posted February 14, 2010 01:34 AM         

Year of the Tiger may fall on Valentine's Day, but don't expect a lovefest.

In the U.S., an alignment of Eastern and Western calendars has made for a packed three-day weekend. Both Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day may call for a dual celebration in shades of red and pink, but searchers on the prowl for "chinese new year predictions" on Yahoo! have been finding that the coming year may not provide the best mood for hookups—at least, depending on which prognosticator you listen to.

It's not all bad: Under a tiger reign, a reversal of financial fortunes could come to a lot of businesses that have taken a pounding during the recession. Take a spin on the wheel and see what may be in store...

Animal Instincts
Similar in concept to the Western zodiac's 12 signs, 12 animals define the Chinese astrology chart. Not all the critters get along (no surprise), and some will undergo setbacks under a tiger reign—even those born under the tiger sign themselves. Monkeys and tigers (who are opposite on the astrology chart) are both advised against attending funerals and weddings.

Who'll get a pass from the feline? People born in the year of the pig, snake, rooster and goat.
Check out the other animals in the Chinese zodiac.

Love Disconnections
Nuptials aren't a good idea in the upcoming days, at least not in Beijing. Thanks to a disconnect between solar and lunar calendars, the Year of the Tiger apparently doesn't have a spring: No spring makes this a "widow year," which portends infertility—and explains the last-minute rush of newlyweds in China before the New Year kicked in.

Not all forecasters are in agreement: A Brunei article claims the marital waters are fine, and babes born this year will be luckier than the rest of the pack. Another master is calling this an "awakening year" and a good time to start new ventures, from weddings to renovations. The takeaway? All we can say is, if you're going to commit, you better feel pretty darn sure about it.
What is a lunar calendar?

Accident Prone
Complicated Chinese astrology isn't just about animals—there are also natural elements that come more into play. This time, the key elements are metal, wood, thunder, and fire, which can portend international conflicts. Time to check your automobile and home-insurance plans: When the tiger prowls, traffic accidents go up. One Canadian soothsayer predicts natural disasters in the South Pacific and California, the latter in mid-2010.

On the upside, cooperation will emerge, and people will try to take on bullies and help each other out. If you have a tiger at your tail, it's time to team up.
Explore the five elements in Chinese astrology.

Money boost
Ben Bernanke and other financial prognosticators already said last year that the recession is over. Adding to those voices are fortunetellers who say "optimism and a speculative mentality" will boost the stock market a bit. Looking to invest? In reading the delicate and ever-shifting balance among the five elements that comprise the universe, a Metal Tiger Year should result in a pickup in businesses involved in energy, construction, steel, banking, machinery, high tech, and cars.

Under Tiger Attack?
Strained times are ahead for the U.S. president: Barack Obama is an ox man, and the Year of the Ox coincided with his freshman year. One prediction calls for him to "shine with flying colors," while another sees "a bloody hard time"—but if he survives a trial by tiger, his remaining term will be a breeze.

His days, though, won't be as bad as those for monkey men like U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Toyota president Akio Toyoda... and as recent recalls show, Toyoda's bad luck has already started.

Given his recent travails, the question is inevitable: What does the Year of the Tiger have in store for Tiger Woods? Things are looking a bit grim for Woods (born in the Year of the Rabbit, by the way). One soothsayer declares his "long-term fortune is on the decline." Maybe now's a good time for a Tiger to lie low.
Where's that Tiger?

posted February 14, 2010 06:54 AM         

This WILL be a good year.. or I'll make it...

OR ELSE!

lol

I'm a fire tiger. I've been anxiously awaiting 2010.. This always coincides with my Jupiter Return. In '98 I traveled half way across the world. It was all very exciting and I'm hoping for an even better year
I have a very good feeling about this year..

posted February 14, 2010 11:08 AM         

You shoulda seen the look on her face when i told her i was an ox and it was an ox year, she gave me this look like, "oooh you poor thing"

This isn't proper info, just verbal anecdotes i thought would be worth mentioning. And on a positive note, dont despair...after a c*nt of a year last year, 2010 so far has been nothing short of amazing despite things still being difficult, i can finally see and feel the silver lining

posted February 14, 2010 12:04 PM         

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Yes apparantly it's not a good one for Wood Tigers which is what i am. As it's a metal tiger year and metal cuts wood or something. Or you could looka t it that metal shapes wood into a beautiful carving or statue? But that's just me trying to get a good year out of it.

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posted February 14, 2010 03:14 PM         

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I'm an Ox and it was my year last year..A Chinese girl(from China too) i worked with said that if its the year of your Chinese Horoscope then its going to be a pretty difficult year in terms of challenges and the case of "3 steps forward, 2 steps back, another 4 steps forward" and it'll probably feel like a really crappy year where you ask yourself most days, "um, seriously, my purpose on earth is to cop it left, right and centre" but its all necessary for personal growth and moving on and forward and basically setting yourself up for awesomeness by getting rid of things that are in the way of progress and making room for the fantastic things that are coming.

You shoulda seen the look on her face when i told her i was an ox and it was an ox year, she gave me this look like, "oooh you poor thing"

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I completely agree. I'm a rooster and 2005 (rooster year) was the most horrible year ever. Got divorced, my gradma died, in the same month (mind you, I had a Jupiter transit in the 1st house, so I coped okay, given the circumstances). I thanked God when it was over.

Looking back, yes, it did lead to personal growth, but it was just awful and painful.

posted February 14, 2010 05:40 PM         

i agree that if obama gets through this tiger year the rest of his term should seem like a cakewalk...

when the year begins AFTER the 7th feb and ends BEFORE the next 7th feb, it is what they call a "blind" year...which is considered to portend difficult times. not for the tiger any more than the rest of us!!

when the year begins BEFORE 7th feb and ends AFTER the next 7th feb, it is considered a very auspicious year with all the GOOD stuff that animal can bring. personally i think an ox president was a very good thing for us to get at this time, since he is hard to rattle and moves slow but carefully. he has yet to show his true colours but the "blind" tiger may flush out the worst in him...

posted February 15, 2010 07:46 AM         

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Glad you cleared that up, Predom, here I was picturing you speaking and keeping company with actual horses.
Horse compliments my sun sign well. I think the horse equates to Sagittarius. You can sort of imagine each one as a sign in our astrology. For instance, the rabbit seems like Pisces. The rooster seems like Scorpio, or maybe I say that because I know a scorpio rooster. I'm babbling. hungover.

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