Who will be our next president? Let’s ask the Yijing.

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Sunday was the first day of the lunar Year of the Wood Dragon. The previous Wood Dragon year was 1964.

That was a remarkable year in American history: The Civil Rights Act was passed to end Jim Crow segregation in the South, vindicating the Union victory in the Civil War and the affirmation of the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal”; Lyndon Johnson was elected president with 61.1% of the popular vote, the largest share of the popular vote for the Democratic Party in history, and the highest for any candidate since the advent of widespread popular elections in the 1820s.

So, what can we predict will happened to us in 2024 using Chinese calculations about the flows of Yang and Yin energies?

First, we must note that a Dragon year brings forth powerful Yang energies. A Chinese saying has it that “if you ignore the Dragon, it will eat you; if you confront the Dragon, it will overpower you; but if you ride the Dragon, you will deploy its might and power.”

A Yang environment, not restrained by Yin energies, is a call to action, a time to start big projects, to aim high. It is a year that will reward vitality with success. Those with courage, tenacity, confidence and enthusiasm will do well.

Last week’s report by special council Robert Hur, who had investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents after leaving the vice presidency, adds credibility to the inference that the president’s fortunes will be most problematic. Hur concluded that, in effect, Biden is running a deficit of Yang energies, saying the president is “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

I do not see either major party “riding the Dragon” to capture majorities in the Senate or House, each party having a Yang deficit in the caliber of its candidates — too much posturing and not enough courage.

Second, we should consult the Yijing (or I Ching), the 64 hexagrams, each with six lines, which individually signify a different combination of Yang and Yin energies. I have done this on occasion gaining most interesting insights, many of which then came true. I learned the consultation technique in Vietnam many years ago from a friend of my father-in-law.

The hexagram that aligns with this Wood Dragon year is 43, which has five solid (Yang) lines and one broken (Yin) line at the top. The name given to this hexagram is “Parting.” It speaks to diverging directions and the need to part in order to succeed, a breakthrough ending a long period of tensions.

One noted commentator proposed that the hexagram is a comment on the end of winter and the coming of spring with the expectation of summer’s warmth coming after that. Thus, it notes a parting with the past and the opening of a fruitful future for all.

The ancient written comment on hexagram 43 advises us to divulge and spread a sincere and truthful message moving in the direction of great leadership. Any proclamation must come from the center of the domain, its capital. There will be no advantage in resorting to arms but in parting with the past and espousing a new purpose and direction.

This environment would seem to favor Trump, the challenger, over Biden, an incumbent. Yet will Trump provide a “sincere and truthful” message, which will align with Yang priorities? Or will he pout and focus on himself, which are behaviors and casts of mind more aligned with Yin attributes and so out of sync with the times?

The hexagram supposes the flow of water parting or breaking through an obstacle, scattering whatever is in the way. This will happen in a fortuitous coming together of supporters, say voters.

To take advantages of this Wood Dragon year, it will be important to align with constructive, higher aspirations. The wise person to be successful will spread enduring emoluments to those below. One who has an office, and is virtuous, using well these assets, will stay reserved and self-contained.

This to me would seem to favor Biden, who is the incumbent and has used the federal budget to fund large-scale government programs.

Neither Trump nor Biden will attract supportive Yang energy with their personality styles because neither seems interested in promoting positive feelings and seeking harmony. Trump blusters and rants while Biden damns MAGA activists as an existential threat to this country. This deficiency of appropriate Yang energy in both men as candidates puts the election partly up for grabs.

But by exposing oneself, a candidate in 2024 can become a source of light for others, inspiring them, leading them in turning a corner and finding the right place to be. This would apply to all who seek election to public office.

On balance, I find the hexagram telling us that Donald Trump has a better chance than Joe Biden of winning the 2024 presidential election. But, if Trump wants to increase his chances of winning, he should learn self-control and commit himself to a vision of collaboration and working together with all Americans.

Interestingly, the setting disclosed by hexagram 43 is also advantageous for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He proposes a departure from the past. He has a vision and directs his appeal to all Americans as his fellow citizens.

The two major political parties would do well to heed the insights of hexagram 43 and concentrate on changing their ways of petty factionalism and grifting to speak to the great purposes of the American experiment in ordered liberty and to what Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature.”