The year of the Water Tiger gives us a complete shift from the perceived insanity, totalitarianism and intolerance of the Metal Ox (a rooted pillar at that!). And of course my sincerest apologies to those born in that year or who have that day pillar. Funny enough, some Tibetan astrologers have noted this particular pillar as the Pharwa or “Wild Dog.” It has certainly been a “Wild Dog” sort of a year in my opinion, with nearly everything we knew or thought that we knew, thrown into question!
To me, the Ox, as a person, is a kind of calculating behind the scenes player, although difficult to truly hide as the large beast casts a long yin shadow. And if nothing else, the Ox is steady and this year has been nothing but steady in it’s uncertainty and volatility, even if viewed from the somewhat odd perspective of a metaphorical Wild Dog. (See Philippe Cornu’s Tibetan Astrology, 1997.) On the other hand, wild could just be simply wild and have nothing to do with a judgment per se, although by contrast the Geche or “Virtuous” year of the Water Tiger should and with fingers crossed, give us all some reprieve and perhaps some much deserved Justice as well.
Year of the Water Tiger: 2022
Looking to the end of this year of the Metal Ox, we end surprisingly and synchronistically with the month of the Metal Ox (Jan 3rd, 2022 through Jan 31st, 2022)! This month is, of course, preceded by our dear friend the Metal Rat, reminding us of that one heck of a year, 2020, the year of the Metal Rat. (Note: the lunar month of the Metal Rat begins with a South Node Total Solar Eclipse at 12 Sag 22 on Dec 4th, 2021 ending the month on Jan 2nd, 2022.) In addition to this, the upcoming Saturn / Uranus square on December 24th, 2021 aligns just under a degree and a half away at just over 11 degrees of Aquarius and Taurus respectively from the previous aforementioned solar eclipse degree. We should be expecting some sort of disturbing and disrupting event with this combination around this time, likely extending into January, and I may explore this further soon in a future article. Yikes!
The Rat and Ox are best friends and together they provide strong earth, which yields even stronger metal and of course one can draw the potential financial conclusions from this fact as there are various and many countries and institutions that have been hoarding precious metals for many years now at very cheap prices. What happens when Basel III comes into effect? Well, gold is now “money” again to put it quite simply. A quick web search will reveal the implications of this in Jan 2023 and it is obvious as we are very likely to return to some sort of precious metal backed monetary standard for the entire global economy. We are already seeing a clamping down of fiscal policy all over, so perhaps this is what this time is for, to do something with our wealth as harsh as it may seem!
Moving on to next year we begin with the month of the Water Tiger in the Year of the Water Tiger on Feb 1st, 2022. This is significant as both years are solid reminders of the differences that each year has with one another and we will certainly see the contrast as we end with two Metal Oxen and begin with two Water Tigers! To repeat, the new Moon on Feb 1st, 2022 ends with a double Metal Ox and begins with a double Water Tiger, so that should give us all some pause as these energies are so different from one another. I think that both animals are stubborn and are unreasonable in their own unique ways and yet there is always something to gain of the energies if one is wise and is watching. The Tiger teaches us that we should be intolerant and resistant to fear and to fight it at all costs.
Back to Tibetan Astrology, “Each animal sign is alternately combined with each of the five elements. The characteristics of each sign are therefore colored by the energy of the associated element. In judging the quality of a year or a native under its influence, it is necessary to form a synthesis that takes account of:
- The animal that rules the year and the corresponding element
- The element of the year
- The relationships between the element energy of the year and the element energy of the animal”
To quote Cornu again, “Metal makes an animal sign more rigid. The character is clear and cutting, or sometimes brittle and authoritarian. Metal years are energetic and positive but disturbed, and few compromises can be expected.” By contrast, “Water gives openness of mind, suppleness, reflection, communication and intuition. The animal sign associated with Water becomes more thoughtful, lucid, and sensitive, but also more passive. Water years are auspicious for change and communication.”
What’s important here is the fierceness and honesty of the Tiger, an all Yang pillar (remember the Tiger contains the hidden elements of Yang Wood, Earth and Fire) combining with the sensitiveness and communication attributes of Yang Water from Heaven. At the same time this pillar is unrooted, meaning that the Yang Water in the stem has no foundation in the Tiger and yet we have four of the five elements present in this pillar, all except Metal. Another way to look at the Water Tiger is that the heavenly energies, represented as Yang Water are feeding and nourishing the Yang Wood energy in the earthly branch of the Tiger, as Wood is the offspring or output manifestation of Water. By contrast, the yin metal from heaven rooted in the Ox is what it is, which is more of the same, lots and lots of yin metal and plenty of wet earth to produce it. (See the above quoted description of Metal and that pretty much sums up the quality of this year, in my opinion.)
Will we all be receiving messages from Heavenly Water next year? In other words, as a planet, will we all be more receptive to that higher and more “virtuous” aspects of ourselves trying to get through to that feeling and honest part that we all have inside of us? The Tiger forms one third of the fire trinity along with the Dog and Horse, arguably the most relatable animals to humanity of all of the trios. In and of themselves, these three tend to evoke the emotion of Freedom in all of us, the Freedom to just BE. The energy of the Water Tiger will provoke a sense of honest being-ness not only in front of each other but in front of ourselves. The Ox takes orders and gives them. The Tiger?? Well, you know cats, they are just what they are. It will be a much welcomed shift from the Obeying of the Ox to the just Being of the Tiger.
Thaddeus