Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology: October 2023
October 8 takes us into the month of the Water Dog as the sun crosses 15° Libra. We’re now in the last month of fall in the Chinese solar calendar. It’s a collaborative month with the Dog teaming up with secret friend the Rabbit year, while flying star 9 of joy and prosperity in the center of the monthly Feng Shui Flying Star chart elevates our spirit.
Associated with powerful oceans and seas, Yang Water invites us to play with the waves of possibilities and go with the flow instead of fighting the waves of change. Water is the element of fear, but it also brings out our sense of adventure. Rise above your fear – use your fear as a motivator to step out of that comfort zone. You can move mountains this month!
The Dog, as one of the four Earth signs in Chinese Astrology, is an in-between sign that helps us transition from fall to winter. Associated with Saturn, Earth is the element that keeps us anchored. It’s also the element that controls and directs Water. Our commitments, duties, and responsibilities help us manage our fears. The Dog as the secret friend of the Rabbit supports collaborations, but there will also be strong oppositions, as the Dog’s the opposite sign of the Dragon, and we can feel the energy of the upcoming Wood Dragon year kicking off this month with the opposition.
As a Yang Earth sign, the Dog can be still and steady as a mountain, but with hidden Yin Fire, the Dog can also make surprising moves that come from the heart. Let the heart lead – follow what excites the heart to stoke the fire within.
Guidance from the Chinese Five Elements Oracle
The Fire Pig showed up when I pulled a card from The Chinese Five Elements Oracle for guidance in the month ahead. Very timely, especially with star 9 in the center of the monthly Bagua chart! Fire, the element of joy, is much needed as we head toward winter, a Water-dominated season. The ability to shift into a state of joy is especially critical in the Age of 9, a 20-year cycle that starts in 2024.
The Fire Pig pillar is one of the four pillars that carry a special frequency of Divine Support. Connect to the higher frequency of the Divine by cultivating joy from within. Being in joy is a key ingredient in elevating your vibration and manifesting your dreams into reality.
There’s already an infinite source of joy within you. Keep stoking that inner joy by practicing gratitude and opening the heart to receive love. Recognize the many small blessings you receive in your daily life, identify the little things that make you smile, activities that make your heart sing, and remember the special moments in your life that have brought you laughter and happiness. These joy triggers will help you raise your frequency.
*You can order The Chinese Five Elements Oracle here and claim your bonus gifts. By popular demand, I’ve decided to continue offering the free gifts, which include a meditation on joy. Thanks so much to the many of you who preordered!
What’s ahead for the signs
Signs that have affinities with the Dog are secret friend the Rabbit and allies the Tiger and the Horse. Those with these signs in their chart can generally expect a more harmonious, collaborative month ahead, with support from their personal and professional networks.
It’s a heavy month if your chart contains the Dragon, the sign opposite the Dog. Manage your stress level by scheduling rest and well-being activities in your calendar. The Sheep (the Goat) and the Ox, the other two Earth signs, also need to take it easy as they form a square with the Dog. This is a hardworking month for the other Earth signs - recognize when you need to take a break.
Feng Shui for the Water Dog Month (October 8 - November 7)
In the Flying Star Feng Shui chart for October 2023 above, the numbers in green are the annual stars for the current year (good until February 3, 2024), while the numbers in blue refer to October monthly stars (good from October 8, 2023 to November 7, 2023).
The stars in the center of the Bagua chart, represented by the numbers, form the energetic foundation of the particular periods, whether annual or monthly. Each number (with the exception of number five) is associated with a trigram. The symbolisms of the trigrams can provide us with messages and guidance to issues that arise during the specific period.
October’s ruling trigram, Li, the Fire trigram, is also the trigram of the Age of 9 (Period 9), a 20-year cycle that we’ve been transitioning into since December 2020. Associated with light, the heart, the eyes, the emotion joy, the color red, and the middle daughter (or middle-aged women), a 9 cycle helps elevate our consciousness and expose us to different realms. Pay attention to events happening this month, especially those highlighting female leaders, AI, and the metaverse.
The most productive sectors this month are the center, Southwest, South, and Southeast. If the center of your home is an open space, use it to activate the monthly star 9, which also brings vibrancy to the annual star 4 of romance and creativity. The Southwest, blessed with annual star 1 of wisdom and monthly star 6 of power, is great for work and career related matters. Monthly star 4 “flies” to the South, freeing one of the year’s best sectors from the previous month’s star 5 of misfortune. Auspicious monthly star 8 in the Southeast sector helps increase our productivity, but use it sparingly as the annual star 3 of arguments and conflicts is also in the sector.
Keep the North, Northwest, East, and West sectors quiet this month – these are the sectors visited by annual or monthly star 5 of misfortune and star 2 of illness. The North is especially afflicted with the monthly star 5 of misfortune amplified by the annual star 9. Reinforce all doors and windows located in the East sector, visited by monthly 7 of violence and robberies, and the Northeast sector, where the annual 7 is.
A version of this post is also published on my other website at Functional Feng Shui.
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