Cycle · 8 min
A two-hour tide
A read of this page, with the plate.
In classical Chinese medicine, each of the twelve meridians is given a two-hour stretch of the day, so the whole circuit takes twenty-four hours.
A note before we start: this course is classical Chinese medicine theory, not Kapel's own teaching. It is here as background literacy. It is educational, not medical advice, and nothing in it diagnoses, treats or predicts anything about your health.
Where the clock comes from
The organ clock is a very old picture from classical Chinese medicine. It divides the day into twelve two-hour stretches and links each one to a meridian: lung, large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, bladder, kidney, pericardium, triple warmer, gallbladder and liver. The tradition describes qi moving through them in turn, like a tide going round. Kapel taught the meridians themselves. She did not teach this clock, so treat it as a second map that sits beside her work, not part of it.
How to read it
Open the Living Clock page on this site. The highlighted stretch is the meridian the tradition links to the hour where you are right now. That is all it tells you. It is a way of noticing the day as having a shape, morning, midday, evening and night, instead of one long flat stretch of hours. It is not a test and it says nothing about your body.
Practice
Open the Living Clock page and see which meridian the tradition names for this hour. Then simply notice how this hour feels to you. No need to change anything.
Check
In this course, the organ clock is presented as:
- Kapel's own teaching
- Classical Chinese medicine theory, offered as background ✓
- A medical test
It comes from classical Chinese medicine. Kapel did not teach it.
The clock divides the day into:
- Seven gates
- Twelve two-hour stretches, one per meridian ✓
- Three shifts of eight hours
Twelve meridians, two hours each, twenty-four hours in all.
The highlighted stretch on the Living Clock page shows:
- What is wrong with you
- The meridian the tradition links to your local hour ✓
- A dose to take
It only names the hour's meridian in the tradition.
Can the clock tell you anything about your health?
- Yes, it diagnoses problems
- No. It is educational, not medical advice ✓
- Only at night
Nothing in this course diagnoses or treats anything. Health questions belong with a qualified clinician.
The practice for this lesson is to:
- Change your whole schedule
- Look at the clock page and simply notice the hour ✓
- Skip meals
Notice, nothing more.