There is a lot to share about this year’s Chinese New Year, major changes are coming and it’s fun to explain things in more detail through Chinese medicine and the Five Elements. For example, two consecutive years are spent in the same element (there are five elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood). The last two years were spent in the Metal Element, which corresponds to the season of autumn, the organs Lungs, Large Intestine and skin, and the immune system. Here are links to the previous two years: http://daisylear.com/2021-year-of-the-metal-ox/ and http://daisylear.com/2020-year-of-the-metal-rat/
We will spend the next two years in the Water Element.
The fun superficiality of the Chinese calendar actually runs deeply from observations made thousands of years ago that still apply to life today. Like Chinese medicine, the calendar is 
pervasive throughout all aspects of being human, affecting day to day living, farming, health care, etc. As we strive to live in harmony with our environment, we also notice how we change and respond with each season. Each season corresponds to the Five Elements; fire/summer, metal/autumn, water/winter, wood/spring, and earth/transitions, as well as internal organs, sound, direction, etc. And like everything you can possibly think of, each element also has Yin/still or Yang/active aspects. We begin this two year Water Element cycle with Yang; yang water represents the more active and moving bodies of water such as oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. Yang water needs a strong and still (yin) Earth Element to create boundaries for it, otherwise yang water moves in a directionless manner. Water’s corresponding season is winter, the associated environment is cold, the direction is north, the taste is salty and the color black.
Now that we’ve looked at water in our environment, let’s see what’s happening inside each of us. According to Chinese medicine, Water corresponds to the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder, water metabolism, bone and bone marrow, the reproductive organs, lower back, knees and ankles, head hair and the pertaining sense organ ears/hearing. From this list it is obvious that these aspects of ourselves are typically exuberant when we are young, and naturally decline as we age. However, certain circumstances and stress can cause one or more of these areas to wane earlier than “normal”. In a human life cycle, Winter is associated with our waning years. Emotionally, the water element is associated with courage and fear. Water also corresponds with money and responding more intuitively to situations.
The Water element is ever changing – emotional. Water takes on the shape of anything it is poured into, and likewise freezes into any shape. If we tune into water, this can help us “go with the flow”.
Each year the animal changes. There are twelve animals, 2020 was the year of the metal rat and 2021 was the year of the metal ox. Here are links to the previous articles : http://daisylear.com/2021-year-of-the-metal-ox/ and http://daisylear.com/2020-year-of-the-metal-rat/. The Year of the Water Tiger begins February 1, 2022 and ends January 21, 2023. People born in the year of the Tiger : 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022.
Since we don’t have tigers to observe on this continent, I went a little overboard looking up their behavior. The information comes from a variety of searches, and the book Animal Speak by Ted Andrews. Tigers have a large territory, and the male territory is larger than the female. Females appear to be more willing to share their territory with other females and their cubs. Male and female tigers tend to be solitary and come together to mate, but the males have occasionally been observed sharing their food with females and sometimes allow the mother and cubs to eat first. Otherwise the two go their separate ways after mating. The male tigers sometimes enter the territory to eat the cubs in order to mate again sooner. The female tiger will eat their young if they observe something wrong that will limit the chances of survival. Even though the male tiger dominates and is larger then the females, the mother will fiercely defend her cubs from male intruders on their territory. The mother is devoted and teaches the young to hunt. They stretch their powerful muscles and rub up against each other. Cubs will stay with their mother for about 2 years and typically establish a territory nearby.
The tiger’s stripes are on both their skin and fur. Stripes are unique to each tiger and provide camouflage while in tall grasses hunting for prey. Their paws are heavily padded, so despite their size, the hunt is silent and patient. The optimal habitat for the tiger is near a water source, they use water to cool off. Unlike other large cats, tigers are excellent swimmers.
People born in the year of the Tiger (1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022) are known for being independent, self confident, daring, fearlessly driven while patiently moving toward their goals, and water tigers especially are more willing to be open minded to new ideas. Tigers love freedom and will demand their personal space, but will also commit themselves to defend injustices of others.
One thing that all the searches mentioned was that there are tiger behaviors that are still not understood. Water can have the same mystery, the depths of the ocean remain to be completely explored. Both water and tiger are also powerful and still, then move suddenly, unexpectedly, powerfully. They can be both nurturing and destructive. When we put the characteristics of Water together with the characteristics of the Tiger it looks like a silent, patient and passionate progression toward achieving our goals. Following instincts will be important, but being careful to not get wrapped up in emotions. The key is to address fears and act courageously, in other words, don’t be afraid to start something new and take risks. However, it will be important to observe your surroundings and follow your instincts before taking action.
Here are a couple of questions from Ted Andrews’ book, Animal Speak that relate to Tiger :
“Examine what is going on in your life. Do you need more passion for life? Are you expressing your life passion inappropriately? Has your energy been down? If tiger has shown up, there will begin to manifest new adventures and renewed devotion and passion for life.”
For more information about Tiger, check out Ted Andrews’ book, Animal Speak on pp318.