Wood Ox Month ~ January 2024
According to the solar calendar, the Ox marks the last of the 12 Zodiac animals. I read the Ox as the second-ish month of the new year of the Wood Dragon because the marker of the New Year I consider most important (in general) is the winter solstice. The qi in January seems very weak to me and in need of nurturing, like a baby or a talent. It needs faith and care. If you’ve made it past the winter solstice it’s not the time to give up, I do know that.
This year I spent the winter solstice and the Cold Moon in Arizona in a place called Cochise Stronghold. It is said that from the Stronghold three watchmen could see and control a 500 mile range against invaders. This is because the Stronghold is what is called a Sky Island – an elevated environment in the desert that houses different animals than the lower desert. There is natural water there but not as much as there used to be. The Stronghold is a special place. I sleep better there and can remember my vivid and constant dreams more. My body feels good in the Stronghold. It’s hard to leave. Maybe there is something to this Feng Shui stuff after all.
We drove down to Arizona from Seattle in a storm, literally driving every day in the rain. On the Water Rat day of the 20th, there was so much rain that visibility was quite limited for much of the time. It was stressful and a little scary. When we got to the Stronghold the rain followed, and that night of the winter solstice (December 22nd 2023) there was a huge storm and a thunderclap that shook the straw bale casita we were in, briefly creating a power outage.
The Universe was speaking: WAKE UP! So we did. Everything was fine.
And with that, I fell back to dreaming. In the morning I thought to myself, that was just like Hexagram 51.
It felt like a profound moment of change and that is what I think you can expect from Hexagram 51. If you cast it, what you can know for sure is that things are about to change, or maybe it’s that they already have and you’re just now recognizing the extent.
That’s what the year of the Wood Dragon is going to be all about. What has already changed and what is rapidly changing.
Read on for the Gua Ci and line 1 of Hexagram 51
Hexagram 51 Zhen: Thunder, Shaking
震
This ideograph can also be used for earthquake.
Gua ci
Zhen: A sacrificial offering. With thunder comes
Fright and terror, laughter, speech and the sounds of laughing.
Thunder terrifies for a hundred li (50 km)
But no loss of spoon (nor of) sacrificial liquor
Line 1 (because it happened in the 子 Rat hour)
With the thunder comes fright and terror; afterwards, laughter
Speech and sounds of laughing. Good fortune.
The Hexagram itself consists of Thunder over Thunder, Eldest Son over Eldest Son. It corresponds to the sign of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac, the last month of spring and the hours between 7-9am. The symbol of the Dragon is 辰 which is derived from its ancient form depicting a woman with her hands over her belly; pregnant and protective. This would symbolize the potential of the Dragon year and the sudden reversals it will bring. Shock and relief.
Practical Applications for the Month
In this Wood Ox month, some kind of breakup may be about to happen, or maybe it’s just that you’re perceiving the threat of something that will happen one year from now. In a Ba Zi the Ox and Dragon have this kind of relationship. If you have one of these pillars in your natal chart, you might note what part of your life will be affected. If you don’t, this pattern of energy will affect you anyhow but maybe not as deeply.
Interruptions of routines may make you question your calling. This is one theme of the year.
If you are a 甲 yang Wood, 戊 yang Earth or 庚 yang Metal day or year stem person, you have a Nobleman available to you this month. The Ox is one of your Noblemen.
If you have the 丑 Ox in your Ba Zi, in 2024 you have a special role to play in helping others. That is to say, you are a Nobleman. There are lots of ways to interpret this, obviously. I like to think that helping others is never a bad idea until proven otherwise.
You might help people you don’t know by doing your job well but you might make a special effort to help on a more personal level. I believe the accumulation of good deeds does help us in times of need. It definitely doesn’t hurt.
If you were born in the month of the 亥 Pig, take advantage of your good luck in getting things accomplished more smoothly than usual. If you’ve been feeling down, I expect you’ll get some relief this month. If you have a Pig in your Ba Zi I think this year is going to surprise you, in a good way.
Those with a 庚 yang Metal day stem will have thoughts and maybe second thoughts about commitment and whether potential partners are willing to conform to their standards regarding friendships and fair play. Those with a 乙 yin Wood stem may need to consider whether the changes demanded are worth it. They probably are. You’re both right.
Maybe it’s a month of topping from the bottom? If you want attention, being quiet might help. If you want to pay attention, the same applies.