Dark | Hidden
The New Moon of Brown Lunation 1222 is occurring at 04:05 (PDT) the morning of October 6, 2021. After, the Moon will rise at 07:00, transit my meridian at 13:05, and set almost exactly 12 hours later at 19:01. As well, the Sun will rise nine minutes, transit twenty-five minutes, and set thirty-one minutes before the Moon does. That’s right, the New Moon is in the sky along with the Sun all throughout the day, but normally you cannot see it.
It’s an example of Yin and Yang being relative. Each is appreciated only with regard to the other. Here, Yang is bright, apparent, obvious. Yin is dark, hidden, obscure. Though the Moon is right there, it’s simply outshined. But, there’s more.
The Early Heaven Bagua trigram consisting of three broken lines stacked one over the other is known as Earth, “The Receptive.” It is associated with the New Moon, and thus is the beginning of another synodic cycle of just over 29 days.
The Yin Earth hides her elements, her nutrients. Yang effort excavates, exposes, activates. At this point in the cycle give yourself to the nourishment found within Yin — stillness, quiet, relaxation — so as to prepare for subsequent Yang incitement.
In germinating seeds, you start by folding them into a damp paper towel, place that in a dark enclosure, and let it sit for a couple of days. Naturally, the seeds sprout. Some creative force, drawing from nutrients stored within the shell, soon bursts forth as new life. Yang energy drives life cycles, but only when there is some Yin substrate from which this life can emerge. I might point out that plants dominate the biomass of our biosphere at some 450 Gt C (gigaton of carbon), or about 80% of all taxa on the planet (1). We recognize — even marvel at — myriad terrestrial flowers and trees, yet we largely miss their common medium of growth. Earth!
Wednesday’s Yin yoga sequence consists of five postures of relatively longer duration. Each shape will be particularly Yin, that is, they are perhaps the most inherently relaxing of the whole repertoire. And from there the life force, Chi, is beginning to …
Maybe now is a good time to set fresh intentions or reaffirm some pertinent personal imperative, and join a streaming Yin yoga class!
(1) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, June 19, 2018, “The biomass distribution on Earth,” Yin M. Bar-On, Rob Phillips, Ron Milo.