Monday, November 27, 2023

Chinese Almanac Astrology November 27 - December 3, 2023

         

CHINESE ALMANAC ASTROLOGY

Commentary and compilations by Jamie Shulander, 
All notes from class notes/works by Liu Ming

::: ::: :::

LUNAR YEAR: 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: YIN WATER BOAR (1863, 1923, 1983, 2043) ‘Forest Pig’

“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


QI NODE: 20 Little Snows

Yin Expands

“In the Little Snow qi node the continued growth of the cold/yin continues and our adaptation to Big Yin should have set in. The first snow seems beautiful like a young princess. The wisdom of the Past (ancestors) is proven true. The pattern of withdrawal seems just and truthful. Yin is now well established.


“Now it is easy to feel winter has begun. As winter grows cold and the maturation of the annual yin qi develops the cold and damp unite to create snow. Days get shorter - the dark grows quickly. The ground hardens and may freeze, insects disappear and rainbows no longer appear. The qi is best at 10pm. During this period the environment grows ever more yin and yang inhibition grows stronger. Every being/thing must rest. A trip south (winter vacation) is recommended for those with insufficient yang. We must guard our inner yang as it recedes from the environment. Cancel your activities in preparation for retreat. Earphones and iPod should replace public concerts. Check your insulation! Catch up on classic movies.”

LM The Way of Three Treasures


LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 28 Da Guo: Excess

Da Guo contains instructions on how to avoid disaster in heavy, grave or weird and unconventional circumstances. When you get entangled in excess, going forward with caution may be the best thing to do. Excess and eccentricity have their place. Something greater than the usual mechanical sense of cause and effect is at work in Da Guo."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 28 Da Guo


::: ::: :::

MONDAY November 27, Yin Earth Ox 15
Hexagram 43 Guai: Lurch
Lunar Mansion: The Roof / Swallow
Solar Indicator: Full


“EARTH is the native element of the Ox Earthly Branch. Earth Ox are active, stubborn and highly motivated. They struggle to make sense of the world. They work hard for little reward and have a very uneven fortune, but are uncomplaining. Their strength makes more problems than solutions in their life. They are financially strapped, depressed and isolated when young but slowly overcome these limitations. Though capable of caring for others they rarely find a compatible partner or have children. They are prone to stomach/spleen disorders and arthritis.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


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


“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


“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


TUESDAY November 28, Yang Metal Tiger 16

Hexagram: 14 Dayou: Prosperity
Lunar Mansion: The House / Pig
Solar Indicator: Level


“Metal Tigers are demanding, candid and vigorous characters. They are contentious, aggressive, sensual and yet forgiving. They are generous to temples and to their friends. To avoid anxiety they do not hide their feelings or thoughts, but regret it later. When young they are wasteful and their fortune is limited and obstructed but as they age it consistently improves without reversal. They are physically strong and more likely to be injured than ill. They are susceptible to pernicious wind when depressed.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"Through good management, prosperity is established and, through generosity, prosperity is translated into great benefit."

LM Changing: Zhouyi  14 Dayou


“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


“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


WEDNESDAY November 29, Yin Metal Rabbit 17
Hexagram 34 Da Zhuang: Great Strength
Lunar Mansion: The Wall / Porcupine
Solar Indicator: Settle


“Metal Rabbits are intelligent, quiet and humble characters. They are social, quick-witted and generous to those in need. They thrive in intimacy with a select inner-circle, but are otherwise aloof. Though their own fortune is modest, they enjoy the company of social and religious leaders. They enjoy spiritual practices and study, but struggle with their application. They do not have strong constitutions and are susceptible to cold illness with pain symptoms. They die from accidental injuries.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


“The wise use great strength with great caution, because the know it is costly (great injury). In general, the authors of the Zhouyi give great strength no value, unless it is paired with wisdom.

However, it is also observed that even the weak, when in a desperate situation, naturally possess great strength - the will to survive. The force or instinct to survive has great strength and can have a successful result. This kind of great strength should not be confused with belligerence or mere violence."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 34 Da Zhuang


"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


“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


THURSDAY November 30, Yang Water Dragon

Hexagram Consult the Oracle
Lunar Mansion: The Stride / Wolf
Solar Indicator: Maintain


“Water Dragons are hard working, restless and taciturn characters. Despite their efforts, they do not find a home, friends or family easily. Their patience and humor protect them from disaster. They are distinguished but not haughty. Their idealism, turned on themselves, will inhibit them and makes their fortune uneven. They will, however, spend their twilight years in comfort. Despite a strong constitution they are prone to nervous disorders and suffer a constant stream of minor chronic ailments.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"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


“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


::: ::: :::


LUNAR HEXAGRAM: 21 Shihe: Biting

"A Zhou leader was both a warrior and a sage, not a brute. Good leaders know that it is their own miscalculations and poor management that lead to the need for a strong use of force (war). When we resort to harsh punishments we must do so cautiously - even humbly."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 21 Shihe

::: ::: :::

FRIDAY December 1, Yin Water Snake 19

Hexagram 9 Xiao Xu: Minor Force
Lunar Mansion: The Mound / Dog
Solar Indicator: Destroy


“Water Snakes are cunning, gifted and restless characters. Their seductive qi brings them assistance from people of knowledge and power. Their good fortunes rely upon others (previous causes). Their inner life is secret and they do not reveal their real thoughts or feelings to anyone. They dislike personal commitment and are unlikely to parent children. Natural renunciates, who enjoy the wilderness, their potential for the practice of wisdom traditions is great. They are prone to contagious disease and cold illnesses (pain). They are not easily ‘read’.”

 LM Notes: 60 Characters


"It is best to subordinate to or ally yourself with the strong or wait to accumulate more strength and resources. Do not be rambunctious, distracted or diverted. Small projects done well will eventually add up to success. Obstacles and delays can be expected in any forward action.” 

LM Changing: Zhouyi 9 Xiao Xu


"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


“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


SATURDAY December 2, Yang Wood Horse 20

Hexagram 5 Xu: Waiting
Lunar Mansion: The Stomach / Pheasant
Solar Indicator: Danger


“Wood Horses are impulsive, reclusive and focused characters. Intermittent concentration causes them to miss opportunities and make their fortune uneven. Beneath a shy exterior they are self-assured and supportive but they do not make new friends easily. They are very clever with their hands and will be known for this capacity. They dislike surprises and prefer the simple cause and effect concept. They do not express their feelings at all. Though strong, they suffer from wind disorders and liver qi stagnation (conditions hard to diagnose and treat).”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"Xu suggests that waiting is a part of the natural unfolding (fate) of all situations. Xu is about making the most of waiting - using the power of patience and procrastination to avoid struggle and develop wisdom in action. Accepting fate is not about abandoning intelligence. A wise and able person has the sensitivity to find the freedom within fate. The wisdom of Xu is the clarity to hold back and go forward at the right times.” 

LM Changing: Zhouyi 5 Xu

"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


“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 December 3, Yin Wood Goat 21

Hexagram 26 Da Chu: Great Store
Lunar Mansion: The Watchers / Cock
Solar Indicator: Complete


“Wood Goats are industrious, sincere and disciplined characters. They mature quickly, attract helpers and work diligently towards great success. They have great good fortune due to previous causes. Many friends and their children will support them. Their artistic and aesthetic sense is strong, but they rarely produce art due to excessive idealism and naivete. They are strongly affected by their environment. Their strong constitution often chooses self-abuse but will ultimately give them long life.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


“Routine work brings about unexpected results. At the highest level of success is an opportunity to be extraordinarily generous."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 26 Da Chu

“It is auspicious to stay home (familiar places / people), study, enter retreat, initiate austerities and make offerings to the dead. It is wise to postpone everything proactive (marriage, building, funeral, burials).

“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


“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, November 20, 2023

Chinese Almanac Astrology November 20 - 26, 2023

        

CHINESE ALMANAC ASTROLOGY

Commentary and compilations by Jamie Shulander, 
All notes from class notes/works by Liu Ming

::: ::: :::

LUNAR YEAR: 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: YIN WATER BOAR (1863, 1923, 1983, 2043) ‘Forest Pig’

“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


QI NODE: 19 Winter Begins

Yin Hides Yang

“The qi node called Winter Begins is a time of growing cold and the development of Big Yin qi. Days get short and nights grow long. The ground hardens (but does not freeze), insects disappear and the last harvest must be stored away. During this period the environment grows ever more Yin and is characterized by cold (water element). The winter is the great Abyss of Yin. If yang is not stored the world is barren.


As the last of the autumn qi subsides, a cold north wind (qi) appears and the season of winter begins in earnest. Dampness (Earth) riding the cold wind is only occasional. Winter is here and there is a chance to enjoy the Cold. During this period the environmental qi is best at 9pm. Neigong is practiced in the morning and just before bed. Dream with intention.”

LM The Way of Three Treasures


52 Gen: Still

"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


::: ::: :::

MONDAY November 20, Yang Water Horse 8
Hexagram 16 Yu: Comfort
Lunar Mansion: The Heart
Solar Indicator: Danger


“Water Horses are independent, hard-working and thrifty characters. They are particularly gifted craftspeople and have a friendly demeanor. They easily offer themselves to protect and ‘save’ others (military). They are not adverse to intentional ‘tragedy’ (heroism). Their fortunes are likely to improve as they grow old. The most emotional of all Horses they tend to compromise their health with repressed feelings. Their livers are weak and they are susceptible to curses and spells.”

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 auspicious to comply with superiors, make offerings to the ancestors, move home and/or immigrate. Only routine work may avoid negativity. Contraindicated activity: If you start a lawsuit (making your case) you will lose everything (imprisonment). If you construct a building, get married or bury the dead, disaster follows. Everything sold today will be at a loss to the seller. Pushing forward (forcing progress) on this day will have three times the negative result of other days.”

LM Notes: The Heart


“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


TUESDAY November 21, Yin Water Goat 9

Hexagram: Consult the Oracle
Lunar Mansion: The Tail / Tiger
Solar Indicator: Complete


“Water Goats are talkative, sentimental and persevering characters. Their emotional attachments to people and things cloud their wisdom. Their consideration of others undermines their success. Egalitarian idealists they work very hard ‘against all odds.’ Their generosity is unfailing. Rarely thanked for their work they nevertheless are strong helpers. They are often robbed or make poor judgements in financial matters and their fortune does not smooth out until old age (60+). Though rarely ill their illness tends to be complex and hard to diagnose and/or treat.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


“It is auspicious to start a building (brings prosperity), get married (brings fertility), bury the dead (resolves karma) and educate the young (secure longevity) on this day. It is a good time to move house (into a city). These actions today cause a person or family and all their projects to flourish. On this day investments increase in value. It is ideal to give or receive (spend) inheritances. Enjoying the arts is appropriate. Lost treasures can be found on this day. It is ideal for self-cultivation, meditation and enjoyment. It is a time of recognizing and acknowledging achievement with rewards. Evening is less auspicious.”

LM Notes: The Tail


“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


::: ::: :::


QI NODE: 20 Little Snow

Yin Expands

“In the Little Snow qi node the continued growth of the cold/yin continues and our adaptation to Big Yin should have set in. The first snow seems beautiful like a young princess. The wisdom of the Past (ancestors) is proven true. The pattern of withdrawal seems just and truthful. Yin is now well established.


“Now it is easy to feel winter has begun. As winter grows cold and the maturation of the annual yin qi develops the cold and damp unite to create snow. Days get shorter - the dark grows quickly. The ground hardens and may freeze, insects disappear and rainbows no longer appear. The qi is best at 10pm. During this period the environment grows ever more yin and yang inhibition grows stronger. Every being/thing must rest. A trip south (winter vacation) is recommended for those with insufficient yang. We must guard our inner yang as it recedes from the environment. Cancel your activities in preparation for retreat. Earphones and iPod should replace public concerts. Check your insulation! Catch up on classic movies.”

LM The Way of Three Treasures


::: ::: :::

WEDNESDAY November 22, Yang Wood Monkey 10
Hexagram 20 Guan: Observance
Lunar Mansion: The Basket / Leopard
Solar Indicator: Harvest


“Wood Monkey’s are versatile, adventurous and ambitious. Hurt by uncaring parents or orphaned in childhood, they tend to live unsettled lives. They often work at more than one job and live in more than one place - and have an untrusting character. Their ambitions can land them in lawsuits or in prison. A strong mentor or partner can release them from some obstructions. Strong in their youth, they decline in old age plagued by sleep disorders, congenital heart disorders and psychosomatic complications. They are prone to madness and depression.”

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 marry, work hard, purchase, build and remodel (new door =  new resources) on this day. It is auspicious to continue your routine work, review and reinvest. Acquiring wealth (work, invest and collecting debts) is highlighted. Good for burials, memorials and funerals (rain of blessings from the ancestors). Contraindicated activity: Laziness, gossip and slander."

LM Notes: The Basket


“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


THURSDAY November 23, Yin Wood Rooster 11

Hexagram 8 Bi: Alliance
Lunar Mansion: The Ladle / Grifffon
Solar Indicator: Open


“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


"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 is a most auspicious day for Daoist religious rites, initiations and transmission of (esoteric) teachings. It is an auspicious day to start up a business and build a new building (home, temple). It is a safe day to dig foundations (wells, trenches) and get married. New opportunities (news) abound - taking exams and routine work bring great success/reward on this day. It is an auspicious day to bury the dead - they will rest peacefully and benefit the surviving relatives.”


"Contraindicated activity: Hypocrisy, irreverence, breaking taboos and sloth."

LM Notes: The Ladle


“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


FRIDAY November 24, Yang Fire Dog 12

Hexagram 23 Bo: Erosion
Lunar Mansion: The Oxboy / Ox
Solar Indicator: Shut


“Fire Dogs are patient, persevering and kind-hearted. Strong (even aggressive) at standing up for others, they forget to speak for themselves. Their strength isolates them. They are poor planners but excellent and dedicated problem solvers. The problems they solve are often of their own making. They may lose a home or business to fire. They do not enjoy good health due to inherited liver and heat disorders. Their fortunes are shaped by the vague and unresolved longings of their dead ancestors (which must be resolved).”

LM 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 is auspicious to stay home, guard resources, meditate and focus. It is auspicious to initiate austerity, enter retreat, recover and economize.”

LM Notes: The Oxboy


“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


::: ::: :::


28 Da Guo: Excess

Da Guo contains instructions on how to avoid disaster in heavy, grave or weird and unconventional circumstances. When you get entangled in excess, going forward with caution may be the best thing to do. Excess and eccentricity have their place. Something greater than the usual mechanical sense of cause and effect is at work in Da Guo."

LM Changing: Zhouyi 28 Da Guo

::: ::: :::

SATURDAY November 25, Yin Fire Pig 13

Hexagram 2 Kun: Earth
Lunar Mansion: The Maiden / Bat
Solar Indicator: Design


“Fire Pigs are resolute, talented and aggressive characters. They are precocious and tend to marry/partner young or not at all. Having rare and unusual skills they are supported by people of power and influence. They are devout followers and absorb knowledge/power from others. Uniqueness and excessive strength isolate them. Their fortunes improve with age (60+) and/or when they learn to let go. Though they are particularly susceptible to “hot” disease, they respond well to treatment and have long lives.”

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


“It is auspicious to stay home, enjoy the arts, self-reflect, do inner planning 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 an excellent day to recover wisdom by stepping back, planning, recalling alliances and reassessing our position.”

LM Notes: Design


SUNDAY November 26, Yang Earth Rat 14

Hexagram 1 Qian: Heaven
Lunar Mansion: The Void / Rat
Solar Indicator: Divide


“Earth Rats are clever and thrifty characters. Their good fortunes come from their persevering labor and conventionality. They are frugal in their use of money and energy. Fear takes the shape of self-consciousness. They are more likely to be injured (scarred by tools or weapons) than ill, and prone to liver and wind disorders. They marry well and must be attentive parents to their young children, as illness and conduct problems will occur. They leave legacies.”

LM Notes: 60 Characters


"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 1 Qian

“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


"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


Jamie Shulander
Instagram: @jamieshulander 

In honor of Liu Ming and Chinese Wisdom Science

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