Who is a Tiger?

Years: 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010.
Month*: February
Hour: 03.00-05.00am
Day: Ask Us

* Caution: the start of the Chinese Month of the Tiger falls on the 4th or 5th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Tiger?

Because the yang Wood Tiger is composed of three different elements, he is an especially versatile predator. There is nothing wrong with being a predator of course, except that it can imply a very rigid view of the world. Tigers often don’t play well with others, not because their egos are in the way (unlike the Dragon, the Pig, the Rooster or the Horse) but because for them, work and play are very distinct activities. They can up to a point frolic with other Tigers but broadly every alliance is focused on an outcome. It’s no coincidence that 1974 Tiger Victoria Beckham is the Spice Girl who never looked back; she’s moved on.

The Tiger never forgets. For the unbalanced Tiger no slight, insult or rejection can be allowed to go unredressed. He may wait a lifetime but he will get his revenge. Earth Tiger Joseph Stalin typified this approach to life as Leon Trotsky was enabled to confirm the hard way. On the other hand the balanced Tiger will always repay a debt and will go out of his way to acknowledge assistance.

The typical qualities of yang Wood are sharp eyes, a strong will and swift movement. The Tiger stalks his prey silently and pounces when he is ready. He can wait days as long as he is not hungry. A needy Tiger is very dangerous. Never scorn the Tiger.

The Tiger will often have a fresh view of things which makes him the eyes of the team he makes up with the Horse and the Dog. The Horse is front of house, the Dog the keeper of records and the Tiger the hit man.

In terms of human relations the Tiger may be the most yang of the animals; that is swift, sharp and unsubtle. The earth he inherits from his predecessor in the Zodiac the Ox, is turned miraculously from yin to yang when he receives it. The unbalanced Tiger knows no mercy and expects none. And in this he has altered the dogma he receives from the Ox – do as you would be done by – into a personal code. This alteration can amount to perversion and make for serious misunderstandings; the unconscious Tiger probably knows himself less well than any other animal. His ruthlessness which he can wear as a badge of honour, is often simply a failure to open up to interdependence with others. Of all insults “dependent” is the worst for the Tiger. He will not depend. This makes relationship an act of will. With a true act of will, the Tiger forms the most enduring relationships. If it is not truly a choice but a resigned agreement to bend himself out of shape, all around him will distort also. Sometimes the truly unconscious Tiger thinks this reflects a merciless world in which he has been clever in getting his revenge in first. This logic doesn’t work and the smarter Tiger knows this.

But even the smartest Tiger is not in the clear because the corollary of foregoing revenge appears to be falling on her sword. This is a mistake too. Most of us prefer not to live by the law of the jungle but then most of us are not as well-equipped for it.

Metal is generally considered to represent logical thought, authority and competition. The Tiger is elementally the opposite of Metal; the wooden Tiger likes to think of himself as logical but instinctive or even automatic is a better description. Generally he can only make use of Metal early on in life or at the inception of a process. After that he can deceive himself that he knows what to do and that he is beyond advice. The really unbalanced Tiger (yang Wood day stem for instance born in February) considers himself bold and resolute but truly is hanging onto past (mother) stuff that ought to have been completed. The admission of this would affront his pride and he is unlikely to do it.

Richard Bandler (himself a notoriously ruthless 1950 Tiger) the Godfather of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, used to say that the person with the most flexible behaviour has control. The Tiger is the yangest woodenest of the animals. He is so flexible that he can be completely immovable. This can be his role in the alliance with the Monkey, Pig and Snake sometimes called The Four Terminals: the Monkey sells the traveller a ticket, the Pig may offer to accompany him and the Snake can enchant with tales of exotic locations but the Tiger is liable to snarl and send the traveller on his way. Without the Pig in the ba zi this combination can like the Four Earths, be a seriously unhelpful combination, implying restricted movement.

A tender father and an implacable father-in-law, a good leader but an erratic motivator, at his worst, the keynote of the Tiger is an uneasy combination between a long memory and a short fuse. At his best he is the sort of leader you would gladly die for. Take short-lived (and deeply respected) Labour Leader John Smith as an example perhaps. At worst she’ll do the job for you.

Richard Ashworth© 2020
www.imperialfengshui.info

The Tiger in 2020

Tigers are often active at night. This year could be a long one. It may be tough to find the time to rest. The public and private successes you celebrated in 2019 may give way to old patterns of handling conflict when there’s public exposure of your past “failures”. Be gentle with yourself. You deserve forgiveness too.

A Metal Rat year indicates experiences that shape you and losses that increase vitality in the long term. There are many new ideas to process, mainly regarding the amount of space you’ve been taking up. If you are open to the learning you can change the embarrassing outcome of a potentially juvenile confrontation in August.

If you need a retreat for healing and restoration, do it in January because later you won’t feel like you have time. Don’t expect to be able to keep up with everything you think you need to do. Choose what can slip through the cracks rather than just letting it happen. There will be losses. You’re likely to be moving house too, maybe even as early as February or as late as November. Being the Tiger that you are, you’ll probably be upgrading somehow.

A close friend, partner or child also has the itchy foot, and how they cope with this could lead to an urgent situation in November. If a breakup is coming that’s when it will happen.

In May, it might be that this same person doesn’t share your definition of commitment. Be clear about yours and open to believing them when they tell you theirs. That’s what you do if you want to change November. You’ve got the power to rebuff or to share your bright light. Knowing your flexibility, you’ll try to figure out a way to do both. Don’t hurt yourself.

A Tiger is a natural leader but you’re not currently at the top of the food chain. In 2020 Tigers who continue in leadership roles will do so by way of their ambush* rather than autocracy. Tigers don’t normally work as a group so it could be awkward at first.

It’s time for Tigers to prioritize domestic affairs. The Rabbit month of March could be your best month for connection and cooperation. This is a year to be patient, change your vantage point and learn.

Get in touch if you were born in the first fortnight of the Tiger Month (between Feb 4th-20th roughly – this varies according to the year). It may be that you are in for some special luck. The following days may be uncannily helpful for making good choices:

February 27 2020
April 27 2020
June 26 2020
August 25 2020
October 24 2020

Celebrate the freeing power of failure. Respect the delays of the year’s timing and you’ll find joy in the midst of what might seem like obligation. Perspective is everything and you’ve got the gift of sight. Use it. Sort out those available to support you from those who cannot even though they are doing their best.

In July and September you may think someone is limiting you by falling short. Think again. It’s your life. You are responsible for it.

*A group of Tigers.