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I CHING GUA FOR THE NEW MOON IN CAPRICORN
We not only rang in a New Year at midnight on January 1, we also experienced a New Moon at 7:14 AM Eastern time on the First. Lots of new energy to begin the year!
As one of my practices I cast an I Ching Gua (a hexagram of yin and yang lines) on each new moon to “read” the energies that are coming in for us. The I Ching or “book of change” can be used as a divination tool, not so much to predict what is coming but to get a sense of the energies of change that may be coming up through the month. This is another of the many “intuitive tools” that are available to us to help us sense beyond the usual three-dimensional ways through our five senses.
To help with the interpretation of the Gua I rely on a book by Taoist Master Alfred Huang: The Complete I Ching. I find his translation to be thorough, detailed and clear. Of course there is plenty of room for my own reading of the Gua because the words and meanings of the I Ching can be open and obscure.
For January the Gua I cast using a 50-yarrow stalk method generated this hexagram:
The “x” and circles through the 3rd, 4th and 6th lines indicate they are “changing lines.” Master Huang recommends reading only the middle changing line when there are three. So, only the 4th line is used to generate a new, changed Gua as pictured below.
But first we need to understand “Hindrance.” This Gua is made up of two trigrams, Earth is the lower one and Heaven is the upper. This is not a particularly auspicious Gua because Heaven is above and drawing away from the Earth. There is a block here against progress. It is the opposite of “Advance” which is the preceding Gua in the I Ching sequence. But this is a natural flow: after advancing there comes hindrance. And, naturally, after a time of hindrance there can be further advance.
For me the energy here is to pause, for a short time. The Hindrance-Energy is on the way out with 2013. (Note the volatility of this initial Gua with three changing line.) Yet, there is no need to leap into anything big early in the New Year.
Using only the middle line, the 4th, as the changing line yields this Gua:
The Guan here is the same word as in Guan Yin the Goddess of Compassion. The literal meaning of her name is “Watching Sound.” In this sense Guan means meditating or concentrating.
The message for me is to meditate on any actions for the month and proceed with caution. In all things be an example. Watch yourself and also remember you are being watched by others. Contemplate before action. This Gua is approached from Hindrance. While the energy barriers are lifting and Hindrance is shifting there is no need for haste. Be considerate.
A further way to interpret a Gua is to form a new one from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines as the lower trigram and the 3rd, 4th and 5th lines as the upper trigram. This yields the “mutual gua” – in this case Bo, Falling away. This too holds a sense of warning energy. Conserve what you have. This New Moon will wax to fullness and then wane again. Proceed with caution during the waning moon.
Hindrance quickly yields to Watching early in the month. Meditate on all action. As the Chinese say about Pi: pi ji tai lai, which means: “Out of the depths of misfortune comes bliss. At the end of Hindrance appears Advance.”
Enjoy this moon-cycle and the start of this fabulous New Year however you wish to interpret the energies captured by the I Ching!
PS: My friend and astrologer, Gloria Hesseloff, had this to say about this Capricorn New Moon: “2014 invites us to continue ‘planting the seeds’ for the next 26,000 years, or at least the next few generations.” Planting seeds for generations certainly requires thoughtful patience!
Reflections from 2013 = Guidance for 2014 – Richard’s Commentary
As my commentary on Rosemary’s important post from yesterday I simply want to trace the development of the reflections leading to the guidance for the new year and note why these thoughts and development are so important to our growth in consciousness.
Each of us has a responsibility to ourselves and to others to learn how to live in community with the people around us. Evolution in conscious returns us to community. I say “returns us” here because as the human race was developing a few thousand years ago, we did so only in community. The “rugged individualism” of the so-called modern west had yet to arise. Humans depended on other humans, living together in social structures in which everyone had a role to play, a dependent and cooperative role. We need to return to that level of consciousness.
Reach out beyond what you can see to the possibilities that are there. Always reach higher. We are never finished with development. “After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” There is no limit, no goal that can be achieved and sustained without reaching higher.
A crystalized belief feels like an energy block. Examine all beliefs; The Divine Feminine during the Winter Solstice message channeled by Rosemary, said our beliefs will be challenged in 2014. We will be called to defend them. Are you prepared to defend all of your beliefs? Are you prepared to release the ones that are holding you back?
When you find yourself stuck in a rut, or not sure what your next step is, remind yourself that you are always at a point of choice in your life. We are always at choice. This can be either exhilarating or daunting. Choose the freedom and exhilaration this requires and make the best choices you can with the information you have in the moment. If it turns out to be the right choice, celebrate your brilliance. If it turns out there may have been a better choice, forgive yourself, learn the lesson and move on!
It’s okay to consider yourself and your own needs. It’s not “selfish” to take care of yourself. You cannot serve from an empty container. You first have to love yourself in order to be able to love your neighbor, and your enemy!
When you put your attention on being instead of doing, your energy flows into being the you you were meant to be. We are humanbeings. Find the way to be, in the moment, in the present, right here, right now. Now is the only reality. If you find the way to be then you will have the energy and the motivation to do.
When you demand control of your environment, you limit the ways in which the Universe answers your requests. This is excellent advice for the western mind. We are all about control; we want things just so, the way we planned them, the way we expect them, the way they “should” be! But what if the Universe has something better in store? What if we pause, be in the present and listen? Letting go of that false sense of control not only opens the doors to possibility greater than we can imagine, it also relieves an incredible load of stress!
and
This message is from The Divine Feminine for us:
“Dear Ones,
The flames are licking at the Doors of Change. Those who fear change are trying to engulf the opportunities in flames so that you and others will not walk through them. Do not let these fear-mongers paralyze you.
Change and Opportunity are two sides of the same coin, of the same door.”
Choose change and you choose opportunity.
Community, possibility, examined beliefs, choice, self-care, presence, flow and fearlessness open the doors of opportunity. The change you find there will be of your own making! And it will make for a wonderful 2014!
PS: The Divine Feminine, as channeled by Rosemary on the Winter Solstice, offered amazing advice for 2014. Expect more change! The transformation continues! Their message is available as an MP3 recording for a modest price; check out the details here: Winter Solstice Mesage
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Reflections from 2013 = Guidance for 2014
Here are excerpts from selected posts from 2013. May they guide you into a happy and prosperous 2014!
From April 12, 2013
Each of us has a responsibility to ourselves and to others to learn how to live in community with the people around us. We are not private islands with ‘No Trespassing’ signs on our foreheads! The most important lesson to learn about living in a civilized society is to learn what healthy boundaries are. Learn what to let in and what belongs to the other person.
From February 22 2013
Reach out beyond what you can see to the possibilities that are there. Keep your mind open to optimism. Maybe things aren’t as bleak as they seem. Maybe the glass really is half-full and not half-empty. Take charge of how you think, speak, feel about something and it just might change around you.
From December 6 2013
A crystalized belief feels like an energy block. It is not negative or bad; it is merely a block where the energy feels stuck. It is important, though, because stuck energy prevents us from moving forward into our highest potential. And the longer energy stays stuck the more problems that block can cause us.
From August 30 2013
When you find yourself stuck in a rut, or not sure what your next step is, remind yourself that you are always at a point of choice in your life. What benefits are there to staying in that rut? Do you really not know the next step? Or are you afraid of what it might ask of you and, therefore, you choose not to seek help in identifying it?
Happy Birthday to YOU!!! Today is your birthday. You get to choose who you are today, right now, in this moment. You don’t even have to be the same as you were when you woke up this morning. OR you can decide that you like the YOU who woke up and you re-decide to celebrate YOU! Either way, it’s your birthday today.
From January 11 2013
It’s okay to consider yourself and your own needs. Sometimes we need permission to do that. You have that permission now. Focusing on what you need is vital to supporting your efforts to help others in need. Fill up your cup so you can serve from the overflow in the saucer.
From July 5 2013
When you put your attention on being instead of doing, your energy flows into being the you you were meant to be. Doing, taking action in your life, then follows being yourself.
Where are there energy blocks in you, in your life? Identify the stuck places and take action to move the energy through the blocks. Free up any stuck energy so that you can truly be free. Focus your attention on manifesting your dreams and watch how much energy can then flow into that manifestation.
From March 22 2013
When you demand control of your environment, you limit the ways in which the Universe answers your requests. Your thoughts are projecting an often unconscious request to keep things just the way they are. And, yet, there are laws of the Universe about change being ever present.
For today, remember this equation:
EVENT leads to your REACTION and then you choose a RESPONSE.
While you might not control all the events that happen [Surprise!] and your reaction is your immediate ‘knee jerk’ feeling, you DO control how you respond. Put your energies into practicing Conscious Response – choosing the response that demonstrates your personal growth. Then you can relax into making peace with the ‘not knowing’ and enjoy the ‘Surprise!’
From May 24 2013
This message is from The Divine Feminine for us:
“Dear Ones,
The flames are licking at the Doors of Change. Those who fear change are trying to engulf the opportunities in flames so that you and others will not walk through them. Do not let these fear-mongers paralyze you.
Change and Opportunity are two sides of the same coin, of the same door. Opportunity is the invitation to Change. Every time you say ‘no’ to Change you are leaving a Doorway to Opportunity closed. Every time you ignore or say ‘no’ to Opportunity you are saying ‘yes’ to everything staying the same.
Is there something in your life that you wish to Change? Then you must walk through a Door of Opportunity or there will be no Change.
Are you seeking Opportunities in your life? Then you must Change something.
Those who prevent change also prevent opportunities from being realized. If you are one who wishes to preserve the status quo then you are not ready for increased Prosperity and Abundance in your life.
Think about the energy it takes to resist Change. The evolutionary forces of the Universe are not static. They are always and forever moving forward, taking with them those who are connected to growth and leaving behind those who wish to go backward, which is the same as attempting to stand still. There is no standing still. There is only moving forward or being swamped by the Tides of Change.
In every moment cells in your body are changing. With every thought your brain is changing. Energetically, your field is changing with every thought, feeling, heartbeat. What vibration are you emanating as these changes take place? You are changing and you are constantly generating an energy field around you. Your choices create the energy vibrational frequency of your field. What energy field are you choosing to present to the world?
Think about the people you have attracted to your energy field. Do they emanate the vibrational frequency that you wish to share? Think about the situations in your life right now. Are they what you wish to manifest in your world?
Now is the time for you to consciously choose the Opportunities you wish to pursue. What do you desire to Change? Which Doorway of Opportunity will bring about that Change? And what must you Change to take advantage of that Opportunity.
Opportunity and Change.
The only way forward is to walk through the Doorway.
And so it is.”
Happy New Year! For even more guidance for 2014 you may want to listen to a message Rosemary channeled from The Divine Feminine on the Winter Solstice; they offered guidance and advice on what we might expect in 2014, and how to approach the year’s upcoming energy. Expect more change! The transformation continues! The message it is available as an MP3 recording for a modest price; check out the details here: Winter Solstice Message
Men and The Goddess 