Year of The Fire Horse Astrology – by Richard Giles

33

The Year for Running with Your Passion — This New Year begins another new Zodiac animal cycle, and we hand over to the galloping, exciting and adrenaline-triggering Fire Horse.

We bid a fiery welcome to the Chinese New Year for 2026, which began Tuesday, February 17th, on the Aquarian New Moon, as the second New Moon after the northern Winter Solstice is the beginning of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. Chinese tradition employs both Solar and Lunar calendars, and for the Solar calendar the year beginsbon 4th February, but the New Moon day of Tuesday, 17th February began all the major cultural Lunar New Year celebrations.

The Fire Horse year is a time of fast victories, unexpected adventure, and surprising romance. It’s a double Fire year, and in the new number Nine Chinese Cycle we began 2 years ago its triple Fire. An excellent year for travel, and the farther away and off the beaten path the better. Decisive action, not procrastinating will bring you success. But you have to act fast in a Horse year. This New Moon day on the 17th was also a Solar Eclipse and an Annular one, which means there was a ring of fire around the eclipsed Sun.

Astrology of the day shows Uranus, the rebel, is directly square the New Moon position and means we have a year of intensity where anything goes with shifts in political power structures and the intensity of enthusiasm for the new. It can bring the best new changes for good, and can bring excesses of attempts to control. All of this with the galloping Horse leading and assisting the movement for action, no matter which way it goes.

The Horse the Chinese say, is one of the greatest animals with life force.

In Chinese astrology, a Horse year is considered a fortunate year that brings luck and many good results. They consider the Horse magical with its supernatural powers. The White Celestial Cloud horse is sacred to the Chinese goddess Kwan Yin. Her white horse flies through the heavens, bringing peace and blessings.

The Horse is a hero in China because important battles were won due to the power and strength of the horse in many conflicts in Chinese history. The Horse was key to the advancement of many cultures in the history of the last 2500 years. Humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BC, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC. The cultures that used horses and stand out are the Mongolians, who conquered parts of China with the horse. Alexander the Great, who moved across Asia, conquering Middle Asia. And the Plains Indians of North America who used the horse extensively for living, hunting and travel.

Those born in the Horse year are considered intelligent and philosophical people who give out a calm and peaceful demeanour and love stability. When motivated, they will move heaven and earth to achieve what they are after. They are loyal, enthusiastic people.

Elements Of The Year: The Chinese year is always made up of two parts, the Chinese animal sign and the year element. This Year of the Horse is symbolised by two elements – Yang Fire over Yang Fire.

The 2026 Yang Fire Element represents the powerful Sun and the Sun symbolises the quality of popularity, straightforwardness, but with a quick temper and impulsiveness. Hence there will be impulsive actions without careful consideration and planning, leading to open conflicts, hostilities and quarrels in international relationships, likely bringing war and disharmony, political turbulence, even coups d’etat, anti-government activities and growing Freedom movements worldwide.

The Chinese calendar goes in 60-year cycles, which means 60 years ago, in 1966, the world experienced the same Yang Fire Horse year as 2026. Looking back in 1966, it was the peak year of entertainment and new pop culture with rock music bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Kinks and more – they conquered the whole world with their music and lifestyle.

Health Issues: In the Five Elements system, Fire is the element of the heart and blood circulation. It is also a symbol of Yang energy in our body. Yang Fire people are active, energetic, forceful and sporty. Fire also affects emotions and the brain. Yang Fire can bring emotional and warm hearts as well as a tendency toward impatience and impulsivity. An imbalance of Fire can cause heart and blood circulation problems, and health problems related to inflammation.The Economy: With a double Fire year, confidence will be the driving force behind the stock market and the economy. Hence, the strong Yang fire of 2026 will bring a strong economic recovery and optimism in investment and the markets. The economic atmosphere and consumer consumption will enjoy a boom, especially during the Wood and Fire months of Spring and Summer. The absence of Fire in the year elements between 2018 and 2024 resulted in a big setback in stock markets and in the world economy. Now in 2026, the Fire element has fully returned with the Horse year and will bring a strong drive in confidence and economic activities, bringing up markets, global growth and investment.Home and Business: Feng Shui energies change from year to year, this is called the Flying Star. It’s important to watch out for the reallocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year so that we can take necessary precautions if a poor energy happens to arrive at important locations in the residence or office. This year, the difficult energy called the “Yellow Five”, symbolising obstacles and misfortune, arrives in the South sector. It’s recommended that you hang a six piece Metal windchime in the South of the house, to dissolve it. In each year, the best and most auspicious Star will move to a new location. Number 8, the most auspicious, moves to the East sector and enhances whatever room or entrance you have there – make it brightly coloured, clean it thoroughly early and enhance with coloured streamers and light.The Yearly Zodiac: There are Chinese signs that blend with the Horse and those that don’t – most unfavourable this year is the Rat person, as it’s directly clashing with the Horse because of its opposition in the Zodiac circle. These clashes often bring about turbulence, unexpected movements, accidents or changes. People born in the year of the Rat can anticipate more travelling, or more movement, such as changing jobs or moving home. Those Chinese years that combine well with the Horse are the Goat/Sheep, the Tiger and the Dog. People born under these animal signs will find it a more harmonious year for themselves.

The 2026 year marks a strong Turning Point for progress on our planet towards a genuine force for changing the way the human race treats the Earth itself and its natural companions: animals, birds, insects, trees, plants, herbs, flowers, rocks, water and landscapes – indeed all life here, including humans. The combination of double Fire with the present Nine Fire Cycle we are now in means the enthusiasm to change is here reinforced by the commitment of Fire energy, which has the essence of the heart of us all and the blood in our veins to do it. Expect this year to see changes of leadership begin on a world scale (some will come as a shock) as those who cannot see past the dollar count, or landscapes as money, start to fall away and a new, genuine and committed Earth leadership begins to grow. Encourage it now.

By Richard Giles