Monday 1/24 :: Lunar 12/22 :: Design/The Root/Swallow :: Hexagram 38 Incompatible/Consult the Oracle :: Ox day

Ox Year, Ox Month, Ox Day. Oxen are so hearty they’re oblivious to what more vulnerable animals notice. If you keep plugging, you might not realize that you haven’t made any progress. Nearly all the indicators tell us to pause, pull back, and reassess our position. The Roof constellation refers to the inherent danger of a situation, like standing on a roof. The key to the auspice is how we act in fraught circumstances—entering a crowd during Covid, for example, or serving in the military, or welding. Take precautions. It’s a good idea to stay home, repair walls, take herbs, and receive medical treatments. The triple Ox auspice helps shield from today’s peril, or at least not notice it. Travel is contraindicated. Today is a Consult the Oracle day, a wildcard factor that operates within the day’s natural parameters. To learn more, use your divination system (tarot, Zhou Yi/I-Ching, dreams, snippets of other people’s conversation, songs on the radio, vanity plates, etc.). If you don’t work with a divination system yet, start with google, and learn about the ways your ancestors communicated with the other worlds.

through the cracked pavement
in modern-day Chernobyl
the ox-eyed daisy

Tuesday 1/25 :: Lunar 12/23 :: Divide/The House/Pig :: 38 Incompatible/The House/Pig :: Tiger Day

Transformation Tuesday! True change is in the air. Just as snakes divide and discard when they shed their skin, we may experience a similar pause and constructive loss that ultimately moves us forward. Shedding our skin makes us temporarily vulnerable, so holding back is common sense, not cowardice. The House may refer to the tradition of building replicas of the palace to be burned for the king. What does this mean for us? Offerings are highlighted. Whether through our innate talents, generosity, or physical gifts to land and ancestors, our sacrifices transform into blessings, which transform us. This registers as awakened joy. Pigs were the most commonly sacrificed animal, and are also associated with reciprocal blessings. Pause and allow yourself to be changed. Expect to be generously compensated for work today. Any benefits you receive should be shared with others. Obstacles and fears vanish when we open our hearts to our ancestors. Getting rid of the old and bringing in the new sometimes happens in dramatic ways like flooding or surgery. Sincere and honest spiritual revelation come from acts of surrender. All of this may happen naturally, as we are the auspices unfolding.

mounted butterfly
has done its butterfly thing
for a second time

Wednesday 1/26 :: Lunar 12/24 :: Full/The Wall/Porcupine :: 38 Incompatible/29 Pit :: Rabbit Day

Use your intuition today. It’s an excellent day for planning and polishing, as our confidence grows. Necessary resources and timing are coming together. The Wall represents the collective integrity of a nation, and the communal resources that come from it. The Wall is home to the god of Wealth and/or Literature; libraries are a hallmark of prosperous societies. It’s auspicious to build, remodel, and make feng shui adjustments, and celebrate. Surrender softens the blow of difficult situations. Practice acceptance, and rely on your friends. Reach out. Spread your dread out amongst the poplar trees, the mixed flock still singing in winter, your favorite star cluster, your nearest estuary. This is the group project of belonging.

winter morning flock
the sound of a symphony
warming up the sun

Thursday 1/27 :: Lunar 12/25 :: Level/Stride/The Wolf :: 15 Modest/4 Immaturity :: Dragon Day

The weekly hexagram invokes modesty. The Chinese character is a homophone for a type of rat, symbolizing the resourcefulness and inevitable success of the lowly. The Stride describes the wide stance of an armed guard. He’s standing there, weapons poised, waiting for danger to arise from any quadrant. But the wolf is a shape-shifter who can entrap even the most experienced guard. Chinese culture calls them greedy. They are known for getting what they want. In my Nordic ancestors’ tradition, the rogue wolf Fenrir only knew how to make trouble, so the gods bound him with chains made of the sound of a cat’s footsteps, the beard of a woman, the breath of a fish, and other ineffable bonds. When Tyr slipped the chain over the wolf for the good of all people, Fenrir bit his hand off. Real leaders serve all citizens, and keep modesty even when strong action needs to be taken. Today we have the blessing of good resources, but the potential to require them. Anything that parallels preparing for winter goes well: banking, planning, medical treatments, repairing homes. We are capable, but immature. The Zhou Yi tells us that an experienced person does not mistake good luck for success, skill, or wisdom.

great grandfather wolf
something of your hunger lives
in my appetite

Friday 1/28 :: Lunar 12/26 :: Settle/The Mound/Dog :: 15 Modesty/ 7 Army :: Snake Day

The Mound means the tomb of the royal ancestors, a nexus of intergenerational harmony and continuity. This constellation governs inheritance, clans, teamwork, and ritual music. I think of the stone monuments of my Nuragic ancestors. Si an Bru (Newgrange) and Knowth still function as ritual centers of remembrance. Although their origins have been lost, megaliths awaken a mosaic of memory among the pilgrims they call. All of us have ancestral sites that pulse with this power. Alternative names for the Mound include The Bond, Tie, or Thread, which point to joint effort and coordinated community action. Not just among people, but among life as we know it. Thich Nhat Hanh embodied interdependence, which he called interbeing. Inhabiting our full humanity brings us into this realm. We recognize ourselves everywhere, and move simply through the world not even on behalf of all beings, but as all beings. Today’s Dog totem is a loving force of irreversible loyalty. These qualities coalesce into a perfect opportunity to renew vows of service. Today is auspicious for adding on to the family (new baby, new spouse). All alliances are good ones. Our changing line reminds us to stay modest in the throes of success. Order and cooperation come easily. It’s an unparalleled day for working together, and grokking the kinship that underlies everything we know (and don’t know).

winter morning mist
the great horned oracle keeps
asking who I am

Saturday 1/29 :: Lunar 12/27 :: Maintain/The Stomach/Pheasant :: 15 Modesty/ 33 Pig :: Horse Day

The Stomach is an omen of storage, both of grain and of prisoners. The essence of the day is healthy separation between us and disaster. We store grain to keep us from hunger, and prisoners to keep us from harm. If we feel like we’re the one who’s imprisoned, it’s not a bad thing. The daily hexagram ensures a successful comeback. Restrictions make us strong. A pig is being fatted for slaughter to enlist the blessings of the ancestors. In this instance, we are the pig, but it’s all good. The ritual goes so well that the pig is released. Today encourages us to do work inspired by the need for safety, such as repairing homes, ordering KN95s, tending to medical conditions, shoring up embankments for Spring floods, etc. Environmental uprising is likely in Tiger year, so re-up your emergency kits, and walk through earthquake, hurricane, and fire drills with your family. We can get a lot done today. If you receive rewards, empower your community with the surplus. It’s auspicious to build, push forward, and ask what we are due, but confrontation and squandering resources bring “years of regret.”

radiant yellow
collecting dandelion
from the prison yard

Sunday 1/30 :: Lunar 12/28 :: Destroy/The Watchers/Cock :: 15 Modesty/ 31 To Be Moved :: Goat Day

In all situations where slow-growing, inspired feelings are found, things go well. Today is a “calculated loss succeeds” day, so it’s perfect for editing. The Watchers constellation (the Pleiades) are the eyes and ears of heaven. In Chinese culture, the Pleiades deliver an unwaveringly dark fate, which is very contrary to my experience of the seven sisters. But they also herald the death of light. When we see the Pleiades, we know the austerity of winter is upon us. To me, their energetic signature is extremely feminine and otherworldly, a kindness in the sky. The Watchers is also associated with the White Tiger in Chinese culture, originally a sacred feminine force, but long vilified. Her powers were bound by men, just as men bound the feet of women. It is auspicious to stay home, enter retreat, initiate austerities, and make offerings to the dead. Postpone anything proactive. When the moon is on its way out, that's typically best anyway. Positive events that occur today can lead to negative results. Marriage can lead to divorce, medical treatments can complicate health problems, buying a new car can lead to expensive repairs or accidents, etc. Stick to small, familiar things. Wherever gentle inspiration carries you is safe today.

delicate fern moss
a map of winter mornings
moves over the stone

Thanks so much for reading, and have a great week! As always, you can find much of this information in the DYCTongShu app for Apple, and in Changing by Liu Ming at dayuancircle.com. If you’d like to receive the Weekly Weather as an email, just DM me your address.

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