Hello everyone!
Today, February 1, marks the new moon in Aquarius, and the Lunar New Year: Year of the Water Tiger! The energy of the Water Tiger is guaranteed to bring an unpredictable year with many dynamic changes, and opportunities for spiritual expansion & growth.
In this article, I will be going over my thoughts and messages for this coming year. There are two main sections of this essay — the first is an I-Ching reading for the year, and the second is an intuitive message regarding the spiritual process of these times. Much of the writing in this post is an amalgamation of my astrological observations of the many active cycles, as well as intuitive messages that I perceive concurrently. So even if the astrological significations are not explicitly outlined, their underpinnings are present throughout both sections of this piece.
I also wanted to incorporate a message from the I-Ching because I find the I-Ching offers clear and grounded guidance on how to approach the energies of a situation in a way that no other intuitive tool can. I felt the message that came through was quite useful and astrologically relevant.
I hope you find the multi-faceted approach I take here helpful.
Please enjoy :)
I-Ching Reading for the Collective:
2022 Year of the Water Tiger
Hexagram 60: Self Restraint
Line 5
“Self restraint helps one to progress. Anything overdone cannot last long.”
In this hexagram, water is above lake. If there is too much water in a lake, it will overflow and cause damage to the surrounding area. If the water level is too low, life will be undernourished. Likewise, one’s energy much be balanced for life to flourish.
A person’s energy can be managed in the same way that water is regulated by a dam. If energy becomes too full, the dam will break; if the energy is depleted, there will not be enough in reserve for times of need. This is a time of self control, self discipline, and self restraint.
This hexagram also gives guidance on how to correctly govern people with wise laws, reasonable controls, and moderate restraints. Restraint that is rigid or harsh cannot be adhered to, will reap negative results, and thus will not endure.
The appropriate and positive use of natural limitations and healthy temperance in all aspects of life is the primary guidance of this hexagram. Restraint allows one to know one’s limits. By recognizing them, one can be free within them and thus conduct oneself properly in any situation. By not expecting more from a circumstance than is possible, and by not striving for impossible goals, one will be able to conserve one’s energy for other needs.
Line 5 - “Enjoyable, sweet self-restraint. Good fortune, everything furthers.”
This line represents a strong leader in the right position. Such a person controls and regulates his life by imposing restraint in a natural way. By regulating himself appropriately there is benefit. As master of his own life, he gains the love and respect of others. Thus, he enjoys the benefit of his habitual self restraint.
(Excerpts from “I-Ching: Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth” by Ni Hua-Ching)
This message from the I-Ching struck me as quite interesting. It naturally aligned with the intuitive analysis that I had already written (included in the next section), but brought in a clear concept of temperance that I felt was helpful.
The energy of the year of the Tiger, brings strength, intensity, rebellion, power, and unpredictability. Tiger is also associated with the element of Wood (expansion). The year’s element of Water, representing the more internal qualities of wisdom and intuition, naturally fuels Wood. The feeling of this combination is that many things that happen this year will grow rapidly. A mere seed of a thought can become manifest, and have already grown several branches, before it has even reached the ground. Even before we crossed the threshold of the first lunar month (February) — the quick-shifting nature of this year seems to have already made itself known.
Water element is sensitive, reflective, and adaptable — yet it can also be extremely powerful and stormy, with big waves and torrential downpours. Likewise, the nature of the Tiger is famously dynamic and often eccentric. Tiger can be gentle and lazy, like all cats, but is also fierce and dominant. There is no question that this is a robust combination energetically — and while the Water Tiger is less temperamental than other Tigers — it is still a Tiger, and it will not be afraid to make its voice heard and its presence known.
One of the challenges that I see ahead for this year is a tendency to go to extremes and become easily exhausted by the constant unpredictable change. Now, more than ever, it is necessary for us to truly learn the skill of temperance, as is presented by the image of this hexagram. Temperance with ourselves, temperance with our interactions with the outside world and other people, and temperance with our ambitions. It is important to not be wasteful of our energy, because this year will bring many demanding tasks before us, and we are best served channeling our energy into those things that require our attention, and minimizing those things that distract or deter us from needed rest, mental focus, and spiritual clarity.
This hexagram is also a useful reminder to not take on too much this year, as there will likely be unforeseen shifts in trajectory — and so all expectations should be held lightly, allowing space for ebbs, flows, and forks.
On a spiritual level, this is a call to simplify and develop more self discipline, in order to bring in and make space for higher energies and important internal shifts. We need to be attentive to the management of our energy, and work towards removing drains and excesses — whether these be obligations & work we no longer enjoy, or mental & emotional crutches that don’t allow us to grow — the more we can cut away what is unnecessary in favor of greater peace and ease, the better. Using the image of water as presented in this hexagram, we can reflect that we want our lives and energy to flow naturally, like a calm river. If there is excess accumulation somewhere, maybe we need to remove some rocks or obstructions to invite more flow, and if there is an area where energy is too sparse, perhaps we need to bring in more fortification to contain the energies better, or redirection, so that scattered energies can unite into one stream.
Another important message from this hexagram is that of rebalancing. On an individual level, I feel that this is a year of rebalancing our energies after so much intense upheaval. We are called to spend more time inward — gathering and regenerating — after what has been, and will likely continue to be, a stressful period for most of us. As we soldier on under the intense pressure of these times, we are becoming wise to productive and unproductive energy investments. In a way, it’s a time of taking our power back and returning our energy to ourselves, after having exhausted it so rigorously due to the air of constant vigilance the last two years have demanded. We are learning to be more measured and to respond with a fair dose of realism to outer world chaos.
On a collective level, I see this rebalancing playing out in the power dynamics between official authorities and regular people. Many countries will continue to experience upheaval and rebellion due to the simple energetic principle outlined in this hexagram: Extremes beget extremes, and are not sustainable. Until the restraint authorities place upon populations is appropriately balanced, there will not be calmness or peace. We can expect mass protest to increase and get louder until things are dealt with in genuine truth, and all sides are respected and considered. We will continue to experience the many ripple effects and repercussions of poor policy from the last two years throughout many systems in society — including the ensuing conflict between people and authorities — as institutions continue to fail due to poor management, corruption, and dysfunctional leadership. Countries that have chosen a more balanced approach in recent years will fare better, but we can assume that all will be affected in some way, as many of the issues are worldwide.
I also feel that more truth will be brought forward this year. The chaotic energy and information overload of the Gemini North Node transit is starting to wane, and the many pieces and perspectives we are left with will be investigated and evaluated with greater depth, revealing more concrete clarity regarding what has occurred. I feel this is reflected strongly in the astrology — with the Water Tiger as a figure of great perception, intuition, and clear judgment, along with Western astrological significations such as Mercury retrograde conjunct Pluto (deep investigations) in the Lunar New Year chart, Jupiter in Pisces (truth & intuition), and the North Node transit through Taurus & Scorpio (common sense / skeletons in the closet).
Of course there will also be continued campaigns from authorities to sow confusion, create division, and obfuscate information, along with autocratic assertions of power and moves for control. Unfortunately, as the South Node (the aspect of the collective soul process we are trying to outgrow) transits Scorpio, the urge to dominate will likely increase. Yet, equally, so will the urge for investigation and uncovering of the complete truth. In the eyes of the people, I feel concrete evidence (Taurus North Node) will start to win out over emotional manipulations of power, dominance and dependence (Scorpio South Node). The shadow will seem stronger than before, but it will also become more obvious. This contains some benefit, as it creates more openings for people to observe the workings of the shadow, and thus begin to understand how to counter and transmute it.
An important thing to note here is that the negative or weakened attributes of the Water element are fear, anxiety, indecision, and a lack of motivation or will power. When water is depleted, a sort of complacent anxiety can start to overtake a person — and so this is something that we must be wary of this year and next (Water Tiger/Water Rabbit). This is why the image of Self Restraint is so key — if we maintain our energy and sense of nourishment, we will not fall into despondency and overwhelm as easily, and will be able to make calm, rational decisions with regards to our destiny — even in the face of unpredictable, and even oppressive, outer circumstances.
With all of that said, I think it is important to remember that the process we are in collectively is a long haul process. Real progress can be made this year, and many big changes are coming our way — especially in the US, as we are just days away from the first exact hit of our Pluto return (discussed more in this post). However, it is unlikely that much will be resolved in this year. All that has happened up until now has merely been a part of the process of revealing how deep the shadow goes. Human collective consciousness as a whole and the consciousness of nations all play a role in our observation of this. Put simply, we are still unpacking Pandora’s box.
However, I do also feel that the seeds of new structures will start to peek out. It might still be some time before we can clearly see what the appropriate systems will be going forward — but the edges of the frameworks might start to emerge in our lives, as we collectively contemplate the lessons we are learning currently, and from history. What do we want? What don’t we want? How do we ensure that the societies of the future are just? That all people get what they need and are treated with respect? How do we account for, and balance negative human proclivities? And most important of all, how do we dismantle the paradigms that lead us to fall into the same consistent traps of power and corruption, that have prevailed for such a large chunk of our history?
The true crossroads is whether or not we will pass through this lesson. This is the initiation of the shifting of ages. The painful process we are in now is the fodder for our expansion into a collective golden age of humanity in the next long epoch. Similarly, on a more present level — it is also fodder for our personal growth, and clearing of karma, as the shift begins within ourselves before it will manifest outwardly into the world.
This feels like a natural segue to the next section — so let’s transition to part 2 of this post, an intuitive message on the spiritual process of 2022, and these times in a grander sense.
Intuitive Message for 2022:
Peace, War, and Visions of a Far Future
Understand this year that turbulence is guaranteed. It will not be prevented or controlled. It cannot be managed or hemmed in. So to find peace, we must build it ourselves, within ourselves. How can we expect peace in the world if we cannot build it in our own lives?
What an absurd idea it is — to ever expect that such a thing could be given from the outside. That some authority will provide it to us if we behave properly — and if only we could just get the others to settle down and follow instructions, then, maybe, we could earn back peace. Is it no surprise that we are at war? The whole world is waiting around — for it all to go away, for all of us to miraculously start agreeing, going along — and then there can be “normalcy” and then there can be “peace.” Has true peace ever been attained through the force of external agreements? Or is peace, as we imagine it, just another Cold War?
And make no mistake, this is a war. A war that serves to delude us into believing we are nothing more than our lower states. That we are doomed to fail — and that everything we thought was solid is, in fact, fragile as glass. We’ll always be selfish, we’ll always succumb to hate, and we are not capable of reaching a true understanding. This is “human nature,” they say.
Distortions and shadows brought into our consciousness over millennia — these are real, and they will require real work to overcome. But we are not these things — no matter how convincing it might seem to believe that we are. Our true higher nature is bigger than that. The purity of our souls is far beyond that. The only trouble is our own realization of what we already are. The only work is our own clarification of what is already pure. And to realize, ultimately, that we have all of the power to change everything. To create a peace that cannot ever be given.
We will never be able to control the thoughts and opinions of our neighbor — and have likely already discovered that such an effort is wasteful, and goes nowhere. Even if coercion is won, it is won bitterly, and without a sense of the natural, authentic internal change that comes with true insight. What comes instead of peace — is resentment.
Resentment is the pyre built by warring ideologies and those that benefit from the war. Grudges, acrimony, and antagonism are the source of all historical and present conflicts. Righteous anger, becomes generational outrage, and furthers the spiral of deep sadness and wounding. Truth gets lost in the damage done — as what is true becomes no longer relevant, bifurcates, and degenerates — inverting original intent and once sound reasoning into chaos, and into a new emerging truth of pain and cyclic harm that strangles and stifles progress. Bitter wins are not victories, and quiet compliance is not peace.
The real fight is the fight of clambering out of the darkness of amnesia and insanity — the darkness of believing anything is solved when the war is won. The real fight is facing a collective crossroads of destiny, and choosing the high road, disavowing the low road, and refusing to succumb to the seduction of familiar enslavement in favor of the unfamiliar and daunting difficulty of our real work.
The real work of peace is the work of purification, transmutation, and overcoming our lower states. The real work of peace is becoming the person you expect others to be — to be impeccable, and self responsible. To maintain respect, and integrity. To honor others.
Until we can truly master sovereignty — we cannot regain a sense of healthy community. We will always try to get others to meet our expectations and become upset when they don’t. Disputes will emerge and cleave irresolvable impasses between individuals and groups. Working through the dilemma of individualism and collectivism is very much thematic of the Aquarian age — as these two orders of our existence and nature must become appropriately aligned and ultimately unite. Currently, we are far from clearly perceiving the way of this new internal matrix — which is the order of the next epoch. The true version of the new order is something we must evolve into organically — and only after we have begun to build it within will we be able to establish correct societal systems in reflection of this internal reorientation of human collective consciousness.
The systems in place in our world today are the old guard. Those that have accrued power in this system are not the architects of the new world — as they have gained their power through the paradigms of oppression, subjugation, and human sacrifice by way of war, slavery, and other atrocities. It is not likely for those who have gained control through corruption to become suddenly altruistic, and it is equally unlikely that any new system presented by this so-called “upper echelon” of society will be any different than the last. They have built themselves through the DNA of the dying age — and their creations and constructions will not withstand the changes of the one that is emerging. That is why the new world will — and must — come as a soul urge from the collective of humanity. That is why peace must be earned truly, and not won by a side.
On a pure energetic level, as more and more layers of the new paradigms begin to integrate into the consciousness of humanity organically, it will eventually become impossible for the older paradigms to maintain their footing. Their material amassment will not matter. It will become like an antiquated law that people no longer abide by. Like a bit of energetic grime stuck to the dish pan — with some good soap, and enough water, it will not be able to hang on. With the unfolding changes, their world will disappear.
The only thing that could possibly derail this outcome is if people continue to remain closed to the reality of the threshold we are actually at, and continue to believe that history is doomed to repeat itself without further consideration. Even then, I suspect the derail would not be permanent, but the crossroads is nonetheless real. This is a test we have not yet answered — and there is much more unknown than there is known. A great deal of the ultimate destiny of humanity is up to us, on an individual, and collective level, to develop our higher faculties of intuition, and to begin cultivating our understanding of spiritual science, to clearly see the energetic world as it is now, as it has been, and as it has the potential to be.
So our work is on ourselves first. In unwinding and unhooking the innumerable distortions that determine our perception of reality — and in opening our awareness to the unseen structures of the next epoch.
Our problems are real, and they are many. This moment carries karma that harkens back as far as the earth’s most ancient human civilizations — civilizations on which we have no, or very little, written history. Our memories and traumas as a human race are highly activated as we work to make new choices, in almost complete blindness.
Easily, and quite often, the task can feel impossible to our human selves. The idea that the current reality and order could ever change — and the idea that it is even possible for us to collectively overcome our basest instincts — are two of the biggest stones in our path. But yet, if we tune in, that glimmer of the high road still exists — a foggy path you can only see as you are walking on it. A new path, that is being created with every step.
Beyond the shadow is a light that is unshakable. Work tirelessly towards clear vision — even if it is never realized and never rewarded. One day, your eyes may see a path that no one else can.
Thank you for reading!
If you are interested in working with me more deeply, one-on-one consultations are available on a limited basis. Please check out my booking page to see my calendar and get in touch.
For Qigong work and energetic development, please see our options at Tao Institute & Tao Institute Online.