On February 1st, 2022, we enter the year of the Water Tiger. Good for Tiger signs, bad for Ox signs. Not sure what your Chinese zodiac sign is? Scroll to the bottom the page to find out based on the year you were born.
What does all this mean for us westerners though? And how can we use this to better ourselves? This is a Self development and Shadow Work Blog after all, right?
Let's first understand astrology as a whole.
In his book, Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda discusses his experience with astrology as it being the karma we enter the world with and that we must move beyond it. In many eastern cultures, it is believed that a soul never dies but is instead reincarnated. So when we come to this world, when we are born, it’s not for the first time. We have karma from our past lives; and so, our astrology is somewhat a map to our past and therefore a guide to our future. What Paramahansa Yogananda discusses is the concept that our astrology is a tool for us to learn more about ourselves.
In the west we tend to limit ourselves with our astrology. If you’re a Gemini, you’re crazy and there’s nothing you can do about it… but what if we take the eastern approach; that being a Gemini is our karma and in turn something that we are meant to heal and move past? What if instead of limiting ourselves, we started to learn ourselves? Once we learn ourselves, we can begin healing our karma, from this life and many more.
That’s not to say that traits associated with a sign are necessarily bad or good, but they may have deeper meaning. A Gemini is often perceived as being two-faced. And someone that limits themselves may accept that definition. But someone that recognizes astrology as knowledge can heal their “two-faced” tendencies and recognize their ability to wear two hats at once, or find union between their two sides; turning that “negative” trait, into a healthy asset.
Conversely, a balanced Libra may discover that they’ve been using that “balance” trait as an excuse to stay within their comfort zone. What is typically viewed as a positive may actually be a limitation. Taking more risks may be what a Libra needs to heal their astrological karma. Again, these signs, are just maps to ourselves.
So what about the Chinese zodiac? Well, we can take a look at our own signs and compare and contrast against the Tiger sign. This can tell us what challenges we may face in the coming year; and if we take it as a learning opportunity, we can discover the areas of our personalities that can grow.
The year of the Tiger
It's the year of the Water Tiger. The traits of a Tiger often include confidence and strength but can also be stubborn and non-communicative. What that means is that we can be more aware of those traits within ourselves (regardless of our sign) or how we handle those traits in others. Are you over confident or do you lack confidence? How do you perceive others that are confident? Can you be stubborn? How do you deal with others that are stubborn? These are questions that you can begin asking yourself and also take note of during interactions with others.
Now, when you take a look at your own sign, it may give you all the answers to the questions above. The real question is, do you want to maintain that personality trait, or do you want to change it? Is it holding you back or helping you grow? Having the knowledge of what challenges you may face in the coming year can help you become more aware when the challenges actually arise.
Not all of it has to be a challenge though. The Water Tiger has good traits and we can utilize the Tiger energy of strength and confidence to build and grow. It is said that the Water Tiger has a focus on family and career, a more masculine energy. We can lean into this energy and allow it to give us strength to make career changes and build and heal connections with our families and ancestors. If you read my post about the Early 2022 Energies, you’ll know that 2022 is all about these types of changes. It is crucial in these early months of 2022 to heal the ancestor wounds and to move into alignment with your highest purpose. If every female in your family has experienced abuse, this is the year to face that and begin healing it. If you are working a job you hate, this is the year to make the change into what you love.
The Tiger is a dominant energy so even if you don’t want to make these changes, the changes may be forced on you anyways. If you lean into the energy, results can be smooth and effortless, but if you fight against it, you will lose. Do you really want to fight a Tiger? I don't!
This is the year that getting to know yourself will absolutely pay off. Lean into the energy and accept the changes as they come.
