Tiger and Dragon Ying Yang

From LoveToKnow Feng-Shui

A tiger and dragon ying yang beautifully symbolizes the duality of the universe, but it isn't simply a work of art.

The Tiger and Dragon: Celestial Companions

Infusing these celestial creatures into the traditional ying yang serves to articulate some of the basic meanings expressed in the T'ai Chi. The tiger and dragon are extraordinarily complimentary companions according to Chinese astrology. These celestial creatures are fairly opposite in character with the dragon boldly leading the offensive charge and the tiger expressing a more defensive nature. However, they make a well-rounded whole when they come together. To better understand this concept, it's important to consider their characteristics separately before bringing them together.

The White Tiger

According to Chinese astrology, the white tiger carries yin energy. This animal has always represented the admirable qualities of courage and patience. After all, the tiger must stalk its prey secretly and steadily in order to avoid scaring away its dinner. Tigers know when to lay low, but they can also spring into action when it's beneficial to reveal themselves.

Along with being a yin creature, the white tiger also represents the cardinal direction of west in feng shui and its element is metal.

The Green Dragon

The green dragon is a noble creature of good fortune according to Chinese astrology. That's quite a different viewpoint from the one held in western culture. The Chinese dragon is strong, adventurous and very outgoing. Its energy is typically yang unless you happen to be dealing with a white yin dragon.

The dragon's cardinal direction is east, directly opposite to the tiger and its element is wood.

The Tiger and Dragon Ying Yang

Pulling the energies of the tiger and the dragon into the ying yang symbol helps visualize some of the finer points of the ancient T'ai Chi. The basic symbol portrays the dark energy of yin on the left half and the bright energy of yang on the right half. Typically, each side contains a drop of the other. In a tiger and dragon ying yang, these drops are either replaced or further enhanced by the celestial creatures. The yang dragon is set against the yin and the yin tiger is set against the yang half of the symbol.

As mentioned previously, these animals represent two major orientations in the ying yang's design. The symbol serves as a compass, although its cardinal directions are actually the reverse of the western compass. The tiger's westward direction is represented by its position on the right. The dragon's eastward direction is represented by its position to the left of the tiger.

Imroving Your Personal Chi

It's possible to improve your personal chi by studying the orientation of the tiger and dragon and applying it to your furniture placements.

First, it's always better to position yourself in any room with the wall at your back and opposite, but not directly across from, a door. This allows you to receive the energy flowing into the room without receiving it forcefully enough to interfere with your concentration, so it's a good place for a chair, couch or even a desk. Remembering the ying yang compass orientation, you would ideally like to have some type of enclosure on your right or west. This might be an end table, a small dresser or cabinet. This offers the tiger a sense of security. Having a plant or some other greenery to you left provides encouragement for the dragon. Sitting in this power position filled with security and encouragement will have a beneficial effect on your chi.

Find this Design

It can be a little difficult to find a properly oriented tiger and dragon ying yang. Clicking on the images in this article will take you to where you can purchase them on Amazon.com.

You can find other attractive, although less accurate, representations at the following web retailers.