The sun has now moved to Gate 44, PRESENTATION. In the I-Ching this hexagram is called COMING TO MEET.

This is the energy for PRESENTING the lessons we have learned from the past. To PRESENT the case for why repeating the past would be best or why we must avoid the mistakes of the past. This is energy from the spleen which can also feel like downright fear of the past or even an obsession with the past. In reaction to this fear, there could be a tendency to gloss over the past and make it seem overly idealistic. Or not.

This idealistic bent is also expressed by making things nice. Appearances are very important to people with this energy. The expression of this energy is often the host with the most. They desire to make things beautiful, comfortable, and pleasant for themselves and others. They will often have an intuitive, very tasteful eye for design. For them a beautiful home that looks nice and smells nice is necessary to feel good.

Speaking of smell, the intuition expressed by this energy is stimulated by smell. Folks with this energy can literally smell when something is off. The expression “I smell a rat,” is apt for the energy of PRESENTATION.

PRESENTATION is also part of the energy for closing the deal with its partner Gate 26, THE TRICKSTER. It is COMING TO MEET a client. Gate 44 is energy to make a client feel welcome and pampered so that Gate 26 can swoop in and close the deal. PRESENTATION embodies the wining and dining part of the deal.

What can the past teach us right now? Can we look to the past to know what works and doesn’t work? Were the good old days in fact good? What did we do right back then and what did we do wrong? Do you tend to gloss things over in your memory? Or do you refuse to remember or face the past? Do you paint a darker picture of the past? Is it possible to accurately recall the past without bias?

Is the appearance of things important to you? Do you try to make things appear better than they are? Why? Do you go out of your way to make guests feel comfortable and impressed with your home? Is that good? Is that bad? Is your home a reflection of your inner psyche for better or for worse? What comes first, a well ordered home or a well ordered psyche? Is it possible one can facilitate the other?

Is there such a thing as faking it until you make it when it comes to PRESENTING our best self?