By Alison Marks

February 2010

Since the Year of the Pig four years ago, I’ve attended a talk at the beginning of each Chinese year about the energies of the new year. These events are offered by Liu Ming, a wise and… well, hysterical, Taoist teacher here in the Bay Area who recently joined the faculty at my feng shui school.

This year, I wanted to share some of Ming’s (as he’s called) insights with you, since I think that the energies of the Year of the Metal Tiger speak so well to where we all seem to sense the world is right now, and also give us some clear direction for daily living.

It seems everyone I’m talking to is buzzing about the big shift we’re all going through together, and I am definitely feeling and learning from this myself. Weather patterns are bizarre, and even dangerous. Mama earth is shaking things up, like in Haiti. The world’s economic system continues to crumble. There’s excitement (by some) and fear (by others) about the Mayan 2012 prophecy. Most I talk with about these things agree that whatever is going to happen has already started happening. 

The metal energy of this year (we’re talking here about metal as one of the Chinese five elements) is very precise, and combined with the powerful, aggressive nature of the tiger, we’re presented with an unstable combination that creates the ground for a lot of unpredictability. It’s likely that we’ll see some big shifts this year – and they could happen swiftly, without warning.

Ming’s advice is to lay low in spring – don’t make any big moves if you can help it, or you might get slashed by the mighty claw of the tiger. Forays out in the summer are ok, but save your bigger life shifts for the fall.

By the way, I don’t change all my plans based on recommendations like these, and I don’t suggest that you do either. Rather, you might want to hold it as one piece of useful information for you to consider as you make important decisions.

Of course there are lovely things about the tiger year as well. As things get shaken up, it’s a great time to get very clear about what is really important to you. It’s a good time to go deep spiritually. Dig down into whatever personal spiritual path you choose.

Mostly, live with integrity, be considerate of others, keep a low profile, and it’s likely you’ll get through the year unscathed. 

You can click here to order Liu Ming’s talk on the Year of the Metal Tiger, which includes information about how this year will go for YOUR animal.