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NEW MOON I CHING GUA: Little Exceeding
As I’ve been doing for some time now I cast an I Ching Gua just after the New Moon (and we had one, in Libra, this past Friday at 8:34 pm Eastern Time). These hexagrams, or gua, always seem to come up pointing in the right direction for the time. I especially find this to be true when I look back over the past month and reread the meaning of the gua cast for that month on the previous New Moon. You may want to do this for yourself, and look back on the I Ching I cast when the New Moon was in Leo last month. Then review the past month to see if any of the direction the gua indicated actually had a bearing on the way the month unfolded.
But now let’s look ahead to this remaining time for us in Libra and what the next four weeks ahead might
have in store. Here is the hexagram I cast:
This is Xiao Guo, which means Little Exceeding according to Master Alfred Huang in his The Complete I Ching. This is composed of two trigrams, zhen, or Thunder over Gen, or Mountain. My first reaction to this picture is that the sound of thunder can be dampened or muffled in the mountains. And in keeping with the picture the meaning of this gua points to a time of reduced activity, a time of holding back and reserving energy for a more auspicious time.
I also like the image offered in the Decision of this gua written by King Wen; here is part of the decision:
The flying bird leaves a message;
Not appropriate to ascend,
Appropriate to descend,
Great good fortune!
It is said the gua resembles a flying bird with the middle yang lines as the body and the upper and lower pair of yin lines as the wings.
So the message here is “take it easy.” Don’t over-do anything at this time. This does not mean to not take any action. But when you do be cautious of over-doing it. Or, extending the image of the flying bird, don’t fly too high; there is good fortune in flying low, maybe “under the radar.”
And we are in the astrological sign of Libra, in this month of October between harvest time and winter. It is a time of balance. In the Celtic cycle we are approaching the end of the year when activities begin to wind down for the long rest during winter months. It is an auspicious time to begin to “muffle” outer activity and begin to take time for inner reflection.
This gua is also about “the middle way.” It advises to neither over-do nor under-do. I look at this as the Buddha Way, the path between the extremes of over-indulgence and excessive asceticism.
There were no changing lines when I cast this gua. It is a whole month of “little exceeding.” So, I plan to take it easy, to reflect on the middle way and assess how things stand in my life. This time between seasons as the year winds to a close may be an opportune time to shift gears and begin the inner work of the long, dark winter months ahead.

A POEM FOR FRIDAY: Red Lion
I am publishing a poem today because we are moving rapidly into the New Moon in Libra; it occurs at 8:34 pm Eastern Daylight Time this evening. And with the New Moon I will cast an I Ching Gua (hexagram) to shed some light on the coming month. I’ll publish that here on Monday in lieu of the usual “Monday’s Poem”.
I published this poem not long ago in these pages. But given the context of the posts from this week I think it bears repeating. This week has been about alchemy and how we are all agents of transformation for ourselves and for everyone we come in contact with. Transformation does not come easily. It requires our attention, our effort and certainly our awareness. And sometimes it requires a catalyst, a philosopher’s stone, a Red Lion!
So, in this context of the alchemical transformation of human consciousness I repeat:
Red Lion
Some days the beast requires a leash,
Some ways the body must seek release.
There’s no chance of change in full control,
Transformation comes through Red Lion’s role.
Remember this warning, keep to the path.
Control the creature or suffer his wrath.
Don’t bind him too tightly, there’s energy need.
Give him his head, he wants to be freed.
There’s a delicate balance of domestic and wild:
Too much domestic, the mix is too mild:
Too much wild, the mix goes astray;
Isis knew the secret of this precious way!

PS: If you are in the Annapolis, Maryland area, I am beginning a new series of Qigong classes next Monday, October 7. Check details here.
MONDAY’S POEM: Karma
Through the past few posts I have written of my travels to Wisconsin for the annual “homecoming” pagent in my home-town of Blanchardville. All experiences have their lessons. All paths and destinies are driven by karma. With my experience of traveling back to the family farm of my youth still fresh, I reflect some of my musings in the following:
Karma
There’s always more to burn:
Fuel to feed the great fire.
Travels through life in the mire
Lead to more lessons to learn.
Brothers of three generations
Differ in extraordinary ways.
Their life-paths twist through a maze;
Destinies driven by their limitations.
Karma is complex to unwind;
The source is a tangle of lives.
The weaving together of so many tribes
Forms a patchwork, one of a kind.
When love is the thread for the stitches,
The patterns emerge in fine hues.
The patchwork of reds, purples, blues
Renders a tapestry depicting life’s riches.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.

PS: If you are in the Annapolis, Maryland area, I am beginning a new series of Qigong classes next Monday, October 7. Check details here.
An Appreciation of Goddesses
I have noticed I am not writing about The Goddess much lately. I have to get back to the reason for this blog; for men to get in touch with The Goddess!
I offer you three stories from the last few days:
Story 1: I met my youngest niece for the first time this week. My youngest brother had a daughter last year. I hadn’t been back to Wisconsin, where they live, until my return for “homecoming” (as I’ve written extensively about these past few posts). She is now about a year and a half and every bit a Bredeson! She is cute, precocious, both shy and full of energy and life. It was a joy to meet her!
And I learned from her, this young goddess with all the makings of a beautiful Venus. She taught me the joys of innocence; her smile was brilliant and unaffected. She taught me about simple pleasures; picking grass and examining it with intense curiosity. She taught me to play; her relaxed approach was filled with fun and laughter. As I think of her now I smile recalling her initial reticence and her final warm hug and kiss for Uncle Rich.
Story 2: I returned from Wisconsin to an empty house. Rosemary was off to a conference/retreat in Baltimore. While I had another “goddess” to keep me company, Tara, our Lhasa Apso, my human goddess didn’t return until Wednesday evening. And when she did I experienced a new radiance and a bright smile that I had missed while away. She was full of light from the conference, brimming with ideas and a renewed enthusiasm for the work we share. There was more to this than just a short absence and a week’s separation. There was a glow, a lightness of being that I was delighted to reconnect with. My goddess was not only home again, but revved up and ready.
Story 3: Rosemary and I attended a concert last evening. The Mediaeval Baebes are in Maryland for the Renaissance Festival this weekend. As a special treat they appeared in concert in Annapolis Thursday evening. We have been fans of this group from London for a number of years and make an extra effort to see them when they are near.
These six women have voices of goddesses! They sing incredible, originally arranged and orchestrated, carefully researched songs from the ages. They are a truly gifted group; their songs run the range from deeply spiritual to the highly sensual. They are fun, witty, exuberant and talented. They are not only “baebes” they are goddesses!
Three stories, three encounters with goddesses. I am truly blessed! I offer these stories as both reminder and enjoinder: look for the goddesses in your life and honor them. They are beautiful, loving, kind, compassionate, brilliant and strong. They deserve your attention and your affection! The Divine Feminine is truly coming into her power as we move deeper into Aquarius.
And don’t forget about your Inner Goddess. Nurture Her!





