French Bulldog Puppy—Passing the Torch

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Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Celebrity Commentary" (coming soon)
This is a "small" (小) post—click here for an explanation of Round and Square post lengths.

***  *** 

One year ago on Round and Square (28 February 2012)—Divinatory Economics (4)

[a] French Musings PD

I don't know who you are, 
but I will find you...[1]

...and tell you that I am going to be signing off now, having enjoyed my thirty-day contract immensely. It has been a pleasure to share my love of French literature and history.

And what will I do when I pass the torch to Roll Tide Guy (trust me)? Well, I will be busy reading all 4,500 pages of the complete manuscript (with all edits and tweaks) of Gustave Flaubert's classic, Madame Bovary (thanks, Nataša).

           [1] I like Liam's opening, and he gave me a year's supply of biscuits to use it for the rest of the month.

[b] Terroir RF

[Originally posted on May 28, 2014]

China's Lunar Calendar 2013 02-28

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs" 
Today's date:                                                    * 

This is one in a never-ending series—following the movements of the calendar—in Round and Square perpetuity. It is today's date in the Chinese lunar calendar, along with basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying lunar calendars (and Chinese culture) for many years, you will likely find yourself asking "what does that mean?" I would caution that "it" doesn't "mean" any one thing. There are clusters of meaning, and they require patience, reflection, careful reading, and, well, a little bit of ethnographic fieldwork. The best place to start is the introduction to "Calendars and Almanacs" on this blog. I teach a semester-long course on this topic and, trust me, it takes a little bit of time to get used to the lunar calendar. Some of the material is readily accessible; some of it is impenetrable, even after many years. 

As time goes on, I will link all of the sections to lengthy background essays. This will take a while. In the meantime, take a look, read the introduction, and think about all of the questions that emerge from even a quick look at the calendar.

 

Section One
Solar Calendar Date

廿

八

四期星

Twenty-eighth Day

Astral Period Four

(Thursday, February 28) 

———————————————— 
Section Two

Beneficent Stars

天明

恩堂

Hall of Light

Heavenly Kindness

—————————————————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
申辰子

凶中吉

酉己丑

吉凶吉

戌午寅

中中吉

亥未卯

凶凶吉

23:00-01:00 Auspicious
01:00-03:00 Auspicious
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 Auspicious

07:00-09:00 In-Between
09:00-11:00 Inauspicious
11:00-13:00 In-Between
13:00-15:00 Inauspicious

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 Auspicious
19:00-21:00 In-Between
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious
*The hours above are for Hong Kong. It is up to you if you want to recalibrate or to assume that the cyclicality of the calendar "covers" the rest of the world. This is a greater interpretive challenge than you might think.
 

————————————————— 

Section Four
Activities to Avoid 

 忌 
動栽

土種

Planting

Moving Earth

————————————————— 

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

十
九

乙

丑

金
斗

閉

Nineteenth day (first lunar month)

Cyclical day: yichou (2/60)

Phase (element): Metal

Constellation: Dipper (8/28)

Jianchu Cycle: Closed (12/12)

————————————————— 

Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)

宜
安祭
牀祀
開出
渠行
結治
婚病
草
木
萌
動
土債
符不

Appropriate Activities

Paying Reverence

Entering Study
Going Out (and about)
Managing Illness
Positioning Beds

Opening (Irrigation) Sluices

Marriage
Grasses and Trees Sprout 
(sixth of seventy-two micro-periods in the solar year).

   

Miscellaneous Information

Accumulated Negativity

Earth Charm

 ————————————————— 

 Section Seven
Inauspicious Star
白
White

————————————————— 

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities 

碓
厠磨

Pestle

Toilet, Polish

French Bulldog Puppy—Annales Historiography

Click here for the "Celebrity Commentary" Resource Center—(all posts available)
Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Celebrity Commentary" (coming soon)
This is a "small" (小) post—click here for an explanation of Round and Square post lengths.

***  *** 

One year ago on Round and Square (27 February 2012)—Divinatory Economics (5)

[a] French Musings PD

I don't know who you are, 
but I will find you...[1]

...and tell you that I have been occupied for all of my academic life by study and admiration for the Annales school of historiography. Oh, yes, it's French.

Some say it is soooo "twentieth century." They are correct, of course, but that doesn't change its endlessly fascinating production and the scores of brilliant scholars who sought to understand "the past" in a profoundly different way than before.

           [1] I like Liam's opening, and he gave me a year's supply of biscuits to use it for the rest of the month.

[b] Sooooo Thirteenth Century RF

[Originally posted on May 27, 2014]

China's Lunar Calendar 2013 02-27

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs" 
Today's date:                                                                * 

This is one in a never-ending series—following the movements of the calendar—in Round and Square perpetuity. It is today's date in the Chinese lunar calendar, along with basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying lunar calendars (and Chinese culture) for many years, you will likely find yourself asking "what does that mean?" I would caution that "it" doesn't "mean" any one thing. There are clusters of meaning, and they require patience, reflection, careful reading, and, well, a little bit of ethnographic fieldwork. The best place to start is the introduction to "Calendars and Almanacs" on this blog. I teach a semester-long course on this topic and, trust me, it takes a little bit of time to get used to the lunar calendar. Some of the material is readily accessible; some of it is impenetrable, even after many years. 

As time goes on, I will link all of the sections to lengthy background essays. This will take a while. In the meantime, take a look, read the introduction, and think about all of the questions that emerge from even a quick look at the calendar.

 

Section One
Solar Calendar Date

廿

七

三期星

Twenty-seventh Day

Astral Period Three

(Wednesday, February 27) 

———————————————— 
Section Two

Beneficent Stars

進歲

神禄

Generational Emolument

Entering Spirits

—————————————————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
申辰子

凶吉吉

酉己丑

中中吉

戌午寅

凶中吉

亥未卯

凶吉中

23:00-01:00 Auspicious
01:00-03:00 Auspicious
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 In-Between

07:00-09:00 Auspicious
09:00-11:00 In-Between
11:00-13:00 In-Between
13:00-15:00 Auspicious

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 In-Between
19:00-21:00 Inauspicious
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious
*The hours above are for Hong Kong. It is up to you if you want to recalibrate or to assume that the cyclicality of the calendar "covers" the rest of the world. This is a greater interpretive challenge than you might think.
 

————————————————— 

Section Four
Activities to Avoid 

 忌 
除開
服倉

Opening Granaries

Discarding Clothing

————————————————— 

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

十
八

甲

子

金
箕

開

Eighteenth day (first lunar month)

Cyclical day: jiazi (1/60)

Phase (element): Metal

Constellation: Winnowing Basket (7/28)

Jianchu Cycle: Open (11/12)

————————————————— 

Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)

宜
開祭
市祀
修入
造學
動會
土友
栽出
種行
重喪

 復班

日煞

Appropriate Activities

Paying Reverence

Entering Study
Meeting Friends
Going Out (and about)
Opening Markets
Repairing and Building
Moving Earth
Planting

Repeat Mourning 

   

Miscellaneous Information

Baleful Squad

Repeated Days

 ————————————————— 

 Section Seven
Inauspicious Star
白
White

————————————————— 

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities 
占

碓門

Divination,

Pestle, Gate

China's Lunar Calendar 2013 02-26

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs" 
Today's date:                                                                             *

This is one in a never-ending series—following the movements of the calendar—in Round and Square perpetuity. It is today's date in the Chinese lunar calendar, along with basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying lunar calendars (and Chinese culture) for many years, you will likely find yourself asking "what does that mean?" I would caution that "it" doesn't "mean" any one thing. There are clusters of meaning, and they require patience, reflection, careful reading, and, well, a little bit of ethnographic fieldwork. The best place to start is the introduction to "Calendars and Almanacs" on this blog. I teach a semester-long course on this topic and, trust me, it takes a little bit of time to get used to the lunar calendar. Some of the material is readily accessible; some of it is impenetrable, even after many years. 

As time goes on, I will link all of the sections to lengthy background essays. This will take a while. In the meantime, take a look, read the introduction, and think about all of the questions that emerge from even a quick look at the calendar.

 

Section One
Solar Calendar Date

廿

六

二期星

Twenty-sixth Day

Astral Period Two

(Tuesday, February 26) 

———————————————— 
Section Two

Beneficent Stars

合歲

日德

Generational Virtue

Linkage of Days

—————————————————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
申辰子

凶吉中

酉己丑

中凶中

戌午寅

吉吉吉

亥未卯

凶凶吉

23:00-01:00 In-Between
01:00-03:00 In-Between
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 Auspicious

07:00-09:00 Auspicious
09:00-11:00 Inauspicious
11:00-13:00 Auspicious
13:00-15:00 Inauspicious

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 In-Between
19:00-21:00 Auspicious
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious
*The hours above are for Hong Kong. It is up to you if you want to recalibrate or to assume that the cyclicality of the calendar "covers" the rest of the world. This is a greater interpretive challenge than you might think.
 

————————————————— 

Section Four
Activities to Avoid 

 忌

嫁詞

娶訟

Litigation

Marriage

————————————————— 

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

十
七

癸

亥

水
尾

收

Seventeenth day (first lunar month)

Cyclical day: guihai (60/60)

Phase (element): Water

Constellation: Tail (6/28)

Jianchu Cycle: Acceptance (10/12)

————————————————— 

Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)

宜
祭
祀
掃
舍
重歲

日破

劫水

煞痕

Appropriate Activities

Paying Reverence

Sweeping Residences

   

Miscellaneous Information

Generational Disaster

Water Scar

Repeated Days

Baleful Plunder

 ————————————————— 

 Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
丫州
Bifurcation, Continent

————————————————— 

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities 
占

牀房

Divination,

Bed, House