In the spirit of the Fire Horse Year, I’m offering all of the classes I teach as group classes. It’s a lofty goal I know. If you’ve been waiting for one of my twenty classes to be offered for group study, this is your year.
For 2026, one on one classes will be available as always, now at a slightly reduced rate. In addition, there are two free group classes bookending the year as part of my service in the ongoing revolution.
In case you’re new here, I mostly teach Chinese Astrology, aka bazi.
I invite those who have already studied with me to repeat a class you have taken before for free when the group class is being offered. Just email me if that’s you!
All the class dates and other information are available on my Study page or you can follow one of the links below to find out more about a specific class. I’m offering them as a progression.
The first class, Explore Roots, Stems and Branches of Bazi is an intro level class, the Wu Xing classes will build off of that knowledge. The Hidden Stems class extends what you learned in the Wu Xing classes and so on. The Intermediate level classes begin with Relationships and Compatibility, but if you already have some experience/knowledge you could probably jump in wherever you like!
If you’re not ready to sign up now, you can subscribe to my Substack to receive notifications prior to each class.
If you can’t read Chinese, but you work with Chinese metaphysics or medicine, the Fire Horse 2026 Almanac will help you bridge the gap and apply your knowledge in real time. It’s an English Language Chinese Almanac. I’m offering both a print and digital version this year.
Each year I compile the Almanac from various sources. The structure is based primarily on the lunisolar Hsia calendar, and the Tung Shing or Annual Chinese Almanac. I started publishing the Almanac because I use it! I had been making it by hand for myself for years. It’s the backbone of my practice and now I’m sharing it with you.
WRITE IN THIS BOOK. The Almanac is a reference tool, calendar, and learning journal. If you’re not familiar with Chinese Astrology, all of the information you need to navigate the Almanac is included before the calendar portion:
Part One
Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches
Elements
The Chinese Calendar and Cycle of 60
Chinese hours, days, months, seasons, and years
Date Selection Tips
Noblemen
Flying Stars (Period 9, Annual, Monthly)
Trigrams and Elements
Annual Hexagram
Part Two
Part 2 consists of one year’s worth of Gregorian calendar overlaid with the basic Chinese Astrology framework used for forecasting and date selection:
Day Pillar Stem and Branch
Daily Hexagram
Daily XKDG numbers
Daily Flying Star
Day Officer
Lunar Mansion
Monthly Flying Stars
Month Pillar
Solar Fortnight
Lunar Cycle/Month
Eclipses
Seasons
San Fu Tian Treatment Dates
Special Days
Ratings for the general auspiciousness of each day
For those interested in taking my Date Selection classes, you’ll want to know the Almanac is the text for the class. It will also be the text for a new class I will teach in 2026 which is a free class for you if you purchase the Almanac. The class is called Daily Flying Star Calculation : Two Methods.
NOTE:The Fire Horse 2026 Almanac begins with the Rat month of December 2025 and ends with the Pig month of November 2026.
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Hexagram 52 correlates to the Fire Dog pillar. It’s also the Tidal Gua for the Lunar month of Pig which starts November 19th this year. The Pig month is where winter begins, and so it is a stopping point in a very real sense, one that we can experience in our bodies as well as through observation. In a sense we might interpret this Hexagram as covering the time from now until mid-December. We’re at a threshold.
In the sequence of Hexagrams in the I Ching, Gen or Stillness (52) follows Thunder (51). A general interpretation of Thunder might be that it presents an opportunity to see how you work through anxiety and fear, or you might interpret it as a time for action. We can interpret Hexagram 51 as where we are coming from/where we are now. Hexagram 52 is where we will be in the lunar month of Fire Dog.
That would make Still or Mountain the aftermath of Thunder, meaning now it’s time to take a breath, at least a moment of stillness will help you assess the situation because things have changed. We’ve made it past some sort of tension release and I hope you’re feeling it. Any time you’re unsure about when to take action or when to be still, the Universe is usually providing some helpful clues and the I Ching is just one way to access them.
A general interpretation of Hexagram 52 would be don’t leave your own place. Don’t leave your home area. It’s not the best time to travel, but some will need to travel and can plan accordingly. You may want to allow for or build some stillness into your journey. Plan for delay or moving slowly. Since this Hexagram is describing multiple types of stillness, it suggests knowing when to speak and when not to speak is important too. Safety comes from these moments of recognition. It’s like magic.
On the top and bottom of Hexagram 52 we see the Gen trigram, the Youngest Son. This Trigram is associated with a mountain, hands, prayer, meditation, withdrawal, or a religious or spiritual existence just to name a few things. These are things that ask us to be still.
Visually, this mountain on top of a mountain looks like double doors to me – a door on top of a door. Do you want to go low or go high? When speaking about the compass, the Dog is sometimes called Heaven’s Gate(!) and where would that be unless it was very high up? I’m just throwing these ideas out to see if they evoke anything for you – don’t take it too seriously. I work in metaphors most.
The element of Hexagram 52 is yang Earth as is befitting for a Mountain. The symbol is so clear about indicating a stop. If you’re traveling, when you come to the mountain, you go over, around or through. You could turn back, but in life is that really an option? We can’t go back to the actual past, even though some of us are still stuck there. What often works best is seeing what opportunities are available in the moment and following them.
In the case of Hexagram 52 maybe your situation seems insurmountable, there’s a mountain on top of the mountain. There are two doors to choose from but you have no idea which is the right one.
Maybe we all could use a moment to let the message come, before we know what action to do next. We might be less attached to or anxious about an outcome if we understand that the signs will point the way at the right time. Just stay open to them and trust yourself.
The 丙戌 Fire Dog Month opens on Wednesday October 8th. We’ll be meeting on Saturday October 11th from 9-10 am GMT-7 to talk about what the month holds for us. You can find more information or sign up here.
As usual, we will use my Monthly Guide as the jumping off point for discussion but we are not limited by that.
Some possible topics include Hexagram 52, elemental growth stages, the Fire Dog pillar, real estate, boundaries, doors, gates, thresholds, health tips, travel and timing. Questions are always welcome!
I hope you’ll join us. The Guide for the Fire Dog Month, along with the Zoom link for the meetup, will go out by email prior to the meetup. The Zoom link will be in your inbox on Friday October 10th.
If you have any questions please email me through my site.
If you’d like to receive notifications about Monthly Meetups please subscribe to my Substack.
When I think of Hexagram 33, I often remember this quote from Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House which I think describes its energy very well :
“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality.”
There comes a point where retreat beckons, when retreat will preserve us and we can make efforts at a more auspicious time. When you realize you’re surrounded by creeps, maybe don’t linger?
Hexagram 33, called Dun or Retreat, is the hexagram that corresponds to the Wood Rooster solar month. Hexagram 33 is also the Tidal Gua for the lunar month of Sheep. This year, there was an intercalary lunar month, so some of my current interpretation will be shaped by events that happened between June 25th-August 22nd. Solar and lunar work together like yin/yang.
The hexagram consists of Gen the Youngest Son on the bottom. Gen is the Mountain. Qian the Father is on top. Qian is Heaven. We are talking about high places. This arrangement suggests a younger man is coming up, literally. In the future, he will be “on top”. He has a youthful qi that is dedicated to spiritual or religious matters. He is coming into power while an older man (on top) is phasing out. This has some interesting parallels to what might be happening in January and February of 2026. It’s not too much of a leap to interpret this as a reference to JD Vance.
Let’s look at Hexagram 33 and what it can tell us about the Wood Rooster month. From this perspective we could say the Rooster month (September) contains a peak of energy – energy that was born in May. This Rooster month sets up the Ox month (January) as a completion or finale. In a Snake year, it seems kind of inevitable that January 2026 marks an important ending.
The signs of Snake, Rooster and Ox are some of the most affected/empowered by this year and they will work together to make 金 Metal. Metal and Water seem to be the most unfavorable for Trump and we’re currently in Metal season, headed toward the Water season. Rat, whose month is most of December, is a yang nobleman (probably male) for Trump, but it doesn’t seem to bring good luck. Rat is his success element but he doesn’t seem able to experience it – he is never satisfied. JD Vance has a Wood Rat year but Trump doesn’t seem to appreciate him. Does he ever say thank you?
Timing
The first two lines of Hexagram 33 are broken and as Daoist scholar Alfred Huang says regarding interpretation:
“This is a situation where inferior persons were multiplying and increasing in power. It is time for the wise to retreat.”
Recent resignations at the CDC come to mind.
The broken lines one and two (on the bottom) could be where the most action is this month. In terms of time, that would cover approximately September 7-17. Expect the boastfulness of the Trump administration to expose more deceit and create chaos. They like to talk about their crimes openly.
This exposure or self exposure then spurs more withdrawals or resignations of personnel from government agencies from approximately September 18th- October 8th, leaving no one left to hide behind or blame.
I’m hopeful that some of the withdrawals we see will be due to people getting ready to exert their influence at a more auspicious time. The gist of Hexagram 33 right now might be that something (someone?) big is about to go down and there are people in high places who will retreat from being associated with it. Like rats (again) leaving a sinking ship. You could take a personal perspective on this too – is there anything/anyone you need to retreat from?
One image that comes to mind for me with Hexagram 33 is the way that the ocean retreats before the tidal wave comes. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You don’t have to believe in physics to experience it. Liu Ming calls Hexagram 33 “the story of a successful comeback”. This makes me so curious about who or what could be coming back, but that won’t happen until later.
Any gains that can be made this month are likely to be small, but don’t take that to mean they are not important. Sometimes gains consist of not losing. This is a description of where we are now: continue your work, don’t strive or strive for attention. By “your work”, I mean relationships as well as your career.
In the sequence of hexagrams, after Hexagram 33 comes Hexagram 34 which is called Great Strength or Great Invigorating. This is a natural response to retreating. Nothing lasts forever. Winter is coming and spring will follow.
As a Tidal Gua, Hexagram 34 corresponds to the lunar Rabbit month, which suggests that about halfway through March 2026 our government’s current structure is inverted. You can read the text for Hexagram 34 here.
Instead of continuing to portray himself as a young religious man, I think from now on we will see a different presentation of current Vice President JD Vance.
Zhen on the top of Hexagram 34 is the Eldest Son, the one who takes over for the Father the way a Vice President will take over for a President. He is the successor. Watch for JD Vance to make this his new message now to set up for later. The position of Zhen on the top is a reminder that JD Vance will also phase out. Nothing lasts forever.
Thank you for reading! To be notified of future posts or receive them in your inbox, please subscribe to my Substack.
The 乙酉 Wood Rooster Month opens on Sunday September 7th but we’ll be meeting just a bit early on Saturday September 6th from 9-10 am GMT-7. You can find more information or sign up here.
As usual, we will use my Monthly Guide as the jumping off point for discussion but we are not limited by that.
Some possible topics include Hexagram 33, the triple combination of Metal and what that could mean in your life, strategy, “seeing things”, robbery sha, self penalties, and the bazi of Debbie Harry who was born in a Wood Rooster year (1945).
I might talk a little about the relationship of Zi Wei Dou Shou astrology and Ba Zi too.
I hope you’ll join us. The Guide for the Wood Rooster Month, along with the Zoom link for the meetup, will go out by email on on Friday September 5th.
If you have any questions please email me through my site.
If you’d like to receive notifications about Monthly Meetups please subscribe to my Substack.
The 甲申 Wood Monkey Month opens on August 7th and we’ve got a Full Moon for the next Monthly Meetup on Saturday August 9th from 9-10 am GMT-7. That’s Seattle time in case you want more clarification!
You can find more information or sign up here. As usual, we will use my Monthly Guide as the jumping off point for discussion but we are not limited by that. Some possible topics include Hexagrams 63 and 64, endings/completions vs process, Elon (again), Harry S. Truman, some bazi pillars that express inner conflict and what that might be like, what we might expect from a Monkey month in a Snake year…
And a little study of the bazi of Rudy Giulani who was born in a Wood Monkey year in an Earth Snake month. People used to think he was a great guy back in 2001. What changed? Maybe the Hungry Ghosts got in his head.
I hope to see you there!
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What if the problem is, wherever you go, there you are? What do you do when wherever you go, you are there with the same concerns, the same problems, the same worries?
Hexagram 47 困 Kun corresponds to the Water Sheep pillar. Since we’re in a Water Sheep month, let’s consider it first in that context. The name can be translated in different ways, but for now it feels right to me to think of Kun as “Beset”.
On top of Hexagram 47 we have 兌 Dui, the youngest daughter. On the bottom is 坎 Kan, the middle son. Lake over Abyss. That’s a lot of Water. Earthquakes and flooding are likely this month, and/or you could say a feeling of instability and strong tides of emotion are rampant. “Alligator Alcatraz” seems related to this hexagram.
Sometimes we cast the coins because we feel at a loss as to how to proceed, or maybe you want to know what to expect so you can prepare. When you’re in that mind state, you likely have concerns that you are headed into a difficult situation.
The hexagram you cast may tell you different, but casting Hexagram 47 will confirm this: you are headed into a difficult situation, and your actions and choices have brought you here. Now you will have to decide what to do about it – or let the chips fall where they may. I usually recommend the former. In my experience, sometimes this hexagram comes up in the context of divorce or breakup, although that outcome is not guaranteed.
If you are going through a loss, or you think you are about to, surely there were prior indications that this outcome was merging with possibility. Maybe ask yourself if this was true, you know, for future reference.
If Hexagram 47 describes your situation, you would have already noticed you’re existing in or even generating the kind of energy that could lead to three years of punishment, isolation, and restriction. Will you be imprisoned? Probably not, but it might feel that way.
Remember that in this world of metaphysics, we’re working with metaphors that mirror our life, and we usually see their meanings through the lens of our preferences. When you remember this, you might realize you could still find a way out of your stuckness, within certain limits. You could step outside of preferences and find some new possibilities. Or you could choose to act based on your preferences and get what you want – or not. Will you take the chance?
If the energy of Kun relates to your current physical or mental state, ask for advice from a trusted source. Look for a spiritual solution such as meditation, prayer or divination. At some of the most scary times of my life, I’ve made some deals with the Universe myself about what I was committed to doing to shape or soften fate. I take that kind of ask very seriously so I don’t do it often. I think we know when the time is right to ask for that kind of assist.
“Kun refers to a deep pit dug on Zhou battlefields to imprison a wild and belligerent, defeated enemy officer. Kun means isolation, oppression and entanglement. For the captive, loss is made repeatedly worse by struggling against the odds.” Liu Ming
The ideograph for Kun 困 shows a tree (wood) trapped in a box. There’s nowhere to grow or go. Wood is meant to move and expand infinitely, but it cannot. Its elemental nature is neutralized.
Kun expresses the limits of every possible human action. Change is always going to come. Acceptance might bring a more positive outcome. Acceptance is not the same as giving up, and forgive me for using a very extreme example, but I think Kun does speak to possibly choosing death as a way of escape, including suicide. Feeling stuck can do that a body. When you let yourself feel the feels, you will pass through this moment into the next. What the next moment brings will be different than now. Kun is also sometimes translated as Distress or Exhaustion which are temporary states regardless of outcome. Don’t forget that.
If you’d like to read the text from the Book of Changes, there’s a PDF of Wu Jing Nuan’s translation available online. The text is the same as the print book. Go to page 191 of the PDF to read the text for Hexagram 47.
The energy of this month will pass, meanwhile I encourage everyone to connect however you can with loved ones, especially if you are feeling trapped, or you know they are feeling trapped. We can gather each other up.
What you have to say or offer now could make a crucial difference in someone else’s life whether you know it or not. Don’t wait for an emergency to show your care. Part of emergency preparation is connecting with people who are important to you when there is no emergency. This will bolster your courage and resolve for the time when the big changes come.
Coincidentally(?) we have two Heavenly Pardoning Days* this month, an unusual opportunity which suggests that asking for forgiveness or giving it might be all you need to do to set the changes in motion – to clear the stuckness. This is best done by invoking ancestors who we might respectfully ask for guidance or amnesty, or perhaps we might be forgiving them and recognizing their intentions. They want resolutions too. The solution might be as simple as that if you’re feeling the energy of Hexagram 47 in your life.
Unpopular opinion: the best solutions are not complicated. Adding complexity might be something like saying no. Adding complexity creates exclusion. When we can’t accept the simple, do we really want change? Or do we just want to move on without changing? Good luck with that. What can you say yes to? This is the way.
*The Heavenly Pardoning Days are Thursday July 24th and Thursday August 7th. If you like to keep track of these things, may I suggest my Monthly Guide?
Thank you for reading! To be notified of future posts or receive them in your inbox, please subscribe to my Substack.
Join us on Zoom Saturday July 12th from 9-10am GMT-7 for a one hour group discussion about Chinese Astrology and the month of the 癸未 Water Sheep. The jumping off point for this discussion is the Monthly Guide.
Some of this month’s topics include the nature of the Water Sheep, the bazi of Zohran Mamdani (yay!!), Hexagram 47 and what to do about it, earthquakes (again), and of course, the Bullying Punishment aka the Earth Punishment. Spontaneous discussion and questions from the group are always welcome. For me that might be the best part. I am most interested in application.
If you’re not a subscriber, you can get a copy of the current Monthly Guide here. For subscribers and others who purchase the Guide, you can expect it to land in your inbox on or before Thursday July 7th which is the first day of the Water Sheep Month.
Notifications about Monthly Meetups will go out through my Substack.
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.
Thank you for reading! To be notified of future posts or receive them in your inbox, please subscribe to my Substack.
