The Chinese New Year of the Metal Tiger will give you the courage to pursue your goals...

The Chinese Lunar New Year just happens to start on Valentine's Day in the West. The year of the Tiger will be in power from February 14, 2010, until February 2, 2011. How appropriate that the passionate Tiger year should commence on a traditional day of romance. Wedding plans, love, and romance are most definitely in the air this year, especially for signs such as the Ox, Rooster, Horse, and Goat.

This will be a year of curiosity, good for exploring and being on the hunt for new opportunities, adventures, and even a new wardrobe. Satisfy your quest for the unknown by vacationing somewhere fresh – seize the year to spend holiday time with a different group of family members, or even consider moving to new living quarters.

Walk around, see the sights, and delve into some things you've wanted to try. Climb as high as you dare - anything that gives you a great view, figuratively or literally, will be fortunate.

The Metal element will be teamed up with the earthly branch of the Tiger this year. The Tiger contains the hidden element of Wood, which puts it in conflict with the Metal element. In this way, Metal Tiger years can be notoriously tumultuous, explosive, and difficult. Tyrants, both on the home front and internationally, may dare to rear their heads.

In the last Metal Tiger year, despite signing a peace treaty with the former USSR, communist Chinese invaded Tibet, forcing the fourteenth Dalai Lama into exile. That same year, Albert Einstein warned against the hydrogen bomb that President Truman approved, and Senator Joe McCarthy began his blacklisting campaign against "communists" in the government and entertainment industries.

During certain years we are prone to follow leaders; however, in Tiger years, independence and "risk" reigns supreme and we will march to the beat of our own drummers. During the last Metal Tiger year, the "Coronation Stone" removed from Scone in Scotland by Edward I in 1296, was stolen from Westminster Abbey and smuggled back to Scotland. In that same year, Mother Teresa founded her Mission of Charity in Calcutta, India, and the first broadcast by Radio Free Europe was made.

Use the courage of the Tiger and structure of the Metal element to make your own dreams happen. Make the leap, risk (think Tiger year born Steve Irwin or Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) – go ahead – expose your vulnerable, soft underbelly and take that chance!

This will be a year when many of us will work endlessly in order to get what we want. Despite the soft economy, there are many good reasons to smile. The entertainment industry will continue to enjoy robust profits during 2010. In the last Metal Tiger year; Walt Disney's Cinderella was released, the longest-running prime-time game show, What's My Line began, Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca premiered with writers that included Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Woody Allen, and an entertainer named Bob Hope was on television for the first time.

In addition, commentator Paul Harvey began his national radio broadcast career in a Metal Tiger year and the first comic strip featuring Charles M. Schulz's Charlie Brown, "Li'l Folks," (later "Peanuts") was published in nine newspapers.

Your best advice for the year? Think first before acting and prepare to adapt to changing circumstances by observation, imitation, and trial and error. Keep a close eye on spending this year, but take a chance and think big. Surround yourself with plenty of good friends, weddings, and other advantageous events as, not surprisingly, cats never purr when alone.

The Tiger year is ready to play! I wish you happiness, love, and luck.