Men and The Goddess

I love New Moons. And I love working with the I Ching around these times of new energy, new beginnings, fresh starts each month (or moonth!). And I especially like this New Moon: both Rosemary and I are Leos. If you too are a Leo I celebrate you! And if you are not I recommend making some Leo friends!

One of the reasons I love the I Ching is because it works! I think my example this month demonstrates this beautifully. Last month the accomplished Gua, the six-line symbol of yin and yang lines (open and closed) that we ended the month with was Union. (See that post.) Among other things that symbol referred to partnerships, marriages. And it is significant that Rosemary and I celebrated our 31st Anniversary just as the Sun was moving into Leo on July 22. And, yes, we did commit to additional years of marriage (I’m looking forward to another 31 years!).

And here is the interesting thing. The Gua I cast for the Leo New Moon is Heng which means Long Lasting! I picture the Gua here:

Master Alfred Huang, author of my main reference text, The Complete I Ching, says this about Long Lasting: “The union of husband and wife should not be short lived.” From the Cancer New Moon when we celebrated Union we continue on this Leo month with the “Long Lasting of that Union”! And the I Ching decision is:

Long lasting
Prosperous and smooth.
No fault.
Favorable to be steadfast and upright.
Favorable to have somewhere to go.

The beginning of the month looks good. And we are about to begin a trip to visit family and friends, and to attend a conference; a combination of a work and play trip. Long Lasting seems to favor this trip.

It is a good time to look at partnerships, especially long-term partnerships. Renew them; honor them; celebrate them! And take this Gua’s decision to heart.

Now, notice that there are two “9 lines” at the second and fourth positions. These are changing lines; in this case the 9s can shift to 6s, from yang lines to yin lines. Master Huang suggests reading the lower changing line to derive the accomplished Gua. This yields Xiao Guo which means Little Exceeding. It is pictured here:

An initial reaction to this Gua may be a bit negative. There are several warning components in the text, but the main message is more cautionary than negative. Part of the Decision says:

A flying bird leaves a message:
Not appropriate to ascend
Appropriate to descend.

This means it is time to pause and assess. Now is a good time to take small steps and make small adjustments. Reflect. It is good to do this with the Leo sun. We are in harvest time now. The Celtic cross-quarter day of Lughnasadh or Lammas is celebrated in early August. It is time to both reap the rewards of hard work and take stock of the supplies moving toward fall and winter. Be prepared for the coming shift. Note the symbol of the flying bird and the warning to descend. We are moving toward the descent of the season. After Lammas begin to notice that the days are growing significantly shorter.

And here is the good news: the mutual Gua which contains the hidden meaning for Little Exceeding is Da Guo, Great Exceeding! In this month of Little Exceeding, we can prepare for something big on the horizon. The harvest will be sufficient. Be ready for this Great Exceeding by tending to details and making the necessary small adjustment now.

Are you ready for the harvest? Tend to the details and celebrate Lammas; note the changing light as we move toward Equinox; and enjoy the warm and inviting Leo Sun!