This Fire Rat Month: Fire at Will.
the (11th) month of the Fire Rat 2024.
(00:29am 7th December to 11:15am 5th January inclusive)
in the Year of the Wood Dragon.
Public Edition
Hexagram 27
The Corners of the Mouth.
A 4 month can be pioneering.
A Rat Month is about communication.
Where not to be this month: North East, North West
Where to be this month: North, South West,
Favoured Animals: Rat, Monkey, Dragon, Ox..
Especially challenged: Horse, Sheep.
The Hexagram* (above): Yi Corners of the Mouth, Mountain over Thunder.
Summary: Nourishment of all sorts.
S
3 8 1
2 4 6
7 9 5
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I am teaching and practising Ba Zi (that is the “Four Pillars of Destiny”) one to one via Zoom all the time of course. My next book I Talk to the Animals due out mid-2025, is a comprehensive guide to the drafting, interpretation and practice of Ba Zi. We’re playing with the idea of an advanced Ba Zi workshop: Ba Zi Discoveries, exploring some things I’ve learned in a quarter of a century of Ba Zi practice that you’re unlikely to come across anywhere else.
My Monthly Podcast with the brilliant Zoe Vita James maps the changing qi and its likely implications for each Animal. Additionally from this month onwards in the intervening fortnights we’re putting one out concentrating upon hints, tips and principles of Classical Feng Shui: this month how to recognise the helpful and less helpful aspects of the interior of a house. And what you might be able to do about it. You’ll find both on Spotify.
“Pay heed to the providing of nourishment and to what a man seeks to fill his own mouth with.” Wilhelm. The Book of Changes, Text of Hexagram 27
The Rat Month brief respite before everything accelerates again late in January.
The Monthly Hexagram Yi, Number 27 The Corners of the Mouth.
The lines themselves resemble an open mouth with teeth showing and represent the nourishment we might gain by being careful about what we put into our mouths as well as the nutrition we might offer by way of the words that come out of it. As we descend into torpor following over indulgence at Christmas we might aim to stay conscious of the value of clean, kind and honest communication.
The kua at the heart of this month’s lo shu or magic square is the adventurous 4 associated with learning, discovery, exploration and scandal. As far as I can tell pockets of qi have no idea whether they are good or bad but the 4 is generally reckoned positive and has gained power since the 9th Chinese Fate Period kicked in in 2023. 4 represents both the Snake and the Dragon whose realm is South East, the most hazardous direction to face for another year yet, though fine to locate – especially so this month. This year and next continue to back onto South East. Do not face that way.
Not a comfortable time for Horses or Sheep. No astrological analysis will ever truly “get” you and you always have free will and agency. Within the timeless laws however that govern Ba Zi it’s reasonable to suppose this month will be tough too for Roosters, Tigers and Dogs and relatively comfortable for Rats themselves, Dragons and Monkeys.
You may well not know that there are at least four Animals to consider in your own Ba Zi chart and that it is as unlikely that they’re all suffering during the Rat Month as all making hay. Each Animal – covering Year, Month, Day and Hour – illuminates a particular aspect of life. To know this about yourself may be timely. Apply within. My Annual Animal Fortunes will be on the website early in January
It is now the Season of Water, when discussion replaces action to a great extent. It’s axiomatic that it’s hard to get anything much done before mid-January now. To make best use of this time more truth may be required. Emotion may be high and a sense of loss is common as the qi bottoms out and the light recedes. Human beings like bears are programmed to overeat in December and sleep it off till February. If ever attention to the location and orientation of things is needed it’s around now as the year changes.
The Month of the Fire Rat, Animal by Animal:
These brief homilies carry different nuance dependent upon whether this Animal rules your Year, Month, Day, Hour or Life House.
Rat (1948, 60, 72, 84, 96; births in December* 11pm-1am & on certain days#). Time to make and take statements. Convivial is probably best
Ox (1949, 61, 73, 85, 97; births in January*, 1-3am & on certain days#) It may not be obvious but you are now in charge and yours is the agenda being followed. Take note; it won’t be forever.
Tiger (1950, 62, 74, 86, 98; births in February*, 3-5am & on certain days#) Sleepy tim as your strength builds towards the spring, Stay in trim and in tune.
Rabbit (1951, 63, 75, 87, 99; births in March*, 5-7am & on certain days#) Could be overwhelming. Include family gradually and selectively,
Dragon (1952, 64, 76, 88, 2000; births in April* 7-9am & on certain days#) Your magic has returned even though you’re probably working right down to the wire.
Snake (1941,53, 65, 77, 89; births in May*, 9-11am & on certain days#) Power in waiting. Sharpen pen and decide upon your relationship with the facts.
Horse (1942, 54, 66, 78, 90; births in June*, around midday & on certain days#) Dampened unless you severely limit liquid intake,
Sheep (1943, 55, 67, 79, 91; births in July*, 1-3pm & on certain days#) Time to consider your plans for 2025 when circumstances will differ.
Monkey (1944, 56, 68, 80, 92; births in August*, 3-5pm & on certain days#) Try to spread joy rather than chaos with your playful instincts.
Rooster (1945, 57, 69, 81, 93; births in September*, 5-7pm & on certain days#) Best to settle for advocacy rather than blowing your own trumpet.
Dog (1946, 58, 70, 82, 94; births in October*, 7-9pm & on certain days#) The way through is compliance, you may have to keep reminding yourself.
Pig (1947, 59, 71, 83, 95; births in November*, 9-11pm & on certain days#) Build power while little is expected of you.
* Chinese Solar Months start later than European ones.
#You’ll need help or a Chinese Calendar for this.
A Helpful Day
Sunday 15th December, Water Ox, House, Remove (2) ***** peaking.
Full Moon: 15:20pm. House indicates needing to pay some sort of entry fee – which looks like a good idea today. Success speaks for itself, Water Ox (consisting of Yin Water and Yin Earth giving birth to Yin Metal) suggests that a solid idea and a little compromise (but not too much) will open doors. Most constructive activity supported. Discard with care.
Activity: at Rat due North for words.
Favours: all especially Snake, Rooster, Ox, Rat.
Not so Much
Friday 20th December, Earth Horse, Basket, Remove (6) **** for discretion.
Breakthrough and not in an ideal way. Might mean literal or metaphorical flooding, a feeling that it’s all too much. Is it? When Basket coincides with Remove on a revelatory Horse Day in a Rat Month, it’s easy to throw away something important whose loss you might regret. Best not to.
Activity: Water at the Rat (due North) might be a helpful disruption.
Favours: nobody much
A Helpful Location
North, Communication: Star: 8 Month Star: 9.
The North, the place of Water, communication, frankness and emotional release has been a useful gateway all year. It will probably get better this month. What we can say for sure, regardless of your particular circumstances, is that the 9 magnifies what is already there as well as exposure; 9 spreads light. If that’s what you want and the North has served you well this year, things will only improve this month. In 2025 the particular Stars in your own space will be more critical as the finicky 7 will be visiting.
To exploit: Wood: e.g plants, flowers, arrangements of three, columns or indeed the Eldest Son. Young men generally will tend to thrive here for now.
Not so Much
West, Intervention: Year Star: 5 Month Star: 6 Year Wu huang.
The visiting 6 Yang Metal Star, representing Fathers, authority earned, bestowed and seized, really just means the impact of the 5 is directed differently. Best stay well clear if you’re in any of these categories as it is a very unusual house that has Flying Stars (dictated by orientation and date of construction) that can make much positive use. Strictly this is only good news if the West is in your toilet and only your toilet. If it’s an important room/sector by the same token, it’s likely to be much healthier next year.
To mitigate: only a t’ang lung makes a real difference here right now.
Note:
Every house is different but certain forces affect us all wherever we are. The above identifies which areas (measured from the tai chi or geometric centre) are better this month & which worse pretty much everywhere. That applies to all enclosed spaces. What to do about it depends very much on the individual house where the energies will be individual and may qualify or contradict my suggestions. Ask if in doubt.
Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info
Richard Ashworth is one of the most respected Western Feng Shui Masters. A good taster of his approach may be found on Audible . You can also see him at work on tv’s Housebusters Most Thursdays and Fridays he is to be found teaching both feng shui and ba zi one-to-one online (times by mutual arrangement) with students from Seattle to Belgium,
Richard has worked from Lebanon to Bermuda, in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and with stars such as Naomie Harris, Kelly Hoppen and Gillian Anderson. Unusually for a Western Master, he has addressed the Grand Masters at the International Feng Shui Conference in Singapore.
Every month we send (at a modest fee) retainer clients a more comprehensive monthly bulletin than this one, covering in detail right places to be (and when) as well as the most helpful days Animal by Animal and much more from the Chinese calendar.
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Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info