Richard Ashworth’s Diary for the month of the Metal Rabbit 2016
The Current Bunny
My diary for the (2nd) month of the Metal Rabbit 2016
(March 4th 11:46am to April 4th 16:32pm inclusive).
Da Zhuang
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Great Power
Hexagram 34
“The little is departing, the great is arriving.”
The Book of Changes.
The Rabbit Month, Animal by Animal.
During this Metal Rabbit month:
The Rat may not be appreciated.
The Ox may shrug off a chain.
The Tiger is impatient.
The Rabbit is home.
The Dragon may be straitened.
The Snake is well-matched.
The Horse paces less quietly.
The Sheep joins.
The Monkey can’t quite hit the target.
The Rooster is opposed.
The Dog is backed up.
and
The Pig regains direction.
Where to do what, when and why.
The East is always about ambition, aspiration and getting ahead; thrusting qualities we tend to associate with the Eldest Son. All year this sector holds in addition the forward-looking 9 Star of sunlight and discovery and right now that helpful star of future fortune is joined by the 8 which relates to things happening right now. Place yourself to the East, face East and/or activate the East of your building with plants (eg 3 bamboos in Water) and/or Water. A fountain is perfect; when choosing a fountain however, ignore cherubs and lettuce, go for exposed surface area. That’s what holds qi.
Current Bunny.
The Rabbit is yin Wood, typically gentle, domestic and approachable. So any Rabbit month can be expected to reflect these attributes. The Rabbit’s secret is that she is the master networker. If you want to work the room, seek a Rabbit. Again these qualities are topical; having landed safely in the Year of the Monkey now may be the time to consider widening our acquaintance.
Metal however clashes with Wood. There is internal conflict in the Metal Rabbit, not the most comfortable of the Zodiac Animals. 2011 – the year “austerity” started to bite – was a Metal Rabbit year, a confusing time, as was 1951 – with post-war rationing still in force. And people born in 1951 tend to display just such a confusion: am I intent upon millions or on saving the world? Am I an idealist or a realist? Gordon Brown who is both a deeply moral man – the son of a Presbyterian minister of course – and among the trickiest politicos of his generation, is a good example.
A disproportionate number of New Age healers were born that dour year, many of whom are right now agonising over whether hugging trees and giving love is enough and what they’ll do once tax credits are abolished. These and other Rabbits (as well as the Pig and the Horse) were turbo-charged by the Year of the Sheep but the Monkey tugs at the carpet. Rabbit, Pig, Sheep and even Horse retain momentum but this month is one for setting goals and getting on with it.
Remember btw that whatever year you were born in, you are much more than a Rabbit or a Dog or whatever and indeed any astrological or other pat analysis. As the Book of Changes says: “Destiny emerges from character.”
And when your ba zi is overshadowed, be sure to get your feng shui right.
Pigs in Blankets.
Some of the above may start to answer a few pregnant questions: such as what happened to those 1947 Fire Pigs like David Bowie and Alan Rickman? One answer is that these very creative people were bolstered by the Sheep of 2015 and that support fell away just as they were at their weakest. These two were just the most eminent; out there among the anonymous, many Pigs are right now reassessing their priorities. Go to it; break through often comes after breakdown. Sometimes after breakfast.
The Monkey’s trickiness also extends to the Europe issue. Suddenly party loyalties, election possibilities and a whole lot more have been shaken up as politicians balance short and long term advantage. Horses like Angela Merkel and David Cameron will be confronted in ways from which only the strongest and best can expect to emerge whole. My Dad used to say that when a politician talks about sovereignty he means his not yours.
Which is to say that the tricky Fire Monkey of the year is doing its mischief; if we track back through previous Fire Monkeys we can see they’re all about separation; 1776, the Year of the American Declaration of Independence, 1836 the Alamo, 1956 Suez and the Budapest Uprising. But the most graphic example may be 1536 when Henry VIII (a bossy Ox like Adolf Hitler, Margaret Thatcher and Napoleon and er…Barack Obama) dissolved the monasteries and effectively cut England off from Europe by seceding from the Catholic Church. This may be when he went off the rails and took up executing Queens as a hobby.
Back in the world of nuts and bolts and markets, Neil Woodford, maverick wizard of the stock exchange, offers the sanest prognosis about Europe: disruption either way as well as huge opportunity. It seemed to work for the Tudors.
Rabbit Pillars; know your Rabbit rating.
Birth in the Rabbit hour (05:00pm-07:00am): diplomatic children.
Birth in the Rabbit month (March*): business networking skills.
Birth on the Rabbit day#: mein host.
Birth in the Rabbit year: gentle, romantic.
* Caution, the Chinese month generally starts and finishes a few days after ours.
# You’ll need a Chinese calendar for this. Or ask.
Richard Ashworth ©2016