Weekly Weather | Art by Rufus Krieger

Monday 2/14 :: Lunar 1/14 :: Dog Day :: Complete :: The Heart/Fox :: Hexagram 53 Gliding/23 Erosion

Happy Valentine’s Day or whatever. Today is the 1752nd anniversary of the beheading of St. Valentine. Romantic if you’re a mantis. Still, I love the opportunity to demonstrate love. Tell them why you love them, even if it’s your dog or houseplant. The experience of being moved strengthens our shen, the emperor who sits on the throne of our good health, and shines through our eyes. Have you ever noticed that tears help you see better? Be simple, truthful, and artful.

The Fox, a trickster agent of retribution, also rules the day. Pushing forward, starting litigation, and making your case causes major loss. Sudden reversals of fortune can occur, brought on by our neglected ancestors. The unsettled dead may try to possess us with inappropriate impulses, addictive behaviors, and nymphomania. We can work with the auspice by chilling out and making good choices. Leave something good on the altar; we have way more loving ancestors than we do unsettled ones. Feel their love. Ambition is extremely contraindicated. Auspicious activities include travel, concluding projects, entertaining, gift-giving, letting things go, humility, loyalty, routine work, and relying on superiors. Offering two haiku for today, the first about my partner, who is deeply, thoroughly, shockingly wonderful. For several years, I only knew I liked standing near him. That eventually and unexpectedly led to a child and a whole life together. The second goth option honors our beheaded saint. Dead or alive, may we all find love.

butterfly effect
I only knew that I liked
standing next to him

one more maneater
with hollywood high cheekbones
the praying mantis

Tuesday 2/15 :: Lunar 1/15 :: Pig Day :: Harvest :: The Tail/Tiger :: 53 Gliding/2 Earth

The natural order conspires on our behalf. Standing back allows circumstances to flourish without our meddling. Today also brings a good opportunity to re-strategize after learning harsh lessons. Through good habits and an educated perspective, we can recover our losses. Today’s deity is a crowned prince with a plumed hat, positioned to become great. Power from the previous leader flows smoothly through him, making him wise and capable even at the start of his reign. The Tiger protects the prince and symbolizes his worldly power. We enliven the auspices through receptive appreciation and natural confidence. Most things work out well today: modest celebrations, industry and production, commerce, negotiating contracts, studying, tending a garden, relying on superiors, routine study, arts, self-cultivation, meditation, and enjoyment. Lost treasures can be found today.

delivery room
the smallest matryoshka
comes into the light

Wednesday 2/16 :: Lunar 1/16 :: Rat Day :: Open :: The Basket/Leopard :: 53 Gliding/1 Heaven

It doesn’t get much sweeter than this. An unusual set of circumstances provides respite. We coast on today’s easy qi with the wind at our back. Allowing ourselves to be moved differs from strenuous effort. Ancestral blessings rain down upon us. The more I walk in the world, the more I understand I’m a living embodiment of the people before me. This is so ordinary, yet registers as a miracle. What started as a theoretical interest in my roots has become a visceral party. I believed there was an “I” looking for a “them.” It took me 20 years to realize it’s just us. A dear friend recently returned from a near death experience in which she spent a month with her ancestors in a blissful realm right next to ours. Here in the land of forgetting, most of us don’t see the importance of our people. We don’t know that we’re never alone or that our will in the world mostly amounts to our ancestors’ unfinished business. Our physical bodies could barely tolerate the amount of love that has made us. Most of us do not get to experience this surge until the moment of death or in dreams or brief numinous experiences. Today offers a glimpse. When we open our hearts, love pours in, and wisdom rides the love. Success and profit come to all endeavors, so go where inspiration takes you. Auspicious activities include everything but weddings, funerals, gossip, and arguments.

informal banquet
heading to Taco Bell
with all my relations

Thursday 2/17 :: Lunar 1/17 :: Ox Day :: Shut :: The Ladle/Griffon :: 53 Gliding/43 Lurch

We may have reached the end of a journey or met a goal. Maybe things naturally conclude, or maybe we bail unexpectedly. Know when to abandon your plans. Success includes cutting our losses and departing decisively at the right time. Sometimes we need an abrupt escape that breaks with protocol. The Ladle also signifies fulfillment and completion. Could be quitting your job to become a monk. Could be more deaths than usual, which isn’t typically tragic if you’re the one dying. Integrity matters every day, but especially today. Esoteric teachings swing low enough for us to catch them. Being flexible and receptive puts us in the right state for anything that comes our way. Shut days require rest and retreat, so conserve your energy. It’s an auspicious day for making decisions, personal discipline, religious rites, burials, bank deposits, memorials, writing letters, study, retreat, refining ideas, making herbs, bathing, fasting, and entering retreat.

curled against the earth
inside the womb of winter
Tibetan blue bear

Friday 2/18 :: Lunar 1/18 :: Tiger Day :: Design :: Ox Boy :: 53 Gliding/14 Prosperity

Pay day. “Having been steadfast, you receive rewards beyond your expectations.” Our consistently good management adds up to a return. Sharing the bounty helps everyone, and maximizes the potential of good fortune. We can also grok the unborn origin of phenomena. Daoism is basically spacing out in your belly. Retreat and self-reflection bring revelation or just calm belonging with mystery. Don’t chase romantic love (the Oxboy can’t get a date). Let good things come to you. It’s the perfect time to stay home, guard resources, and focus. Don’t get married, invest, sign contracts, sell your home, receive medical treatments, travel, or bury loved ones (the dead ones… or the living). Just sit back and receive.

November windfall
raking in the gold of the
generous ginkgo

Saturday 2/19 :: Lunar 1/19 :: Rabbit Day :: Divide :: The Maiden/Bat :: 42 Increase/34 Great Strength

Our ordinary hard work pays off. Sometimes it’s as simple as you reap what you sow. Education and consulting with elders go very well today. Other auspicious activities include cultural study, dream practice, medical consultations, supporting our friends, guarding our health, and deferring to people who know more than we do. The solar index (hold back, let go) is a bit at odds with the daily hexagram (use force). The Rabbit offers enhanced intuition, so go with your gut. Wise people use great strength with caution because it can cause injuries. Should the need arise, today is also good for escape, courage in battle, and divorce.

my sudden war cry
the wolf in every mother
waiting in the wings

Sunday 2/20 :: Lunar 1/20 :: Dragon Day :: Full :: The Void/Rat :: 42 Increase/Consult the Oracle

Confidence grows as right timing and resources come together. Great day for education, firming up plans, and polishing. We may be affected by negative circumstances we did not directly cause, so keep your head down and don’t take it personal. Bow out of disharmony in the family, which is likely. Extramarital affairs begun today will ruin your family, reputation, and health. Medical treatments are no good, either. Do not get married or buried. I got married on a Void/Rat day, and guess what. It did not go well. I remember sitting in Liu Ming’s Mantic Arts class when he singled out a day on the calendar, and said, “Whatever you do, don’t get married on this day.” Well, my wedding invitations had already gone out. I approached him after class to find out what to do. He advised me to wait until 11:00pm (when the next day begins in the Chinese almanac) to sign the marriage certificate. This was many years ago. We have since signed the divorce papers. I don’t blame the calendar. Sometimes the calendar reflects the natural outcome of a situation. We happened to choose the day that perfectly illustrated our fate. Today is good for meetings, conservatism, gift-giving, staying home, protecting our children, strengthening family ties, and resting.

falling to pieces
at regular intervals
yoshino cherries