Finding Peace in the Fire Horse Year 2026

The Fire Horse year is double Yang Fire. 

If that sounds intense, it's because it will be.  It's (in)famous.  

In the story of the 12 animals, the Rat is the smartest, so she's first.  The Ox carried the Rat, so he's next. 

The Rabbit is wise and lucky, so she's 3rd.  The Rabbit is like the advisor whispering into the ear of the Emperor, the Dragon, who is 4th. 

The Snake is the Shaman.  Once a kingdom is established, you need spirituality.  That's the Snake. 

Once the "kingdom" and "church" are set up, you can start to do things.  

That's the horse.  Doing things.  The Horse is busy.  They're the most "human" of the signs.  They're like "MacGyver," if you watched TV in the 90s.  They figure things out. They always have some sort of project going on. 

Making things more complicated than they need to be or worrying about finishing a project tends to make them nervous.    

The Horse is Yang Fire, but there are 5 different types of Horses: 

• Earth Horse = earth/fire (famous Earth Horses include Ron Desantis, Nelson Mandela, James Corden, and Usher) 
• Metal Horse = metal/fire (famous Metal Horses include Clint Eastwood, Sandra Day O'Connor, Neil Armstrong, Martin Scorsese, and Emma Watson)
• Water Horse = water/fire (famous Water Horses include Ulysses S. Grant, Jimmy Hendrix, Greta Thunberg, Barbara Streisand, Joe Biden, and Paul McCartney)
• Wood Horse = wood/fire (famous Wood Horses include Matt Groening, Jerry Seinfeld, Jackie Chan, Denzel Washington, Catherine O'Hara, and David Lee Roth) 

Fire Horse is fire/fire.  That's a lot of Fire!  

Famous Fire Horses include Thomas Edison, Estee Lauder, Bugsy Siegel, Josephine Baker, Robin Wright, Janet Jackson, Gordon Ramsay, Adam Sandler, Salma Hayek, Mike Tyson, J. J. Abrams, and Cindy Crawford.  

"Fire" energy is intense.  It's also 

• Fun!
• Entertaining
• Fast-paced
• People centric
• Technology
• Power
• Energy
• Stimulating
• Destructive 
• Inspiring 
• Passionate 

The last Fire Horse year was 1966:  the Vietnam War escalated; Ghandi was elected PM of India; Mao's cultural revolution started in China; and also, the first episode of Star Trek aired. 

Before that, 1906:  a major earthquake in California left 200,000 people homeless; amateur sports got an official code; Mt. Vesuvius erupted; the worst mining explosion ever happened in Europe; and the food safety act passed.

In 1846:  the Mexican-American war started; the Oregon treaty set the Canadian-US border; the Donner party! (not an actual party); the Smithsonian institute was founded; and first officially recognized game of baseball was played.

This year is the opposite of 2020. 

Of course, bad and good things happen every year. 2020, the Metal Rat year, was intense Water energy.  2026 will have echos of 2020, whatever that means...  They're opposites.  2020 had its impact on Metal - lungs and respiration, money, and how our society organizes itself.  2026 will impact Earth - the ground itself, your digestive system, and social conventions.  

The Horse is one of the 4 Cardinal signs in Chinese astrology. People born with Cardinal signs in their chart tend to be charismatic.  The others are:  Rat; Rabbit; and Rooster. 

Cardinal signs mean - something important WILL happen.  Rats and other Horses will feel the effect of this year more than others.  

The quick pace of Fire brings anxiety. 

But also - comedy, art, sportmanship, and good parties (not just the Donner kind).  

Fire in TCM means Joy.  Too much joy borders on nervousness or restlessness.  Sometimes, "inappropriate laughter."  

How can we stay grounded and thrive through 2026?

Acupuncture - ground and balance.  Breathe and connect.  Acupuncture helps you dial in to your higher self.  

Meditation - learning how and practicing how to clear your mind is of high value this year.  People say all the time, "I can't meditate!  I'm no good at it."  Me either.  That's why we practice. 

Exercise - the best way to deal with intense energy is to move through it.  You don't need a gym membership, but you do need to figure out a way to get your body going.  

Water - nature's antidote to Fire.  Go swimming.  Take a vacation to the beach.  Stay hydrated.  Go with the flow.  

Rest - life is about balance.  You can't move all the time.  That's too intense.  Especially if you tend to be more "firey" in nature.  Balance your go-go-go with time to "Yin-out." 

Fun - people will not only crave but NEED community in times like these.  Call a friend.  Make plans to hang out IRL.  Connect with your deeper purpose in life.  Where do you find real joy?  

Flexibility - be willing to let bygones be bygones.  Try not to hold grudges.  If something isn't working out the way you planned, make a new plan.  How can you make things EASIER?