Auspicious Dates and Places for The (12th) month of the Earth Ox, 2020/21

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

Rats (1948, 60, 72, 84, 96; births in December* 11pm-1am & on certain days#). Productive but when an Ox Month opens an Ox Year, the direction of travel is out of your hands. Grace is the key. Choose your battles.

Ox (1949, 61, 73, 85, 97; births in January*, 1-3am & on certain days#) You’re in charge. Once you recognise this you’ll be a lot less disruptive. And less disrupted. Wield power positively.

Tiger (1950, 62, 74, 86, 98; births in February*, 3-5am & on certain days#) Double Ox (actually triple) means you hit the ground running. Pace yourself, don’t overshoot. There’s always plenty of time.

Rabbit (1951, 63, 75, 87, 99; births in March*, 5-7am & on certain days#) Could be very creative as Ox is your choi (that is success). Don’t insist on the credit. Allow for some loss in the process.

Dragon (1952, 64, 76, 88, 2000; births in April* 7-9am & on certain days#) Break-up of some sort. If you don’t want it literal break a habit instead.

Snake (1941,53, 65, 77, 89; births in May*, 9-11am & on certain days#) Stick to the facts; anything less could be fatal.

Horse (1942, 54, 66, 78, 90; births in June*, around midday & on certain days#) Proxy fights. Know your enemy! And remember that opposition is a question of viewpoint.

Sheep (1943, 55, 67, 79, 91; births in July*, 1-3pm & on certain days#) Still outside looking in. Use down time to research; forewarned is forearmed.

Monkey (1944, 56, 68, 70, 82; births in August*, 3-5pm & on certain days#) Major change of atmosphere & ambience. Adapt nd do your homework but don’t settle for 2^nd best.

Rooster (1945, 57, 69, 81, 93; births in September*, 5-7pm & on certain days#) Empowered; use the power constructively. You’ll need to consider a much bigger picture.

Dog (1946, 58, 70, 84, 96; births in October*, 7-9pm & on certain days#) Earth Curse; hold your nose and summon a Dragon. Otherwise be just as irrational as you can stand.

Pig (1947, 59, 71, 83, 95; births in November*, 9-11pm & on certain days#) Some loss, a month of preparation and networking opening a year of it.
* Remember Chinese Months start a little later than European ones.
# You’ll need help and/or a Chinese Calendar for this.

Small Blockages
This Earth Ox Month – a few Notes.

“The middle path is easy for the man* without preference.”
The Dharmapadda

The theme of the month is something like increase: I remember many years ago reading the above quotation and thinking “Oh that’s simple, then.” Simple, yes. Easy, not necessarily. The Tao doesn’t appear to have preferences, I generally do.

I have learned that good or bad is essentially a question of viewpoint. And so though blockage is the negative side of the yin Earth of the Ox, increase itself is neutral; the obverse may be market and property gains and other sorts of increase. Hence perhaps the continuing leap in value of cryptocurrencies.

Consistent with this, this Ox month looks set to feature frustration, deliberate or accidental hindrance and indeed physical blockages. Which are likely to be prominent throughout the Ox year of course. Especially in the stomach area. Yin Earth is like that; representing the digestive and reproductive parts of the body. Which again is neutral; by extension the Ox stands for fertility. Indeed my own 7^th grandchild is the frontrunner of what is surely a mini baby boom. The Lockdown Generation perhaps.

I’ll be expanding on the less obvious traits of each of the Animals on the workshop we’re holding the weekend of Jan 30^th/31^st, repeated 6^th/7^th Feb (for students in other time zones). I talk to the Animals. As I write there are some places left. Did you know that Tigers tend to have the best memories? Or that Pigs often fall in love in Rabbit years?

This is a 6 Month. Also a 6 Year. When both Month Animal and Month lo shu duplicate the year, we’re offered a foreshadowing. Pay close attention to events this month as they may prove cameos of bigger events later in the year. The 6 means authority and leadership. And under this heading we may see both the gathering of groups – picking up sides if you will – and the frustration of leadership that is out of ideas and outnumbered. Watch for new leadership emerging at all levels from the political to the domestic.

The Ox Month Hexagram from the Yi or Book of Changes is Earth over Lake, Lin, Advancing, Number 19. The light is growing. The end of a dark tunnel is in sight. There remains the danger of backsliding but it’s easier to go forward now than back. I’d tend to put this in the context of the stewardship of the planet. The Yin Earth of the Ox implies land slippage and sinkholes, symptoms of an abused Earth recovering. As perhaps is Covid 19. We set these forces in train and now they’re playing out.
Temper this with the message of the Hexagram relating to this particular January 2021: Fu, Earth over Thunder, The Return. Fu also represents the inevitable homecoming of the light. But it’s more fragile. We may have to act. And that action may not be comfortable. Coasts may erode and rivers dry up while we hide ourselves away but we can be sure light will return.

Where to be in January.
Summary: display.
West, Intervention: Year Star: 9/8; Month Star: 8 Fortune Virtue (Rooster W2).
Probably the best location for most purposes not only this month but all year. Especially helpful to Dragons, Oxen and Snakes, also kua 1 and those who seek somewhere to speak freely. The Rooster of the West is the beast of display; that surface awareness is strangely valuable this year and it will linger helpfully here in the West. You linger too. Don’t shoot the messenger.
To stimulate: Fire: bright light 24/7.
Special Advantage
17^th   January Especially suits: Snake, Rooster Ox, Rat.
Perfect day for a launch or beginning of some kind.

Where not to be in January.
Summary: traps
South East, Determination: Year Star: 6/5 Month: 5. Annual & Monthly Wu huang.
Traps for Fathers give way to traps for Daughters. Very unsafe, risk of stomach, upper leg disorders also lungs. Very little help for anybody. Now is the time to pamper your Eldest Daughter or yourself if you are one.
Mitigate: Metal: Metal stuff 6-pipe Metal windchime.

Special Caution           
9^th     January Specially affected: Tiger, Pig.
Very poor. A cause for grief. Lighten by being grounded and aware. Avoid attribution.

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.

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Richard Ashworth©
www.imperialfengshui.info