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New Moon in Cancer I Ching Divination
For each new moon I cast an I Ching Gua – a six-line hexagram composed of open and closed lines. I do this using the yarrow stalk method. I do this to capture the nature of the moon’s energy and what she will bring to us in the way of benefits, changes, guidance and vibrational tone during the month ahead (moonth).
The moon was new (exactly conjunct the sun) in the sign of Cancer last Friday at 4:10 AM Eastern time. She is now waxing and as this is the third day after the conjunction look for her smiling crescent on the western horizon this evening, just after sunset.
The initial Gua I cast for this month is Jian, which means “Hardship” according to my main reference, The Complete I Ching by Taoist Master Alfred Huang. I have included a picture here.
The first thing to notice is the three changing lines in this initial Gua. There are two 6s (Yin) and one 9 (Yang). In this situation Master Huang suggests reading only the middle line, in this case the 9 which then changes to a 6, an open Yin line. With all these changing lines I think we can expect July to be a month of some change. But I don’t think this is necessarily a concern.
The second thing to notice is the initial Gua, “Hardship” follows Kui or “Diversity” in the order of the hexagrams in the I Ching. Diversity was the accomplished Gua from the previous New Moon Divination (link). Master Huang observes that Hardship can arise out of Diversity.
And here is the response that may be appropriate to this Hardship message. This comes from early 3rd Century BC philosopher, Mencius:
If one loves others and they do not respond in the same way,
one should turn inward and examine one’s own love.
If one treats others politely, and they do not return politeness,
one should turn inward and examine one’s own politeness.
When one does not realize what one desires,
one must turn inward and examine oneself in every point.
This hardship coming from diversity requires inner work. Notice that the lower trigram of the Gua is Gen, meaning mountain. This is a time to be still, like a 
mountain. The changing line at the third position also indicates a time to be still. Go inside to examine the diversity that led to this hardship. There is good news here: in this case the third line is the changing line that moves to a Yin line. Keeping still leads to “rejoicing and union.” When the third line changes it forms a new “accomplished” Gua – Bi meaning “Union.”
The new Gua is pictured here.
This accomplished Gua overcomes the hardship indicated by the initial Gua. Union is about love and harmony within a group of people, especially within one’s intimate relationships. To understand and strengthen these relationships this divination suggests that we go within ourselves to find the love and harmony. Then extend and reflect the inner love to the outer, close relationships. Choose wisely here. There are those who don’t necessarily want to be in relationship. Loving relationships can’t be forced. Release those who wish to go their way.
PS: My friend and astrologer, Gloria Hesseloff, writes this about the New Moon in Cancer: “Cancer brings up in all of us a yearning for a safe haven. The Cancerian feminine force calls us back to home and family. Give birth to new forms. Cultivate life. Cooperate. Be creative. Build community.” And she adds: “Life seems more mysterious than ever and Cancer energy invites us to probe deeply into our inner experiences, pressing toward the heart. A Cancer period is a time to penetrate the dimensions of our inner life.” This certainly sounds like a time for Union and for inner seeking. Astrology supports the I Ching in a most satisfying way!
Have a wonderful moonth!
A FRIDAY POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – New Moon Goddess
The moon is new today, Friday, June 27. She is exactly conjunct the Sun at 4:10 AM Eastern in the sign of Cancer. As my readers know I pay close attention to the moon cycles. Just after the New Moon, sometime today, I will cast an I Ching Gua to “read” the energies for the coming month using this ancient Chinese method of divination. I’ll post my results here on Monday.
Meanwhile here is a reworked poem from four years ago. Yes, I was celebrating New Moons back then too!
New Moon Goddess
New Moon Goddess is dark,
Casting no shadow.
She is gone now, licking
Bloodless wounds down under,
Her return, anticipated
But never quite certain.
Will she be there, two-days’
Peering through slit curtain?
Will she wink in the west,
Then slide out of sight
Still tempted to remain down,
Under, through the night?
Or, will she return, more robust,
Ever bright, casting lengthening
Shadows across two-weeks’
Passing until, as we trust
She stands once again
Opposed to the Father,
Glowing her fullest,
Casting love in the bargain?
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
MONDAY’S POEM: It is What it is
I am an Enneagram Type 1. This type is sometimes labeled “The Perfectionist.” Anger is often the first emotional response of a Type 1 person. In the Chinese and Taoist approach to “labeling” people they offer a “five-element” system. I am predominantly a “wood-type” person. Anger is often the first emotional response of a Wood-type person. Yes, I have been known to feel and display anger. But what’s the knowing that can be revealed by these systems that point at me with the same label?
My spiritual path coming out of this introspective approach and the tools I use for self-knowing is acceptance. As a perfectionist I need to accept the way things are. As I wood-type I need to learn to be flexible (like a tree bending with the wind). Acceptance, forgiveness, patience and letting go are the key words that I pull into me and work with toward resonance.
It is within this spirit of resonance that I wrote today’s poem:
It is What it is
Acceptance, letting go, realizing
It is what it is.
This is no easy row to hoe,
And yet it is the only path home.
Breath, inhaling deeply, noticing
What is, this natural state.
Open posture, belly breath
And relaxing on this path home.
Choice, accepting, admitting
There are options, nothing’s fixed.
Relaxed, deeply at peace
And knowing this is the path home.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
A FRIDAY POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – What Is This?
Today’s poem doesn’t exactly belong in the “Rhythms and Cycles” collection; and yet, the lessons come at us, sometimes in waves. And we have to deal with the lessons as they come. I learned this Koan through an article in Tricycle magazine several years ago and do apply it often when I catch myself in the midst of some crisis (lesson). The practice is to ask this question when something disrupts the flow of life. And when the first answer arises, ask the question again. Continue this cyclic, nested examining, analyzing and asking, spiraling in until a satisfactory answer manifests. Try it the next time you meet up with frustration!
What Is This?
A Koan in the Korean Zen tradition:
When impatience arises ask
What is this?
A question to penetrate to the essence.
When fear stares from the mirror ask
What is this?
A lesson in each waking moment.
When doubt and despair assail ask
What is this?
An offering to self and life and growth.
When wonder and joy abound ask
What is this?
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
New Moon in Gemini I Ching Divination
The Moon was exactly conjunct with the Sun, now in Gemini, at 2:43 PM Eastern time on Wednesday, May 28. Ah, I felt the energy shift as we moved through the New Moon. And the weather shifted, and the driving shifted…there were several accidents in the Annapolis area Thursday afternoon tying up traffic all over the region. Welcome to the shift!
As I do just after each New Moon, I cast a Gua, a six-line hexagram consisting of Yin and Yang (broken and solid) lines. I do this using a traditional yarrow stalk method and I use Taoist Master Alfred Huang’s The Complete I Ching as my guide into this deep and ancient text used for divination.
The hexagram I first received is pictured here. Its Chinese name is Shi He which Master Huang translates as “Eradicating.” Loosely translated this means “removing an obstacle to peace and harmony.” The removal or eradicating is done justly and swiftly. When we look at the two trigrams which compose the hexagram (the pair of three-line figures), we see that Li, or Fire sits on top of Zhen, or Thunder. This is like a thunderbolt striking swiftly to eradicate the obstruction.
The result of this swift action is good progress.
To complicate matters the second line (counting from the bottom) is a “changing line.” The I Ching is the “book of change” so it is good that there is a changing line in the hexagram. This indicates that things, events, energies are not static for the month. Changing the second line from a Yin line to a Yang line generates a new Gua or hexagram pictured here.
Kui is interpreted by Master Huang to mean”Diversity.” Its actual meaning is “to go against or oppose.” This happens when people have differing points of view. The I Ching indicates that this is a positive thing. There is strength in diversity. One Chinese saying suggests that we “seek harmony in diversity and good fortune will follow in little ways.” And I particularly like: “resolving diversity should be as natural as the clouds accumulating and bringing down the rain.”
So, what does this mean for the month ahead? How do these two Gua inform us and help us with the energies we may encounter through the coming four weeks?
Early in the month there may be an obstacle or two we need to deal with. But we can cut through this blockage as swiftly as a thunderbolt as long as we are justified in our action. Act fairly; consider all sides. Then swift action leads to good progress for the remainder of the month.
After the obstacles are eradicated we may encounter some divergence of opinion around some life issues. The advice here is to consider all sides (just as we need to do with the obstacle). The key is to seek harmony, to compromise in the larger issues, find common ground across the diversity and thereby gain strength.
These Gua offer good advice for any time: cut through obstacles and gain strength through compromise when opinions diverge. Good progress and auspicious outcome are the result in both cases!
Watch how you deal with obstacles that might pop up for you this month. And observe the diversity that appears in your life. Seek compromise and make progress!
Oh, and my friend and astrologer, Gloria Hesseloff writes this about the New Moon in Gemini: “Mercury, the ruler of Gemini wisely informs us that if there is any magic in the work it is…a shift in our perceptions!” She suggests: “‘THIS IS A TIME FOR SETTING A NEW COURSE IN LIFE’ Fear may arise as we make these changes. The opposite of fear is LOVE. Find a way to love what you fear!” Seems to me this approach is a great way to cut through obstacles and harmonize diversity!
Playshop Preview – Richard’s Commentary
This week I am commenting on Rosemary’s video for the week rather than her “Exploration” article. I have several reasons to make this adjustment to the blog.
We are, as I write and as I post, under the influence of the “dying Moon.” What I mean by this is the Moon is nearly conjunct with the Sun in Gemini. We are in that period when the Moon loses her race with the Sun falling farther and farther behind until she falls right into his light. She is exactly conjunct with the Sun at 2:43 PM Eastern time today, Wednesday, May 28, 2014. I know this because I looked it up in my Playbookthat I created during Rosemary’s Possibilities Playshop last January.
I follow the Moon cycles very closely. I know the Moon influences me and I need to correlate those influences I feel with the Moon and where she is in her travels. This careful tracking is a way for me to be both grounded in my body and to understand the effects of the Heavenly bodies, the Moon being the closest, on my physical being.
And after I created my Playbook during Rosemary’s January Playshop I now have a tool to help me with my tracking. Here’s how I use my Playbook:
First it is a guide to the Moon cycles. We laid out 13 “moonths” – this is the number of New Moons in a year. The New Moon marks the beginning of each moonth. In thePlaybook the New Moons are designated with pages of pictures and words pulled from magazines chosen intuitively and glued onto notebook pages. Other intuitive tools are used to create a “map” to the year. This map then provides a loose guide on what to expect as the year unfolds.
Second it is a journal in which I record key events, feelings, thoughts and how these correlate to the pictures and words mapped out for the year. There is always meaning and this correlation activity provides deep insight into the passing moonth.
Third I record the I Ching Gua I cast for each moonth in the playbook. I have been using the ancient Chinese method of divination, the I Ching, as a means to receive an intuitive understanding of the energies I can expect for each moonth. I cast a six line hexagram just after each new Moon asking the question: “what does this next moonth have in-store for us?” it is always insightful. And now with my Playbook it always correlates in some fun and surprising ways with the pictures and words I chose for the moonth back in January!
Fourth I very much enjoy the surprises planted in the Playbook. This is especially true as I move through the year and get farther away from when I created the Playbook.The “play” involved in the process is becoming much more evident as the year spins out and the “predictive” nature of the Playbook becomes ever more clear. While predicting the future is not the intent of this process it nevertheless does have that quality. The correlations between the words and pictures (and other surprises placed into the book) and events as they unfold each moonth are both exciting and even a little uncanny.
And there is a fifth use for the Playbook: it actually becomes a means to manifest the year. It is similar to a “vision board” but more fun. As in creating a vision board attractive pictures and words are pulled from magazines. But then for the specific moonths the pictures and words are selected blindly, intuitively, from a large envelop. Intention rather than conscious choice guides this process of aligning the pictures/words with the calendar.
Rosemary’s Possibilities Playshop is a fun process, but even more importantly the resulting Playbook becomes a highly useful tool for the next year. We all had such a good and productive time during the January Playshop that Rosemary is offering a mid-year Playshop for those who missed out on the first one.
The next Possibilities Playshop is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, 2014, from 10:00 to 2:00 pm Eastern time. If you are in the Annapolis, MD, Washington, DC area you can attend in person. We are also recording the event so if you can’t attend a video course will be available shortly after the live event.
Rosemary’s website has all the details and a way to register. The early bird pricing for the event ends on May 31. Check it out soon!
I CHING GUA FOR THE NEW MOON IN TAURUS: Da Guo
The New Moon (and solar eclipse) occurred early this past Tuesday morning (2:14 am), April 29 on the east coast. The sun was well below the horizon here so no great visual effects, only vibrational!
This New Moon was the bookend to the Cardinal Grand Cross that peaked a few days earlier. We began the month of celestial activities with the Full Moon/Lunar eclipse on April 15th. It was quite a month! Have you felt the effects of the transformational energy?
It was with a certain level of excitement during this time that I cast the Gua (I Ching hexagram) to determine the energies we are heading into for May. If you follow my blog you know that I use yarrow stalks and manipulate them in traditional fashion to determine the six lines (either open/yin or solid/yang) that compose the Gua.
For the next month the Gua is Da Guo, or “Great Exceeding” as Master Alfred Huang translate it in his The Complete I Ching. It is pictured here:
The hexagram consists of two trigrams; the lower is Xun or Wood and the upper is Dui or Lake. So Great Exceeding is like a lake over a tree. Isn’t it interesting that there has been a tremendous amount of rain here in Maryland with significant flooding just after this New Moon!
During this time of “Great Exceeding” there is a need for “extraordinary action.” The action required is to balance, or adjust for that which is exceeding limits.
The image offered by Master Huang and King Wen’s Decision is that of a roof beam with weak end supports (the strong yang lines bounded by the two weak yin lines). The roof sags under weight. Extraordinary action is required to straighten the roof and balance the load.
The key here is to watch for imbalances. Things that are too big are difficult to control. Things that are too firm are easy to break. Take action to shore up weaknesses and to trim excesses. This is a positive Gua if action is taken. Confucius’ commentary on the Decision concludes:
Smooth and joyous in action.
Favorable to have somewhere to go.
There is success.
Truly great is the time of Great Exceeding!
Watch for imbalances in your life, correct them promptly and decisively and have a great month!
MONDAY’S POEM: Facing Kalachakra
I have been preparing for the Kalachakra Initiation. As part of my preparation I have been doing some important, and overdue, shadow work. Kalachakra is helping with this. Today’s poem came out of some of this work.
Facing Kalachakra
Face me and burn in my
Blazing fire of purification.
Turn away and see the
Long shadow cast by my Light.
Kneel to your shadow stretching
Into the past, mistakes, wrong turns.
See that shadow shrinking
As ego gives way to surrender.
Prostrate fully along the ground
Offering shadow to Earth.
Rise in newness turning slowly
On unsteady legs just born.
Face me and learn the Truth
In my blazing fire of purity.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
New Moon in Aries I Ching Divination
As I have been doing over the past few years I have cast an I Ching Gua – a six-line hexagram consisting of open, yin, lines and solid, yang, lines. I was particularly motivated to cast this gua to see where the Aries energies coming in with the spring equinox were going to lead, especially with the last gua for the Pisces New Moon which was all about “Keeping Still.” (Pisces New Moon Gua)
I was not disappointed and did cast an interesting hexagram. I’ve pictured it here on the right. It has two changing lines at the third position and the top; these two 9 lines are changing lines which means the solid line of 9 (odd numbered lines are yang lines and even numbered lines are yin lines) can change to 6 lines or yin lines. Master Alfred Huang, whose text, The Complete I Ching, I use, suggests consulting the lower of the two changing lines. This yields the “approached” gua, a new gua representing the movement of the energies through the month.
So, what does all this mean? The “initial” gua is named Gu which means “Remedying.” Master Huang equates this with “making a fresh start.” This is a great way to break out of the energy of “keeping still” from last month. This feels in right; it is time to begin, maybe even over again. We are two months into the Lunar New Year. For the year the gua I cast was “advance.” (New Year Gua) We got the year off to a fast paced start. A month later the gua advised to “keep still” – in other words pause, reflect, consider. Now here we are in Aries energy, spring is here and it’s time for a “fresh start.”
But there is a cautionary note in this gua, because the third line changes to a yin line. The interpretation here is to take small steps forward and not be overly impetuous. Aries energy can be fiery and highly energetic. This “new beginning” needs to be a thoughtful one.
King Wen’s decision for this gua advises “Before starting, three days. After starting, three days.” This is part of the cautionary emphasis in this gua; I believe care needs to be taken during this first week, up to the first quarter of the moon cycle.
The approached qua is Meng or “Childhood” pictured here with the changed line in place. The two trigrams (three-line diagrams) are Kan or Stream on the bottom and Gen or Mountain on top. The image here is of a spring flowing out from the base of a mountain. There is a freshness, a newness about this image. It is like the innocence of childhood; Master Huang uses the image of “uncarved jade” to describe the sense of this gua. The interpretation here is to carefully mold the child through an education process to bring out the original wisdom hidden in the child. This is a slow and deliberate process; again impetuosity needs to be tempered with deliberation.
In summary we move this month through the energy of a “fresh start” and cautious, studied steps forward. Study, do some research and act thoughtfully.
My astrologer friend, Gloria Hesseloff, offers this advice for the month: I particularly align with the idea that this is a time of preparation for a new beginning. This seems to echo the I Ching preacisely!
A FRIDAY POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – A Hymn of Praise to Inanna
Inanna is one of the first Goddesses of Human history. She was written about and hymns composed to her in cuneiform preserved for 5000 and more years in clay tablets. I’ve included this hymn I wrote in the Rhythms and Cycles series because she was among many things the Goddess of agriculture and the harvest. She also, much like several later goddesses, including Persephone, spent part of the year in the underworld. She embodied the natural rhythms of Mother Earth. So we praise her:
A Hymn of Praise to Inanna
March 2, 2010
Inanna, Queen of Heaven
We praise your name
Holding it high.
We honor you, Holy Inanna!
Inanna, Mother of Earth
We hold you in gratitude
Praising your grace.
We honor you, Holy Inanna!
Inanna, Goddess of Under
We bow to you in awe
Singing our grief.
We honor you, Holy Inanna!
Inanna, Holy One of All
We offer this song of praise
Lifting our voices high.
We honor you Holy Inanna!
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Men and The Goddess 