Live Like A Tiger
On February 1st we have a New Moon in Aquarius. Whilst the sign of Aquarius represents purification (hence its symbol of purifying water), freedom, equality and humanitarian action, the actions of the average Aquarian are very often unconventional, unorthodox, revolutionary and ‘forward looking’ in terms of new ideas and new methods.
The energy of this New Moon is very much tied in with the dominant energy of last year, which is still in range this year - Saturn in square to Uranus – the old versus the new, control versus freedom, the way things have always been versus awakening to the new, breakdown versus breakthrough, conform through control versus break free to allow freedom, authenticity and independence.
Falling on the same day as the Chinese New Year, New Moons always represent new intentions and new starts, whilst Chinese New Year celebrations centre around removing what is bad and old in order to welcome the new and the good. The Chinese New Year is a repeating 12-year cycle using animals and their individual characteristics as symbols. 2020 was the Year of the Rat - survival, whilst 2021 was the year of the Ox – working methodically to anchor in a new reality. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger and is likely to be about being strong and assertive, making changes and taking risks.
Tigers are independent, fearless, loyal and have high self-esteem. Tigers are strong in the face of adversity, persistent and determined. As the largest living cat species, tigers have no real predators within their natural habitat, until man, man’s ego and man’s greed appeared on the scene. Tigers, therefore, suffer unrelenting pressures from poaching, habitat loss and growing populations.
So how does this all fit with the astrology? 2022 in Chinese astrology is a Yang-Water Tiger year – the year of the White Tiger - which only occurs every 60 years. Yang Water is connected to flowing water, rivers or clouds. So, 2022 will be about movement rather than stagnation. This for me connects much more to the Uranus side of the Saturn/Uranus square; that sense of moving forward and rebelling against restriction. It is Uranus who receives the most planetary connections at this New Moon, with Mercury joining in fast once he goes direct. So, what is the energy of Uranus? He delivers the unexpected, often in a disruptive fashion and sometimes in the form of a ‘lightning bolt’. His energy is meant to be sudden and possibly shocking, but it’s meant to be so, because it is meant to awaken us to do things in a new and completely different way.
The New Moon sits with Saturn and, therefore, encompasses the strength and the learning through adversity that Saturn symbolises, whilst having the dynamism of the square to Uranus and its revolutionary, non-conforming energy. And just as the tiger suffers from the greedy desires of man, so do we suffer from the controlling ideologies (Saturn) of the rich and the powerful. But, the energy of flowing water, of moving forward and the excitement of the hunt for the new is stirring deep down at base level. The only planet in retrograde motion at this New Moon is Mercury, but he moves direct in just a few days. So, it won’t be long before all the energy is moving forward – we have not had this for some time now. It’s a strong, subtle, progressive sea change.
Mars rises in the New Moon chart set for London and he is followed closely by Venus. Mars represents the urge to do, to act, to fight. Mars is courageous, assertive and has huge strength in the sign of Capricorn where he now sits. This is not a passive New Moon at all. And behind Mars comes Venus, the planet of values, relationship and love. Her force is not to be underestimated now that she is once again moving forward and has become a morning star. She is Ishtar, the warrior queen, strong in battle and full of courage.
Mercury, planet of the mind and communication, is currently still down in the Underworld. But, as he returns from there, how many secrets will he divulge? As our information potentials are increasingly censored and manipulated, what shocking news might he have dredged up that lies hidden and buried? Sometimes we have to be shocked in order to change our direction in life. That may be even more necessary in our current time because we are faced with so much confusion, so much bending of truth, so much conscious ‘nudging’ of our behaviour, particularly by governments who have seized the opportunity of behavioural science to control and ‘direct’ our behaviour.
We are constantly told something different from one week to the next. X is good for us one week, only to be quickly replaced by Y, and then Y will be replaced with Z two weeks later. This brings a state of confusion which, particularly in times that are strongly fear-based, brings paralysis of action and apathy. We just don’t know what or who is right, so it becomes easier to just do nothing and go along with the narrative for an easy life. Much of this confusion has resulted in a great division within society, and division is a much-loved war tactic. Divide and then conquer!
But the energy is shifting. The nodal axis (karmic destiny) has changed signs. We have moved from the axis of the mind (Gemini/Sagittarius) to the axis of Taurus/Scorpio, an energy requiring more realism and tangibility. The North Node is in Taurus, a sign associated heavily with nature, safety, monetary systems, what can be seen and touched and a desire for evidence. The point of the North Node, where our destiny and fulfilment of our potential can be found, is accompanied by Ceres, Goddess of the Harvest. I think this is a reminder to understand more about natural cures, natural relief for our stresses and to treasure the planet that sustains us.
Uranus also is in Taurus, and he perhaps will awaken us to these very issues - our Earth, what is really going on with climate change and our ability to heal naturally. Whilst there is much focus from those who truly want to look after and save our planet and have our health uppermost, we must at the same time be aware that there are those who view everything as a financial opportunity and who will direct action via its monetisation.
Our ability to expand our minds and take on new knowledge, to want to achieve justice and fairness is represented by Jupiter. Jupiter is in the sign he co-rules with Neptune – Pisces – and we are working up to a meeting of these two guys in their own sign. At this point huge scandals may be revealed, together with huge lies. This could be the point where the world realises how much financial trouble it is really in, how much is based on credit and how much of our money has just ‘disappeared’. This may signal the exposure of our inflationary times and what measures governments might take. This may be when the bubble bursts.
At the other end of the scale though Jupiter can go to the boundless depth of the waters, and we could have a huge shift in belief systems, in the desire to have something that brings meaning to life – in essence an increase in spiritual resonance.
An example of what can be done with courage by the ordinary man is highlighted by the extraordinary achievements of the Canadian truckers whose lives and livelihoods have been driven to the brink by extreme mandates. They united their efforts creating – not that you would know this from mainstream media – a 100km plus long convoy of 50,000 truckers, with a very healthy GoFundMe account, heading for Ottawa as I write this blog. Described by Trudeau as ‘an unacceptable small fringe minority’, their aim is to register their protest against the crippling mandates and to fight for freedom of choice. They plan to surround Ottawa, ultimately preventing supplies getting in and out, until mandates are removed and Trudeau resigns. Suddenly we hear Trudeau might have been in contact with the nasty virus and has run for cover. Well, well! Whether you agree with the actions of the truckers or not, these truckers are ‘tigers’.
The tiger is essentially brave and strong – he lives by the instincts that the animal family have never lost. As we approach the point where Jupiter and Neptune meet, we have an opportunity to re-take control of our instincts and live more in harmony with the resonance of our universe. The tiger just ‘knows’. We all have that sense of ‘knowing’ and ‘being’ within us. We have just forgotten how to connect with our gut and our heart senses as our lives became more comfortable and we became more complacent about survival. Governments have been captured by the money of the corporates and it is those corporates and technocrats who have been directing the actions of our leaders in a game of very dirty politics. The truth is hard to find, so it is even more crucial at this point in time to ‘feel’ and to ‘know’. And it is up to us to put the hard work (Saturn) in, because we are just not going to find out the easy way. And maybe we aren’t meant to. Maybe we are meant to go into a time where we have to draw on our own instincts and join in with the spiritual revolution.
So, take a leaf out of the tiger’s book and learn to go with the flow of life. The tiger doesn’t waste his time worrying. He takes each day as it comes and as another new day to be lived. He tries to stay safe, but ultimately he understands that every day comes with risks. If he is oppressed he fights; when he finds food he eats; when he sees flowing water he drinks, swims and plays. It’s as simple as that.
The astrology of the planetary cycles shows us that this is a pivotal point in the evolution of humanity and civilisation. Whilst the conditioning of the last two years might have attempted to control us to stay safe, to follow the narrative and, therefore, to comply, this is just not the time for apathy, for doing nothing, for being unaware. The action and courage of the truckers in Canada against fascism is contagious as it appears now to be spreading to other countries, including America. Happening as the USA undergoes its Pluto return, this is not to be underestimated. So, alongside the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction this could become a massive groundswell. It just takes one to stand up – just like the innocent child who dared to say that the emperor was naked whilst all the rest of the lemmings praised his new outfit. A tiger who just stayed safe would eventually starve to death, which would mean that his family would also likely starve, bringing about the extinction of his type and the taking over of his territory. If we are searching for freedom of anything then it has to be freedom of the mind. We have to be free to think and to reason for ourselves and to speak our truth without censorship. We must cut the chains anchoring our minds to those who have a desire to control us because they regard us as the ‘useless eaters’ to be enslaved for their desires.
The tiger is always a tiger. If he is oppressed he just fights back harder. So live like a tiger and not like its prey.