How wonderful it is when, for no other reason than glorious happenstance, diverse traditions meet to celebrate on remarkably auspicious days and double any potentially supreme good fortune. This year in our Western calendar the day of red hot passionate love hearts, St Valentine's, is the same day as Losar, the Tibetan New Year, which, according to Tibet's Eastern tradition, also marks the start of a month of miracles. Bringing the two hemispheres together we have a whole month when love is the key for making miracles happen. How cool is that? As a result, Valentine’s love vibration abounds while we also have an altruistic and friendly Aquarius New Moon (2:51 am GMT), enabling us to generate the self-existing mindfulness that fully opens the heart to the loving kindness and consideration for others and ourselves that we can all enjoy: Welcome a new moon that accents heartfelt individuality within the ‘whole’, celebrating diversity in unity.
Interestingly, two adversaries also come together with this year’s Aquarius New Moon, a lunation which always marks a Chinese New Year, yet not always a Tibetan New Year (which can move - rarely into Capricorn, but often into Pisces): Valentine’s ‘arrows of love’ point to both cultures meeting at the New Year of the romantic and passionate Metal (or Iron) Tiger. With the elemental focus now upon sharp and cutting metal, strength comes this year from being be clear and focused, resolute and utterly beautiful and unique.
Differences in interpretation (and opinion) do exist: from China the Metal Tiger is assertive, direct and forceful, with a tendency to be self-orientated and rigid. From Tibet we also have the freedom-loving, generous commander; yet there is another side to the determined Tibetan Tiger, who is symbolic of meekness, less complicated by ego desire and therefore able to more easily show compassion towards others. According to Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, “the Tiger is an expression of ‘unconditional confidence’ …not stalking for prey, but self-satisfied and modest, watchful and relaxed, mindfully aware of how to conduct affairs”.
Losar is also a time of ‘Light Blessing’. A Tibetan blessing differs from our usual understanding, in as much as it suggests purification with an intentional transformation.
Tiger is associated (in both cultures) with Aquarius, a future orientated zodiacal sign of hopes and wishes, symbolic of humanity’s desire to come together and build a brighter tomorrow. Tiger’s planet is Venus, the planet of love, who now flourishes in her exaltation, in Pisces. So the kind of love we are now talking is deeply felt, oceanic and delightful, nothing short of unconditional cosmic love.
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It’s been 60 years since China invaded Tibet, the last Metal Tiger year. This means a whole new Metal Tiger cycle is about to begin. According to Chogyam Namkhai Norbu, this is a completion of a first 'metreng' of the 'cycle of the mewa' (smen 'khor – i.e. the element and number relation). Sixty years is also mega important in Kalachakra astrology, being the above mentioned as well as a completion of five elemental cycles of Jupiter through the twelve signs of the zodiac, plus two cycles of Saturn (the planet that orders the flow of bagua): this is a cycle that demonstrates how wisdom and karma work together.
Let's hope then, at the start of this second metrung (60 years), that miracles can and do happen, that we can string the necklace of the numerically magic ‘mewa’ together in peace and harmony, so that the people of Tibet (and China, and the world over) have the Aquarian liberty to practice their non-harmful light-shining spiritual belief, free in speech and worship, and free from fear or want.
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From the western astrological point of view, the horoscope of this year’s Losar, erected for GMT, has positive and forward-thinking Sagittarius rising, with beneficent Jupiter ruling the chart. Optimistic Jupiter is in the third house of communication, in his traditional domain of enchanting Pisces, conjoined by the sympathetic, loving and harmonious Venus. This strong combination is astro-speak for potentially very helpful relations, willing to enter a dialogue that could bring about an end to matters, or at the very least, agree on the need to co-exist and co-operate and co-create (much like this surrogate tiger mum to a litter of pigs).
The life-giving Sun is also currently with visionary Neptune and healing Chiron, as well as symbol of the collective, the Moon. At best this combination suggests spiritual healing, big style, (through the cyber airwaves?). At worst it is about a harmful intention to pull the wool over the masses’ eyes. Working together (with or without miracles) we could quite feasibly make it the former.
Tiger is also an endangered species. One wonders if this is a year when more of an effort is made to protect them. With the all-consuming love shown in this year's chart, one might well hope this is the case.Many thanks to all tigers (especially the one I saw on my honeymoon, all those years ago in India's Sarsika national park) & credit to Janosh for beautiful healing mandala www.janosh-art.com
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