Wood Monkey Month: August 7 – September 7
The Wood Monkey month will arrive on Thursday, August 7, bringing us into the season of autumn and into the second half of the Wood Snake year as well. Seasonally, the fiery energy of summer now cools to the focused energy of metal which governs the autumn season. This mid-year shift from fire to metal occurs every year, however, the energy shift that accompanies this annual pivot point may be more pronounced now than in other years. Said plainly, we may really feel and experience the loss of fire in a more impactful way this year.
One reason we will feel this energetic shift more keenly is because the relationship between the Monkey (aka Gemini) and the Snake (aka Virgo) is rather dramatic. True to its dual nature the Monkey is simultaneously drawn to connect with the Snake and equally driven to blow up the connection. The collective impact of this combination of zodiac signs means that we will see things come together and fall apart at the same time, destruction in one direction allowing for reconnection elsewhere. One thing that is guaranteed this month is whiplash inducing reconfigurations of all kinds.
Another reason for the greater impact has to do with the energy shift in the birth chart of the year as we move from the second to third quarter. As many of you may recall from my New Year’s talk, the energetic forecast of the year is based on its BaZi or 4 Pillars birth chart which is calculated by solar new year which is the astronomical Li Chun, Coming of Spring, aka Imbolc in the Celtic tradition. The Four Pillars of the year chart (read from Right to Left) represent the four quarters of the year, and the Monkey month marks the start of the third quarter of the year. 
Fire element is not just the element of the summer season, it is also the Wealth element in this year’s chart. Here fire is weakening from the first to second quarter of the year, and extinguished by water in the second half of the year. This loss of fire is now occurring both by season and by the year chart as well. This spells greater upheaval in financial markets certainly, but fire also represents hope, enthusiasm, and a sunny outlook, pointing to less optimism as the year goes by. Water in Chinese Metaphysics can indicate darkness, danger and most importantly fear. In short, the growing power of water indicates that the second half of the year may be a more challenging and fear inducing time collectively.
That said, it is very important that we don’t throw up our hands and assume the worst as a foregone conclusion. The weather of time is only 33% of the impact affecting our reality. Another 33% of the impact on our reality is our environment also known as Feng Shui, which is why optimizing your unique environment and tailoring it to you can shift outcomes to your favor. The most important factor however, is the Human free will factor which also has a 33% impact on outcome of the story. The best question to ask now is what tools can you gather to help you meet this moment through your actions and choices? Luckily, the energy of this month provides some useful instruction on how to go about it!
The Wood Monkey pillar is embodied by the image of a tree being cut down with an ax or saw and made into something useful. Anyone who has cut wood knows that it requires physical effort, so this pillar shows us that moving forward will require hard work and determination on our part. This is a time to roll up the sleeves, a time to chop wood and haul water, and focus on what is practical.
What is more noteworthy about the metaphor of turning a tree into any number of things is that it represents progress, technology, ingenuity, and even artistry. Yang Wood brings the expansion of Jupiter to many areas of technology and human advancement. As they say necessity is the mother of invention and this month is also an invitation to greater levels of innovation to find new ways to tackle old problems. This is an ideal time to lean into the power of transformation to create the changes you wish to see in our world and to build a bridge to a better future.
The hexagram for this month, #64 is sometimes called Not Yet Accomplished and it also gives us insight on how best to enter the second half of this year. This Hexagram is comprised of the Fire trigram atop the Water trigram, alternating Yin and Yang lines but each line is in the wrong place, out of step. This hexagram gives us the image of a condition that is out of sorts, disrupted and disorderly. In this hexagram we see a situation that needs to be set right and brought back into order and harmony. The presence of the water trigram indicates some element of danger and signals that this task may be a challenging one. While Hexagram 64 is the final hexagram of the I Ching, this messy situation is not the end but an opportunity for a fresh new start. Can we look at what is broken and bring all of our talents and heart into putting the pieces back together in a new and better way? This hexagram tells us that now is not the time to give up or walk away, but the perfect time to Begin Again.
If you found the image of this month’s hexagram useful, you may find 64 such images even more instructive in working with the wisdom of the I Ching. I am thrilled to announce that my Shamanic I Ching Card deck is in the final editing stages and will be released this autumn.
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