Sunday, April 30, 2023

Chinese Almanac Astrology May 1 - 7, 2023

   I'm grateful to be a contribution to your life, 

thank you for your contribution to mine!



Teton Valley, ID
One - Line Drawing & Watercolor

Instagram: @jamieshulander


::: ::: :::


 CHINESE ALMANAC ASTROLOGY
In honor and memory of my Teacher, Liu Ming
 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 (aka Auspices): Yearly, Monthly, Lunar and Daily

LUNAR YEAR: YEAR of the RABBIT (Native Yin Wood) Discreet
Charged: Gentle, quiet, peace loving, intuitive, intelligent, aesthetic, domestic, social, diverse, dependent, supportive, loving and authoritative.
Deplete: Gossipy, snobby, superficial, paranoid, greedy, scattered, vain, promiscuous, opportunistic, deceptive, conservative, stubborn and lazy.

Image: The Rabbit talked about in Chinese Astrology is well known to all Chinese peasants as the animal that ‘lives in the moon’. The lunar image represents the Rabbit’s strong need to escape the bright light of day - they hate confrontations of all types. Rabbits take charge of situations from the position of subordinate. Once safety and security are established in their lives they show themselves to be capable and successful managers and advisors. They function best at home. Inveterate collectors, they are likely to ‘feather the nest’ with a great many material possessions. Rabbits actually derive energy from objects and often consider them truly precious.

YIN WATER RABBIT (1843, 1903, 1963, 2023, 2083) ‘Forest Rabbit’

“Water Rabbits are skittish, intuitive and untrusting. They sleep very deeply (troubles appear and resolve in the night). They have a paranoid attitude toward others that is not the product of bad experience in this lifetime. They therefore cannot dedicate themselves to any particular relationship to society and drift through various career choices without success. Though they are good at business and frugal with their finances their fortunes wobble. They may have strong ideas regarding the maintenance of their health, but are uneven in applying them. A strong protector in the form of a partner of mentor, whom they trust, can reverse their wishy-washy fortunes. Most illness are caused by spirit possession.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


LUNAR MONTH: YANG FIRE DRAGON (1916, 1976, 2036, 2096) ‘Sky Dragon’

“Fire Dragons are extremely resourceful, lovable and attractive characters. They are very good with their hands and have great good fortune. They repeatedly overestimate their abilities and refuse help. They have a large and diverse group of friends and stay close to their family. Conversely their intolerance of their enemies (and weakness) often unseats them, giving their enemies great power over them. Their impulsive energy means there is never a dull moment.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


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: 16 Yu: Comfort

"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


::: ::: :::

MONDAY May 1, Yin Earth Goat 12
Hexagram 45 Cui: Assembly
Lunar Mansion: The Bow / Deer
Solar Indicator: Level


“Earth is the native element of the Goat Earthly Branch. Earth Goats are proud, obstinate and aloof characters. Their friends are loyal but their fate is uneven. They often have conflicts of confusion with the opposite sex. A strong and powerful person protects them. Their doubting character creates a constant tension in their lives that undermines their kidneys and nervous system.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


“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


“Auspicious activity: It is auspicious to build and buy new property. It is an especially good day to get married. It is favorable for divination, signing contracts, romance/courtship and all forms of partnership. Good auspice is especially related to festive group events, banqueting, family gatherings and/or community celebrations. It is an excellent day to take office (begin a new job).

Contraindicated Activity: It is not auspicious for funerals/burials (become unsettled: ghosts). Seclusion or isolation is unfavorable (miss opportunity).”

LM Notes: The Bow


“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 HEXAGRAM: 49 Ge: Molting

"It is a favorable time for dramatic reform and revolution - night becoming day. If you are ready to accept serious change and ready to let go of the past, everything is favorable. If you fear change, Ge donates the painful torment of unsuccessful resistance.”

LM Changing: Zhouyi  49 Ge

::: ::: :::


TUESDAY May 2, Yang Metal Monkey 13
Hexagram: 12 Pi: Obstruction
Lunar Mansion: The Wings / Serpent
Solar Indicator: Settle

“METAL is the native element of the Monkey Earthly Branch. Metal Monkeys are respectable, attractive and powerful characters. They have great good fortune and demonstrate it with great versatility and alacrity. They attract many powerful helpers and admirers. Despite their excellent capabilities they may choose to withdraw from the world and/or avoid the Monkey’s characteristic gregariousness. All good fortune can, however, be lost through lawsuit, in war or dangerous environments. Their immunity is weak and they easily pick up contagious diseases.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"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 continue routine work and to uphold and support your superiors. It is auspicious for religious rituals (not ancestral), divination (and compliance), family gatherings and celebrations. It is favorable for sponsoring and/or attending public and cultural events. 

“It is very unfavorable for marriage (cause chronic illness and premature death for both partners), funerals and burials. It is inauspicious for traveling far from home. Buildings begun today become money pits (need constant repair) and the construction will cause injuries and/or accidental deaths.”

LM Notes: The Wings


“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


WEDNESDAY May 3, Yin Metal Rooster 14
Hexagram 15 Qian: Modesty
Lunar Mansion: The Chariot / Earthworm
Solar Indicator: Maintain


“Wood Roosters are idealistic, quarrelsome and insightful. For what seems to them to be no reason, family and sometimes friends abandon them. Their outspoken quality is both a blessing (amusing) and a curse (off-putting). Their fortune is uneven. They often receive the ‘debts of the ancestors’, family debts and congenital illnesses. Though they are likely to suffer from chronic minor illnesses or handicaps, they are long lived.”

LM 60 Characters


“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


“Auspicious Activity: Great success comes to anyone who initiates and continues industry. Business booms, all prosper. Building and remodeling go well (bring prestige). Marriages will inspire both partners to be their best and they will produce brilliant offspring. Funerals, memorials and burials will allow the dead true peace (and produce scholar offspring). Contraindicated activity: It is very unfavorable to procrastinate and/or postpone.”

LM Notes: The Chariot


“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


THURSDAY May 4, Yang Water Dog 15

Hexagram 52 Gen: Still
Lunar Mansion: The Horn / Crocodile
Solar Indicator: Destroy

“Water Dogs are kind, generous and frugal characters. Their material fortunes are very uneven but they are, nevertheless, very generous. Their friends and family love them. They are sentimental and vulnerable to a sad story or a hopeless cause. They are prone to temper tantrums and ecstasy. They never enjoy good health. They are prone to accidents and will be injured or killed by metal weapons or tools.”

LM 60 Characters


"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 is auspicious to begin or initiate any activity (marriage) or series of activities. It is a good day to buy property, plant a garden, apply for and/or begin a new job. It is ideal to apply to or enter school, begin a construction or remodeling project. It is auspicious for marriage proposals and making your case as asking permission is favorably received. All activities related to children and/or young people are auspicious. Its first appearance each year (or any Spring season) is particularly auspicious. A child born on this day will be intelligent and fortunate.


“Contraindicated activity: Funerals, memorials, constructing tombs and burials will bring about disaster to a family. It is not time for exerted effort or overcoming obstacles. The qi is fresh and unformed and therefore should not be pressed into fixation (slavery).”

LM Notes: The Horn


“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


FRIDAY May 5, Yin Water Pig 16
Hexagram 39 Jian: Stumbling
Lunar Mansion: The Neck / Dragon
Solar Indicator: Danger


“WATER is the native element of the Pig Earthly Branch. Water Pigs are volatile, open-minded and gregarious characters. They enjoy career, personal and financial experiments. Their preoccupation with others goes past caring into jealousy and envy. They often squander their qi hoping to please others. Their volatile emotions make them susceptible to all manner of illness and possibly suicide. Their maternal ancestors haunt them. If they resolve their ancestors’ negativity they have great spiritual potential.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


“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


"It is auspicious to comply with the orders of superiors and/or let assistants/helpers lead the way. The image is auspicious, in a preordained sense, but can be ruined by unnecessary effort. It is about the useful conventions of education. Collecting data before action.


"Contraindicated activity: Industry, marriages and weddings, signing contracts and starting or initiating production invite calamity. These activities will bring ruin over the following 10 days. Building on this day causes strokes for fathers and eldest sons. Burying the dead will cause the spread of disease. Going to battle is disastrous. Travel by sea invites shipwrecks."

LM Notes: The Neck


“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


::: ::: :::


QI NODE: 7 Summer Begins

Yang Ascends

"In Summer Begins the Yang heat that was trapped in the Earth (In Winter) is now full-fledged and in the Sky. The sun shines brightly. Hawks soar, frogs croak and earthworms are abundant. Though Yang has nearly matured it can still be impulsive, reckless. If the weather (our conduct) is not seasonal, storms can be destructive to crops. Yang in Summer Begins is like an unskilled soldier anxious to prove his valor on the battlefield. This sense of aggression invites the occasional hot wind invasion so caution is recommended in your exposure to the sun and wind.

“The qi is best at 9am, get up early and do not practice neigong in the direct sun. Several short practice sessions instead of one long one is a good idea. A relaxed sense of confidence and a clear Appetite can be your guide. When in doubt, eat several small meals rather than 2 or 3 big ones. Spring vegetables and fish are still the main course. Vegetarian meals are suitable for anyone now as the produce ripens. Yang activity is ‘full-on’ now so do not sit around lethargically - get up and circulate. Be preserving and maintain connectedness to your springtime dreams and projects."

LM The Way of Three Treasures


::: ::: :::


SATURDAY May 6, Yang Wood Rat 17
Hexagram 53 Jian: Gliding
Lunar Mansion: The Root / Badger
Solar Indicator: Danger

“Wood Rat is the first of 60 configurations of the Stem/Branch system. It is therefore very precarious. Wood Rats are particularly studious, industrious and naive characters. They are extraordinarily clever but also insecure. This may be the result of clinging to trauma (being orphaned or abandoned in childhood). Their rat-like resourcefulness is therefore held back by a lack of depth. Their cleverness and impatience often turns to frivolity, trendiness, deception and cunning. The fortune of wood rat is average and their wealth modest. Endless worrying weakens their constitution and they are prone to injury, skin problems, bowel disorders and arthritis.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"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 auspicious to go to school, make offerings to ancestors, consult oracles and/or physicians. Avoid abandoned buildings and the wilderness (as spirits that cause illness are active). Comply with superiors and taboos (follow conventions/traditions).


"Contraindicated activity: Marriages and weddings bring accidental death. Contracts signed today invite betrayal and embezzlement. Travel by sea invites shipwrecks."

LM Notes: The Root


“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


SUNDAY May 7, Yin Wood Ox 18
Hexagram Consult the Oracle
Lunar Mansion: The Room / Hare
Solar Indicator: Complete


“Wood Ox are particularly humble and naive characters. They do well in school and in any conventional activity involving strength and commitment (romance, marriage and family). They often imagine their own resources (material and emotional) to be more limited than they are and this leads to miserliness and shyness. Their constitutions are strong and they have few illnesses when young. Sleep is a remedy for most ailments. In later life (after 48) they age quickly and may suffer from chronic digestive disorders.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"It is auspicious to make (sincere) offerings to ancestors, consult oracles, practice ritual and meditation, move home, begin construction and add rooms (remodel) to homes and shops. It is a good day for fengshui adjustments, acquiring luxuries, medical treatments (esp food/herb cures) and making investments. Success will visit anyone who studies and/or takes exams today. Funerals on this day benefit both the living and the dead. Straight-forwardness and sincerity bring success."


"Contraindicated activity: Finalizing divorce, excessive ambition and ingratitude. Exaggeration and hypocrisy bring disaster. Not a good day for taking leadership or management responsibilities."

LM Notes: The Room


“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


Jamie Shulander

Instagram: @jamieshulander 

Monday, April 24, 2023

Chinese Almanac Astrology April 24 - 30, 2023

  I'm grateful to be a contribution to your life, 

thank you for your contribution to mine!



Teton Valley, ID
One - Line Drawing & Watercolor

Instagram: @jamieshulander


::: ::: :::


 CHINESE ALMANAC ASTROLOGY
In honor and memory of my Teacher, Liu Ming
 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 (aka Auspices): Yearly, Monthly, Lunar and Daily

LUNAR YEAR: YEAR of the RABBIT (Native Yin Wood) Discreet
Charged: Gentle, quiet, peace loving, intuitive, intelligent, aesthetic, domestic, social, diverse, dependent, supportive, loving and authoritative.
Deplete: Gossipy, snobby, superficial, paranoid, greedy, scattered, vain, promiscuous, opportunistic, deceptive, conservative, stubborn and lazy.

Image: The Rabbit talked about in Chinese Astrology is well known to all Chinese peasants as the animal that ‘lives in the moon’. The lunar image represents the Rabbit’s strong need to escape the bright light of day - they hate confrontations of all types. Rabbits take charge of situations from the position of subordinate. Once safety and security are established in their lives they show themselves to be capable and successful managers and advisors. They function best at home. Inveterate collectors, they are likely to ‘feather the nest’ with a great many material possessions. Rabbits actually derive energy from objects and often consider them truly precious.

YIN WATER RABBIT (1843, 1903, 1963, 2023, 2083) ‘Forest Rabbit’

“Water Rabbits are skittish, intuitive and untrusting. They sleep very deeply (troubles appear and resolve in the night). They have a paranoid attitude toward others that is not the product of bad experience in this lifetime. They therefore cannot dedicate themselves to any particular relationship to society and drift through various career choices without success. Though they are good at business and frugal with their finances their fortunes wobble. They may have strong ideas regarding the maintenance of their health, but are uneven in applying them. A strong protector in the form of a partner of mentor, whom they trust, can reverse their wishy-washy fortunes. Most illness are caused by spirit possession.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


LUNAR MONTH: YANG FIRE DRAGON (1916, 1976, 2036, 2096) ‘Sky Dragon’

“Fire Dragons are extremely resourceful, lovable and attractive characters. They are very good with their hands and have great good fortune. They repeatedly overestimate their abilities and refuse help. They have a large and diverse group of friends and stay close to their family. Conversely their intolerance of their enemies (and weakness) often unseats them, giving their enemies great power over them. Their impulsive energy means there is never a dull moment.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


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: 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 43 Guai


::: ::: :::

MONDAY April 24, Yang Water Rat 5
Hexagram 2 Kun: Earth
Lunar Mansion: Net / Crow
Solar Indicator: Complete


“WATER is the native element of the Rat Earthly Branch. Water Rats are cunning, changeable and slightly paranoid characters. Their fortunes are very uneven when young but improve with age. Their finances will peak and plummet but end up solid. They are astute in many ways, insightful but easily also distracted (untrusting). Their luck (and self-centeredness) changes when they partner with a strong and stable mate or meet a confident teacher. They are prone to wind disorders (nervousness) and poor circulation. Old age will seem like the outcome of survival.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


“Let things naturally fulfill themselves. Let go of planning and meddling. Wait. Restraint is rewarded. It is favorable for peace and inaction.”

LM Changing: Zhouyi 2 Kun


"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 25, Yin Water Ox 6
Hexagram: 23 Bo: Erosion
Lunar Mansion: The Beak / Monkey
Solar Indicator: Harvest

“Water Ox are tough, ornery and solitary characters. Their parents are distant. Their strength results in insensitivity and a dull mind. Their speech is often thoughtlessly hurtful. They work hard but experience chronic fatigue at the same time. They sleep a great deal. Their parents and children love them. Their fortunes are a perpetual struggle, but they, in a sense enjoy the struggle. They are often burdened by the ancestral qi of the unresolved dead.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


“History has recorded many failed revolutions. Bad timing or inappropriate (selfish) motive has undermined many attempts to restructure the powers that be. If you wish to revolt, do not be blinded by idealism, choose the time wisely, be just, and of impeccable virtue. Remember that leadership and eminence are matters of fate."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 23 Bo

"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 early life are found in both maturing and declining. Everything succeeds. Cleverness and survival give way to courage and directness. Be like a beloved monarch not an ambitious merchant. Let new resources and assistance come forward by standing back.”

LM Notes: Harvest


::: ::: :::

LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 16 Yu: Comfort

"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

::: ::: :::


WEDNESDAY April 26, Yang Wood Tiger 7
Hexagram 8 Bi: Alliance
Lunar Mansion: The Trio / Gibbon
Solar Indicator: Open


“Wood is the native element of the Tiger Earthly Branch. Wood Tigers are vigorous, ferocious and scrappy characters. They enjoy material comfort and socializing with the famous and powerful. They suffer from jealousy and indecision. They have difficulty relating to their parents and partner. They often choose to live alone. They are prone to tumorous growths, acute pain and phlegm. They meet many major obstacles in life and overcome them all.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"Bi is about those who strengthen their power through new and renewed alliances with capable people. It is about the confidence to go forward when trustworthy allies and coherent plans unite. Those who do not use this wisdom (join late) do not succeed.” 

LM Changing: Zhouyi 8 Bi


"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


THURSDAY April 27, Yin Wood Rabbit 8

Hexagram 20 Guan: Obervance
Lunar Mansion: The Well / Tapir
Solar Indicator: Shut

“Wood is the native element of the Rabbit Earthly Branch. Wood Rabbits are shrewd, playful and determined characters. They enjoy partying and are sexually promiscuous. Though their fortunes are good, they often squander their good fortune being frivolous (pathetic friends, sports, pop-culture). They often escape the results of their misconduct, but not without strenuous manipulations. They have weak immunity and will always suffer from minor chronic blood disorders or infections.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"The situation is delicate and one in which the observance of details and tradition is of great importance. Progress is based on concentration."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 20 Guan

“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 April 28, Yang Fire Dragon 9
Hexagram Consult the Oracle
Lunar Mansion: The Ghost / Sheep
Solar Indicator: Design


“Fire Dragons are extremely resourceful, lovable and attractive characters. They are very good with their hands and have great good fortune. They repeatedly overestimate their abilities and refuse help. They have a large and diverse group of friends and stay close to their family. Conversely their intolerance of their enemies (and weakness) often unseats them, giving their enemies great power over them. Their impulsive energy means there is never a dull moment.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


“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 April 29, Yin Fire Snake 10
Hexagram 16 Yu: Comfort
Lunar Mansion: The Willow / Roebuck
Solar Indicator: Divide

“FIRE is the native element of the Snake Earthly Branch. Fire Snakes are mesmerizing, ambitious and disciplined characters. They have great previous causes and easily elicit the respect and support from many powerful and influential people. Their speech and charm are seductive. They have a pronounced leadership capacity. They always get what they want. An eldest child born this year will benefit his/her entire family. Their health is good. All their illnesses start out as emotional disturbances. Their spontaneity is epic - but so is their distractedness.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"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

“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 April 30, Yang Earth Horse 11
Hexagram 35 Jin: Advance
Lunar Mansion: The Birdstar / Horse
Solar Indicator: Full


“Earth Horses are daring, impulsive and strong characters. They often find themselves working against the odds. All their projects are obstructed from time to time. They are likely to meet with disaster and/or injury in their youth. Complications from these early injuries will haunt their health for life. They may experience dramatic catharsis in life - more than once. Their fortune is dark and their struggle only leads to exhaustion. They are prone to excess damp.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


“...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


“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


Jamie Shulander

Instagram: @jamieshulander 

In honor of Liu Ming and Chinese Wisdom Science

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