The Gregorian calendar is like a ruler with uneven units of measurement. It’s a strange overlay that displaces us from cyclical time. Our New Year isn’t a lunar celebration or a cross-quarter day, as are most other New Years that happen at different times all over the world. January 1 is just a random day as we venture into the coldest weeks. Still, it’s fun to make the most of the rituals we have. The feeling-quality generated by millions of celebrants offers a small drink of water for our ceremonially-parched society. Chinese New Year makes more sense to me, as it celebrates the first new moon that grows into the Spring season (first day of Spring is Feb. 3 this year). The qi changes guards from one animal (qi configuration) to another. It actually... feels new. My Celtic ancestors celebrate the new year at the end of the harvest on the cross-quarter day of Samhain. Winter begins the Celtic new year. What are the New Year traditions of your indigenous ancestors? It’s always new somewhere.

Monday December 27 :: Lunar 11/24 :: Harvest/The Roof/Swallow

Today offers ease and abundance. Resources appear to shore up our health and defense qi. We should do our part, too: Wear coats outside, take herbs, keep our feet warm, and drink tea. It’s a good day to make repairs to our homes and cars, fix leaks, and make sure everything’s in working order. Keep an eye on your belongings if you’re traveling. Enjoy the day’s bounty with generosity and an open heart.

liquid blade of gold
slow-glides over open hands
winter solstice light

Tuesday December 28 :: Lunar 11/25 :: Open/The House/Pig

There is an openness about today that makes anything possible. Like children, we can become artists, poets, and purveyors of magic. The beginner’s mind is in, and things turn out well even if we’re inept. Pigs are associated with the Milky Way. They signify sacrifice to the ancestors and the blessings that come back to us. Anything done sincerely works well, in both worldly and otherworldly endeavors. We can be a wellspring that spills over not because we leak, but because we’re full. Today is a consult the oracle day. Messages can be easily discerned and applied to our daily lives.

Oakland afternoon
broken glass in the gutter
becomes sakura

Wednesday December 29 :: Lunar 11/26 :: Shut/The Wall/Porcupine

We may experience setbacks today. The calendar suggests pausing and enjoying life at home if we can. Appreciate the best of our collective projects—music, education, agriculture, technology, the arts, etc. Today is about the power of working in the background, cooperating, and supporting the women in our households. Group efforts and/or group leisure go well, especially if we play a supporting role.

a class of her own
best supporting role goes to
the bright winter moon

Thursday December 30 :: Lunar 11/27 :: Design/The Stride/Wolf

Today is good for reassessing our position and waiting for the situation to ripen. We are approaching the threshold of forward motion, but co-factors are still congealing. Forcing progress would be like inducing labor just as the baby is finishing its long dream. Let the dream conclude and things be born as they may. There’s an element of danger if we push it today. The Stride constellation suggests the wide stance of an armed guard. It’s the mixed blessing of having good resources but needing them. Today is favorable for medical treatments, tending our health, sticking with what is familiar, and planning.

in the back alley
hawking old apple products
my cider vendor

Friday December 31 :: Lunar 11/28 :: Divide/The Mound/Dog

Congratulations to everyone who has made it through 2021. I was shocked to lose several dear friends this year, and I know many of you have lost loved ones, too. Hardship, illness, and even death have been initiating the world. Our indigenous ancestors ritually orchestrated ordeals so we would become strong as individuals and communities. Now life does it for us. Today we may experience the benefit that comes from a long line of causes. It’s an excellent day to reflect on the year and shed what we want to leave in 2021. Keeping the Omicron surge in mind, the indicators also say it’s a decent night for festivities. I’m definitely going to be asleep before 10, but people rich in energy should enjoy their night.

mass demonstration
blue whales leave an impression
on Pacific Beach

Saturday January 1 :: Lunar 11/29 :: Full/The Stomach/Pheasant

If you are a New Year’s resolution type, the calendar qi is here for you! Our old carapace crumbles, and clarity emerges to overthrow obsolete habits. Discipline in small matters succeeds, and grand fantasies of how we think we should be do not. The totemic animal of the day is the pheasant, phoenix, or peacock. The deity associated with the Stomach constellation is a wily, potbellied god carrying two cudgels of thunder. It’s also called the Storehouse, which refers to storing grain and prisoners. The executioner’s blade (or scythe) is implied in these images. Killing prisoners after the harvest ensures winter provisions for everyone else. Today is about receiving rewards and giving the surplus to our communities. Friends can show up in ways that surprise us.

crossfit disciples
ring in 2022
with their kettle bells

Sunday January 2 :: Lunar 11/30 :: Level/The Watchers/Cock

The holiday season is officially over. We can breathe a sigh of relief, take down the tree, and wind down from the frenzy. It’s also the last day of Rat Moon. Fifteen years ago I had a dream in which one of my elders, Auntie Poe Poe (whose name “the rounding of the moon”) told me the dark of the moon is like a toilet flushing. On a monthly basis, we can use the flushing motion for whatever needs to go down the drain. The dark moon is a good time to let go, rather than initiate. When the moon starts waxing again, we can plant seeds and carry on with doing. It’s auspicious to stay home, enter retreat, postpone everything proactive, and make offerings to the dead. Relax your plans, chill out, and let go of expectations.

game of thrones
he awaits a royal flush
plunging the toilet

Thanks so much for reading. Happy New Year!