Auspicious Dates and Places for The (11th) month of the Earth Rat, 2020.

The Month of the Earth Rat, Animal by Animal:
These generic forecasts carry different nuances dependent upon whether this Animal rules your Year, Month, Day, Hour or Life House.

You can if you like, learn a great deal more about these Animals on my workshop ‘I Talk to the Animals’  covering each one in turn over a weekend  (January 30th/31st for Europe & February 6th/7th 2021 USA & elsewhere) The Early Bird Price expires on December 14th. Ill be including detail you may never have considered about each animal, learned from my travels in SE Asia and 20 years of field work.
Details here: https://imperialfengshui.info/i-talk-to-the-animals/

Rats (1948, 60, 72, 84, 96; births in December* 11pm-1am & on certain days#). Home territory. There are those who consider the Month or Year Animal at any given time to be “poked”. The poke you’re receiving is a cattle prod. Do what you have to do now before it gets difficult. The call is to respect facts.

Ox (1949, 61, 73, 85, 97; births in January*, 1-3am & on certain days#) You have power now for a further 14 months. Make good use of it right away. May not be comfortable.

Tiger (1950, 62, 74, 86, 98; births in February*, 3-5am & on certain days#) You’re the unexpected star of 2021. Wait your turn, little motivation as yet; it’ll come by February latest.

Rabbit (1951, 63, 75, 87, 99; births in March*, 5-7am & on certain days#) A month of complaints that may verge on petulance. Get a grip; you are in every sense responsible. Not such a bad thing btw.

Dragon (1952, 64, 76, 88, 2000; births in April* 7-9am & on certain days#) Last vestige of Rat power, so now you’re on your own. It’s not so bad. Don’t try to be clubbable, it doesn’t suit you. They’ll call when they need you.

Snake (1941,53, 65, 77, 89; births in May*, 9-11am & on certain days#) A time to question certain delusions. You’ll locate them by locating the pain. Whodunnit?

Horse (1942, 54, 66, 78, 90; births in June*, around midday & on certain days#) No time for frolics but there is support in the yang Water of the Rat if you don’t wallow in it. Discouragement might best be viewed as a constructive restraint. Park but don’t lose your most brilliant ideas.

Sheep (1943, 55, 67, 79, 91; births in July*, 1-3pm & on certain days#) Doors close but you don’t need them open to be up to date. Don’t try to second-guess the opinions of others before you express yours. That way they’ll know who you are

Monkey (1944, 56, 68, 70, 82; births in August*, 3-5pm & on certain days#) Fun time. You can frolic. But try to joke without victims. It’s nothing to do with political correctness and all about compassion.

Rooster (1945, 57, 69, 81, 93; births in September*, 5-7pm & on certain days#) Little space for ostentation. Indeed there are cries for help you may be wilfully ignoring. That really is not show business.

Dog (1946, 58, 70, 84, 96; births in October*, 7-9pm & on certain days#) Consideration required, the Ox Year will tend to puzzle. Start to work it out now.

Pig (1947, 59, 71, 83, 95; births in November*, 9-11pm & on certain days#) Underpowered. Creativity coming in waves; surf.

* Remember Chinese Months start a little later than European ones.
# You’ll need help and/or a Chinese Calendar for this.
 
Keep your head down
This Earth Rat Month – a few Notes. 
The theme of the month is dramatic change; the week between the 14^th and the 21^st features a rare Jupiter/Saturn conjunction (which happens only once every 19.85 years) a total solar eclipse over South America and of course the Winter Solstice. Compost heading for air-conditioning. More on this on my Metal Ox Online Forecast Day(s) 12^th & 13^th December.It’s sold out but we’ll put a digest out  early next year and much of it will be included in the January/ /February Animal Workshop weekends:   https://imperialfengshui.info/i-talk-to-the-animals/.

Whether it relates to the uniquely unruly response to the US Election, the state of your own business or domestic life or the rumbling of the abused planet, the coinciding of Double Numbers (Annual & Monthly lo shus both with the tricky 7 at the centre) and Double Animals (Rat Month in Rat Year) is very rare (last time, 180 years ago, that is in 1840) and it makes for a showdown. Things come to a head. Winners and losers on the public stage may be hard to tell apart. I’ll be looking at how it panned out in 1841 on the 12^th & 13th and looking for the parallels that indicate what happens next.

This is a 7 Month. The 7 Star is both Fire and Metal. Known as the Red Seven, it’s rarely helpful. So steer clear of the heart of your space as well as capitals and HQs generally.

The Rat Month Hexagram from the Yi or Book of Changes is Earth over Thunder, Fu, The Return, Number 24. The light returns towards the end of Fu’s run when the Sun moves again after the Solstice (literally “Sun still”) and the days start to be perceptibly longer and warmer. If you were to cast this Hexagram, you might be in for some self-reflection followed by a fresh start.

The above is true every year but the Hexagram relating to this particular December is Yu, Water over Thunder, Tun, Difficulty at the Beginning. The advice offered is to look carefully after resources and equipment. “Trust in God and keep your powder dry”, it suggests. This advice becomes especially relevant every five years btw.  Be ready for a very changed world in 2021. And a rapidly-changing one. There is no new normal.

Where to be in December.
Summary: leadership.
North West, Authority: Year Star: 8 Month Star: 8.
The 8 enhances the NW all year of course, promoting genuine rather than annointed authority, two 8s even more so. Prosperous place to settle, creative direction to face. Favours Rabbit (otherwise troubled) & Tiger, the older man, leaders and original thinkers, governments in exile. This is a refuge from which to wield true power. And to remember from whence it came. Make space, this area will be crowded.
Enhance: Fire: bright light 24/7 if you can.

Where not to be in December.
Summary: robbery, fire, other
Tai chi, Home, the centre: Year Star: 7 Month Star: 7.
7 means trouble, Double 7, Double Trouble, also a coming home to roost. Things return to haunt, neglected issues demand attention, authority doubles down. Fire and Metal, youngest daughter, twin girls. Robbery and fires – literal# or figurative – in the tai chi. The tension between Fire and Water that has threatened all year comes to a head. Hazardous for the fiery eg Horses, some Snakes, Dogs & Tigers especially those at the centre of things, HQs, capitals and the heart of your own space. Troubled Waters. Keep talking, occupy the periphery and stay away from the tai chi. Peaks between 14^th and 21^st.
Mitigation: add Water; another bowl changed daily will help, not a Water fountain. Make it proportionate. Water is reckoned to drain and tame the 7, even two of them.

# only in very extreme circumstances.

Richard Ashworth ©2020
www.imperialfengshui.info

Richard Ashworth is among the most respected Western Feng Shui Masters. He was among the pioneers of feng shui survey & analysis at a distance (now of course pretty much the only way to do it) on MySpirit Radio in the noughties. A good taster of his approach may be found on Audible at https://adbl.co/2m92Es3.You can also see him at work on tv’s Housebusters at https://bit.ly/2lJWLBl

Richard has worked from Lebanon to Bermuda, in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and with stars such as 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.
Subscriptions (and further info): sheilaashworthfengshui@gmail.com
Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info