Monday 1/31 :: Lunar 12/29 :: Danger/The Net/Crow :: 15 Modesty/56 Sojourner :: Monkey Day

It’s the last day of the last moon of the lunar year. Today we say goodbye to the trusty Ox. Tomorrow the qi will quicken and rise, and we'll be working with a different animal entirely. It’s also Imbolc Eve. Traditional Celts clean their homes today to receive Brigid tomorrow. Chinese culture also emphasizes house-cleaning to sweep away the “bad luck” that has accumulated during the past year. If we do any cleaning tomorrow, we “wash away the good luck.” The same is true of cutting and washing our hair. The Chinese character for hair is the first character in the word “prosper.” Pay off credit cards and debts to the extent that you are able so you can start the year off right. The last days of the year are not always easy. Keep your head low, allow things to conclude (but don’t force them), and stick to the tasks at hand. Auspicious activities include cleaning, caution, postponement, paying debts, leisure, consulting the oracle, and letting go. If you’re Celtic, leave a white scarf out overnight for Brigid to bless as we move into Spring. Wear it during the cold months (or any time) for good health.

last day of winter
in her castle made of ice
Elsa lets it go

Tuesday 2/1 :: Lunar 1/1 :: Complete/The Beak/Monkey :: 11 Great/62 Small Succeeds :: Rooster Day

Happy Year of the Tiger! Spring Festival has arrived. This two-week extravaganza is like Christmas, New Year’s, 4th of July, and everyone’s birthday rolled into one. Everyone celebrates, and encourages Spring growth through generosity and sociability. Some traditions include wearing red for good luck, making offerings of incense and oranges, and setting off fireworks to celebrate (and scare away ghosts). Enjoy the party, but don’t abandon winter yet. The underpinnings of Spring are still weak. Pushing ahead too quickly causes collapse.

At the start of Spring, the Liver comes alive. Our liver spirit, called the Hun, leaves our body at night to dream. Early Spring dreams reveal our physical, spiritual, and ancestral condition. The ghosts of winter fade into the background, and the benevolent ancestors come forward. Our new weekly hexagram expresses natural growth and successful plans (if we don’t push, rush, or over-analyze). Today is also Ireland’s Spring festival, Imbolc. Astronomical Imbolc occurs on February 3, but most people celebrate today. All over the world, the day brings blessings if we invite them in.

Spring festival
a tiger breaks in
to my haiku

Wednesday 2/2 :: Lunar 1/2 :: Harvest/The Trio/Gibbon :: 11 Great/Consult the Oracle :: Dog Day

Today asks us to reinforce constructive limitations such as personal boundaries and budgets. Curb or eliminate the bad habits that have been weighing you down. Things can get dark if we let impulse override common sense, but the qi supports good choices. Today has an ease about it. Drink soup instead of vodka. Express loyalty to your friends, family, and ancestors as you move freely into the future. Multiple indicators suggest humility. Consult the oracle for more information. Dreaming is the oracle we access every night. You can also try a free online I-Ching, tarot, or rune reading (quality may vary!) until you discover a system you feel comfortable with. Divination is a conversation with our ecosystem (ancestors) to keep everyone on the same page. It helps us move forward artfully embedded in our seen and unseen communities. If we use divination for personal advantage or acute problem-solving, we are missing the point, and will likely misinterpret the omen. Auspicious activities include industry and production, commerce, spending and depositing savings, entering school, studying, cleaning, feng shui adjustments, and disposing of inessentials (habits, clutter, etc).

early morning dream
even after I return,
the ancient lizard

Thursday 2/3 :: Lunar 1/3 :: Open/The Well/Tapir :: 11 Great/53 Gliding :: Pig Day

Happy Astronomical Imbolc. In Celtic tradition, Brigid arrives to bless us with the warmth of Spring--figuratively, depending on where you live. Some Celtic traditions include wearing white, making Brigid’s crosses from soaked reeds, and visiting springs, rivers, or holy wells. Groundhog Day comes from Imbolc weather divination. A Scottish Gaelic custom holds that good weather means the Cailleach (hag of winter) is out gathering firewood to make winter last longer. Most people hope for “foul weather” because that means the Cailleach is asleep, and winter will soon be over. What do your ancestors call this cross quarter day, and how do they celebrate?

Today the almanac asks us to purify ourselves. Our culture has a pathological fixation with purity, which emerges in part from the biblical seeds of sin and salvation. The alternative health industry in particular loves cleansing, eliminating toxins, and other processes that support the idea that we are dirty. As long as cleansing is not our modus operandi, purification has its place. This can look like bathing, smudging, apologizing, making amends, fasting, abstaining from sex and drugs, and giving back without expectation. Other auspicious activities include buying and selling real estate, addressing repairs and difficult tasks, correspondence, negotiating and signing contracts, balancing accounts, travel, study, art, performing music, recovering from illness, digging the ground (garden or well), caring for pets, medical treatments, and gift-giving. Complaining and criticizing are contraindicated, even if we don’t get our way.

from white cloak to green
Brigid changes regalia
at her holy well

Friday 2/4 :: Lunar 1/4 :: Open/The Ghost/Sheep :: 11 Great/ 39 Stumbling :: Earth Rat Day :: Qi Node Spring Begins

The Tiger officially “comes out" on day one of Spring Begins Qi Node. Life (Yang) starts to stir under the surface, and we feel the first tendrils of new life awaken within us. Today's indicators are a bit at odds. The new Tiger qi is so physically powerful, yet today’s diaphanous quality does not support worldly endeavors. Focus on integrity. The Tiger will prey on our subtle hypocrisies all year long. The Ghost constellation governs the transitory states (after death), the wilderness, and unsettled ancestors. However, we can also access what is precious and hidden (hermits, teachings, gems). If confusion visits instead, it’s not just you. Rely on your friends. Even if it feels like the blind leading the blind, everything works out. Auspicious activities include caution, medical treatment, study, travel, recovering from illness, withdrawal from worldly affairs, offering gifts and money to temples, consulting a doctor, fasting, divination, and entering retreat.

a tip of the scales
hibernating rattlesnakes
glitter awake

Saturday 2/5 :: Lunar 1/5 :: Shut/The Willow/Roebuck :: 11 Great/52 Still :: Earth Ox Day

Another day of rest. Shut and Willow/Roebuck are all about pausing, purification, otherworldliness, and perhaps grief. Willows keep landscapes “pure” through their weeping, and are deliberately planted near graves to soothe the dead. Their branches have been used as wands and divinatory tools. A willow branch can be dipped in water and brushed or tapped over us as a cleansing ritual. Today is especially good for seclusion, composing memorials, ordination, divination, and funerals. Funerals and burials offer resolution for the whole family. Those of us who don’t know how to stop moving will likely feel exhausted. It is a good day to bury the hatchet, and move forward with former enemies in a harmonious way. Make amends internally, and talk it out later (not today). Stillness is the best move. All of the auspices agree that today is for resting, self-cultivation, inaction, withdrawal, vacation, and retreat.

hibernation
the only nation to which
I pledge allegiance

Sunday 2/6 :: Lunar 1/6 :: Design/The Birdstar/Horse :: 11 Great/15 Modesty :: Metal Tiger Day

If you’re raring to go, pour the power into a longstanding project or goal. The raw quality of the young horse and tiger gives today an edge. Tempers and impulsivity may flare. Today’s horse needs a bridle. Powerful but gentle succeeds. The hexagrams tell us to “sit still and wait for inspiration within,” and that “modesty applied to time is patience.” We are approaching the threshold of forward movement. There will be plenty of opportunities this year to make big, bold moves, but today isn’t one of them. The Birdstar governs fords, bridges, and the weaving and dyeing of cloth. Auspicious activities include planning, commerce, routine work, writing letters, paying debts, gardening, laundry, working with fabric, and routing study. Traveling and medical treatments are dangerous today, so use extra caution.

spring exuberance
my son seeks the fastest horse
on the carousel

Thank you so much for reading. Happy New Year!