Let’s move on to another animal in the Chinese zodiac the Tiger. The next Tiger year will be in 2010. Some famous Tiger people are Agatha Christie, Tom Cruise, Marilyn Monroe and Princess Anne. The Tiger is considered unpredictable, colorful, rebellious, passionate and affectionate. On the negative side the Tiger can be reckless, impatient, selfish, quick tempered and obstinate. Each animal has both positive and negative characteristics.
Just like with the trigrams, each animal belongs to an element, a personality, direction, a time of year and a time of day.
But first a little review so you can tell if you are a Tiger or not. Because the Chinese year is ruled by the funicular calendar and not the calendar that we use in the west, the New Year does not start on January first. Instead it usually starts around the fourth or fifth of February, changing slightly each year. Each year is represented by one of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. They are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. So when you look at the placements in a Chinese restaurant to find out your animal sign remember when the year begins. If you were born before the fourth or fifth on February you must take the animal of the previous year. If you were born on the day of the New Year you must know the hour of your birth to determine which animal is yours. Most people don’t know this but you do now.
The Tiger is ruled by earth, and is found in the late winter portion of the year. He gets along well with the Horse and Dog. These are the people a Tiger person feels the most affinity for and they will support him well. The enemy of the Tiger is the Monkey. When these two get together there can be misunderstandings and arguments. If opposites attract then a romantic relationship between a Tiger and Monkey can be very exciting but it takes a great deal of care and understanding to maintain. The hours of the day are also divided up and assigned to the 12 animals of the zodiac. We think of the day as 24 hours but the Chinese divide it into twelve-two hour periods. Tiger rules the hours from 3 AM to 5 AM. Just as in Western astrology we consider not only our sun sign but also our rising sign. In Chinese astrology you can consider the animal of your birth hour as an influence on your character. The Tiger is at home in the Northeast.
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