May Energy Update

Hey guys, welcome to the Learn Feng Shui podcast where you'll learn Feng Shui from a classical point of view, taking out the myth and superstition. So if you're interested in learning Feng Shui, Chinese astrology, all things Chinese metaphysics, as well as the superstitions and myths that connect it all, you'll enjoy learning Feng Shui with me. Hey guys, let's look at the energies that are coming in for the month of May. My goodness, you believe it is May already. I can't, it's the fifth month of the year, the fourth month of the lunar new year in the month of the the virus snake.

So Dingxi, it starts May 4th, fifth. I got some conflicting dates from my Chinese almanac. So the first cycle of JG, which is the first 15 day cycle of energy that governs the month, the JG cycle is called coming spring. So it shows the month starts all just say around the 4th or 5th. And last till about the 21st of May.

And this does correspond very closely with the pagan observance of Belten or Mayday, which does celebrate the return of light and the midway point between spring and summer. The second 15 day cycle of the month is the Qi cycle. And it starts May 21st and goes till June 5th and it's just called small sprout. And I actually did find a really good website that talks about each of these solar cycles and breaks them down into traditions. So I'm going to kind of be including that I think on a monthly basis.

So the way I explain this solar cycle though, it's just it's just hard to explain. So I'm going to read here for the Beijing Arts says the traditional Chinese lunar calendar does to fight the year up into 24 solar terms based on seasonal changes and natural phenomena. So it breaks each month down into two different 15 day cycles called the JG cycles. So in case you're wondering about that. And today we will be talking about the start of summer or beginning of summer, which is that first cycle of the month.

So we'll include that in our folklore Friday for today. All right guys, let's jump into the zodiac sign. So what do you have in store for the month of May for this fire energy? So let's start first with of course this make. And what do you think I'm going to say?

What do you think guys? Any time the animal sign that is in your nail chart is present for the year or the month. It can feel a little more stressful and you might feel more visible or seen. So that's my advice for snakes. Yeah, I mean again, it's always a time where I tell you to make choices carefully.

You know, if you want to be seen, it's a great month for you to be out there. But it's almost like being exposed. So if you have the zodiac sign of snake, it's just me feel more exposed this month. All right. So the combinations with the snake are rooster and ox.

So this does create the metal element. It's sometimes known as like the male frame or metal trio. So here, I'm just, you know, remember I read off the blog every month. So go check out the blog. It has everything that I said here in written form.

And you can just kind of refer to it and have extras. But metal does help kind of bring that sense of structure. If you do have had a hard time focusing, I feel like the water is so overwhelming this year because it is that gang that big water. Right. So a little metal energy can kind of help.

I think a slow that water down a little bit. And it also helps sort of govern that thought process for metal, especially if you are a metal day master. Right. So that's if you're if the metal appears in your day pillar. Right.

So if that's if that's the case for you, and you have a rooster and ox already or rooster or an ox, it's going to come out of the snake and pretty much make up that metal combo. And so yeah, just having that, I think it will help kind of that thought process organization. Maybe feel a little more structured than you felt in the past few months. And remember that it does take that clash away for the year for the month for the rooster that's experienced that is experiencing for the year. It's going to take it away for the month and you won't have a clash.

So that does make a nice little, you know, kind of bonus extra. So the fire might help kind of refine polish and think of some new ideas. So it's kind of a good month for you to brainstorm. I'm here. I kind of talk about the Earth's getting control of fire element.

So the Earth of the ox, you know, might kind of help a little bit to kind of dampen down some of the fire that we have. It says here to use your knowledge and expertise to gain trust in place yourself in your stability direction if you feel overwhelmed. So remember that before using like what is called the best and worst directions or all species directions, you can always use your, what is called your stability direction for a little bit of a sense of grounding and stuff. If you feel kind of, you know, I'd be undone if you don't feel maybe feel more nervous or something like that. I think the metal will kind of help a taper some of that off.

But remember when the fire is interacting because it's still going to be there for the month, you know, that little bit of fire. Sometimes it can create a little bit of stress and pressure. But hey, if you're a metal, you can handle it. Just kind of off and inside a little note, if you are one that buckles under pressure, you know, talking about that stress. If you're one that buckles under pressure, you know, pressure is not always a bad thing.

Stress isn't always like a really bad thing. Sometimes it just means we need to arise the occasion. So I think people get worried when they hear, oh, have I created stress for me? You know what? Sometimes breaking through and just moving to that next point in life or that next step, you know, taking that next step, it's going to create that pressure.

But you know what? Getting through that and problem solving is going to show you that you can do it. It's going to help you grow. And I mean, it really just overall adds to success, you know, when we're able to overcome that and we're able to tackle things head on without, oh, no, you know, I'm too stressed out on two under pressure. You know, and take a step back and saying, no, I got this.

And I know what I'm doing. So again, metal element, the difference between in a metal and young metal is a young will rise to the occasion. So if you have that young metal, it does. It's like very tough. But the again metal tends to crumble.

Oh, no, you know, I'm so stressed out. I can't do it. I'm going to lie. Like I'm a young metal person, too. And this is something I've had to work on.

So this is why I know this. So I'm telling you. So just a little aside, little advice from a fellow metal person. All right. So the snake combined with a monkey.

So if you have a monkey in your needle chart, that does create the element of water, which indicate the thought process and problem solving and intelligence, you know, the kind of that that wisdom, right? So it may be a good month for you to make a breakthrough in area of life. You've been stuck. You know, water does represent movement also. And of course, the snake during this month and the monkey are both what are called the travel horse or the sky horse.

And so they does represent like a lot of movement. Maybe it's a month for you to travel and stuff like that. This is here. Do not try it. So this is one thing I tell people.

A lot of these energies, they combine in a way that actually just makes the impacts the way we feel are internal thoughts. A lot of times our patterns of thinking and those self-sabotaging patterns. And so the monkey and the snake can be a taboo volatile when they combine. And they create what's called the the quote-unquote punishment. And so again, this is not something that's like something terrible is going to happen.

But what this is showing you if you have a monkey in your needle chart is that this is a month where you're going to need to really look and think about who you're helping. So it does create what's called ungrateful punishment. And that's more along the lines of like I think as people we tend to expect the best out of somebody else. And so perhaps you know, you want to reach out. You want to help somebody.

You're trying to, you know, just really reach out to somebody that's struggling right now when you're friends, right? And you offer that help. And maybe they're not as thankful as you think they'll be like don't go into expecting to be thanked or to expect somebody to do the same for you that you did for them. Because that's, you know, this is life. Like do something out of the kindness of your heart.

And don't expect anything from it. Because when you expect something, you're going to be disappointed. And that snake and monkey combination kind of is speaking to those expectations of like, you know, I'm helping somebody out in maybe one, they're not worthy or two. They don't live up to my expectations of being grateful or thankful enough. And that's about it.

So that's something that you want to kind of keep in mind this month. If you're just not feeling it, you know, don't offer to help somebody, you know, but if you do, then don't expect anything in return and do it out of the selflessness and kindness of your own heart. So the horse and the good combined with snake to make a seasonal combination. The presence of the horse or goat or both in your nail chart means that you can take advantage of the seasonal combination, especially if you benefit from the element of fire. So if fire is your wealth element, if you are a water day master and fire is your wealth element, ooh, get ready.

Especially if you have a horse or goat. So only the other horse or goat guys are both do combine with snake to make that seasonal combination. This does, it's like a, dominates all the combinations. So yeah, fire will really be taken over in this scenario. So it can lead to positive changes, financial gain and whatnot, especially if your wealth element is fire, you could see some potential for wealth or wealth opportunities.

So, you know, money's on for all this guy. You might want to try and buy a lottery ticket, but to me, hard, just not hard work, but just consistently working. It's going to be your payoff. And these are the months that we're combined. And it's kind of like, you know, all the stars align and opportunity can present itself.

So it might not come in the form of money, but sometimes it can come in the form of financial opportunities, you know, more clients, more work, maybe more hours working at your job. So just kind of depending on what you're doing in life, you know. So the pig is our clash animal for the month. And again, there's not really going to be much of a clash because the pig does form a seasonal combination with the rabbit. So yeah, you're pretty safe.

If you have the pig, then you're not going to have a clash for the month. So congratulations, no worries. Let's now take a look at the best sectors for me. And let's talk flying stars. All right guys, it's back.

That's right. A fung shwai activation. So my top pick and best sector for the month is the north. So the stars actually are all flying back to their home palace. So I feel like there's like a celebration of them returning home.

So yeah, the five stars trapped in the center. It doesn't really have the ability to cause any issues, you know, it's kind of like it's taken a break for the time being. So no big deal. I do remember that the yearly star five is still in the northwest. And so we just don't want to activate that.

Although the six star is back in that palace, but we're not we're not activating it because the year late five is still there. So no problem, just don't mess with it. So again, the north is the spot where I choose to do activations for the month. The number one flying star goes back there. And that number one star, the flying star is that water star.

It represents like movement, motion, and it does create it can create that authority. Or, you know, if so, if you're wanting to make a name for yourself or establish your authority, I would say activate the north. So something special, all shall happens. The their flying star number one does for the month does combine with the nine star for the year. And it creates a combo of 10.

And anytime you see a combo of 10, it does represent connection. And so if you want to connect to people this month also, or you want to connect to an audience, perhaps maybe I'll activate the north. That way, yeah, you can take advantage of that good energy. And I'll have a if you just check the link in the the show notes there on my blog post each month, I usually put up a bunch of activation. I think this month I, yeah, activate from May 9th from one thirty to three.

And you can find all the details on the blog posts on the website. I try to put a little menu up so you can seriously just skip down if you don't want to read all the other stuff and just find that that part of the blog that you want to read. So yeah, the north is my top pick for the month of May. And now my pick for worst sector or just a sector we're going to kind of need to take note of for the month. I don't like it.

It's a southwest. So, you know, if you sleep in the sector or if you spend a lot of time here, you might want to put out a little saltwater cure or do, you know, this little six coin charms. So yeah, or a metal cure also works too. So yeah, the flanks are combination there. The two flanks start as fly back to the southwest for the month, but combine with that flanks start number one for the year usually indicates some sort of illness or, you know, issue sickness.

The two and the one I don't really combine in a very nice way. It's kind of compared to muddy water. Similarly, when the two starkos into the north. And so yeah, when when dirt and water combine, it makes mud or muddy water. So it's generally referred to in a negative way, not looked at very positively.

So no worries, but again, you know, maybe spend less time there if you sleep there, just put out a little cure, you know, make sure you're being healthy, washing your hands and all that stuff. So should be perfectly fine. Looking at sectors that we want to avoid renovating for the month, always the monthly grand Duke and the energy that directly opposes it is the soy po or the month breaker. So that is going to be the areas of a southwest, or sorry, not southwest, it's going to be southeast, it's neighbor's eyes in the southeast. And then the pig over there directly opposing it is in the northwest.

So it's hot these in northwest are areas we're going to avoid doing monthly renovations for the month of May. So do remember to check out the blog because I do have a complete list. I mean, pretty much the only area you're allowed to renovate is going to be the north freely. So if you do need to do renovations at this time in one of these areas, it has a detailed list there, but renovations can or I suggest they only be done using date and time selection that's specific to your home. So shoot me a message if you need help with any of this.

So if you do want kind of up to date information, I suggest you do go check out that blog post and I am doing a live that's going to be going monthly probably the first Friday of each month. Times may vary just due to my schedule, but yeah go check it out. This is going to be occurring just directly in the Facebook group. That seems to be the best way to kind of reach people in a way that people are able to actually see the content. You know, I don't know if I'll time to upload those to YouTube at all and honestly, I just don't really have the time.

So if you want, there is a link in the link tree below to both the monthly blog post and that Facebook group. For some of you, we're going to be taking a quick sponsor break and we'll be coming back with this week's folklore Friday. We're going to talk about the coming of summer and observance of built-in. All right guys, here's some from the Beijinger.com 101 solar terms coming of summer is here, which means it's time to see how much you weigh. And it does have the Chinese name before that solar cycle and I don't, I can't pronounce it.

It's about L-I-X-I-A but translates to coming of summer. So from the Beijinger.com, again, I will link to this in the show. They have a great series on the solar term. So if you're interested in more of those, you can kind of go take a look. But I will be covering on the show because I feel a little treasure trove there.

So no need all cover it for you. So what is coming of summer all about? So again, it has spelled L-A-X-I-A. I want to say, maybe it is pronounced L-X-I-I-I. So I don't want to butchery.

And if you know, then you know, I'm going to shoot me in voice mail or something, you know, one of those voice messages. So it says here, as we have mentioned in previous solar terms, the Chinese solar term is based on the rotation of the big dipper. So when the big dipper is handled actually points to the northeast and the sky as it does for this time of year, ancient Chinese would recognize that it is once again the start of summer. And so as we know, when we hear terms like the Grand Duke, the Taisui, the Soy Po, or whatever, these are actually planetary alignments in the sky. You know, there's not really, you know, a Grand Duke or you know, there's not really the embodiment of a person.

It is referring to different planetary alignments. And so here it is observed that the big dipper is a certain point in the sky and that indicates the solar cycle. It does here to say that the character Lee can indicate sort of setting the marker standing up and the XIA, the Xia of Kenming, big as well as summer. And as the crops are so in the spring at this point, they should have broken to the soil and grown up straight and tall in the fields. I can't seem to speak today.

So again, it's kind of one of those hominins where the word looks or sounds like what it's kind of emulating. And so here that it's kind of emulating, you know, the growing, the growing crops at the time. And mine are growing, they're taking off pretty good too. So, otherwise given the solar term was invented at a time when Chinese cultural and financial centers lay in the South low Beijing with still a remote town in the country's north, coming of summer does not always reflect the capital's change in climate perfectly. So I kind of mean we kind of know this depending on where you're at this time of year, you know, if you're farther north, you're probably not going to be planting your vegetables like I am.

Well, I'm pretty far here South and the United States, you know. So it says, yet you should be surprised when you witness temperatures climbing during this time. So especially in some years, you can feel like we skipped spring and lit straight into summer. And so yeah, we actually got a little taste of the cooler weather this week here in the US. Had a little bit of a cooler cold front, you know, come in.

But I think after this past week and when we see that coming of summer, I do not think it's going to hold again. And I think the threat of freeze is gone all the way. So it says here, just like it does say here that this time of year actually will feature three micro seasons. And this really is it corresponds with the way we look at Feng Shui, the way we look at Chinese metaphysics. And within each of these 15 day cycles, there's actually five day cycles.

So it can be actually broken down into upper middle and lower period within these 15 day cycles. But apparently during this time, it has corresponding natural phenomena. And these three little micro seasons can be seen. It says here that the chirping of male crickets is one marker. Earthworms burrowing through the earth and finding a new ground is another.

And specific types of gourds will actually be sprouting and growing during this time. So I suppose this is a really early blooming type of gourd that usually grows this time of year. So it says here, importantly, this time of year, the coming of summer symbolizes the passing from spring into summer. And traditionally on this day, the emperor would lead his courteers, all dressed in red for hope of an auspicious harvest to welcome the advent of summer. So during the ceremony, the emperor would also award his courteers any remaining ice stores from the previous year.

But for commoners, especially those who dwell around the Gainxie River Delta, this was the last chance to have a picnic before the spring flowers faded away. And kind of like I mentioned earlier, with those gourds, we do have some early spring blooms, irises, the daffodils, the tulips, and that kind of thrive in that colder weather, right? So same with, of course, different areas of China where they got different, you know, vegetables or vine fruit gourds that are ripe this time of year. Some of the traditions that go along with this time of year, of course, as I mentioned earlier, it's a chance to have a last picnic. And it does say here with everything during this time of year thriving, it's only natural for appearance, a one and the same for their children.

And so some of the traditions include games too, it says here in some areas of China. Children will wear a mesh bag containing a boiled egg, around their neck, and what they got to play in the first midday sun of the solar cycle. So the children then smash the tops and bottoms of their eggs together with the child, with the intact egg on the top, claiming ultimate victory while the child's with the intact bottom becomes a runner up. Meanwhile, children who wear egg around their neck is, it is believed to help prevent abdominal disdention. And apparently that was a common occurrence among ancient Chinese children in the summer.

So at the first lunch of coming of summer, some villages will even hang up, sets of scales for people to be weighed, while the other person doing the weighing will provide an entertaining rhyme to wish them an abundant nutrition for the year ahead. I think I'd skip that. I would skip that. I want to be weighed in public. And although there's not really a traditional food to eat for the coming of summer, it says here no signature dishes.

People generally just kind of eat depending on where they are in China, they'll eat what's kind of common to the area. But it does say here is commonly believed that you should seek out foods that look like legs, heart and eyes for better health. And so this usually is symbolized in produce like bamboo shoots for your legs, peas or berries for your eyes, you know, etc. So it does say here in China, Southeast coastal areas, shrimp is a popular hominem of summer, and so they usually eat that. So just like the ancient Chinese, our own ancient ancestors had their own customs and traditions that also marked the different times of solstices.

And in between the solstices and one of these observances is like I mentioned at the start of the show, belting. So belting is a festival that occurs on May 1st and also refers to sometimes this referred to as May Day. And so this is a observance or a celebration of the return of light and the beginning of the farming season. Here on RTE.com, all of a sudden of course put a link in the show notes that says our ancient and recent farming ancestors relied on significant calendar events to give them reassurance and remind them of when to sow in reap. Belting is one of the four major Irish festivals along with saun, embolic and lunosa and it signifies the return of light and is widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man while May Day celebrations occur throughout Europe.

And that does occur in other places too. I know here even locally I attended a local belting celebration over the weekend and it was quite nice. And although I have no Celtic or Irish heritage, I do think the observances are special, especially since it corresponds so closely to that lunosaolar calendar that I use on tilly basis. I also do consider myself sort of a pagan light. I love the observances and traditions.

I just think it's fascinating and I love observing nature. So of course just like the ancient Chinese, ancient Celtic people also had different traditions and rituals that they would do during this time of year. And one of them specifically was with fire. It says fire played a special part in these rituals and has been speculated that fire and belting does celebrate and symbolize the return of sun after winter. Certain practices were to ensure plenty of sunlight for the growing season and bonfires were lit in their flames, smoke and ashes were believed to have protective powers.

It also marked a time on the farming calendars for cattle to be driven out to the summer pastures and rituals were actually performed to protect the cattle and the crops and also the people and encouraged growth. So the people in the cattle would walk around the bonfire and in some cases leap over the flames or embers and these rituals involving fire were symbolically to burn and cleanse potential destructive influences marking the meaning of the farming year. So it was a little confused at this next wording but from what I understand it kind of talks about the fire in the hearth. And so obviously as we know people didn't used to cook over a conviction of an aristopterite. So we knew they didn't have that but they did have those fireplaces or like a hearth or like those brick ovens that they would just kind of continually keep going of and they would like never put it out.

And so it says here that usually that fire was kept going in a home but occasionally they would put that out and one of the days they would put that out would actually be on this belting or may may day day. And then they would actually relied it with the belting bonfire from the outside. And it does say here that at this time of year fire was not permitted to leave the house. So even it's smoke as it was considered likely that all the look of the house would also leave with it. So very interesting.

Another belief was that important goods could not even leave the house. So it says here that such beliefs dominated that other important goods leaving the house such as dairy products and tools should not be done. So anything that was related to profit of the home was not given away at this time as it was believed to do so it was to give away profit of the year. And so out of respect for these beliefs and to retain the look of a home water or fire was never taken out of the home on may eve or may day. So it says here that they didn't even like a pipe with the fire and you know smoke it outside I guess.

So it's considered offensive to even ask a bar or something from a house at this time and people who did reviewed suspiciously. I guess they thought they were going to try to you know make sure they didn't make any profit that year if they asked a bar or something who the scandal. So again kind of looking at the element of fire the Ellen water and flowers were also used here. So it does say here that they would draw water from the local holy wells as it was considered very potent and flowers would be left there. They would also collect the dew of the morning of may day or belting and they would offer it secure for the rest of the year and wash their face with it and walk in the dew and it was supposed to have curative properties.

Another thing again kind of with the flowers is that they would decorate statues of our ladies as of the sacred heart. And so that was kind of replaced with the pagan gods and goddesses once you know catholicism kind of took over they just kind of translated that and they replaced some of the traditional statues with catholic statues. And so this says here they would flank them with flowers and altars would also be flanked with flowers. And lastly it is also believed that this is a time of year where you needed protection from spirits. So I guess it was supposed to be a day where you know their spirits were said to roam the earth.

It says here that although may with herald I would joy and an element of magic lay behind these mirrorments. It says here a protection against unseen forces would give an urgency at this time. So it was really you know thought that you need to protect yourself against spirits. It says here that this is especially believed to be the case between sunrise on May eve and sunrise on May day. So between you know the sunset on April 30th and the sunrise on May 1st.

So it says here that evil spirits are seem to be at their most potent. It says the wells are guarded at this time and in case the water within was taken to be used by those who might work spells against you. So I guess it was supposed to infuse the water at this time. May flowers were spread on doorsteps and hung above doors to discourage bad luck from entering the home. And kind of similarly to the you know beliefs surrounding Chinese New York housework being unlucky on May day.

Similarly it said to be unlucky to dust. The sweep could get married dig bathed whitewash or set sail on May 1st. And it does say here that not hearing kuku kuku in the month of May meant certain death. So I mean what's a kuku is that that a bird I'm guessing it's not the clock. So yeah let me know.

All right guys I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Make sure you check the link in the show notes and message me if you have any questions or comments or if you know what a kuku is. So yeah anyway you guys have an amazing weekend and I'll catch you guys the next week. For a free energy mapping of your floor plan please check the link in the show notes. To support today's podcast gonna learn Feng Shui.com sign up for emails leave a review and share it with your family and friends.