New moon, new beginnings.
And what a beginning ! With today’s new moon starts the year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese astrological calendar. After a year of shedding old layers, and leaving behind what is no longer needed (thank you, Wood Snake), it’s as if the universe now asks:
– if you drop all your doubts in this very second, where will you head to, in full canter?
– what do you need to break free from, in order to gain momentum?
– what are lingering thoughts that need to be asserted and acted upon?
Chinese zodiac identifies 12 animal signs (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig). It is said their order stems from a mythical race that was held by a great emperor to create a calendar system. Each animal sign is coupled with one of 5 elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth). The same combination therefore only returns every 60 years.
The previous Fire Horse year was 1966. That year, birthrates dropped dramatically in Japan because of an old, sexist superstition that girls born that year would grow up to become headstrong, ill-tempered women bearing misfortune onto their poor husbands… Dear Fire Horse women out there, may you simply be yourselves !
I was born ten years later, in a small Belgian town surrounded by hills. It makes me a friendly Fire Dragon. With quite a temper too, from time to time, I admit… 🐉
Eager for more applied horse wisdom? Check out my equine assisted practice @_learning_with_horses.net or visit the Learning with Horses website (link in bio)
Images
1. Musicians on horse found in the tomb of Empress Ai, Yanshi, China, Tang dynasty (618-907), earthenware, Yanshi Museum. Photographed at the exhibition “Wu Zetian, the only female emperor of China” @keramiekmuseum_princessehof , 2025
2. Horse figurine (tomb gift), Tang Dynasty Tomb in Guanlin, Luoyang, Tang dynasty (618-907), earthenware, Luoyang museum. Photographed @keramiekmuseum_princessehof , 2025
Text sources: Metropolisjapan.com, Wikipedia
#horsewisdom #beinghorse #beinghere #firehorseyear2026 #lunarcalendar
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