Let it flow! The decade’s first two years were all about building infrastructure. In 2022, it’s time for creativity, innovation and deep insights as the Water Tiger prowls the skies from February 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023.
Ready to flip from day to night? On February 1, 2022, the systematic Metal Ox passes the yoke to the instinctual Water Tiger. The industrious Ox muscles through duties from sunup to sundown. The clever Tiger hunts at night. Morning people could morph into nocturnal creatures under this roaring transformation. Regardless of your prime productivity hours, get ready to change your beat. The Ox takes its orders from Saturn, the stern and disciplined taskmaster of the skies. Tiger, on the other hand, downloads cues from free-spirited Uranus, a planet whose main mission in life is to disrupt “the system.”
There is a link here, however. Both Saturn and Uranus are the co-rulers of Aquarius—and it’s the Age in which we are living. Need more proof that 2022 is the Year of the New Abnormal? Stalking through the Water Tiger’s jungle is a trek through uncharted terrain. Or make that a swim. After a pair of back-to-back metal years (2020-21), water cascades across the landscape of the next two. Let it go and let it flow.
What a water year means
Water years (which end in 2 or 3) restore fluidity to our lives. Sweet relief! Rigid rules apply during metal years (any year ending in 0 or 1), which can make people feel fenced in and controlled. Metal puts the focus on data, infrastructures and financial security. In a true example of #MetalYearProblems, banks had a coin shortage over the past couple years, due to the rising rate of virtual transactions. And while Bitcoin’s value soared, savvy investors also added gold and silver to their portfolios—safe bets at a time where fiat currency’s future seems to be so uncertain.
There will be many things “in flux,” over the next couple years, in fact, which is the nature of this element. Water flows freely, shapeshifting from frozen to liquid to invisible gas. Seemingly solid situations may go up in smoke, then hover overhead like inescapable cloud cover before raining down again. Paradoxically, the Uranus-ruled Tiger longs to break free from structure. Yet, without a container, water spills everywhere and dries up. Want to be as strong as a rushing river? Carve out your “banks” (i.e., boundaries) and unblock dams (as in, go-nowhere situations).
Have you marked your turf?
Wild tigers are territorial creatures, spraying their scent and scratching their claws into trees to stake their claim. In 2022, access to fresh water could be a primary cause of political uprising and wars. Record droughts and floods threatened farming and utilities in many regions last year, including those along the Colorado River and in the Gulf Stream’s path. Dry areas and flood zones may depopulate in 2022, while cities with stable fresh-water resources could see record residential spikes.
Can we find solutions to the potentially apocalyptic future of melting ice caps and rising sea levels? Here’s some very good news: Science is revered during Uranus-ruled Tiger years. (So long to the fearmongering, Saturnian Ox!) From water reclamation to desalination to carbon capture, this Water Tiger year could bring breakthrough innovations that mitigate the effects of the climate crisis on our liquid assets.
Looking for signs
Since the intuitive Water Tiger traffics in signs, serendipities and psychic visions, solutions could arrive supernaturally. Such was the case for chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, who “discovered” the periodic table of elements in his sleep. “I saw in a dream, a table, where all the elements fell into place as required,” said Mendeleev. “Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper.”
Or hey, maybe we will cure COVID in 2022, a watery virus that spreads through respiratory droplets. But given public resistance to modern medicine, it may come down to this: Vaccination or isolation. Since Tiger years tend to be solitary, people may opt out of society rather than play by the rules.
It bears mentioning that wild tigers have become a critically endangered species. In the early 1900s, an estimated 100,000 tigers roamed through 11 regions, including Siberia, India, Sumatra and Myanmar. Their current global count has dwindled to a scarce 3,900, putting these gorgeous big cats at risk for extinction. Among humans, birth rates are dropping globally, bringing conversations about population decline to the headlines. This trend is unlikely to turn during an independent Water Tiger year. In fact, wild tigers interact quite briefly, purely for mating purposes.
Relax! We’re not suggesting you’ll spend 2022 alone.
When it’s time to seduce, attractions can get steamier than a mangrove swamp. With this cocky creature helming the operative, fierce fashion may be back with a vengeance. When that “tiger, tiger” is “burning bright,” light-up clothing, eye-popping neons and jungle prints could hit the runways. Skin baring, body-con fashions cast a spell suited for this seductively alluring creature.
When you’re out prowling the field, lose the phone! The sensory Water Tiger doesn’t get off by reading messages from a cold, hard screen. They connect through a complex social system based on visual signals, scent marks and vocalizations. Unleash your raw humanity. This hot-blooded hunter wants to inhale pheromones, brush against silky skin, and penetrate you with its unwavering gaze.
Emotional bonds strengthen during any water year. But during a Tiger year, this is an inside and outside job. Carve out time for soulful reflection. Self-love sets the stage for intimacy. Do your inner work and you’re bound to attract people with a high EQ—or raise the vibration in an existing relationship. Water seeks its own level.
Bring on the swagger!
Tipping the scales at between 300 and 600 pounds, this animal is a force to be reckoned with. To attract your mate or seal a business deal, you may have to throw a little weight around. But use plenty of emotional intelligence. Painfully obvious advances are not in the Tiger’s playbook. Too cool for that school? Emotional detachment might be more your speed. Draw back into observer mode, watching and waiting for qualified “prey” to appear. Failure is not in the Water Tiger’s vocabulary. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Bottom line: Transitioning from the Metal Ox’s plowed and plotted field to the Water Tiger’s deep, dark emotional realm won’t be a stalk in the park. And oh, the feels this shift will bring! Get ready to abide by the law of the jungle, which isn’t very lawful at all. If the Metal Ox’s mantra was “lather, rinse, repeat,” the Water Tiger’s marching orders are, “observe, strategize, strike!”
