In Chinese Astrology, Tiger’s cycle of power is around the darkness of New Moons and the brightness of Full Moons. Specifically, this is the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese Lunar New Year. Unlike the Gregorian calendar that follows the Sun, the Chinese calendar follows the Moon. It is both a New Year and a New Moon on February 1, 2022.

According to ancestral legend, Tiger settled for third place in the Celestial Race, climbing out of the river believing he finished first, after the cunning Rat jumped the diligent Ox for the win. When the Buddha summoned all the animals for his first teachings, Tiger was among those creatures that showed up.

The energy of Tiger invites meditation on personal space. In general, Tiger people tend to have a strong sense of freedom, fiercely independent streak, keen sense of justice, and dream of changing the world. They are also notorious for being prideful, authoritative and self accepting. Because they have a tendency for being cute and charming, they might get away with some of their other traits like rebellion, challenging the status quo and breaking apart traditions, to the chagrin of the rule followers and protectors of conservatism.

Cats in general are nocturnal creatures that see effectively in the dark, thus representing the mystery of life. Humans can develop an attitude about cats because they do their own thing, like people that are considered free-spirited. I learned how to meditate from cats.

How can they be so relaxed, seemingly asleep and docile, and then immediately become alert, suddenly be on all fours and ready to take action?

Specifically, the spiritual energy of Tiger represents passion, power, devotion and sensuality. These areas can awaken within, especially during this year of the Tiger. New adventures can awaken new passion and power within your life.

Notice what happens to your sensitivity to touch. Sense awareness is an everyday part of mindfulness that you can breathe into the moments of your daily routine.

Human spiritual activists like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh were drawn to each other, influenced one another and developed a sacred bond. MLK Day is a national holiday in America and is celebrated on January 17. The Chinese New Year either falls in January or February, depending on the Moon cycle. February is Black History Month. Although these two spiritual leaders were known for their peaceful and non-violent practices, including Civil Disobedience for doing the right thing, they were considered radicals by the Establishment. King was assassinated for standing up against society’s injustices, while Hanh has spent most of his life living in exile from his native country of Viet Nam for challenging the status quo.

Meditation on the Sun and the Moon reveals the omnipresence of the Yin and Yang in Nature and how it reflects in our everyday lives.

Meditation on the Chinese symbol of the Yin and the Yang teaches us that balance is key. There will always be masculine in feminine, sun in moon, and light in dark.

Even in crisis, there is opportunity, as it says in the I-Ching.

Life is not without its darkness. In modern society, we have been taught to fear the dark, that darkness is bad or that the light is good. But this is not so because you cannot have the yang without the yin.

When you close your eyes to meditate, you are taking a step into primordial darkness, or the Womb of Life. Black is symbolic of creation, as is water.

Further movement into a New Aquarian Age supports both the identity of the individual and how they interact with the group consciousness. Diversity within Unity.

In American culture, Groundhog Day is a popularly celebrated holiday that takes place on February 2nd.

In this popular ritual, a groundhog comes out of hibernation for everyone to witness whether this creature will see its shadow or not. As the story goes, if the groundhog sees its shadow, then we will have to wait six more weeks till spring. Or if it doesn’t see his shadow, then spring will come early.

But long before that, our ancestors also honored this day as the Imbolc, or the approximate mid-point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.

Moreover, they also realized, that the Spring (Vernal) Equinox always happens on March 20th, and reflects equality between the light and dark. After that, masculine/yang/light energies will continue to rise till their climax on the Summer Solstice on June 20th, the longest day of sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Regardless, the spiritual energy of Groundhog is significant at this time, as Groundhog symbolizes death without dying. Groundhog medicine reflects that the energy of Winter is a time to go into the dark, turn inward, slow down, rest and be quiet.

This shamanic process of alchemy is when we can transform who we are now (death of the old self) through rebirth of who we are becoming (without actually dying). The death of Winter can bring grieving of the old self, whilst the rebirth of Spring can awaken seeing from new visits.

When I think about stories of Buddhist monks who set themselves on fire in protest of the injustices of occupation, I think about the sacrificial lamb/savior complex remnants of the dying Pisces Age. We will need to let go of this tendency as we surrender to the transition into the new consciousness of the Aquarian Age. We can be light of Christ Consciousness without carrying the heavy burden of the Cross. The energy of surrender helps you focus on your heart and your feelings. Surrender is necessary to let go of old patterns that prevent you from opening up your heart. Surrender makes your fear vanish.

In a Karmic sense, we can experience reincarnation in this lifetime through deaths and rebirths during the natural cycle of the season. We can intentionally work out our karma by making connections between cause and effect, and even transcending it.

Meditation on Groundhog can help you with that.

Learning to think in the death and rebirth of moments can help stimulate this process. Remember to come back to the home of your breath.

In this early stage of a New Age and Paradigm, we are facing escalating crisis and intensifying chaos. All you have to do is look at the outer world events and turn within to and feel your awakening.

It is a process that is shines in the rays of Love and Truth. But it is also with its share of dark and stormy weather, which does not make for smooth sailing.

Trust in your personal authority, your inner royalty and stay in alignment with the power of your Higher Self.

In this year of the Tiger, call on this big cat to shed light on the darkness so that you can see effectively in the dark like a cat does. This is a powerful trait to adopt, as mystery is a hallmark of the Universe, especially in the early days of this New Aquarian Age.

Having a spiritual outlook on life and a regular mediation practice is critical and will help support you along your way.

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari