The Opposite of Forgetting

Posted on April 30, 2025April 30, 2025 by Stephanie Stewart

Is there such a thing as ultimate truth? Is truth an end in itself? These are things you might think about when it’s a Snake month in a Snake year.

The ancient Greek concept of ἀλήθεια (aletheia) implies that truth, meaning reality, is the antonym of forgetting; truth is a state of being unhidden or unforgotten. Martin Heidegger, a philosopher, took this concept further to describe ἀλήθεια as a process of revelation: reality is the process of revealing truth. It happens through actions, not words alone. Whoa.

As for me, I think that the truth keeps changing, that is, I haven’t found any truths that apply to every situation, except that caring matters. How about you?

If you have a Snake in your Ba Zi, this might be a good time to revisit the 2025 Animal Fortune for the sign of Snake.

It’s a Metal Snake month in a Wood Snake year. I’ve got my mind on the 巳 and the 巳 on my mind. I am thinking about Snake matters, mostly about Truth and the role of Truth as something that can heal if it’s given in the proper dosage. There’s an overdose of truth happening in the world right now. It feels poisonous – but could it literally be a homeopathic remedy? I don’t mean to be callous, however, I see what is happening now as a normal process in the cycles of time and space. Don’t take that to mean that I prefer it. Do take it to mean I will try to learn from it.

All of the things we were worried about happening…now we know in detail how they are happening, and yet not everyone agrees about what is true, or does with the truth what you would expect. Life has always been like this but until it’s the leopard eating our own face, most of us seem incapable of believing in evil even when we see it or live with it on a daily basis. We don’t expect evil for the most part.

I say evil, because it feels evil in the way that evil doesn’t particularly care about or favor anyone. Evil is an equal opportunity experience and some of us are luckier than others.

You could say the same thing about the Tao too though. I don’t think the Tao cares about or particularly favors anyone either. Caring (or hating) is human business and some of us are luckier than others.

Teaching and Truth

I once asked one of my teachers if the Tidal Guas were tied to the lunar month, as opposed to the solar month. It seemed pretty obvious to me that just by being called a Tidal Gua, it would be tied to the Moon, not the Sun. My teacher said that I was incorrect but mostly I think they were just tired of me. I wasn’t completely buying that I was wrong, but I decided not to push back.

In addition, I doubted myself and what logic dictated was true; a pattern to which I am prone. I can’t even count how many times I have held myself back from freedom by doing this. The worst instance of this happened in late 2019/early 2020. I’m not blaming anyone. I have gotten better realizing no one can limit me, but at my worst, I don’t require anyone to hold me back because I do it best.

Now I am a teacher and I understand how it’s not always easy to be graceful when people don’t appreciate how much time and effort you’ve put into your preparation for their exasperation. I think of a student’s exasperation and frustration (which I have also experienced) as part of the learning process. There is a magical point in any process where you can surrender to failure and not give up. If you do that once, you are more likely to do it again. You are more likely to continue in your studies or other efforts.

In my life, when I’m not paying attention to how much truth I’m dealing out or my attitude about it, I’m usually about to be the recipient of some misdirected anger. I feel that I don’t ask for that (who does?), however, I must have a role in this repeating pattern. It’s probably that my appearance of certainty is triggering for some because they want to fight and I am not ready to fight.

I don’t feel like I need to prove the truth and I can see how that would be perceived as arrogant. Coming off as arrogant is also a fundamental mistake and theme of my life. I don’t think it’s arrogant to assume that once people know the truth they will change what they are doing, however, I will admit that is usually not what happens. It’s baffling.

I annoy people by pointing out things that I think are obvious, not realizing that it’s not obvious to them. Some people call my habit of doing this rebellious. I don’t disagree, but I think that’s how the truth feels – like a revolution. I have learned to be better at recognizing what is not obvious to others, even though it’s still baffling to me that it’s not.

As I said, I have lots to learn too. I am too quick with the truth – too quick for anyone’s comfort and often too quick in the sense of time. There have been times I wanted to use truth as a weapon, sometimes to defend or explain myself. I have done all of these things.

If you tell people the truth too soon, they might want to hurt or suppress you. At the very least they want to ignore you. If you have this experience as a child, I encourage you to explore your idea that the truth is problematic. Is it problematic for you or do others perceive you that way due to their discomfort? There were many lessons I learned about truth telling as a child that upon reexamination, did not have anything to do with truth. I’m still unlearning. It’s a process.

Denial is the most common way we shield ourselves, so stay open if you want relationships. When we can’t acknowledge the truth, it’s hard to have relationships that last. Without truth there are problems that cannot be solved. Common truths lay the foundation for trust and intimacy.

Metal Snake Month Hexagrams

Hexagram 1

Hexagram 14

If you agree that the Tidal Gua is related to the lunar month and the Moon, then Hexagram 1, being the Tidal Gua, matches with the lunar month Metal Snake. Hexagram 14 matches with the solar month of Metal Snake.

Would you agree that Hexagram 1 is giving us a yin perspective? If the Month Pillar Hexagrams are related to the solar month and the Sun, would you agree that they give a yang perspective?

Obviously, you don’t have to agree to any of this but if you do, it certainly makes for an interesting divination this month. Yin could be matters that are hard to look at or control; underlying causes perhaps, while the yang would be a response to that? Yin: patriarchy has gone overboard. Yang: the nature of wealth is to recirculate.

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Water Rooster Month : Hexagram 53

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Stephanie Stewart

Hexagram 53 is the matching Hexagram for the Water Rooster pillar. This year, the Water Rooster month starts on September 7th and ends on October 8th when we begin the month of the Wood Dog.

If you work with the Yi Jing long enough, you will begin to understand that you are being led, that is, if you allow that. There’s always a personal message, no matter what you’re asking about, at least in my experience. At the same time, there are many other meanings. I invite you to consider where Hexagram 53 leads you this month.

Hexagram 53

Hexagram 53 is sometimes called Gliding, Advancing or Gradual Progress. This time around, I would like to call it Transition. The nuance of Hexagram 53 for me right now is Transition.

On the left side of the ideograph Jian 漸, we see shui 氵(water) and on the right side we see zhan 斬 (to chop or fell a tree).

One image that people use when they cast this Hexagram is a tree on a mountain, possibly a stunted tree but, persistent and healthy enough that it can keep putting out leaves and branches gradually. It’s like growing and recovering at the same time. The tree is exposed and shaped by the elements. Even when the wind is not blowing you can see its prevalent direction.

The Water doesn’t seem to be helping, in fact is it too much? When Wood is soggy the progress is slow. There’s an environmental instability for this little tree that can only be changed by putting down roots – but where is the soil? The tree will have to make some. People don’t see what is going on underground so perhaps the assumption is that the tree can never amount to much. And yet, maybe one hundred years later it’s still there. It’s always in transition, before the time when things come to fruition.

Our lives are not that long. Maybe that is why we miss out on the importance and value of things that happen over long periods of time. Best believe, history does repeat, even in your own lifetime. Pay attention to your patterns or just keep repeating.

The top trigram is Xun or Wind, the eldest daughter who is expected to take the place of the Mother without being asked. The bottom trigram is Gen or Mountain, the youngest son who is expected to become a priest because the other positions are taken.

Wind over Mountain, that’s not an easy place to be. If you’re there for too long, no matter how committed and persistent you are, you might be too worn down to realize how worn down you’re getting. If you are offered a chance to get out of the wind or off the mountain, almost any time is a good time to accept, even if it’s not perfect, it’s a transition. If you’re already living in that, why not try a new “venue”?

Most of the text of Hexagram 53 discusses migrating birds, fertility, and having a place to land when you are in transition. It’s the transition part for me that stands out, maybe because I am in one but also because I know I’m not the only one who needs some rest. Maybe, like me, you’re afraid to land because you worry you will be stuck in the wrong place, but any journey of significance is going to require stopping points, right?

What kind of stopping points are available to you this month? What do you want to restore for or about yourself? What plans are you making for your winter? If you’re worried about getting stuck somewhere, common sense says you surely will if you don’t let the transitions happen. Gradual progress is enough to find good fortune.

Did you know there are many stories in almost every culture about women turning into birds and vice versa?

Hexagram 53 Text
(from the Yi Jing translated by Wu Jing-Nuan ISBN 0-9673272-0-2)

Gua Ci
JIAN A lady to marry, good fortune. Profit the divination.

Line 1
Wild geese advance to the shore
The young officer, danger. There will be talk. No error

Line 2
Wild geese advance to an enormous rock
Drinking and feeding in harmony and joy. Good fortune.

Line 3
Wild geese advance to dry land.
A husband gone and not returned
A wife pregnant but not nourished
Misfortune; advantageous to resist robbers

Line 4
Wild geese advance to the trees.
Some have gotten to the branches tips. No error

Line 5
The wild geese advance to the tumulus.
A wife three years and not pregnant.
In the end, settled and overcome. Good fortune.

Line 6
Wild geese advance onto dry land
Their feathers can be used in ceremonies. Good fortune.

Water Monkey Month 2024

Posted on August 7, 2024August 15, 2024 by Stephanie Stewart

Did you know that every pillar has a matching Hexagram? In a Water Monkey month, the matching hexagram is Number 7 which is called Army or Gathering.

On the left side of the ideograph Shi 師, we see dui ? (a heap or crowd) and on the right side we see za 帀 (making a circuit).

Shi represents a crowd moving around a pivot point and the power that exists in numbers. In modern terms Shi is a division of an army so you can imagine a lot of marching around. What’s important is the amount of potential energy here that needs to be directed, and not all of it has to be about fighting. Outcomes depend on responsible leadership or the lack thereof. Maybe the best outcomes happen when everyone is deciding for themselves but still there is cooperation.

Visually, Hexagram 7 looks like a trap where you might fall in and get stuck near the bottom. I often think of these broken and solid lines as zeros and ones; a broken line being zero or no, a solid line being one or yes. If you’ve heard of Gottfried William Leibniz this will tend to make more sense. For those of you who like to track such things, Leibniz was born in a Fire Dog year (!).

When you cast Hexagram 7 for yourself, it might be a no to expectations or traditions. Yin Earth over Water in these times might indicate an upset in what we think of as the natural order of things. Many astrologers have been predicting that this month will be the beginning of another/bigger war. I’m not saying they are wrong but there are important and meaningful possibilities with Hexagram 7 that I don’t want you to miss. Hexagram 7 pairs with Hexagram 8, and so Unity could be next; an idealistic potential outcome!

When you see that Hexagram 7 is called Army, I want you to remember the Gua Ci:

SHI The divination: responsible men. Good fortune. No error.*

In terms of the world this month, most of the lines of Hexagram 7 seem to tell the story of what’s happening with Kamala Harris right now. She has gotten to the center of power. Maybe she’s the pivot point of the moment? Now she has to choose a VP candidate, see also, Line 6 “Small men should not be employed”.

I’ll include the translation* of the full text for your consideration. The main advice of the Hexagram might be: if you want to surprise your enemy, don’t do what they expect. Kamala’s laugh draws a lot of attention doesn’t it? I think that works in her favor.

To bring the discussion down to a more personal level, last month we had Hexagram 6 Dispute which consisted of the Qian the Father over Kan the Middle Son. This month it’s Kun the Mother over the Middle Son. With Earth on top of Water, that’s instability; contamination of Water is a possibility, which suggests communication problems and possibly depression, anxiety, or fear. Remember, possibility is not inevitability!

In a family relationship, maybe Hexagram 7 speaks of the outcomes we get when Mothers are too coddling and protective of their boys, or when they are neglectful of them. The difference between these two types of energy sounds obvious but when you see it in real life, sometimes it’s hard to discern. A struggling Mother might overperform to compensate for avoiding a healthy participation in the never-ending emotional process of communication. This is a yin/yang thing and there is no right answer, however, proper parenting and caretaking involves more than meeting material and physical needs and many times that is where the line of success is drawn.

Taking care of someone who is dependent on that care involves walking a very fine line between appropriate support and being too maternal (or paternal). Disregarding the emotions and dignity of the person is a much bigger error than lunch being late. At the same time, it’s important to keep realistic expectations.

At this point in my personal life, I’m engaged in supporting my elders and of course, my children. While I would prefer that they do what I tell them, I’m glad that they are able to make their own choices and they do. If they tell me they know best, it’s hard not to agree. I’m not them and they aren’t me. Maybe this sounds cold but if I’ve got it wrong I don’t want responsibility. It’s their choice. Simple right?

It’s hard not to be attached to the outcome of the help that I want to give to the people I love and the people I work with – that’s the further learning I face now. Giving care, or receiving it, is best approached as a process. Assume everyone is doing their best, that’s almost always true. No one is perfect. Everyone has their ups and downs. It’s not about you. BREATHE!

I write about hexagrams every month in my Monthly Guide. You can become a subscriber if you’re interested!

Hexagram 7 Text*

Gua Ci
SHI The divination: responsible men. Good fortune. No error.

Line 1
The army goes out according to the rules. Not good. Misfortune.

Line 2
Placed in the host’s center, good fortune, no error. The King thrice confers commands.

Line 3
The army perhaps carries corpses, misfortune.

Line 4
The army retreats, no error.

Line 5
The fields have game. Profit by catching them is the word. No error. The eldest son captains the host; the younger son carries corpses. The divination: misfortune.

Line 6
The great prince has commands, founds states, and supports the clans. Small men should not be employed.

*Yi Jing translation by Wu Jing-Nuan ISBN 0-9673272-0-2