Today is 16th day of 11th month of the lunar calendar,
And the first day of the Winter Solstice. It's also the last full moon observation of the wane year. . . Enjoy them all!

Today is 16th day of 11th month of the lunar calendar,
And the first day of the Winter Solstice so far
Under the power of the Base constellation (Di),
The sign of Element of Earth, Saturday, Saturn,
And marten to be hunted for its fur in some faraway countries.

It signifies the floor of the next house in the Eastern Palace;
It is regarded as bringing the sweet rain/snow and
The morning dew or frost, but also the illnesses of the cold.
If bright and clear, it presaged good fortune in all matters;
If dull, the rain/snow wouldn’t be sweet, and illness would follow.

The possible calamities brought by this constellation
Are due to the failure to make proper obsequies,
Or pay respect to one's elders. If marriages are contracted today,
Evil men would be attracted into the house at night.
If one travels by boat on this day, alas, it would be shipwrecked.

Children of any marriage contracted on today will be poor,
Or duffer from being unable to express themselves, or pay attention.
It presages rain and wind in spring, greater wind and rain in summer,
Even more in the autumn, and gales and tempests in wintertime.
The spirit of this constellation possesses the power to fly thru the sky;
It has the secrets of magic recipes; hence some weird occasions.

Speaking from the point of today’s stellar indication,
Which emerges from the ancient Book of Rites (Li ji),
It is Jian, Establishing, all things are generated from;
Besides, today is the day of the Winter Establishing (dong-zhi).
So, cut out garments, pay bills, barter and trade,
Travel, and set up posts -- all these things will be
Extremely auspicious and fortunate. But shun digging,
Sailing, or opening treasuries in the course of today.

A good day for commencing new ventures,
All kinds of business dealings, shopping, selling
And short commuting journeys, but avoid
Long travelling by air and sea, or outdoor activities,
Including building, gardening, or anything to do
With heavy movements. Think twice before
Opening up stores, delving into the bank account,
Or touching anything that had been saved 'for a rainy day.'

As the Canon of Triad (Tai Xuan Jing) teaches us,
Today is the day when the Yang house of Water (1)
Corresponds to the Water phase of the first half of today,
Reflecting the image of Zhong Fu (61)
Of the Book of Changes (Zhou Yi),
The symbol of good faith and veritable sincerity
When credibility and integrity play the key part
And formed by the trigram representing the waters of Lake
And that for Wind, blowing around, above it.

At that, the energy of the vivid Yang hides itself
In the Yellow Palace, germinating in depths of Earth
During the winter cold. Without good faith and trust
There is no way to remain in the appropriate affairs.

The First Half of the Day under the Water Element

Incomprehensible and fathomless Heaven wraps up
All the terrestrial projections, hiding its brightness
In the earthly depths -- all Heaven's intents
Are dwelling in integrity. Being weak outside
But rather strong inside, Water is capable to take up
The lowest region; no one can do this better than it.

Since the first half of the first day of the Winter Solstice
Relates to the Water phase, it embodies the sage
Whose thoughts refer to the hidden state
Within the worldly mazes. Due to ambiguous
And hostile environment, they cannot be expressed
Quite freely now; hence concealed as a sealed contract.

The main property of the concealed thoughts is full integrity,
In which one rests and which allows him to comprehend
The coordinates: the latitude and longitude of the universe,
Reading out the heavenly symbols and contemplating
Their manifestations in the range of terrestrial mapping.

What is called 'the concealed thoughts' becomes apparent
Thru the image of hiding represented by a mountain
Fully impregnated with the loose gems hidden in profoundness
Of its so many caves, a metaphorical analogue of the Pure Mind,
The embryo of which is marked at the incipient stage of awareness.

The Second Half of the Day under the Fire Element

Being above Water, the subject of Fire takes his natural place
In the very center of all commencements; Fire hoards in mind
The sacred war for dominance in the world,
Deploying the warring old feminine strength (Yin)
Against the growing up young masculine (Yang) trend,
Preparing for the impending battle.

Thus, the sacred war for dominance is harbored
In his polarized mind: both parts are deployed
For a pitched battle between good and evil.

Fire relates to war and strife, the patron phase,
As it takes the central place in the incipient state
Of implicit development. On the verge of the birth
Of the young masculine and the slow dying out
Of the old feminine, the true fighting of goodness
Against evil is just at the beginning. In the cycle of events,
Fire carries out all the fighting issues that
Can only be extinguished at any point by Water
In its lowest place ever taken up by no one else.

What we witness now in this special day,
Most likely, reminds us "a battle probing,"
Not a full-scale action, reflecting the fact
That a newborn masculine is not yet ready
To enter into the fight with its mature and
Widely experienced rival, the feminine dominant.
On the other part, the old feminine (Yin)
Is already unable to maintain complete predominance.
From this, it follows that the opposing parties
Just go through hardness and emotional fluctuations
Caused by mutual encounters and clashes
Rather than a full-scale action to the bitter end.
Amen to that!