The year of the Tiger was about to begin and would be the Earth Tiger and it began on 28 Jan at 06:19 Greenwich Time, according to the ephemeris. The last Earth Tiger came in 1938 and it will be 2058 before we see another one. The year just ending was been the Fire Ox. The year following will be the Earth Rabbit. The Ox marks the end of old things. It is the sign of winter, of sleep, of death and extinction. The Tiger is the opening of new things. It is the sign of Thunder, of the new dawn, of springtime, when life and warmth return to the land.
The Tiger corresponds to the Western Aquarius. Its natural element is Wood, here mated with Earth. The Tiger is the symbol of earthly raw power in untamed nature, even as the Dragon is the symbol of heavenly creative forces. It is a sign of the eastern sky and of the springtime. This is the planting season in the agricultural almanac of ancient China, when the ground becomes workable once more and nourishing rains begin to fall. It is also the sign of the pre-dawn hours, when birds and a few other animals sense the coming dawn and bestir themselves. It is a time of new life, new beginnings and a trembling wakefulness.
This Earth Tiger was to be a very special year for a number of reasons. The Tao is deeply correct and its energies are much accelerated --- the pace of change in this year and next will be the greatest our generation can expect to experience, especially the winter months of each year. Only 1988 (Earth Dragon) can compare. Before that, we must look to the early 1800s and the Industrial Revolution to find a comparable group of years. After this, we must wait until the Metal Horse year of 2050 to get it again.
Moreover, because this is an Earth year, Earth shall come into direct contact with itself during the Earth Season in the summer months. Because no animal year claims Earth as its native element, this can only happen for less than 150 days out of each decade --- the rarest of all elemental configurations and essential to our evolution as a species because it is in these times that most meaningful and lasting change takes root.
What can we expect from such a year? Plenty! When the Tiger comes, we must always expect the unexpected.Thank youHemant for this wonderful FDC and the stamps on the minisheet on it issued by Canada on 8.1.1988.
