Auspicious Dates and Places for the month of the Wood Dog 2024.(8th October to 7th November)

Auspicious Dates and Places for
the (9^th) month of the Wood Dog 2024.
(04:31 8^th October to 07:49 7^th November inclusive)
in the Year of the Wood Dragon.

Public Edition

                                                          Hexagram 39
Jian

                             

  This Wood Dog Month: Immovable Objects, Unstoppable Force

 “When one cannot act of one’s own volition but is duty bound to go and seek out danger in the service of a higher cause: then one may do it without compunction, because it is not through any fault of theirs that they are putting themselves in this difficult situation.”  Confucius. On Hexagram 39

This Dog Month is the one Chinese astrologers have been waiting for. Practised as so many are at wringing the worst possible prognosis out of the symbols, most see a very difficult month ahead. That doesn’t mean they’re wrong of course but every event like every moment holds within it both learning and healing.

The Monthly Hexagram from the Yi or Book of Changes (otherwise known as the I Ching)  is Number 39 Jian Great Difficulty, Water over Mountain, that is to say a Hard Place over a Rock. As I told my Yi class* last week this looks like a pickle from which the exit is not obvious. The Hexagram does however offer some ways through. It suggests for instance that we may have trapped ourselves somewhere through duty, obligation or ideology and it may be time to back down. And that may not be entirely safe. This applies equally to situations domestic, political, commercial or other. They are as likely to show up in our daily lives as in parliament or the world at large; the bedroom as likely as the office. Time to take that next step.

Home or away, in Eastern Europe or in what used to be called the Holy Land these three totems duty, obligation and ideology, may indeed be the problem. The Hexagram by the way further suggests that incursions to the North over heights is not wise and posits that the way through the pickle may involve some serious risk taking. Sometimes the Yi is spookily specific.

That very yang stuckness is of course not unique to the big stand offs. Poor decisions made by groups of unsupervised men are arguably at the heart of most of the problems in the world. And those of us who know this can get off our own fixed positions and ease the descent for others. Line 6 may actually echo the Bodhisattva vow: to keep coming back until all are in nirvana.

The kua at the heart of this month’s lo shu or magic square is the Yang Metal 6 of the Father and of authority, which again does not sound helpful. At its worst this is the authority that offers no justification other than age, gender and position. The US Presidential Election may right now be demonstrating whether such qualifications alone are adequate.

Technically this entire Dragon Year has been in opposition to 1946 Fire Dog Donald Trump but it has also presented twin Wood Dragons Kamala Harris and Tim Walz with what is known as the “self-clash”: apart from indicating that these two may have serious differences, this interpretation means that only Dragons who have truly stepped up this year can meet the challenges usefully. This applies of course to all Dragons – myself included. There’s no hiding place during October and that may prove a truly transformational thing.

Not a comfortable time then for Dragons or Dogs. And it seems to me that the one-line homilies I have for some while been including in these bulletins undermine the very Ba Zi# calculations that produce them. So I’m toying with dispensing with them altogether. No astrological analysis will ever truly “get” you. You also have free will and agency. Within the timeless laws however that govern Ba Zi it is reasonable to suppose that this month will be tough too for Roosters and Sheep and more comfortable for Rabbits and Pigs.

You may well not know that there are at least four Animals to consider in your Ba Zi and that it is as unlikely that they’re all suffering during the Dog 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.

It is true however that the Year Animal does a great deal of heavy lifting. So if you were born in a Horse, Tiger or even Snake or Monkey Year, you may find this month to be bonanza time, the Ox who agonises over decisions not so much, nor the more controlling Rat.

The payload of this Dog month falls in the so-called “Hidden Stem”: a three-day pocket of rampant Fire between the 17^th and the 20^th. Fire so late in the year is unseasonable of course and can mean many things: it has over the years coincided with battles and market collapses. Perhaps investigate October 1929 or October 1987 for detail. Or October 21^st 1805.

It is as if a spark of Fire pushes things beyond a peak. A kind of burn out. How this may play out in terms of world or domestic events will depend on the circumstances but even if it’s not spectacular, this is generally an explosive rather than a peaceful thing

It is now the Season of Metal, when things are counted up and conclusions drawn: whether gains made in the year are to be banked or used for further speculation; how to get through the cold time that is coming. Indeed at this time the ancients Celts slaughtered such cattle as were more economically carved up and stored in salt than fed and watered. Simple precision can be a harsh thing and it is pretty much what Metal amounts to.

Metal can be the mindset of “realism”, the place where all sorts of cruelty is justified in the name of hard decisions which will for the most part not affect the decision maker. As soon as we are dealing with precision, human beings tend to think in terms of rightness and wrongness. They become contentious and on the world stage that is truly explosive.

Be ready for those Hidden Stems.

*As ever my monthly Yi Jing class (next one/new intake, November 5^th) will be examining the ramifications of Jin, Hexagram 35, Progress sometimes called Sunrise. Highlights of these sessions appear on my YouTube Channel later in each month. You may not have the stamina for all sixty four Hexagrams but you can join us for a year via Sheilaashworthfengshui@gmail.com

#I am teaching and practising Ba Zi (that is the “Four Pillars of Destiny”) one to one via Zoom all the time of course. And my next book I Talk to the Animals due out mid-2025, is a comprehensive guide.

 New Moon: This Water Rooster month’s New Moon falls on Saturday 2^nd  November at 08:11am. The Pillar of the Day is the Metal Horse, the righter of wrongs. The Lunar Mansion Stomach which presides over storehouses – including prisons – and counsels avoiding washing dirty linen in public.  It’s generally a pretty helpful kind of day. The Daily Officer Success captures its tone. Most constructive activities favoured.

Full Moon: The Full Moon of this very tricky Wood Dog month falls on Thursday 17^th October at 16.50pm. The Day Pillar is a Wood Tiger, the most expansive of the expansive Tigers. This is about taking up space which may belong to others. Not a peaceful day on the lead-in to the time of the turbulent Hidden Stem (17^th-20^th). None of these are helpful portents. The Lunar Mansion Horn presides over beginnings but has no necessary ethical quality while the Daily Officer Stable (meaning what it sounds like) implies that change is slightly beyond imminent. The following three days will tell.

The Month of the Wood Dog, Animal by Animal:
These brief homilies carry different nuance dependent upon whether this Animal rules your Year, Month, Day, Hour or Life House.

Dog (1946, 58, 70, 82, 94; births in October*, 7-9pm & on certain days#) The more flexible you can be, the better. This Dragon Year will have been especially demanding. That’s not about to change.

Pig (1947, 59, 71, 83, 95; births in November*, 9-11pm & on certain days#) A defensive approach works best. Stick to the plan.

Rat (1948, 60, 72, 84, 96; births in December* 11pm-1am & on certain days#). A certain impotence and frustration likely. Not the time for big statements.

Ox (1949, 61, 73, 85, 97; births in January*, 1-3am & on certain days#) If you’re there for others, you’ll tend to be there for yourself.

Tiger (1950, 62, 74, 86, 98; births in February*, 3-5am & on certain days#) Fill your boots but aim to go to rather than from. Jealousy could snag you unawares.

Rabbit (1951, 63, 75, 87, 99; births in March*, 5-7am & on certain days#) Pole position, big gains if you’ll follow the bouncing ball.

Dragon (1952, 64, 76, 88, 2000; births in April* 7-9am & on certain days#) Double tricky. If you’ve been stepping up, do more. If not, step up. Withdrawal won’t help.

Snake (1941,53, 65, 77, 89; births in May*, 9-11am & on certain days#) Possible overwhelm; attention to preparation and precision.

Horse (1942, 54, 66, 78, 90; births in June*, around midday & on certain days#) There’s a following wind pretty much whatever you do. Constructive employment advised.

Sheep (1943, 55, 67, 79, 91; births in July*, 1-3pm & on certain days#) Some sort of exit likely, best identify and choose it before it chooses you.

Monkey (1944, 56, 68, 80, 92; births in August*, 3-5pm & on certain days#) Play till about the 15^th, then expect temporary opposition followed by genuine empowerment.

Rooster (1945, 57, 69, 81, 93; births in September*, 5-7pm & on certain days#) At someone else’s behest from about the 20^th. Employ wisely.

* Chinese Solar Months start later than European ones.
#You’ll need help or a Chinese Calendar for this.

A Helpful Day
Friday 11^th October, Earth Monkey, Ghost, Open (4) **** rebellious
Earth Monkey encourages tinkering. On a Ghost/Open Day drawing on tradition and ancestral wisdom may be appropriate and unfamiliarity may be an asset.Traditionally a day of Heavenly Pardon.
Activity: at Rat due North for guidance
Favours: all, especially Monkey, Rat Dragon and Snake.
Extra Favour: Earth(1968) Metal(1980) Monkey
Earth(1948) Metal(1960) Rat,
Wood(1965) Fire(1977) Snake

Not So Helpful
Wednesday 16^th October, Water Ox, Carriage, Balance (8) ***** brief stillness
The Water Ox is when Earth meets Water. Hard going. The Lunar Mansion Carriage in point of fact carries a specific warning against travel, especially Northwards. Which may mean avoiding the Northern Water of emotionality, speculation and excess discussion. Balance suggests that little will be achieved by these things.
Activity: at the tai chi (or geometrical centre) for purchase.

Locations: helpful & not so much
Every house is different but certain forces affect us all wherever we are. Below we list one location (measured from the middle of the house or tai chi)) that will definitely be less helpful this month and one which will be more useful than usual.. That applies to all enclosed spaces. What to do about it depends very much on the individual house. Ask if in doubt.

A Helpful Location
North East, Beginnings & Endings: 6 Month Star: 9 Fortune Virtue (Ox)
9 visits 6. Fire meets Metal: add Fire for revelation, Metal for explanation. Here Dog fights may raise the energy: clashes of ego, purpose and intention. Tigers & Pigs could join forces. The more reasonable Rat may find the whole thing energising.
Subdue with Earth: e.g substantial New Moon-charged crystal.

Not So Helpful
West, Intervention: Year Star: 5 Month Star: 8 Year Wu huang.
Worse than ever. There may be redeeming Stars here in your particular house but as a general rule, the West holding the tricky 5 wu huang Star, traditionally associated with everything you don’t want to invite or encourage, is polluted all year. Best if it’s a bathroom. Or even missing. The 8 is unlikely to be strong enough to assist. Avoid.
Adjust: t’ang lung continues to address the 5.

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