In honor of my Teacher, Liu Ming,
CHINESE ALMANAC ASTROLOGY
CHINESE ALMANAC ASTROLOGY
To support grace and ease / For the resolution of all beings
Commentary and compilations by Jamie Shulander
All notes from class notes/works by Liu Ming
INDICATORS Listed: Yearly, Monthly, Lunar then Daily
::: ::: ::: = Change
::: ::: :::
LUNAR YEAR: YEAR of the RAT
"Charged: Charming, diligent, perseverant, methodical, social, cooperative, discrete, frugal and observant. Rats are capable and fun loving.
Depleted: Complaining, nervous, nit picking, annoyingly analytical, stingy, scheming, cowardly, overly concentrated (mono-maniacal) and selfish.
Image: The Rat talked about in Chinese Astrology is well known to all Chinese farmers throughout history. If there is grain, rats appear, so rats are linked to prosperity. A rat year is expected to be profitable. Rats always appear in groups and, though not individually strong, they can undermine an enormous barn by gnawing and nibbling away the foundation piece by piece. Rats often view their social life as central to their existence. Sociability is required to survive. Their acute social observation makes them good mimics or actors. When they are being someone else (acting) they love center stage. Though not a sensual materialist, like the Pig, rats are hoarders and often live in clutter. They are likely to become more capable as they age..."
YANG METAL RAT (1840, 1900, 1960, 2020, 2080) ‘Rafter Rat’
Metal Rats are sensitive, meticulous and resourceful. They easily win the attention and support of others and love to compete and win. Their ambition is modified by a strong personal sense of moral and spiritual values. They enjoy independence and are ruthlessly calculating in matters of the heart and finance. Though not without enemies, they experience relatively even fortunes. Jovial in appearance they internally brood and worry over the slightest things. They are susceptible to contagious and common illnesses but live long because of treatments from expert physicians and meticulous personal habits."
LUNAR MONTH: YIN EARTH RABBIT (1879, 1939, 1999, 2059) ‘Emerging Rabbit’
Earth Rabbits are persuasive, resourceful and distrustful characters. Their own uneven fortune often makes them dishonest with and wary of even their friends/family. They obsess about security but do not find it. Their strong sexual appetite does not respect boundaries and they often divorce and/or seduce other people’s partners. An uneven marriage may last a long time. They enjoy the company of unconventional characters and those less fortunate than themselves. In midlife, they can establish material security, and stop obsessing and metamorphose. In old age they have a real potential to study (knowledge) and gain wisdom. They are prone to lung and skin ailments.
::: ::: :::
QI NODE: 4 Spring Equinox
Yin and Yang Equality
"At the Spring
Equinox the yin and yang are equal. A quivering Yang arises and a shaky Yin
submits. The day and night are equal in length. This qi node marks one of four
annual pivots that rectify the annual qi. In lunar calendar terms this is spring's
midpoint. A Prince is crowned. During this qi node the best qi is available
around dawn; you should practice neigong facing due east and greet the dawn.
Imagine that you inhale the true and pure yang of the sun from over the horizon
as the light appears. Have it enter your body and refresh all your organs,
channels and joints.
You will notice that all
the winter's lethargy is gone and if you have been cultivating spring, yang is
no longer shaky. Plans and actions are enhanced. It is an ideal time for in
depth study, long walks and consulting with diviners and astrologers. Focus and
go forward. Do not forget the advice of sages! Crows and ravens are
sun-creatures in Chinese tradition - they will be rascally now all through
spring and summer."
LM The Way of Three
Treasures
LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 17 Sui: Pursuit
“In this hexagram, the
source of clarity and the strength that bring true success is subordination to
fate - the act of following. When your efforts are rewarded it is stopping that
brings success. Getting caught up in pursuit for its own sake will make you mad
and diminish your resources."
LM Changing: Zhouyi
::: ::: :::
SATURDAY March 21, Yin Water Pig 28
Hexagram 37 Jia Ren:
Household
Lunar Mansion: The
Maiden / Bat
Solar Indicator:
Complete
Kick back, do the family thing and relax. Even though today's character is volatile, open-minded and gregarious, the day can be well spent if you turn those energies toward supporting one another and keeping it simple...
“Jia Ren is about
well-ordered, supportive families and family-like groups that have a collective
purpose. Selfless caregivers (mothers/nourishment) make households and
family-like groups strong. Selfless and consistent inner strength is the basis
of true communities. Orderly family/communities nurture great leaders who, in
turn, make the alliances that create fair and just nation-states."
LM Changing: Zhouyi 37 Jia Ren
“It is auspicious to
stay home, enjoy the arts, self-reflect, do inner panning and practice austerity
(meditation, fasting and rest). It is beneficial to guard your health and
conserve your qi. It is favorable to support others. Building may be safe but
not profitable.”
“It is not auspicious to
take risks, medical treatments, bury the dead (cause epidemics, bowel
disorders). To initiate industry (dig earth) and production on this day invites
calamity.”
LM Notes: The Maiden
“It is a day for resting
on your laurels. Success is established and secured and the new state seems to
govern itself. Enemies are few. It is a time for inward reflection (yin) on the
bare face of reality (yang). Struggle (yang) is no longer possible or necessary
(yin). Decline is not feared and success not celebrated. Wisdom approaches and
withdrawing succeeds. Art is the demonstration of confidence, dignity and
wisdom - be artful. No more accumulating - decorate with modesty. The way of
perfecting power is austerity and restraint. Do less, have less, show less and
seek nothing. Enjoy what is already manifest.”
LM Notes: Complete
SUNDAY March 22, Yang Wood Rat 29
Hexagram 63 Jiji:
Already Across
Lunar Mansion: The Void
/ Rat
Solar Indicator: Harvest
Another day to stand back and let the momentum around you dictate your actions. Keep actions small and focused, most appropriate for today's character: particularly studious, industrious and naive.
"Everything is
ending well but decline and disorder is inevitable. Do not hurry or press for
completion...Do not imagine that change ever stops. Things do not come to an
end. When you succeed, do not assume things are complete or finished. To maintain
success is no easy matter. When we are triumphant, we are fated to have the
same decline and loss as our predecessor."
LM Changing: Zhouyi 63
Jiji
“It is auspicious to
stay home, strengthen family ties and protect your children. Sleep and rest are
recommended (be cautioned by your dreams).”
“On this day it is not
auspicious to marry (your children will be delinquent or handicapped), bury the
dead or make offerings to ancestors (ghosts/dead will become demonic - causing
illnesses for 3 years!). Extra-marital affairs begun on this day will eventually
ruin your family, reputation and health. Medical treatments today can cause
injury and expose constitutional weakness.”
LM Notes: The Void
“What makes this day
smooth is a sense of fearlessness. It is not so much how it goes (yang) as what
it shows (yin). Rise and fall are no longer the point - the wide view can be
taken. Ease is possible - effortless continuity on all sides. The qi seems to
float us forward quite naturally - ebbing and flowing are both acceptable. The
lessons of earthly life are found in both maturing and declining. Everything
succeeds. Cleverness and survival give way to courage and directness. Be like
the beloved monarch and not an ambitious merchant. Let new resources and
assistants come forward by standing back.”
LM Notes: Harvest
MONDAY March 23, Yin Wood Ox 30
Hexagram 22 Bi: Ornament
Lunar Mansion: The Roof
/ Swallow
Solar Indicator: Open
Today's character: particularly humble and naive, should suit the auspices well. It is a particularly good day for supporting family, alliances, simplicity and open-heartedness.
"Bi is
favorable when appearances match the inner nature of things. Simplicity, rather
than extravagance, is recommended as the aesthetic of confidence. Beware of the
deception that comes from superficial decoration."
LM Changing: Zhouyi 22
Bi: Ornament
“The key to the auspices
has to do with how you act in a dangerous situation…It is auspicious to stay
home, repair walls (security), remodel, take tonics and comply with superiors.
It is favorable for medical treatments, exercise and eating well. It is
favorable to raise roof beams and rafters (begin new construction). It is
auspicious for family gatherings at home. Alliances and collaborations come to
fruit and good 'luck'. This day is inauspicious for travel because you will be
robbed (road) or drowned (sea). Strangers and strange (foreign) places offer
calamity.”
LM Notes: The Roof
“The choice here is
whether to call fate something to fight or something to embrace. It is a day
with an easy qi. It is a day to appreciate how things really operate beyond the
desire that creates images and appearances. Accepting should be a boundless
(yin) act beyond goals - the goal has always been return to our beginningless
origin (Dao). There is no protagonist (yang) that should relax - there is only
relaxation itself (yin). Look around for a successor (new plan, idea, task) and
resume the heart/mind of a novice. The son of a rebel leader may become the
second emperor of a new dynasty. An open heart gives the option to acquire
great wisdom.”
LM Notes: Open
::: ::: :::
LUNAR MONTH: YANG METAL DRAGON (1880, 1940, 2000, 2060) ‘Angry Dragon’
Metal Dragons have an
egotistical, powerful and outspoken character. Despite their egotism, they are
articulate and knowledgeable. They are so strong that they feel above morality
and the law. Their uneven fortune is due to many broken boundaries and commitments
- unburned bridges (karma). Their
vitally strong constitution gives them enormous appetites (food, sex, ideas).
Their medical problems go unnoticed, eventually becoming irreversible mental
disorders (and/or possession).
LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 43 Guai: Lurch
“Guai tells us
when impulsiveness, abruptness and breaking with standard protocol are okay.
Success, in the case of Guai, is a timely, but abrupt, escape. Sometimes
it is best to immediately quit a situation and/or abandon a relationship
because of its excessive restrictions. Guai carries the ambiguous
message that misconduct is sometimes appropriate.”
LM Changing: Zhouyi
::: ::: :::
TUESDAY March 24, Yang Fire Tiger 1
Hexagram 36 Mingyi:
Pheasant Call
Lunar Mansion: The House
/ Pig
Solar Indicator: Shut
Today's character is fond of throwing wrenches: risk-takers and landmines of emotion and passion. The auspices meanwhile are a mixed back of forward progress and exhaustion. Be patient and observant, and wherever possible, move accordingly...
“When integrity demands
action, be cautious and prepared to fail. The situation is unfavorable because,
the clear warnings of doom are being ignored by the powerful."
LM Changing: Zhouyi 36 Mingyi
“It is auspicious to
build, remodel and make fengshui adjustments (especially to enhance
career office/shop). It is auspicious to initiate business, negotiate and sign
contracts and get married (all of which have long-term benefit). Expect to be
generously compensated for work done today.
“Public welfare projects
succeed. Temple buildings brings benefits for many generations.
Conversely it is
auspicious to enter retreat if there is great sincerity (renunciation) and
strong resolve (compassion for others). The benefits you receive on this day
should be shared with others (living and dead). Burials on this day are
celebrated by both the living and dead ancestors (bring great wealth).
“It is not auspicious to
wait, procrastinate or be confrontational.”
LM Notes: The House
“A Shut day is a day of
rest, whether you like it or not. Qi resources are spent and the notion of a
spender (yang) is long gone. Dispersion has ended in exhaustion (big yin) and
no memory exists to create joy or negativity. Struggling to act on such a day
borrows qi from fantasy and sets up a ghostly pattern of bad qi credit. What’s
it like to float down the river with no boat, no river and no protagonist? It
is ideal day for retreat, mediation and severing ties with everything - don’t
worry, it is not the end of anything! Let go anyway - feel the freedom and
inaction, disconnectedness, because it offers limitless insight. Focus on your
golf swing and forget about how the kids are squandering their inheritance on
cocaine. It’s that kind of day! The river has reached the sea and even the
water is confused.”
LM Notes: Shut
::: ::: :::
In resolution and
adventure...
Warmly,
Jamie Shulander
Instagram@jamieshulander
jshulander@gmail.com
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