[lilac]

I'm a metal Tiger myself. The Chinese considered there were five types of Nature spirits, or five types of Nature elements: earth, air, water, fire, and metal. Metal was considered the most spiritual and the least earthbound of the five. I imagine that, given how we now know that DNA has intelligence and is partly non-physical, DNA might have been considered an example of something "metallic".

According to Chinese astrology, the Tiger is the animal that's the expert at brinkmanship, at testing boundaries. From the news reports I've seen on this site in the last few days, it looks like those bluffing and "stirring" games are already on -- and the Tiger year doesn't even start till mid-February.

The twelve Chinese animals also roughly correspond in their qualities to the twelve animals of the Western zodiac. The Tiger corresponds in many ways to Aquarius -- which is one of the two signs associated most with ETs and higher densities, and also with idealism. In Chinese astrology, the Tiger is traditionally considered the most idealistic of the 12 animals, and also the most independent-minded.

Thanks for the above great info, Trainee. I'm also a metal Tiger and my zodiac sun has progressed into Aquarius. It helps to explain my fascinations... this site, StarTrek and all. Never felt much like a Tiger, really. The DNA angle is interesting... would love to hear more.