdi Neijing, from late January 2012 to late January 2013 is the qi-and-fortune cycle of the renchen year. Renchen is a year of "wood-movement in excess," with taiyang cold-water ruling Heaven and taiyin damp-earth at-the-spring. Broadly: the first half runs cold, the second half wet — the whole year runs cold-and-damp, and the qi-fortunes will arrive ahead of schedule, earlier than the regular solar terms.
First qi: Great Cold to before Spring Equinox (mid-to-late Jan to mid-to-late Mar). Host qi jueyin wind-wood; guest qi shaoyang minister-fire. "The qi grows greatly warm; the grass flowers early." Carrying over from last year's warm winter, this is a warm early spring. "If in winter one does not store essence, in spring one will surely fall ill of warmth" — people will easily contract pestilential disease, and warmth-illnesses will be common. Prevent early: clear inner heat, guard against rising fire. Eat plenty of pear, lotus root, orange, daikon, water chestnut; one may also drink water boiled with rock sugar, baimaogen (cogongrass root), and reed root.
Second qi: Spring Equinox to before Grain Full (mid-to-late Mar to mid-to-late May). Host qi shaoyin sovereign-fire; guest qi yangming dry-metal. "Great cool comes contrary to season" — just as the heating turns off, heat pent up within cannot disperse and the weather turns cold; wind-cold colds and coughs may be common. Mind the "spring layering"; don't rush to shed clothing. With spring taking on autumn's task, the air is dry and cool — beyond the inner-fire-clearing foods above, drink plenty of water and spend time outdoors.
Third qi: Grain Full to before Great Heat (mid-to-late May to mid-to-late July). Host qi shaoyang minister-fire; guest qi taiyang cold-water. This is when the ruling-Heaven qi takes hold most strongly. The weather, when it should be hot, is not — cold qi covers it, rain begins to fall, and illness easily arises from pent-up inner heat meeting cold outside. As cold qi strikes and damp begins to rise, take some warming-cold, drying-damp foods — foxtail millet, red mung bean, yiyi, and the like.
Fourth qi: Great Heat to before Autumn Equinox (mid-to-late July to mid-to-late Sep). Host qi taiyin damp-earth; guest qi jueyin wind-wood. "Wind and damp contend; wind turns to rain" — the year should bring a harvest. But damp qi traps the spleen, and the spleen governs the four limbs and the muscle — guard against wind-damp. Eat plenty of spleen-fortifying or bitter foods, such as Chinese yam and yiyi.
Fifth qi: Autumn Equinox to before Light Snow (mid-to-late Sep to mid-to-late Nov). Host qi yangming dry-metal; guest qi shaoyin sovereign-fire. "The yang returns to transformation; grass grows again… the people grow easy." This will likely be the most comfortable and least disease-burdened stretch of the year.
Sixth qi: Light Snow to before Great Cold (mid-to-late Nov to mid-to-late Jan 2013). Host qi taiyang cold-water; guest qi taiyin damp-earth. "Damp orders prevail; yin congeals in the great void; haze hangs over field and country… cold wind comes." It will be a damp-cold, wind-and-sand-blowing winter. Eat plenty of warming foods — beef, mutton, and the like. This is also an excellent time for tonifying.