August 2020 Yang Wood Monkey Feng Shui & BaZi Update

“In the end there doesn’t have to be anyone who understands you. There just has to be someone who wants to.” – Robert Brault

Welcome to the second half of the Metal Rat Year! Yes, you read that right. According to the Chinese Hsia calendar, August, not June, always marks the halfway point and the official pivot from the Yang cycle into the Yin cycle (autumn and winter seasons). As I reflect on the event-filled year thus far, the theme seemed to focus around relationships—our relationships with our partners, spouses, friends, colleagues, community, ourselves, even our relationships with money, our health, and with current events, too.

A relationship, in the truest sense of the word, means relating to another. Usually when we say that we relate to someone, it is because we have found commonalities. But part of relating is also finding ways to make ideas that seem different come together. Have you ever been in a relationship and then try to fit or convince that person into your predetermined ideals? And sometimes when they don’t fit exactly so, we feel compelled to make them over?

Imagine if the roles were reversed. If our friend, family, or spouse attempts to change us, it basically makes us feel inadequate and rejected for who we are, and the relationship is not binding from a place of unconditional love and acceptance.

An honest relationship is one where we can accept each other wholly as individuals while being able to still find a way to share our life experiences together. If we sincerely feel a change is needed in our relationship, the only makeover power we have is with ourselves. When we work from within, we will realize that the way we relate to the people and the world around us is more authentic and less conditional to the restrictions of the human ego. Doing so can bring about positive change.

I hope you have been weighing my words since April and that you have been using the past few months to strengthen your relationships. To quote Jack Kornfield, “We are at a time in humanity when we have incredible tools—and we are being asked to marry these tools with an equivalent transformation of heart.” With the arrival of the Monkey month on Aug. 7, we are all put on notice: Have you done the necessary work to navigate the rest of this wild year? I hope so.

Meaning of the Elements

~ The Elements this month is Yang Wood Monkey 甲申 ~

The Earthly Branch is the Monkey (Aug. 7 – Sept. 7). The Monkey is a Yang Metal Element and signals the beginning of the autumn season. Buh-bye Fire, hello fall. Take a moment and observe a tree. The leaves are beginning to yellow but they aren’t quite ready to fall—not yet. However, change is surfacing slowly and inevitably.

Now apply that visual concept into your life. Do you feel the shift? Are you noticing the parts of yourself that are yellowing, preparing to fall and break free? If so, what is it about? Does it have something to do with your relationship with work, at home, with today’s events, with yourself?

It’s no wonder the fall always feels a bit melancholic and nostalgic because the energy calls for us to begin the process of letting go. And with that, we can make space for the most essential parts that we will need for the remainder of this year.

BaZi 八字

Yang Wood 甲

The Heavenly Stem is Yang Wood, like a tree. Yang Wood people personify reliability, innovation, trustworthiness, brute, and at times, stubbornness and inflexibility. They are also subjective thinkers and slow to take advice from others. Because Yang Wood is often compared to the head, they are eccentric, deep thinkers, and creative.

Yang Wood ladies: Britney Spears, Kristin Stewart, Sophia Loren, Virginia Wood, Whitney Houston, Goldie Hawn, Calista Flockhart, Maya Angelou, Jessica Biehl, Mandy Moore, Meghan Markel.

Yang Wood gents: John Nash, Elon Musk, Bruce Lee, Keanu Reeves, Ralph Lauren, Carl Sagan, Nikola Tesla, James Cameron, Elvis Presley, Liam Neeson, Maury Povich.

Monkey 申

The Monkey is also called the “mother of water” because it is the birth place of the Water Element. With that said, the powerful Water energy will now be in full force. What’s more, the Monkey sign has a direct relationship with the Rat sign because it forms a combination of Water, or the String of the Water Season. Whenever the Monkey and Rat signs come together along with the Dragon, it will complete the string to transform the most powerful Water Element.

Here are some famous examples:

The Titanic struck an iceberg on April 14, 1908.
- Monkey Year, Dragon Month, Rat Hour
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami occurred on December 26, 2004.
- Monkey Year, Rat Month, Dragon Hour

Therefore, the long-awaited energy of the tsunami Water Element is here now and it is here to stay for the rest of 2020. We suspect to see an abundance of water-related disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, drought, shipping accidents, etc. In terms of Chinese medicine and how the imbalanced water affects the body will include health issues and symptoms such anxiety, fear, depression or lack of joy, detachment, adrenal fatigue, panic attacks, lower back pains, lack of libido, hair thinning or loss, ringing in the ears, hypothyroidism, hormonal imbalance, dark circles under the eyes, chronic urinary track problems, etc. Increasing the Fire energy is going to be pivotal to ensure we create some level of balance and harmony between the mind-body-spirit. Some recommendations include the following:

Visit your healthcare practitioners for mind-body support such as acupuncture, body work, energy healing, and in some cases even counseling or therapy.
Get your physical exercises in to release endorphins and to keep the blood circulating.
Limit your time on things that do not bring you joy. Remember, elevating your vibration is key to navigating this year.
- This includes being around positive people, doing things that make you smile, cooking foods that nourishes the body, not taking yourself so seriously, making time for play and laughter, having a consistent routine, appreciating the small things, keeping a gratitude practice, etc.
Finally, watch out for the Dragon Hour (7-9am local time) and Dragon Days (Aug. 17 and 29).

Monkey is your Nobleman month if:

You were born in years ending 5 or 9 (i.e., 1975, 1989, 2005, 2019, etc.).
You were born in a Yin Wood or Yin Earth year.
Your BaZi Day Master is Yin Wood (flower) or Yin Earth (garden).

Click HERE to learn more about Nobleman.

August is your Clash month if:

You were born in the Year of the Tiger (1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010).
You were born in the Month of the Tiger (Feb. 4 – Mar. 5 or 6).
You were born on the Day of Tiger. But this one is harder to derive because you need a Chinese calendar. You may email me to get yours if you don’t already have one.
You were born in the Hour of the Tiger (0300-0500 hours local time).

Click HERE to learn more about Clash.

July is your Fire Penalty Month if:

In your Four Pillars (Year, Month, Day, Hour), you already have the Tiger and Snake animal signs. This means, when the Monkey month arrives, it will complete the formation of the Fire Penalty string, like this:

Monkey 申 + Tiger 寅 + Snake 巳

Fire Penalty can be the culprit to heart-related issues manifesting as poor blood circulation, abnormal blood pressure, heart palpitations, anxiety, depression, low libido, etc. You can read more about this Fire Penalty HERE.

For both clash and penalty, follow the guidelines below:

Carry a jade pendant of the Snake during the month for additional protection;
Take care of the Feng Shui of your house (see section below);
Be self-aware that this month is a sensitive and tempestuous one. As such, take great care of your mental health by holding yourself accountable to a healthy routine.

Flying Star Feng Shui 玄空風水

From Aug. 7 to Sept. 7, the month star affliction will position 2 in the Center. Remove last month’s cures and cleanse them before reusing them again this month. You can cleanse them by laying out the objects to soak under the sun for a day.

Month Star 2 takes the Center Palace.

• South Sector (2,6): Use the Yin Water and/or Wood Element to neutralize sickness to the lungs, skin, teeth, and bones, or worries or legal troubles related to the patriarch of the family.

• North Sector (3,7): Use the Yin Water and/or Wood Element (similar to above) to minimize the effects of relationship miscommunications. Because 3 is a Wood Element and 7 is a Metal Element in a destructive collaboration, one must also take better care of the liver Qi (anger) and lung Qi (grief) both in the physiological and emotional respects.

• Northeast Sector (1,5): Use the Metal Element to cure the Star of Misfortune. Because 5 is the culprit of bad luck, watch out for kidney-related issues such as fear or anxiety.

• East Sector (5,9): The prosperous Star 9 is useless this month because 9 is a Fire Element, which will only activate the Year Star 5. This is not good. Therefore, do not place or turn on any active objects such as water features this month.

• Center Sector (7,2): Use the Metal Element to cure the Star of Sickness.

Upcoming Events

Aug. 8, 2020

Free Webinar Workshop: Intro to BaZi. Register HERE.

August 13, 2020

A Soulful Chat™. This is a spinoff of the BaZi Gratitude Series. A Soulful Chat™ is a 60-minute soulful conversation with a guest to talk about life and how to be a better human. Our first guest is with PR veteran Nicole Myden. Register HERE.

Oct. 14-18, 2020

In lieu of teaching in London this year, I will be offering the 5-Day BaZi course via Zoom to students residing in the UK and EU. Register HERE.

August 2020 Yang Wood Monkey Feng Shui & BaZi Update