2010 Year of the Metal Tiger

2010 is the year of the Metal Tiger. It is also called the Golden Tiger and the White Tiger. Tiger years are years of energy and unpredictability. This will be a year of change. Tiger’s natural element is wood which supports fire and further more the tiger is said to have the hidden spark of fire. But this is a Metal year and Metal is in conflict with both Wood and Fire. In the Chinese system of elements Metal chops Wood thus destroying Wood and Fire melts Metal. So this year is like a tiger wearing armor. It protects the tiger but also restricts the tiger. The metal is a burden as well as a comfort. This will not be a peaceful year but a year of challenges. The good news is that tigers do like challenges.

The Tiger is one of the four celestial animals, and he is the Yin to the Dragon Yang. The Tiger is a symbol of the military and of martial arts. So this year will probably bring more international conflicts and wars. Metal, the element for the year, rules swords, tanks and other weapons. Because Tigers are loyal to friends and natural leaders, conflicts will cause friends to take sides which can cause disagreements to grow into wars. The last Metal Tiger year we had was in 1950, the year the hydrogen bomb was developed, the year the Korean war broke out (Korea, by the way, is called the “nation of tigers”).

Tigers are naturally ferocious and so they are not known for being social. The Tiger usually hunts alone, waiting for his prey to come into range and then the Tiger strikes. He is both patient and impulsive. Tiger’s have the most difficulty with Monkeys and Snakes, so people born under the signs of Monkey and Snake can have a difficult time during the year of the Tiger. Look back 12 years to see what kind of year you had during the last Year of the Tiger.

There are five elements in the Chinese Astrological system and each has a feeling. In general Fire is joy, Water is fear, Earth is meditation, Metal is sadness, and Wood is anger. Last year we were in an Earth year. Earth is about the practical and a desire to stabilize life. Our lives were turned upside down with the economic turmoil of 2008 and so in 2009 we tried very hard to bring things back to a stable position. This has been difficult. 2010 is a Metal year, metal rules money, things of hidden value, refinement, things brought to completion, perfectionism, organization appropriate and meticulous behavior and also sadness. This year we may mourn what was lost over the last two years. Picture a huge tiger being forced to spend time organizing his sock drawer and you will feel the conflict of the coming year. The impatient Tiger would rather argue with you than do any of the energies connected with the Metal Element.

2010 will be a lucky year for people born under the Metal element, but there will still be work to do, wood to chop. Metal people will have the advantage if they get to work right away. This is an good year also for Fire element people for wood will feed their energy but they have smelt the metal and create the tools if they want to succeed. So Fire people need to use the energy they have this year to create opportunities either by going to school, finding the better job or starting the business. This is a moderately good year for Wood people but they need to defend themselves from the metal axe coming their way, wood people may feel at war with the world and they need to remember that even war is temporary, so keep an eye on finances, relationships and be ready to fight back. This is a pretty good year for Water element people because metal creates water so they will have lots of opportunities this year but water feeds wood and so they may waste the opportunities on frivolous things. Water element people need to use their resources wisely and if they do then at the end of the year they will find they have more money, more friends and a higher standard of living. And this is a challenging year for Earth element people because they need to be vigilent that others don’t take advantage of their ability to create metal (money). Earth element people will be surrounded by others who ask for help, and while the desire to help others is good, Earth element people need to retain enough for themselves and not deplete themselves by giving too much away.

Tigers love competition and don’t like losing. So this year we will all feel the need to compete this year, with others and ourselves. We will see lots of competitive TV programs, lots of coverage of war torn areas on the news, and feel a desire to challenge those around us. Tigers have quick tempers yet they are empathic and loving towards children. They can be selfish but they also can think for themselves, and thinking for ourselves is a very good quality to have in the times that are coming. Tigers bore easily and so they like to inject a little excitement in their lives. Adding excitement to our lives is fine if it moves us towards the goal but not if it’s just short sighted thinking that ends up sabotaging the dream.

For 2010: If you want a promotion, put 8 white or light colored stones in the East section of your house. If you want a salary increase or to make more money, put a vase of water with a plant in it in the East part of the house (many house plants will grow in water alone).

The Southeast corner was very lucky last year and still has a little luck remaining. Place pictures of moving water, fish or sea shells in this area to catch the remaining luck.

The year the South will be an area of conflict that can manifest as quarrels and discontent. You can add soft pastel colors to this area to bring more harmony. This could be through art, painting a wall (but know you will have to change it next year) or a floor rug. If, on the other hand, you want lots of contact with others, lots of friends and lots of clients and you’re willing to risk some conflicts then add bright red to this area to stimulate the energy.

The Yellow Ghost (also called the accident star or the five yellows) sits in the Southwest. The Southwest section of the house is weak this year and can bring illness especially if the Southwest corner of the house is a bedroom or kitchen. Hang a metal wind chime in this area to balance the energy. Try to find a chime with solid tubes. Or you can hang a metal bell. And if you are one who procrastinates try to make sure the chime is hung before May which marks the concentration of the unlucky energy. Outside, the Southwest corner of your property should not be disturbed this year by building or construction. If you are gardening in this area try to incorporate metal objects such as fencing to offset the unlucky energy.

The West becomes luckier this year. Add objects made of glass, especially blue glass to bring better communication and relationships. And add a piggybank to bring more money into the household.

The Northwest is very lucky this year. Add a healthy house plant to stimulate good luck with love and add a few coins on top of the dirt to bring more money.

The North is also lucky this year. Add the color blue to bring good luck with contracts and paperwork. It is also the place where you can attract a lover. Place your wishes for love under an object made of glass or take a heart made from quartz and wrap it in a soft red cloth and place it in the North part of the house.

The Northeast becomes unlucky as the ‘illness star’ settles there for the year. If you sleep in this area add heavy objects made of metal to the room to protect and balance your energy. Hematite, solid brass or nickel or coins will all work. You can also hang strings of coins in the Northeast part of the house to bring positive energy. Outside, the Northeast area of your property will be home to the Grand Duke and should not be built on or disturbed if possible. To stabilize this energy lay a few coins on the ground in the Northeast corner of the property. But do it carefully as he doesn’t like his home disturbed.

These cures will lose effectiveness after a few months unless you care for the plants, dust off the wind chimes and pictures. Always remember to reenergize your cures on the New Moon each month by taking them down, dusting them off and then rehanging them while stating your intention.

2010 will be difficult for real estate. Real estate may show some signs of recovering in the Spring but then begin to decline again with problems arising in commercial real estate as well as residential. Some people will need to completely change the energy of their homes to sell them. This can be done by painting the entire interior of the house including ceilings. Even if you paint the same color as before the energy will shift.

Commodities represented by the Metal element, things buried in the earth, will gain popularity however the smart money will start looking for better investments over the next year or two and start putting their money into things on the surface of the earth rather than underneath as we have already seen with Warren Buffet putting money into a railroad.

Industries that are Metal in nature (banking, high tech, vehicles) should grow and do well. Most Metal industries need a little spark of fire to get things moving (metal needs to be melted and formed into tools to be truly useful) and the Tiger year may provide that little spark of Fire. Industries that are Wood ruled will not fair so well, things like newspapers, textiles and media because Metal chops Wood. Water business should do well as Metal creates Water so things like shipping, transport, beverages and communications should prosper.

Because this is a Metal Tiger and Tigers are natally ruled by Wood we may see more destruction of the natural environment through forest fires, wood harvesting and of course war. Conflicts of wood, fire and metal often bring poor air quality and breathing difficulties. We may even see a volcano erupt or worse a nuclear disaster. Because Water is not present this year there may be droughts

More people will travel this year. The Tiger rules an active traveling star. On the other hand traffic accidents will increase and so will road rage so it would be important to be vigilent when driving (and not texting).

Amber is the stone of the Tiger. It is said that when a tiger dies that his soul resides in the Amber until a new tiger is born. So wearing Amber is a good way to activate the Tiger energy of the year, the year of change.