2026 & The Fire Horse

Protecting the Sacred, Reclaiming One’s Power

I recently began (mid 2025) volunteering at an Equine Therapy Horse Farm—and I love it. And the People. I simply can’t say enough about the intelligent, wise, kind, strong, unique people that I’ve met there.

It’s fun, mystically healing, and physically demanding. I find deep satisfaction in all of those things, and it feels especially meaningful to step into this work during the Year of the Fire Horse.

Whenever I mention spending time with horses, the most common response I hear is, “Oh, I love horses. I want to take care of the horses.” There’s a tender excitement in that reaction, an almost childlike reverence that surfaces instantly. It makes me wonder where that feeling comes from because I find that in myself as well. Perhaps it rises from a distant place deep within us. Perhaps it’s a homecoming—to a sacred knowing, a truth held quietly in the heart, or even a fleeting glimpse of the soul itself.

For me, it feels like a mystically reawakened longing to reclaim a lost innocence. One I thought gone forever, lost in the challenges of life. Not everyone responds this way, of course, but I’ve witnessed it often enough to know how real—and how beautiful—it is.

Love. The higher self. Nature. Connection. Freedom. Autonomy.

These are sacred inner spaces for me, and I’m keenly aware of them all when I’m around horses. These spaces deserve to be cherished and protected as do all precious things in this world.

What do you feel when you look into the eyes of a horse? For me, the experience is sometimes indescribable. “Precious” and “sacred” come close, but even those words feel insufficient.

At the farm, there’s a rhythm to the work, almost a mantra:

Take care of the horse first… then bathe, eat, sleep. Consider the perspective of the horse.

Repeat.

In metaphysical symbolism, the Horse represents the power of one’s spirit—the prima materia, the primal life force. It’s free-spirited and instinctual. To have one’s spirit broken is to lose power, or to lose sight of what is right and true within our nature—our own Tau. Horsepower, in this sense, is determination fueled by inspiration and innovation.

Interestingly, I’ve read that the horse’s goal is not to expend energy recklessly, but to conserve it with awareness and a ‘wide view’ which is similar to our peripheral view; blended with consciousness.

Another good guideline for the year of the Fire Horse.

In the Tarot, the Horse appears most powerfully through the Chariot and the Tower.

This pairing is fascinating: Cancerian’s watery flowing energy blended with the power of Mars, it’s intensity and fast action leading to awakenings and activations of the inspired spirit.

Opposing forces that nonetheless must work together. Much like our light and shadow selves, they appear contradictory, yet they're meant to coexist. When synthesized and integrated, they elevate us. This alchemical process finds its resolution in the Temperance card, a blend of water and fire—the path of healing, refinement, and balance, often achieved through the crucible ‘trial by fire’.

Each of us must walk our own path. True individuation, a definition of the Chariot card, allows us to remain authentic while connecting deeply with others. We don’t lose ourselves to our children, our partners, or the collective. We stay rooted in who we are and share from heart.

Of course, this is easier said than done—especially for those of us who have experienced trauma.

If you’ve lived through significant trauma and find yourself wondering what the deeper lesson might be, you may want to explore the process of individuation through meditation with the Chariot and the Emperor, were power is reclaimed, in the Tarot.

With discipline, strength, love, and patience, we learn to follow the gut rather than the nose—to trust inner authority over external pressure. To allow ourselves to be guided; not coerced, forced or pushed.

Horses themselves offer a powerful lesson here. Teamwork often suits them better than domination. They are capable of choice, discernment, and cooperation. The goal isn’t conquest—it’s arriving at the destination together, intact.

The Horse also appears in the Tarot as the four Knights: Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles. When working with these archetypes, it can be helpful to ask yourself whether you’re moving with your power or working against it. Alignment brings grace; resistance brings friction.

The deeper invitation of the Year of the Horse is simple, yet profound: reclaim your power—and thrive.

Intuitive, sure-footed, and enduring, the horse is a being that’s been shaped by millions of years of evolution. Its journey has been continental, multifaceted, and—in my experience—multidimensional. The horse always seems to become exactly what it is meant to be. That makes it a remarkable guide: a creature determined and inspired to become more of what it already is. It has and continues to evolve.

We, too, walk our paths according to our innate knowing—our wisdom, our soul, our Tau. Each of us carries meaning and purpose. Some of us lead. Some nurture. Some teach, serve, connect, organize, design, or build.

Others disrupt.Some bring chaos.Some break down systems, combat injustice, or destroy what no longer serves.

Just like a herd of horses.

In the context of today’s world, all of these roles have value. Their appropriateness can only be discerned in the moment. For everything, there is a season. We must move in rhythm with the season we are in. Longing for eternal spring doesn’t work—after all, without winter, there would be no spring at all… though one might reasonably ask if winter truly needs to be soo cold.

It is the extremes of life that form the crucible.

Expect the Year of the Fire Horse to deliver everything you need to break down the old fears, insecurities and self doubt so you can step into the new role(s) you’re meant to embody.

The trial by fire is what ultimately leads to the ownership of power. After all it’s the powerful push of life herself that insists that it come to the surface or dissipate altogether. Use it or lose it. Sink or swim.

Reclaiming power is not a single moment—it’s a process. Healing unfolds step by step, each layer building upon the last. We can’t skip steps, no matter how tempting it is to believe otherwise. Some phases of the work feel glorious; others feel like pure drudgery.

Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood carry water.

Yet, like the Horse we move forward staying true to ourselves, and allowing evolution to take place—trusting that every role we play is essential to the greater whole. And this is where the abundance lives. Your power returns you to your flow. As you shed the skin of limitation, you naturally feel a sense of expansion, opening your arms to receive freely. And to once again give, set free and expand. Only to open again and receive.

The Fire Horse will guide you toward swift and right action teaching you to be more of who you are; abundant, bright, big-hearted, strong, steadfast and free.

Even if it is at times, extremely cold and extremely hot.

Many Blessings,

Rebecca