Dated: May 30, 2020
Although the origin of the first case of coronavirus (COVID-19) is heatedly debated, there is little doubt that an explosive number of cases occurred in the depth of winter in the city of Wuhan in China. Wuhan is the capital of Hubei, the province known for its many lakes — bodies of water. Hubei actually means Lake North. According to the scheme of the five elements, which is derived from the theories of I Ching, the northern direction represents the element of water. In this “water-rich” environment, its inhabitants, who tend to have wet or damp physical constitutions, are more prone to develop diseases of a damp nature.
Wu, as in wu su, or martial arts, means martial or military, han means either man (men) or the Han River. Therefore, Wuhan may be translated as a martial man or military man. Therefore, Wuhan may be translated as a martial man or military man. Coincidentally—or not so coincidentally according to I Ching—approximately four thousand military men from around the world had gathered in Wuhan for a festival of athletic games almost right at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak: the seafood market around Christmas 2019.
真武, the True Martial God, as legends go, commands the north, the direction representing the water element. As a matter of fact, a very well-known Chinese herbal medicine formula, the true martial decoction, or 真武湯, detailed in the Cold Injury Thesis, is commonly used to treat diseases caused by excessive water, or dampnesses, and coldness in the body. These pathological states are often found in individuals who are susceptible to contract the coronavirus.
There is this belief that the COVID-19 originated in bats, which are basically flying rats. Both bats and rats are nocturnal animals that embody the concept of the water element, which is extremely Yin in nature. So why should anyone be surprised that this happened in this year of the rat, which cycles every 12 years? More importantly, this particular year of the rat is dominated by 庚, or geng, the major metal element, and 子, or ze, the major water element, in accordance with the I Ching calendar. Based on the five elements theory, metal generates water, and big metal generates big water, making this perhaps the coldest year in a sixty-year cycle. Major water is equivalent to a large body of water in nature, such as the ocean. No wonder the ocean liners or cruise ships and the US Air Force carrier Roosevelt were the targets for attacks by the coronavirus.
The water element also symbolizes royalty, so it is no wonder that so many members of society’s upper crust have contracted the virus. Initially, there was news about an Italian senator and an Iranian general succumbing to COVID-19, followed by the infections of Tom Hanks and his wife, the Canadian first lady, and the British prime minister, among other prominent people. Some of the most noteworthy outbreaks took place on ships with names like Grand Princess and President Roosevelt. Even the diamond, as in Diamond Princess, embodies the essence of metal and water because of its properties of being hard (metal) and clear (water).
You may be inclined to discard what I have said as purely superstitious nonsense, or you may marvel at the ancient sages who discovered the cosmic law of the five elements as unusually astute observers of the forces of nature at work, much like Newton who discovered and formulated the Universal Low of Gravity by observing an apple falling from a tree.