This is a suggested practice (#8) for the Calendar:

Consider Spinal Alignment and other curiosities

Did you notice that there are 24 Jieqi (solar nodes) and we have 24 vertebrae in our spine? The ancient Chinese noticed this connection and, believing all things were interconnected, aligned these seasonal nodes with the spine. I've included the diagram showing how each season links with the L (lumbar spine), T (thoracic spine), and C (cervical spine). Along these vertebrae, there are also moxa and acupuncture points that connect to specific internal organs—though depending on your interest, this might remain simply a fascinating observation for now.

• What does it mean that Winter Solstice represents the lowest point in our spine, with everything moving upward, one vertebra at a time, throughout the year? Is this purely metaphorical, or is there deeper significance to this?
• How do the four gates and doors align with our spinal structure and internal organs?
• What do these gates and doors reveal about nature, our emotional transitions, or even our digestion? (Some suggest that the Earth element—digestion and assimilation—connects each season)
• How do celestial bodies (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) influence the seasons? How do their energies, traits, and movements connect to our lived experiences? How do they enhance or disrupt other seasonal cycles?
• What is the meaning behind "life arises in the middle of the breath and all aspects of the breath are sacred"?
• What insights emerge if we view the full year as one Moon cycle—with summer as the Full Moon, winter as the New Moon, and other seasons as waxing and waning phases?
• If we mapped all moon phases onto the monthly calendar—Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous, Waxing Crescent, Waning Crescent, First Quarter Moon, and Last Quarter Moon—what patterns might emerge? What could we learn about light and darkness?
• Where in nature do we observe Yang rising and Yin waning?
• Where in nature do we find the colors: blue-green, red, yellow, white, and black?