Year of the Yang Black Tiger

by CT Holman

2021, the year of the Yin Metal Ox, brought many challenges. The passing of Lillian Pearl Bridges devastated the Chinese medicine community and beyond. Lillian was my mentor, teacher, and friend and she will be greatly missed by many in the human family. For decades, Lillian offered a prediction for the upcoming years. The Lotus Institute bestowed upon me the honor of carrying on this tradition, by which I am humbled and will do my best to honor her legacy. Lillian taught many things, some of which was about yin/yang, the five-elements, and the energetics of the 12 Chinese animals. Also, for over a decade, I have also had the fortune of studying under teacher, Master Zhongxian Wu, who has written several books (listed below) on the subject, many with his wife, Dr. Karin Wu, which will be incorporated into this prediction. I hope you find the following information helpful in navigating the upcoming year.
Warm wishes, CT Holman

Forecast 2022

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 1st and the tiger emerges on February 4th.
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 color 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 color 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 symbolized 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 10 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 (2021) and Rat (2020) 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, i.e., 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.

Weather: Cold will dominate the beginning of the year, giving way to a pleasant late spring and summer. The shaking energy of the tiger could trigger earthquakes, especially under the ocean. Be prepared for many windstorms, especially in the spring. Also, there will be surprising weather patterns throughout the year, primarily associated with heavy rainfall. Expect landslides, sinkholes, and soil erosion. The effects of global warming will become more evident.

Health: The liver, gallbladder, lungs, and digestive system could suffer this year. Too much doing/activity stresses the kidney system. This could cause symptoms such as hypochondriac pain, eye issues, indigestion due to stress, muscle fatigue, knee/low back pain, insomnia, headaches, dizziness, jaundice, tinnitus, tendon issues, weak immune system, and respiratory distress. Reduce stagnation by increasing exercise routines this year. Swimming is especially beneficial. Also, increase spiritual activities like meditation, yoga, qigong, etc., to nourish the spirit, flow with the changes, and tune into the wisdom within. The balance of lively exercise and calm reflection enables you to navigate the tiger’s surging energy.

Foods: Increase the consumption of white color vegetables, chicken, pungent spices, and cooked greens. Focus on lighter style cooking (stir fry, steaming, flash cooking) especially in springtime and summer. For those who are adventurous, eat tendon and liver.

Business: Tiger supports new business! This includes pioneering new ways, any business that honors nature, any business dealing with wood such as the sports industry, mysticism, and innovations. Energy for business grows over the year, so be patient and allow the energy to blossom. Tiger focuses on work and action which can strain family relations and home life.

Politics: The tiger could bring some flexing of powers. Due to the extra power of the tiger from the water nourishment, there is a strong probability that tempers will flare. The growing polarization in politics creates more strife. Strive to see both sides of an issue, nurture compassion, and find common ground.

Social: This year is the water tiger. The water element is commonly associated with the color black, which will continue to support the Black Lives Matter movement. There will be other movements to address social injustices and many people will take on social causes. Family life challenges can arise. Be mindful of the need for good communication and seek advice for harmonious relations.

Fashion: Flowing athletic wear dominates the fashion scene. Black and green colors are favored. A high proportion of new fashion will hit the market. Expect some surprises in the industry.

Stock market: Consider investing in new companies and those focused on innovations in nature. At the start of the year, we could see lots of shaking up, possibly causing a dip in the market. However, the market should grow after the shakeup.

Communication/Interpersonal/Relationships: Passion is the theme of the tiger year. 2022 supports starting a new relationship or rekindling the love in an existing relationship. This year favors direct compassionate communication. The tiger year begins a new life cycle, and it is important to be careful as the energy builds. This requires mindfulness, allowing the energy to build and not try and do too much too soon. Anger can bubble up. To diffuse this energy, choose kindheartedness and understanding. Resentments can brew and it is important to clearly express yourself, ask for advice, and be willing to listen. Cultivate patience.
There can also be some fear of change and it is helpful to connect with your authentic self and be flexible with the shifts of the new energy. If fear takes over your energy, consider using direct and powerful self-talk, i.e., use an assertive affirmation to combat the fear. This technique employs wood’s ability to soak up water and subdue to fear.

Future: The Tiger year sets the stage for the direction of the next four years. How we manage these next four years will determine the nature of 2026. The year 2026 is a Yang Fire Horse which represents a very fiery year that could either manifest itself as an explosive and wild year or a year of great insights and ideas. Working together, seeing each other’s perspective, avoiding polarization, being understanding, allowing each other to make their own choices, and other such acts of compassion will foster harmony and goodwill.

A Chinese astrology chart is comprised of four animals. Many people believe they are simply the animal based on the year they were born; this is incorrect. A person’s chart is made up of a year, month, day, and hour animal. Each animal influences a different stage of life: the year animal relates to childhood, the day animal applies to adulthood, the hour animal pertains to the later years (after age 60), and the month animal influences your overall life. The following information regarding specific animals will be most beneficial if you focus on the animal relating to your current stage of life. To determine your year, month, and hour animal refer to Master Wu’s book, The 12 Chinese Animals. For your day animal, you can book an astrology reading with Master Wu or consult the various Chinese astrology apps available; I do not have a recommended app.

Charms: Tiger belongs to an auspicious triad of animals: tiger, dog, and horse, thus dog and horse have extra luck this year. For those tigers turning 60 in 2022, they will also enjoy extra good luck. However, for tigers not turning 60, experiencing Chinese good-bad luck will offset the challenges of the year. Chinese good-bad luck is defined as moving to a new house or city, having a baby, travelling, beginning a new relationship, or getting married. To navigate these challenges, carry or wear a pig charm. The pig is the tiger’s secret friend. For those animals who face challenges this year (indicated with an asterisk below) they benefit from a pig charm. Anyone can utilize a pig charm to boost their luck.

Individual Animal Forecasts for 2022

Rat: Rats benefit from the water of the year. They will experience growth in intuition, flourish in business efforts, make more money, make new friends, and feel a strong sense of health and vitality. Their social and romance life are highlighted. Changes in life will help them get more in tune with their true nature. They will especially benefit from a vacation.

Ox*: This year can be difficult for ox. They might find challenges with instability of home life but can transform the year’s difficulties by focusing their energy into work/business and cultivation practices. Their endurance, toughness, and steady nature will help them meet the tasks and challenges presented this year. They might feel times of stubbornness or hesitancy, so it would be wise to cultivate flexibility and take action.

Tiger*: This is a good luck year for those tigers turning 60. For all other tigers, growth will come from the experiences and challenges they will be faced with. There is a need to work hard this year. They encounter issues with authority. To deflect the conflict, remember to embody compassion and seek advice. They need to create a plan before acting and might find difficulty in getting things done. Breathing exercises and gratitude journaling are encouraged to benefit the lungs.

Rabbit: Rabbits enjoy a decent year full of activity and extra passion. They might find the beginning of the year a bit chaotic, but as it progresses, the energy will kick in and they will feel stable and strong. Rabbits need to come out, act, and step up to the tasks presented. They will benefit from embodying their natural quality of compassion. People will appreciate rabbit’s cleverness.

Dragon: 2022 marks a transformative year for dragons. Since water can shape the earth, dragons (earth-natured animals) might have changes in family life or relationships. It is important to employ patience and be cautious with dispensing criticism, as arguments can arise easily. Funnel the action energy of the year into their natural creativity and artistic nature.

Snake*: This can be a difficult year for snakes. Try to harness the energy of tiger and act. They might have trouble bringing creativity forward, accessing intuition, and achieving their goals. Snakes can soften these challenges by tuning into their wisdom and nourishing their ability to act with their gut. They can utilize the adversity of the year to shed their skin and transform. Spend extra time with cultivation practices, i.e., qigong, yoga, meditation, etc.

Horse: Horses enjoy a great year of luck! They will experience lots of creativity, fun, playtime, and romance. They will find it easy to take action and efficiently accomplish their goals. Horses can effortlessly tap into their leadership abilities, step into their power, and enjoy success. There is a strong possibility of promotion. It is a good year for camaraderie, making friends, socializing, travelling, and new experiences.

Sheep*: Sheep might experience challenges with home life, specifically arguments with family, and conflicts in their work environment. To navigate this confrontational energy, it is important they embody their peaceful nature, listen, employ compassion, and act with gentleness instead of using their horns to fight. They can engage their charm and grace – like the nimble sheep maneuvering rocky terrain. The fruits of their labor will pay off as good luck is coming next year!

Monkey*: This year can bring challenges for monkey. They might feel drained by the active tiger year. It would be wise to set aside time for rest and tackle activities in spurts. Consider napping and letting go of extra obligations to avoid exhaustion. Pick your actions wisely, cultivate patience, and observe situations. Be humble and mindful of your communication when working with people.

Rooster: Rooster will be called to action this year. To navigate this busy year, it is important to make a schedule, be mindful of their boundaries, pace themselves, remain flexible, and utilize their inherent stylish energy and influence. There will be more social activities and parties! This is a good year for writing poetry, comedy, or other forms of communication.

Dog: All dogs’ work and planning from last year pays off and they enjoy great luck in 2022! The seeds they planted flourish and it will be a more active year. They will experience greater harmony, better luck, more money, and increased energy. Good health and fun in social activities are in store. There could be challenges with home life, but the year’s good luck will offset these and help them navigate any difficulties. They have good luck next year too!

Pig: Pigs enjoy a good luck year! Be mindful to not squander the good luck energy by being lazy. They will find it easier to accomplish projects and achieve goals. Pigs will feel like life is more pleasurable and they might advance in leadership. Take action so the good luck will flow into next year. Pigs will do well with business, family, and romance. Their intelligent nature will be celebrated.

*Carry a pig charm to help bring good luck for the year: Tiger (unless turning 60), Snake, Sheep, Monkey and Ox will benefit from carrying/wearing a charm. Dog, Horse, and Pig do not need to carry a charm.

For those seeking advanced information: In addition to the three aspects of 2022: Yang Water Tiger, we can gain insights from the earthly branches. Each Chinese animal is associated with an earthly branch which represents an organ, an acupuncture channel, and a weather pattern. Tiger is associated with the gallbladder organ, the lung channel, and the shao yang (ministerial fire) weather pattern.

Gallbladder: The gallbladder is the decision maker and determines what will be digested both physically and spiritually. There is a call to make decisions and have the courage to follow through with the choices that benefit your higher self. The tendency towards resentment can be strong and crystalize in the body physically as blockages which disable the free-flowing spirit. It is important to be cautious and mindful when strategizing and to take care to observe all the possible choices and act with correct timing.

Lung channel: The tiger is associated with the lung channel and the time of 3am-5am. This time is considered auspicious for self-cultivation techniques like qigong. Therefore, 2022 would be a great year to increase your self-cultivation practice which will support the lung system because this system could suffer this year causing viruses to thrive.

Shao Yang: The weather pattern associated with this year is called the ministerial fire and it is the heat that provides the energy for new life to emerge. It gives the seeds the heat to burst through the soil and warm the earth to start a new life cycle. There can be more heat through the year, and we might see more effects from global warming. However, since the element of the year is water, this could mitigate some of the extreme heat. The heat could stir emotions of anger and it is wise to pause before reacting.

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to the wonderful Lillian Pearl Bridges for all her amazing teaching and her generosity in sharing her wisdom. Her spirit lives on! Thank you to Master Zhongxian Wu and his lineages for all the insightful knowledge to understand and navigate the universal qi. Thank you to Tammy Anderson for all her help in crafting this prediction and especially for helping decipher the individual animal energy. Thanks to Rick Breen for his great editing.

References/Recommended Reading List:

Bridges, L. (2012) Face Reading in Chinese Medicine (Second Edition). London: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
Wu, Karen T. (2018) Calculating the BaZi. London: Singing Dragon.
Wu, Master Z. (2010) The 12 Chinese Animals. London: Singing Dragon.
Wu, Master Z. (2011) Chinese Shamanic Cosmic Orbit Qigong. London: Singing Dragon.
Wu, Master Z. and Wu, K. (2014) Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches TianGan DiZhi, The Heart of Chinese Wisdom Traditions. London: Singing Dragon.
Wu, Master Z. (2009) Seeking the Spirit of the Book of Change. London: Singing Dragon.
Wu, Master Z. (2006) Vital Breath of the Dao. St. Paul: Dragon Door.

Disclaimer: All the information in this prediction is based on the ancient Chinese wisdom traditions and is intended for entertainment purposes only. There is no express or implied guarantee of results from using this information, and individual users are solely responsible for their own interpretation or application to their own circumstances. Further, the information is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for legal, medical, or psychological advice, evaluation and/or treatment. You are welcome to share this post, but please refer to the source.

CT Holman

Redwood Spring, PC
http://www.redwoodspring.com