The Year of the Horse – Freedom, Passion and the Fire of Ideas!
January 30th (although some calendars mark it as the 31st) marks the start of the Chinese New Year of the Horse. This is a Green or Wood horse with strong links to the earth, trees and green places. In Chinese astrology the Horse symbolises nobility, speed and travel. Many of the characteristics we associate with the sign of Sagittarius (half man, half horse) are embodied in the people born in the Year of the Horse. They tend to be out-going and often have a real gift for conveying their ideas as well as a desire for freedom – all Sagittarian traits.
People born in the Year of the Horse and the themes we encounter during the year will share not only characteristics with Sagittarius but also with the other fire signs. Horses symbolise nobility, leadership and usually seek the limelight in some way (Leo). However, they can be impulsive and when angered lash out (Aries). Those of you who ride or understand horses will therefore resonate strongly with these themes. Many people who haven’t had much exposure to horses think that because the horse is a domestic animal it behaves like a dog or cat or even a bovine creature such as a cow – but the truth is horses react very much in the same way as humans do and this is one of the reasons why the horse has played such a pivotal role not only in our evolution but in our mythology as well.
For all of us the Year of the Horse can see us afire with ideas we want to take out to the world. Whether we do or not of course is another matter entirely! We may also seek to expand our horizons in some way and to shake off any restrictions – this is due to the Horse’s desire for freedom. You can also expect to see Horse-dominated themes emerge such as travel, higher education and freedom on a personal and societal level.
The Year of the Horse asks us all to connect with our desire for freedom, beauty and fired with our ideas ride out fearlessly into the world with them. As any of the great ‘horse whisperers’ will tell you, interacting with, let alone riding horses has nothing to do with ‘dominating’ or ‘breaking’ a horse. It is all about self-mastery and self-control. When you can manage your emotions you can connect with the horse on a profound level and have a true partnership where you can ride in freedom together. Anger and fear – two of the emotions which are most responsible for sabotaging us and holding us back, have no place in horsemanship – or in our lives. Even if we have no desire to ride or no opportunity to connect with horses, we can choose to connect with and ‘ride’ our emotions and in doing this, we can access all of the freedom, passion and adventure the Year of the Horse promises us.
What the Year of the Horse means for you personally will depend on what year of the Chinese zodiac you were born in. As with Western astrology, while we can say the energy of the Year of the Horse is overall beneficial, some people will be more attuned to it than others.
So get ready to saddle up – and ride off into adventure and freedom in the coming Year of the Horse.
