Twelve animals make up the Zodiac, each with their own transcendent powers and eternal flaws. We observe these twelve characters together, spanning sixty-year cycles, creating the entirety of the universe, each playing its part in the greater whole.
Over the last year, there have been countless surprises in the landscape that the Wood Snake has travelled. The Snake is not known to be the best at planning and preparing for these shifts; however, they don’t tend to get as ground down or panicked by change as some of the other zodiac animals do. Their responsiveness, while lightning fast, is measured and rooted by their insight and stillness.
The Horse is different.
We are about to go from slow, methodical shedding to a full-on gallop. This won’t be a year for reminiscence, and we all know there’s no shortage of opinions about where we’re going. Instead, this period is going to be about the journey itself – and we are in for a fast ride on a blazing, anvil-headed, rocket. It won’t always be smooth, but it will be great. So saddle up and get ready for the year of the Fire Horse!
The Journey Is Half the Fun: Riding the Fire Horse With Intention
When people describe horses, the words that come up are almost always generous and warm: Sensitive. Adventurous. Insightful. Gentle.
Horses are always moving forward — sometimes toward something, sometimes away — but always in relationship with their environment. They are intuitive, responsive creatures, used therapeutically to help humans regulate themselves, reconnect, and heal.
But say Fire Horse, and the tone changes.
Suddenly, we’re talking about chaos. Speed. Being out of control. A “rough ride”.
These concepts around the Horse are not mutually exclusive, though. This year holds both sensitivity and volatility, intuition and agitation. The defining skill of the Fire Horse year is movement, paired with clarity and intentionality.
Fire Changes the Equation
Fire adds Yang— the activating, accelerating, agitating energy that is balanced by its grounding, still counterpart, Yin. It creates movement, elevates visibility, and accelerates momentum. This will be a busy year, with a lot of good coming from it. However, it will be fast, uneven, and sometimes feel overwhelming.
The Fire Horse will cover a lot of ground, and there will be tumult, if only because of speed. The key is not to try to slow the horse by force or contraction — that won’t happen. Instead, as the landscape on this journey changes, a good place to start is to stay connected to the moment and not panic.
Three Ways to Ride the Fire Horse
1. Get comfortable on the ride….and maybe explore some new places!
Step up to the challenge. Ride with the Horse, not against it. Resistance is a losing battle—whether it shows up on your to-do list, in your relationships, in family dynamics, or in national & global events. It may get scary, and there will definitely be moments when you say you can’t keep up with this insanity.
But…
This is also a time for adventure and creativity. Seeking spaces and experiences that you may not always feel bold enough to explore. The Horse’s free spirit makes this a time of finding that yes to what we want to do, more than hesitating and overanalyzing opportunities
2. Develop touchstones
My grandfather always used to say, “Never miss an opportunity to have a party.”
Celebrations, anniversaries, rituals, seasons, moments of intentional pause —these give us awareness and orientation to place and time. Put another way: We will be at our best when we resist any temptation to bury our heads and just let this be a 365-day, out-of-control blur. The more moments we have, the more reference points we’ll have for realities that are real and true, and counter what may be the chaotic narrative of this ride. A disoriented horse spooks easily. Don’t give this one reason to spiral into its more (self)destructive tendencies. Instead, create a year to look back on that was full of connections and opportunities that you took advantage of.
3. Create the landscape together
Horses are not lone creatures. They thrive in companionship. We take this ride with and for each other. People, animals, and ecosystems are all navigating the same questions this year: What are we running toward – creating, consolidating, and empowering? What are we running from – dismantling, discarding? Each of us has a role to play to be safe hands for one another—to guide, support, and be worthy of trust. Creating environments at home, at work, and in the world that are clear and not full of surprises will help guide the Horse rather than unsettle or inhibit it.
Compatibility and challenge run throughout the zodiac, and some people will naturally be more comfortable this year than others. An adventurous Tiger may find it easier to run alongside a Horse than a slow and steady Ox will. But everyone can learn to work with guiding the energy at hand.
This is a great time to practice keeping frenetic, distracting energy in check by making plans and plotting the course rather than reacting to every small obstacle.
Keeping the Flames in check: Self-Care for the Fire Horse Year
Catchy phrases abound on how to best live during a Fire Horse year. “Speak less; practice more.” “Choose depth over speed,” and “Let others burn bright; you endure.”
Here is the takeaway: There is nothing inherently bad in a Fire Horse. The energy, the ground we’ll cover, the adventure….it’s all pretty awesome! Think youthful vigor asserting its independence. The main challenge is that for many people, this Yang energy is difficult to rein in, making it a little too easy to get swept up and lose ourselves. Cultivating stillness, taking steps to avoid emotional extremes, limiting exposure to unavoidable passions, overreach, and broadcasting out there are some ways we can reduce the risk of burnout. And yet, as the duality of the Tao teaches us, this is also a time to explore, express, and experience freedom. It’s all about balance.
Common sense says this is a good time to get enough sleep, reduce unnecessary stimulation in our lives (see: screen time, news cycle, performative morality, sugar highs, emotional extremes…), and maybe even work on that meditation practice.
This is also a good time to connect with the element that keeps Fire in check: Water. Drink water, spend time around water, and get in the water. Water is literally the energetic wellspring of our constitution and identity. Our Will (Zhi) and perseverance are associated with water, and it is an important counterbalance to the impulsive, erratic (albeit creative) nature of Fire. We are mostly made of it, and now is a good time to dial in to that.
None of us likes to be overwhelmed, scared, or out of control. This year, we’ll cultivate awareness of what can sometimes feel like too much, recognizing that it is more about our perceptions than a fixed reality. With a few strategies for staying balanced, we can traverse the landscape ahead- individually and collectively – with adventure, a couple of minor bruises, and a lot of fun.
