Let’s Celebrate The Year of the Water Tiger

For most people the last couple of years have been some of the toughest they have ever been through. In 2020, The Year of the Rat quickly turned to one of survival and existence, with fear around every corner. We then welcomed in the Year of the Ox (2021) with great optimism, but what it ended up teaching us was acceptance, how to ground ourselves and work within a new reality. Perhaps both years have taught us more than we could ever know but The Year of the Tiger is the time to make changes, embrace all we’ve gone through and “Go for it”.

For anyone who practices Taijiquan, the Tiger has added significance. The Tiger was originally seen as a servant of justice by the Taoists. It fought off evil spirits as a representative of the divine order. Quite often Tigers were seen slaying evil and graced the walls of many Daoist temples. They became a talisman of good over evil and so took on the mantle of representing martial artists as they fought to hold on to home and state. The Tiger was seen as not only ferocious and powerful, but also wise and tenacious. It is the King of Beasts; strong and brave.

So, 2022 is The Year of the Water or Black Tiger and we should embrace it and go with it, not fight it. The Tiger is “Yang” and strong. It wants to forge ahead and not be held back. So, if something changes, just go with it (that is a very Taiji way of seeing things). If you go with the Tiger Energy (particularly if you are born in a Rabbit, Dragon, Horse or Rooster year), you will have a really smooth and good life this year. If you push against the Tiger’s power then you may come off second-best at work and at home.

You should definitely follow your dreams throughout the year but be prepared to alter your course to achieve them, and whatever you do, keep your ego in check. The Tiger doesn’t deal with egos. The idea of “going with things” is very much part of it being a “Water” year. Water brings out our emotions more than any of the other elements. It makes us sensitive, creative, and adaptable but it’s also extremely powerful just as the Tiger is. It can put out fires and move around anything in its path. Again, a very strong symbol of Taijiquan practice.

In summary, if you use your Taijiquan training and go with things this year you will have a wonderful and incredible ride to the top of your dreams. So here’s to us utilizing all that we’ve learned in Tai Chi to ride the Water Tiger.

Gong Xǐ Fā Cái (Best Wishes and Greetings, Much Wealth and Prosperity) to fellow practitioners around the world.