Monday 3/14 :: Lunar 2/12 :: Tiger Day :: Shut :: The Heart/Fox :: Hexagram 5 Waiting/36 Pheasant Call

The Tiger rests deeply between lunges. Its black stripe signifies a depth of retreat that approaches void. Tiger hour occurs between 3-5 am, when most of us are dreaming. Today is a great day to assume our black stripe and “disappear.” Integrate recent changes simply by resting and letting the body do the work. New circumstances bring new allies. Be open to unexpected friends and resources who help usher in your new phase of life. When we emerge from the quiet, we may find that new clarity rises from the ashes of old beliefs. The daily hexagram describes unfavorable circumstances caused by powerful people ignoring warnings of doom. Today is good for revolution and small gains. The Heart/Fox records negativity and magnifies the results, which can look like the collective heart of the people exacting justice. Old debts, genetic illnesses, and addictions can also surface. Lay low, and all goes well. Auspicious activities include burials, memorials, bank deposits, austerity, writing letters, and routine work. Bring the “black stripe” vibe to whatever the day demands of you.

a league of their own
young soldiers take to the streets
with no spring training

Tuesday 3/15 :: Lunar 2/13 :: Rabbit Day :: Design :: The Tail/Tiger :: 40 Release/25 No Expectations

Power pours smoothly through the generations. We receive a tide of resources from our ancestors. We can thank them by receiving their gifts. A window of opportunity to regain our freedom presents itself. Expect the unexpected and be prepared to take a timely step forward if the opportunity arises. The daily hexagram means both an unexpected incident and the freedom of being without expectations. Relax plans, open up, and let go of goals. Good for travel, moving home, purchasing property, making your case, relying on superiors, modest celebrations, retreat, self-reflection, ceremonies that honor ancestors, and romance.

cumulonimbus
at the ancestor altar
a shower of love

Wednesday 3/16 :: Lunar 2/14 :: Dragon Day :: Divide :: The Basket/Leopard :: 40 Release/17 Pursuit

We may be pleasantly surprised today. Accept rewards and recognition for your role in a group effort. Give yourself room to digest and celebrate what you have accomplished. Endless pursuit of anything—success, attention, money—becomes pathological when we can’t enjoy where we are. Bookend accomplishments with satisfaction, reflection, and rest. The Basket teaches us how anything can be a resource. Any situation can teach us when we embrace our fate. Success can inspire praise or gossip. Neither means anything, and both can be used to cultivate healthy selflessness. Auspicious activities include bathing, medical treatments, house-cleaning, herbal remedies, entering retreat, purchasing property, feng shui adjustments, adding to collections, bank deposits, taking office, burials, and making your case.

Ohlone craft fair
the first basket weavers perch
in the coast live oaks

Thursday 3/17 :: Lunar 2/15 :: Snake Day :: Full :: The Ladle/Griffon :: 40 Release/21 Biting

Happy Ireland Day. Today we are visited by the Griffon, who scares up false views, assumptions, and deceit. Let yourself be exorcized of hypocrisy and delusion. It’s a banner day for Irish dancing (my favorite form of exorcism) and I have never let a lack of venue stop me. When people give me flak for celebrating a colonizer’s holiday, I tell them, “I side with the snakes, I stand with the stones, I dance on the day I am given.” Besides, I'm Patrick and the snakes. Today I'm celebrating my ancestral traditions through music, cooking, dancing, and sending my son to school dressed like a leprechaun. Patrick was a weird dude--British mystic who escaped slavery by following the "voice of God. He also controlled the weather and telekinetically murdered people. Today the ritually-parched Celt can take a sip of water.

Today’s changing line reminds us that bragging about success makes people annoyed and jealous. We have the opportunity to be real with ourselves. Western society would have us all binge-working for upward mobility and improvement. This exhausts our personal and collective will and ignores the fact that the hardest workers usually make the least amount of money with the fewest opportunities for promotion. Some people are content where they are without “climbing the ladder.” They know there’s nowhere to go. Our culture has brainwashed us out of dreaming small. Pick the dream that fits. Today’s hexagram shows an open mouth about to bite down on an obstruction. Be mindful that breakthrough can cause backlash. Auspicious activities include religious rites, esoteric teachings, new construction, industry and production, commerce, moving, travel, meetings, contracts, gift-giving, rites, remodeling, and weddings.

scarecrow paradox
he’s outstanding in his field
yet going nowhere

Friday 3/18 :: Lunar 2/16 :: Horse Day :: Level :: Oxboy :: 40 Release/51 Thunder

Thunder! Picture yourself holding a glass of wine when the whole earth begins to shake. Do you spill it? When dramatic breakthroughs occur, good fortune has everything to do with staying calm. What starts out as turmoil becomes beneficial in the long run. And vice-versa, of course. Everything’s always flip-flopping, and ultimately we lose everything and die. So, really, it’s just another day to practice equanimity. Let your friends save you from yourself. Today they may come to the rescue for an error in our judgment. Inattention to boundaries, details, and limits, might catch up with us. Romantic love goes badly, but routine work goes well when we put our mind to it. Other auspicious activities include staying home, guarding resources, focusing, moving, planning, chilling out, watching tv, and receiving medical treatments.

minister of mud
my brother baptizes me
with a four-wheeler

Saturday 3/19 :: Lunar 2/17 :: Goat Day :: Settle :: The Maiden/Bat :: 40 Release/Consult the Oracle

Liberate yourself and others will join you. When leaders show skill in overcoming personal difficulties, followers make similar strides. This creates an event horizon for great things. The Maiden constellation shines down on us like Guan Yin, encouraging benevolence to grow where we have planted its seeds. Guard your health, conserve your energy, and support others. The qi of the day is stable, progressive, and functional, so sanity may visit us. Don’t take credit for it. Auspicious activities include beautifying the home, signing contracts, divination, cultural study, gift-giving, modesty, and generosity. Consult the Oracle for more information.

event horizon
I pour a bottle of rye
down the kitchen sink

Sunday 3/20 :: Lunar 2/18 :: Monkey Day :: Maintain :: The Void/Rat :: 40 Release/42 Increase

Happy Equinox! The Spring Equinox qi node begins today. Yang arises and Yin submits, and for one day, they’re on equal footing. Our growth and productivity should generally match our landscape. Spring shows us that we can finally start to be more active and productive. The indicators are a bit at odds, though, so today may have mood swings. The Void governs the unsettled dead, who can cause disharmony in the family, among other complications. Be an anthropologist rather than a casualty. Monkey days are good for maneuvering into and out of trouble. Focus on the latter and use monkey’s outstanding ability to adapt. Our daily hexagram helps eclipse negative influences or create a positive result from negativity. “Increase” shows the natural progress of things when enhanced by the best possible conditions. Stay centered and generous. Ambition can spoil success. Today is good for working around the house, entering retreat, receiving news from afar, signing contracts, conservatism, tending graves, and avoiding confrontation.

backyard spring training
a pop fly hovers above
the honeysuckle