Inspiration
Acu. | Issue #34 | Spring 2022
Tiger Power by Yvette Masure
18
Year of the Yang Black Tiger The following extract is taken from an online forecast for the Lotus Institute by CT Holman, who begins by saying: 2021, the year of the Yin Metal Ox, brought many challenges. The passing of Lillian Pearl Bridges devastated the Chinese medicine community and beyond. For decades, Lillian offered a prediction for the upcoming years. The Lotus Institute bestowed upon me the honour of carrying on this tradition, by which I am humbled and will do my best to honour her legacy. The earth shakes as seeds break through the soil and new life begins. The tiger wakes up, stretches, and growls, calling out over the emerging naturescape. The call of the tiger reverberates, shaking thunderous energy over the land as hibernating animals awaken. The new year begins on February 1 and the tiger emerges on February 4. 2022 denotes the year of the Yang Water Tiger. Each year, Chinese cosmology consists of three aspects: one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, one of the five elements, and either yin or yang. These three aspects provide information about the energetics of the year and contribute to guiding a person in making choices. This year represented by water over wood. To better understand the year qi, I will first break down the symbolism and qualities of the three aspects and then discuss how these influence various facets of life.
Tiger
Tiger represents the month of February, the beginning of spring, and the time 3am-5am. Tiger is associated with the wood element, the colour green, and the cardinal direction east. Personality traits include being careful, powerful, direct, and attractive. Tiger brings lots of changes, initiates activity, and builds momentum. When energy stagnates, aggression and frustration can occur. This increases the likeliness of arguments, fights,
and disagreements – if compassion is not embodied. Tiger signals a need to accomplish and work, so this year is an auspicious time to act on one’s goals that came out of the visions from the previous years of the Ox 2021 and Rat 2020.
Water
Water is the element of the year and is traditionally associated with the colour black, thus 2022 is called a Black Tiger year. Water is the mother of wood and feeds the inherent wood element of the tiger. Thus, the wood aspect is especially strong this year. The nature of water is to flow and accept changes. It provides us with great endurance and will support the active, pioneering energy of 2022. Water is associated with mystical energy, thus there will be more emphasis on the magical aspects of life such as astrology, fengshui, and other mystical arts. Water, due to its ability to absorb and resonate, tends to hold a lot of emotion and there often can be surges of fear which can overwhelm the wood energy, creating inaction. This would be like the flooding of a forest. Take care to manage emotion by connecting to the earth and bringing grounding qi to daily life which controls the emotion of water.
Yang
Yang is symbolised by action, daytime, sun, male, moving forward, etc. This accentuates the wood energy – wood element is predominately yang – and thus will make for a more active Tiger year.
The yang is associated with the father figure which plays the role of encouragement and instilling a belief in oneself to go out into the world confidently. Thus, the tiger, a yang animal, which is already driven to emerge, has even more momentum to go forth and shine. This year is very yang. It is about moving forward and seeing the ideas planted in the previous two years begin to sprout. It is a time for decision and action and a time to begin manifesting what you would like to happen over the next ten years. After symbolically resting and hibernating the last two years, it is time to awaken and begin acting on the visions and seeds planted during the Ox and Rat years. 2022 is a time for change. New adventures, moving, new businesses – all are encouraged by the yang black tiger energy. Smartly emerging out into the world, after lockdowns from the pandemic, is supported. Tiger enjoys freely moving about its territory, so any controls or limitations could be met with a fight, ie it is not recommended to lock the tiger in a cage. Let your ideas blossom and grow unencumbered. The shaking energy releases old wisdom and enables access to understand the various shifts facing the planet. Fear and resistance might crop up, so be mindful to tune into your inner wisdom and flow with the changes presented in the tiger year.
