Chinese Almanac Astrology April 30 - May 3, 2020

In honor of my Teacher, Liu Ming,


 




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

INDICATORS - The pattern components that continuously rotate per year, month, daily, lunar or solar phase. The indicators below articulate the current alignment.

::: ::: :::

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 METAL SNAKE (1821, 1881, 1941, 2001, 2061) ‘Hibernating Snake’

Metal Snakes are bright, sensitive and insightful. Their childhoods (up to 28) are often difficult and sorrowful. Though socially active they remain aloof in fear of betrayal. Their sensitivity often gives them visions and surrounds them with subtle beings, not all of who mean them well. Their mental health is always precarious, especially if parents and/or a partner do not protect them. Their deaths come suddenly (or suicide) due to the interference of ghosts and demons. They are well-suited to monasticism.

QI NODE: 6 Grain Rains

Yin and Yang Courtship

"Spring ends with the inter-seasonal qi node Grain Rains. This qi node is the transition from spring to summer. It charges the growth process with increased warmth (Yang) and Rain (Yin). The growing and transforming process is now seen everywhere in Nature. The power of growth hits the ground and spreads. Flowers bloom in orchards. Buds, the true outcome of spring, appear everywhere with the promise of abundance. The mantle of power is given to the princely forms of Yang. It is auspicious if thunder (sound of spring) is heard in this qi node to welcome the power of summer - just as it is auspicious that the quiet of autumn ends in the utter silence of winter.

"It is a time of final preparations, even ceremonious preparations. It is a good time to thank the wise mentors who have helped to shape your life. It is a good time to graduate from school or move on to higher education. New and better job (promotions), new and better address (moving house) and the chance to reinvent yourself is present themselves. It is a time to enjoy music, play music and dance. If your cultivation of spring was insufficient or negligent you will be held back with Damp (criticism, lethargy, allergies and indigestion)."

LM The Way of Three Treasures

LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 56 Lu: Sojourner

"Favorable for small accomplishments and temporary appeasement, but inauspicious generally. Discretion is vital in whatever you do."

LM Changing: Zhouyi

::: ::: :::

THURSDAY April 30, Yin Water Rabbit 8

Hexagram 12 pi: Obstruction

Lunar Mansion: The Well / Tapir

Solar Indicator: Shut

"Pi is not a time for going forward. You are blocked by your own pretense or by external circumstances. Be humble and patient, and cancel or postpone great plans. Adaptation and patience are the keys to positive change in the future." LM Changing: Zhouyi 12 Pi

“It is auspicious to build, remodel, do fengshui adjustments, take exams, and maintain routine industry. The earth can be dug (gardening = wealth) and it is a good day to donate, buy or sell (investment) real estate. Community or charity projects will flourish. It is favorable for apologies. It is favorable for medical treatments (particularly for initiating a series of treatments for a chronic condition). 

“It is not auspicious to postpone needed repairs, apologies or difficult tasks. It is not good for funerals or burials of those who died by suicide, violence or sudden illness because others will soon follow.”

LM Notes: The Well

“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

FRIDAY May 1, Yang Wood Dragon 9

Hexagram 45 Cui: Assembly

Lunar Mansion: The Ghost / Sheep

Solar Indicator: Design

Today's character is artistic, righteous and ingenious. Be expansive and contemplative, grateful and open hearted...

“Beneficial for all joint efforts. Be receptive to the inevitable success that comes from joining together with others. Expect emotions to run high and epiphanies on all sides.”

"When we sincerely open our hearts in this way we are naturally purged of our selfishness and wantonness. Through this exchange we may enter into the depths of human spirituality. There is no greater gesture than this ritual of rituals."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 45 Cui

“It is especially auspicious for funeral/burial (resolution of fate). It is also good to make gifts/donations to temples and offerings to the divinities, spiritual guardians and make memorials for the dead (ancestors/lineage). It is advantageous for entering retreat, meditation, fasting, spiritual initiation, ordination and ‘crossing over’ into transitory states. 

“It is not auspicious for worldly industry of any kind. It is a bad day to go to war (many casualties) or get married (husband will die early). One should avoid the wilderness (possession/illness will result).”

LM Notes: The Ghost

“It is an excellent day to recover wisdom by stepping back, planning, recalling alliances and reassessing our position.”

LM Notes: Design

SATURDAY May 2, Yin Wood Snake 10

Hexagram 35 Jin: Advance

Lunar Mansion: The Willow / Roebuck

Solar Indicator: Divide

When in doubt, take rest. Today's character is honest, shy and popular...most excellent for retreat.

"Jin is not about the prize, or what you did to win it; but about the expressions of grace in the face of good fortune. This grace demonstrates itself in humility and generosity. Cultivating oneself (caring for the ancestral shrine) makes one ready for the gifts of fate. The truth is, nothing is accomplished without a network of co-factors and helpers (family and friends [alive and dead]). Modesty and grace express our interconnectedness.” 

LM Changing: Zhouyi 35 Jin

“It is especially auspicious for seclusion and the composing of memorials. It is favorable to make offerings and practice divination. It is fruitful on this day to fast, enter retreat, practice meditation and receive spiritual initiation and/or ordination (lineage). It is ideal for funerals / burials and the complete resolution of the unsettled dead (exorcism).

“It is not auspicious for marriage. Do not indulge in lawsuits (as it will ruin 3 generations).”

LM Notes: The Willow

"Holding back on this day is related to deeper self-reflection, education of all sorts and consulting with experts and elders - rather than forward action. It is not about immature reluctance or cowardice but about shedding inessentials."

LM Notes: Divide

SUNDAY May 3, Yang Fire Horse 11

Hexagram 16 Yu: Comfort

Lunar Mansion: The Birdstar / Horse

Solar Indicator: Full

Go with the gentle approach today, and get some exercise. Today's character is outspoken, quick-tempered and skillful, aim to balance that out with generosity and discipline.

"Pleasure, in its many forms, though powerful, is not long-lived. The auspice is good for enjoyment but self-indulgence can ruin it. Enjoy and share the results of the success, but do not make pleasure a goal in itself."

LM Changing: Zhouyi  16 Yu

“Think powerful, but gentle succeeds...It is auspicious for building and routine work (you will meet / hobnob with the powerful). Good auspice is directly related to continuity, convention and not innovation.

“It is not auspicious for funerals/burials or marriages (rape, divorce). It is a dangerous day for travel and/or medical treatments.”

LM Notes: The Birdstar

“This is an optimum day for education, preparation, polishing, gathering resources and firming up plans. Confidence grows as the right time and necessary resources are now part of the vision. The qi is forming patterns and remaining in the channels. Practice and disciplined cultivation bring confidence. The prince (yang) is gaining support. Discipline in small matters succeeds. True confidence requires no aggression. Though nothing needs to be done, the natural maturation of strength occurs.”

LM Notes: Full

::: ::: :::

In resolution and adventure...

Warmly,

Jamie Shulander

Instagram@jamieshulander

jshulander@gmail.com

Chinese Almanac Astrology April 26 - 29, 2020

In honor of my Teacher, Liu Ming,


 




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

INDICATORS - The pattern components that continuously rotate per year, month, daily, lunar or solar phase. The indicators below articulate the current alignment.

::: ::: :::

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 METAL SNAKE (1821, 1881, 1941, 2001, 2061) ‘Hibernating Snake’

Metal Snakes are bright, sensitive and insightful. Their childhoods (up to 28) are often difficult and sorrowful. Though socially active they remain aloof in fear of betrayal. Their sensitivity often gives them visions and surrounds them with subtle beings, not all of who mean them well. Their mental health is always precarious, especially if parents and/or a partner do not protect them. Their deaths come suddenly (or suicide) due to the interference of ghosts and demons. They are well-suited to monasticism.

QI NODE: 6 Grain Rains

Yin and Yang Courtship

"Spring ends with the inter-seasonal qi node Grain Rains. This qi node is the transition from spring to summer. It charges the growth process with increased warmth (Yang) and Rain (Yin). The growing and transforming process is now seen everywhere in Nature. The power of growth hits the ground and spreads. Flowers bloom in orchards. Buds, the true outcome of spring, appear everywhere with the promise of abundance. The mantle of power is given to the princely forms of Yang. It is auspicious if thunder (sound of spring) is heard in this qi node to welcome the power of summer - just as it is auspicious that the quiet of autumn ends in the utter silence of winter.

"It is a time of final preparations, even ceremonious preparations. It is a good time to thank the wise mentors who have helped to shape your life. It is a good time to graduate from school or move on to higher education. New and better job (promotions), new and better address (moving house) and the chance to reinvent yourself is present themselves. It is a time to enjoy music, play music and dance. If your cultivation of spring was insufficient or negligent you will be held back with Damp (criticism, lethargy, allergies and indigestion)."

LM The Way of Three Treasures

LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 1 Qian: Heaven

"Qian is the natural endless progress of time as symbolized by the onset of spring. Time is celestial movement, like the wind in the sky - not the product of human effort. The first hexagram is like the head of a circle; it is the beginning or renewal of a constant and endless cycle of time."

LM Changing: Zhouyi

::: ::: :::

SUNDAY April 26, Yin Earth Pig 4

Hexagram 53 Jian: Gliding

Lunar Mansion: The Watchers / Cock

Solar Indicator: Danger

Today's character, sensual, lethargic and aimless, is ideal for the auspices. When in doubt, chill.

"Jian is the omen read from the gliding, settling, gliding and settling of migrating birds. It is about gradual and instinctive progress. Jian also represents the growth of plants, a traditional courtship, the gracious acceptance of fate, and our natural continuity with the ancestors. It is the story of a long and predestined journey, the power of perseverance, and the predisposition (character, nature and fate) inherent in our birth.”

LM Changing: Zhouyi 53 Jian

“It is not auspicious to be industrious in any way (building will bring loss). All positive events that occur today will ultimately have negative results (marriage will end in disloyalty and divorce). Medical treatments on this day will complicate existing illness - turn acute into chronic (possibly bring on premature death). Confrontation or battle on this day will lead to injury or death.” 

LM Notes: The Watchers

“To roust hypocrisy in his new alliances the leader must bait his hidden enemies (yin) by showing vulnerability. This day is a qi expression of true power but all the action is fraught with danger and risk. The games of political power are also the precursors of decline. The power plays show yin to be drawing life from the heart of yang. Success is limited now to a kind of survival. Manipulation and covert action succeed. Elegance becomes the mask of cleverness and intrigue. Doing only what needs to be done is best. Old habits or patterns of pressing forward will invite catastrophe. Beware grudges.”

LM Notes: Danger

MONDAY April 27, Yang Metal Rat 5

Hexagram 39 Jian: Stumbling

Lunar Mansion: The Net / Crow

Solar Indicator: Complete

It's another day to keep it light, though industry is possible. Today's character is: sensitive, meticulous and resourceful, be restful and disciplined.

“Events call for experts, but, even if experts cannot be found, all goes well. Caution, patience, humility and self-discipline pay off. If you are not anxious or selfish, you are given success."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 39 Jian

"To consult a physician and consult oracles (divination of all kinds) will bring clarity. It is a good day for industry (labor/gardening = long term wealth), building (restores clarity) and burying the dead (enhance intuition). It is inauspicious to take anything for granted. It is inauspicious for revolution, confrontation, breaking taboos, neglecting responsibilities or travel (someone at home dies/gets sick)."

LM Notes: The Net

“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

TUESDAY April 28, Yin Metal Ox 6

Hexagram 52 Gen: Still

Lunar Mansion: The Beak / Monkey

Solar Indicator: Harvest

Today is a clutch day. Let it ride...today's character is accommodating, strong and reliable.

"You are advised to keep still (resist the urge to move) and enter the unseen (meditation) - two actions, which are non-actions. Good fortune comes from keeping still. Let things arise of themselves. Do not struggle.”

LM Changing: Zhouyi  52 Gen

"It bodes well to follow superiors, practice austerity and/or pool resources with others. It is a good day to sincerely comply with divination and maintain taboos meticulously.

"It is inauspicious to push forward, be industrious or initiate new ventures. Revolution or demanding idealistic justice on this day will be catastrophic."

LM Notes: The Beak

“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

::: ::: :::

LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 56 Lu: Sojourner

"Favorable for small accomplishments and temporary appeasement, but inauspicious generally. Discretion is vital in whatever you do."

LM Changing: Zhouyi

::: ::: :::

WEDNESDAY April 29, Yang Water Tiger 7

Hexagram 15 Qian: Modesty

Lunar Mansion: The Trio / Gibbon

Solar Indicator: Open

Today's strong character is proud, stubborn and strong. The auspices suggest toning it down a notch and making adjustments rather than signing contracts.

“With true modesty anything can be accomplished. In modest steps a great journey can be accomplished. Even when strong action needs to be taken, do not abandon modesty.”

LM Changing: Zhouyi 15 Qian

"It bodes well to dispose of inessentials (haircuts), edit, fast, study (Classics), take exams, enter retreat and practice meditation. It is good to be industrious close to home (house clean). Initiating business (particularly group enterprise) will be fruitful if planning has been thorough.

"It is inauspicious to push forward aggressively. Do not get married, finalize divorce, bury the dead (it will create family dissent), spend savings or speculate financially as these all lead to losing resources and cooperation."

LM Notes: The Trio

“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

::: ::: :::

In resolution and adventure...

Warmly,

Jamie Shulander

Instagram@jamieshulander

jshulander@gmail.com

Chinese Almanac Astrology April 22 - 25, 2020

In honor of my Teacher, Liu Ming,


 




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

INDICATORS - The pattern components that continuously rotate per year, month, daily, lunar or solar phase. The indicators below articulate the current alignment.

::: ::: :::

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: 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).

QI NODE: 6 Grain Rains

Yin and Yang Courtship

"Spring ends with the inter-seasonal qi node Grain Rains. This qi node is the transition from spring to summer. It charges the growth process with increased warmth (Yang) and Rain (Yin). The growing and transforming process is now seen everywhere in Nature. The power of growth hits the ground and spreads. Flowers bloom in orchards. Buds, the true outcome of spring, appear everywhere with the promise of abundance. The mantle of power is given to the princely forms of Yang. It is auspicious if thunder (sound of spring) is heard in this qi node to welcome the power of summer - just as it is auspicious that the quiet of autumn ends in the utter silence of winter.

"It is a time of final preparations, even ceremonious preparations. It is a good time to thank the wise mentors who have helped to shape your life. It is a good time to graduate from school or move on to higher education. New and better job (promotions), new and better address (moving house) and the chance to reinvent yourself is present themselves. It is a time to enjoy music, play music and dance. If your cultivation of spring was insufficient or negligent you will be held back with Damp (criticism, lethargy, allergies and indigestion)."

LM The Way of Three Treasures

LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 6 Song: Disputing

"When a situation lacks clarity it is best to retreat and wait for fortunes to change. Using litigation is a costly and risky way to succeed. If disputes are successfully resolved, caution is still required in handling the outcomes. Do not exert yourself in complicated or obstructed situations. Do not force things. It is favorable to self-reflect and to seek counsel.” 

LM Changing: Zhouyi

::: ::: :::

WEDNESDAY April 22, Yin Wood Goat 30

Hexagram 31 Xian: To Be Moved

Lunar Mansion: The Wall / Porcupine

Solar Indicator: Level

Today has momentum and the character to support it: industrious, sincere and disciplined.

“The growth of influence and inspiration described by Xian is at first calm with awe, then stirred up by enthusiasm and, finally, confident enough to act. Though the progress is gradual, patient and intuitive - success is inevitable. The fullness of success is in the discovery of the natural reciprocity and support of a partner or a group. This qi sensation is deeply moving and difficult or impossible to put into words. Do not expect words to express such deep connection; let inspiration radiate from your actions.”

LM Changing: Zhouyi 31 Xian

"It is auspicious to build, remodel and make fengshui adjustments (increase opportunities/wealth [public part of home]). It is auspicious to initiate business, sign contracts and get married (strengthen family ties). It is auspicious for investments, banking (gardening [increase fertility]) and study (the classics). It is an especially good day to exercise (martial arts), socialize (create parties, feasts and celebrations). It is also advantageous to travel, start a journey or vacation. NOT complying with the auspice of this indicator may lead to madness and suicide.

"Contraindicated activity: It is inauspicious to withdraw, begin an austerity or retreat."

LM Notes: The Wall

“This is a day when stable readiness and the qi of confidence blooms into activity. Youthful anxiety and ambition are replaced by personal strength and confidence. From this position all things look and are possible. Educated choices are easily acted upon. Others join you to enlarge the success of activity. The prince (yang) is mature, if inexperienced, but ready to act independently of his mother (yin). Pleasure is the outcome of disciplined practice. Yang qi’s previously renegade quality is matured, integrated and dominant.”

LM Notes: Level

::: ::: :::

LUNAR MONTH: YIN METAL SNAKE (1821, 1881, 1941, 2001, 2061) ‘Hibernating Snake’

Metal Snakes are bright, sensitive and insightful. Their childhoods (up to 28) are often difficult and sorrowful. Though socially active they remain aloof in fear of betrayal. Their sensitivity often gives them visions and surrounds them with subtle beings, not all of who mean them well. Their mental health is always precarious, especially if parents and/or a partner do not protect them. Their deaths come suddenly (or suicide) due to the interference of ghosts and demons. They are well-suited to monasticism.

LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 1 Qian: Heaven

"Qian is the natural endless progress of time as symbolized by the onset of spring. Time is celestial movement, like the wind in the sky - not the product of human effort. The first hexagram is like the head of a circle; it is the beginning or renewal of a constant and endless cycle of time."

LM Changing: Zhouyi

::: ::: :::

THURSDAY April 23, Yang Fire Monkey 1

Hexagram 56 Lu: Sojourner

Lunar Mansion: The Stride / Wolf

Solar Indicator: Settle

Another day for action. Today's character is organized, industrious and frank; use this character's adaptability to find what actions are appropriate.

"Favorable for small accomplishments and temporary appeasement, but inauspicious generally. Discretion is vital in whatever you do."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 56 Lu

"It is auspicious to build, remodel or repair property (line clothing for winter) - in the sense to fortify or strengthen. It is auspicious to transact routine business, banking (anything that parallels the storing for winter), to plan but not speculate. It is beneficial to receive medical treatments (qi in channels) It is favorable to make amulets. 

"It is inauspicious to travel, argue or press lawsuits. It is not advised to dig the ground or bury the dead."

LM Notes: The Stride

“Preparedness makes action timely and successful. Tradition, convention, training, education - all forms of readiness, inspire action. Forces join together and new alliances produce unexpected results. Action taken with such thorough preparation is bound to succeed. The qi of the day is stable, progressive and functional. Clarity and calm (yin) are not unseated by action (yang). Focus and repetition succeed. Procrastination and equivocation is contraindicated.” 

LM Notes: Settle

FRIDAY April 24, Yin Fire Rooster 2

Hexagram 62 Xiao Guo: Small Succeeds

Lunar Mansion: The Mound / Dog

Solar Indicator: Maintain

Today's character may over complicate matters, skillful, sensual and restless; keep the focus small, in gatherings and celebration.

"Success in small matters. The judicious and timely use of small force succeeds. Being an assistant is favorable. Things go well if you avoid pretense."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 62 Xiao Guo

"It is time to build (thresholds, public buildings) and add on (growth of family: new baby, new bride) to property. It is auspicious to initiate and continue routine business. It is a day for feasting, gatherings and romance. Marriages contracted/performed today produce resourceful and wealthy children. It is an excellent day for assemblies, parties and celebrations.

“This day brings fresh breezes in Spring, cooling mist in Summer, light rain in Fall and thin ice in Winter. It is inauspicious to enter retreat, practice renunciation or travel alone. Avoid confrontation."

LM Notes: The Mound

“Spontaneous action and inspiration (yang) become the new tradition (yin). Qi assertion (yang) is repeated again and again to hold and harden gains (yin). Establishing a new state is the focus. The qi of practice and the drilling of troops is awesome. Allies appear from all quarters. True majesty succeeds without pressing forward. Today success breeds more success and everyone may be included in the new victories. Generosity is a prophylactic to decline - giving is a sign of strength and cements alliances. It is the sun at noon.”

LM Notes: Maintain

SATURDAY April 25, Yang Earth Dog 3

Hexagram Consult the Oracle

Lunar Mansion: The Stomach / Pheasant

Solar Indicator: Destroy

When in doubt today, consult the oracle, and be prepared to take stock. Today's character: modest, funny and independent, should be able to take stock, manage forward progress and be willing to release when necessary.

"It is auspicious to build, bury the dead (increase status/rank) and marry (your children will hobnob with kings) on this day. It is a good day to make your case, to push forward and to ask for what you are due (collecting receivables). It is a good day for gift giving and charity (canceling debts owed you)."

“Contraindicated activity: It is inauspicious to be confrontational, break the law or squander resources (gamble); such activities will bring years of loss and regret.”

LM Notes: The Stomach

“The successful prince as warrior must now lose his youthful ambitions and develop into a proper king….Today calculated loss (cancellation) succeeds”

LM Notes: Destroy

::: ::: :::

In resolution and adventure...

Warmly,

Jamie Shulander

Instagram@jamieshulander

jshulander@gmail.com