Following is a reading and explanation of the frame from a Shaba book illustrated at the top of the page. Reading: : Explanation. (The reading is not in any particular order; the explanation will start with the glyph in the center and then go clockwise.) In the center of the diagram is a dog's head, meaning it is a 'dog day'. The dog's body is red, meaning it's also a
fire day. The combination means the ninth day of the first lunar month. At the bottom left is fog, meaning the morning will be foggy; if the fog were on the right, it would be in the evening. Above that is a red
tsá jug with a handle (#27 in the table above);
tsá jugs are used for alcohol, and the auspicious red color means that the drinking will be good on that day, meaning the day itself will be comparatively good. At the top left are three stars (22 above), two black and one white; a black star is dim, a white star shining. [Meaning unclear.] At top right is the Sun (18 above) crossed out in chains, meaning it will be hindered and the weather will not be good. The
npʰópá (a religious implement) and the ritual
tsʰintʃʰá knife, which can overcome negative forces, indicate that positive and negative forces will balance. The Ersu text speaks of a 'white moon', meaning the first half of the month (a black moon is the second half of the month), but it is not clear how this is indicated. The earth deity is not directly mentioned, and must be inferred (Sun p 178). ==References==