From Round to Square (and back)

For The Emperor's Teacher, scroll down (↓) to "Topics." It's the management book that will rock the world (and break the vase, as you will see). Click or paste the following link for a recent profile of the project: http://magazine.beloit.edu/?story_id=240813&issue_id=240610

A new post appears every day at 12:05* (CDT). There's more, though. Take a look at the right-hand side of the page for over four years of material (2,000 posts and growing) from Seinfeld and country music to every single day of the Chinese lunar calendar...translated. Look here ↓ and explore a little. It will take you all the way down the page...from round to square (and back again).
*Occasionally I will leave a long post up for thirty-six hours, and post a shorter entry at noon the next day.

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Lunar World Preview 2018 05-20

As the Lunar World Turns
Sunday, May 20, 2018
[a] Cat Preview RF
It's a nice, predictable, "50-50" day in terms of red and black ink on Sunday, but don't let it fool you. It "leans" inauspicious. Let's take a closer look.

Day Personality
(Section Five—Characters Six and Seven)
[b] Irrigation RF
Today's "constellation personality" is Void (虛). Calendrical interpretations stress that it is distinctly gloomy, and overseen by funerary images. Storms are on the horizon (alert: Beloit College commencement), and one misstep will set you back three or more.

The jianchu "personality" is red-ink Danger (). The red ink is about the only good news on the horizon. Everything else is pretty bad. Traditional calendars state that it is of little use to do anything other than to sit home and get drunk.
Lucky Stars
(Section Two)
There are two beneficent asterisms today: Heavenly Horse (天馬) and Heavenly Kindness (天恩). They have at least one positive thing in common, don't they?


Auspicious Times
[c] Discarding Clothing RF
(Section Three)
There are four inauspicious (凶) two-hour periods, two in-between () times, and fully six auspicious () times. Really, people. This is almost embarrassing.
Things to Avoid
(Section Four)
It's a bad day for Opening Irrigation Sluices (開渠) and Discarding Clothing (除服). Think about these (and don't discard clothing in an irrigation sluice).

Just Plain Counting
(Section Four—Characters 1-4)
It is the sixth (初六) day of the fourth lunar month. The cycle of sixty character is #49: renzi (壬子). The days cycle—1, 2, 3, 58, 59, 60, 1, 2, 3...—in perpetuity. 
Elemental (and Phased)
(Section Five—Character 5)
Today's slice of the "Five Phases" (sometimes called the "Five Elements") is Wood (木). Ordinarily, the Five Phases weave their way, two-by-two, through the calendar. Yesterday was Metal. Today is Wood, and tomorrow is Wood.

Appropriate Things
(Section Six) 
[d] Rat Mouth RF
It's a solid day for eight different things, including Meeting Friends (會友), Haircuts (理髮), Making Appointments (立約), and Bubble Baths (沐浴).
Sunday's Lunar Calendar
Solar Periods
(Section Six—Upper and Middle)
We are in the sixth of the twenty-four fifteen day solar periods (the 二十四節氣), which began on Saturday, May 5 and runs through Sunday, May 20. It is called Beginning of Summer (立夏). We are in the twenty-first of the seventy-two five-day solar micro periods (the 七十二候). It is called Cucurbit Flourishes (王瓜生). It began on Wednesday, May 16, and runs through today, Sunday, May 20.

Fear Your Unlucky Stars 
(Bottom of Section Six)
The baleful asterisms (the bottom of section six) are Repeat Mourning (復喪), Rat Mouth (鼠口), and Yin General (陰將). Rat Mouth should give you paws (er, pause).
Miscellaneous Omens and Activities
(Sections Seven and Eight)

Today's miscellaneous omens are Bifurcation (丫) and Fire (火). The miscellaneous activities are Granary (倉), Pestle (碓), and Storehouse (庫). Nobody knows what they mean.

See You Tomorrow
O.k., be careful out there, people. Fill the Void with careful excursions into Danger (but just dip your toes into it; don't dive in). I'll see you back here on Sunday night for a preview of Monday in Lunar World.

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