Tips for Navigating the Fire Horse Year
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- 9 min read
Cameron Tukapua is a heartfelt coach and Chinese Medicine practitioner. She helps people align the head and heart to create meaningful purposeful lives, and is the author of 'Heartfelt Living - Your Ancient Wisdom Guide to Healing and Spiritual Awakening'.
On February 17, we gallop into the Fire Horse year. Firepower comes from the sun; it is hot, fast, expansive, energising, and light. In nature, it is an endlessly creative power visible in our sunrises and sunsets. In the human realm, fire corresponds with the heart and the power of love.
A horse’s power is dynamic and full of momentum. Horses are herd animals, and they are instinctually aware of others. They like to follow a confident leader and need security, safety, and structure. A horse can move from a standstill to galloping in a few seconds. Their energy is finely tuned and changes quickly.
The Fire Horse union happens once every sixty years. There are five elements and twelve signs in the Chinese Zodiac. Each year, there is a different combination of element and sign, and the last pairing of these two energies was in 1966. To explore the macro trends of this upcoming year, let us reflect on what happened in our world back then.
Looking back at the mid-1960s, we see a time of expanding consciousness. It was the dawn of the ‘Age of Aquarius’. The Aquarian drives for truth-telling, equality, freedom, support for youth, futuristic thinking, and social transformation were clearly in play. People were exploring different ways of thinking and challenging existing social structures. Global movements for equality brought sweeping changes in awareness and action. People protested on the streets, openly challenging injustices. Younger people were driving the changes, with many standing up as strong-hearted leaders.
In the mid-1960s, many people began exploring meditation and spirituality. That seed beginning is now maturing in 2026 with the rapid acceleration of the yoga, qigong, wellbeing, healing, coaching, and mindfulness movements. The inadequacies of mainstream health services are highlighting the need for self-care in healthcare, bringing the power and responsibility back to the people. Sixty years ago, there was a rise in people-led transformation. Dr. Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights Movement and demonstrated the power of love and unity as a peaceful force for change. He used plain truth-telling and a vision for a better world to galvanise human hearts.
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.” – Dr. Martin Luther King
During those years, yoga masters from India arrived in the US, sharing ancient wisdom teachings and practices to give people a direct experience of our true divine nature. The Beatles’ discovery of Maharishi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation, propelled these spiritual teachers into the spotlight.
Baba Muktananda, from the Siddha Yoga lineage, went to the US to share his message, “God dwells within you, as you, for you.” The Eastern spiritual traditions give us practices to access our inner spiritual power, in contrast to seeing God as a power outside us.
Politically and spiritually, the message encouraged owning our individual power to co-create new lives by cultivating inner and outer harmony. At this time in 2026, we can see that strategy is highly relevant.
The Fire Horse as a year of change
We can expect this year to be fiery. In many places in the world, humanity is in a state of chaos. Leaders and governing systems are falling, as what was false and artificial is being exposed. It is an unstable time, especially if we are used to feeling settled and comfortable. The energies of this year are high-powered and revolutionary. Something new is trying to be born.
Uncertainty is a breeding ground for fear, and many of us have been conditioned to think we should know what to do in all situations. In the ancient wisdom teachings, ‘life is a mystery’, and time is a great revealer. The Prigogine principle states that once an organism experiences chaos and disorder as a means of dismantling itself, it always reassembles itself into a more evolved and expanded structure.
Witnessing the collapse of the old and the birthing of the new can catalyse a heart awakening. Our hearts are attuned to unity, purpose, and meaning. In times of chaos, we are more likely to ask deeper questions. “What is important to me about this situation?” “What does this mean for me personally and for the wider collective?” “What can I control, and what is beyond my control?” “How and who can I help?” “What help do I need, and who can support me?” Reflecting on these questions activates the higher mind. Expect to receive answers, which can come at any time. Make a note of what you receive, as flashes of awareness can disappear as fast as they arrive.
At this powerful time of transition, it may be helpful to look back on the snake year we are leaving as a time for shedding old skins and letting go. By contrast, the energy of the Fire Horse is go, go, go. Reflect on what you needed to let go of. As you go forward, be bold and choose to engage this fiery energy to grow and evolve. Our growth this year will be faster than ever before.
Fire, the heart, and the spirit
Fire is one of the five elements of Chinese philosophy. In nature, it is associated with the sun and the summer season. In this hot season, the light of the sun shines brightly, and our gardens bloom into full maturity. We feel more open and expansive in the sun. Too much sun and we get burnt. Not enough, and we can feel sad. This is reflected in Seasonal Affective Disorder, a condition in which people experience lower mood or energy levels during times of reduced sunlight, particularly in the winter. Science and nature-based philosophy agree that the presence or absence of sunlight powerfully impacts our energy, emotions, and sense of well-being.
In Chinese medicine, the fire element on a human level corresponds to the heart. In our heart lives the light of pure awareness, our unique, individual expression of the divine spirit of life itself. Our heart is our personal link to the heavenly realms. In the Taoist context, ‘heaven is the overarching intelligence of life itself’.
The Chinese medical term for our individual heart spirit is the ‘Shen’. As individuals, the Shen is what makes us special and unique. As a collective, we all connect to the ‘Yuan Shen’, the original spirit, and we each carry a spark of the same heavenly light.
The original spirit is divine, blissful, and whole. It exists in the heavenly realms as our pure nature, which is programmed for harmony and balance. Raising our vibration through dance, play, fun, laughter, meditation, chanting, and prayer helps us engage our lightness of being.
When our hearts light up, we can see and understand life more clearly. This assists us in forming more loving relationships where we honour ‘the one in the many, and the many in the one’.
Fire and love, the primal energies of life
Fire, as a primal energy, assists in warming and transforming us on all levels. In Chinese medicine, we learn how the warmth of the fire in our belly provides cooking power for digestion and drives us into action. The fire energy warms the blood, assisting circulation to all tissues in the body and helping to activate the heart.
On a spiritual level, fire expresses as a warm-hearted way of being. The natural character of the heart is to be open, light, expansive, and free, like children. It is the state of ‘original innocence’, which has a blissful quality. The heart is our opening to love, which manifests in its myriad expressions.
Love is the most powerful unifying force in life. In the Upanishads, an ancient yoga text, it is said, “We are born of love, and when we die we return to love.” Between birth and death, as souls, we are here to evolve through learning and experience. For many of us, the biggest life lessons come through relationships. Heart-to-heart territory touches our depths. Here we discover the richest treasures of life. We can also find it the hardest to fathom.
The horse
Horses are herd animals that prefer socialisation to isolation. Many humans born in the horse year tend to navigate social situations with ease and grace. Horses have big heart energy, and they form powerful bonds with other animals and humans.
As grazing animals, horses like space to roam and look for greener grass. Horses need freedom to exercise their full strength and power. They like to play with speed and are naturally graceful in activity and movement.
Horses are very sensitive and have lightning-fast reflexes. They sense what is happening in their environment and are naturally attuned to other living things, including animals and humans. They will move on quickly when situations are threatening or dangerous.
The electromagnetic field of a horse’s heart is very powerful. HeartMath scientists have evidenced that horses can very easily come into ‘coherence’, a state of flow where we experience a harmonious sense of order and connectedness. Their sensitive nervous systems can quickly down-regulate. Being around a relaxed horse, walking, grooming, or simply being near them can help people come into coherence. Horses are known by many to be powerful heart healers.
Navigating the Fire Horse year
Both the Fire and Horse energies are powerful, passionate, and dynamic. We will feel this in our nervous systems, which can be easily overstimulated this year. Settling the energy is critical if we are to avoid burnout and overwhelm.
In the five-element creative cycle, fire feeds earth. Bringing the fast, dynamic, speedy energy of fire down to earth will help us avoid burnout this year. Fire is spirit and awareness, whereas earth manifests as the physical body, in the muscles and the flesh. Earth energy also powers the digestive organs and the processing of food and thought. Coming back to the felt presence of the body and steering and calming the mind is a necessity.
Finding ways to stay grounded and stabilise these fast, fiery energies is critical. Simple things like walking barefoot on the earth, eating yellow, orange, and root vegetables, lying on our bellies or on the ground or bed, and spending time in nature can help. Slow rhythmic breathing with longer exhalations than inhalations helps to calm the nervous system and reset the ‘rest and relax’ response.
Be practical. Allow plenty of time for everyday tasks and give your full attention to the rhythms of sleeping, eating, cleaning, exercise, and rest. Maintain order in your outer world. Keep your home and workspace clean and tidy to reflect your inner order and purity.
Conserve your energy. Notice where and with whom you feel in flow. Make time to connect and socialise with people who nourish you, and balance that with time for silence and stillness. Nurture your energy to match your outputs. For example, if you work hard physically or mentally, be sure to feed your body and brain regularly with quality nutrition.
Plan time for silence and solitude. If your work brings you into contact with lots of people, balance that with time for solitude. Communication uses a lot of fire energy. With too much talking, we can burn out. Fires need embers and times for slow burning to stay alight. Silence is an age-old medicine neglected in our urban world. When we are silent, we can listen to ourselves. Many of the people I see in clinical practice have overstimulated nervous systems. The epidemic of anxiety is related to overthinking. Taking time to retreat from the world and constant engagement with people and screens is medicine.
Allow time for integration. If there is a lot shifting in your world, slow down. Change takes energy. Give yourself more time and space to attend to the new. Treat yourself like a newborn baby, protect yourself, and go gently.
Golden moments
Fire is light, and it communicates through our heartfelt awareness. Paying attention to our heart and how it feels in any situation turns up that light. Noticing where we feel open, free, and expanded is a compass for navigating the shifts in direction that will arise this year.
Pause and take in the moments of beauty. Notice how you feel when you are with those you love and allow those feelings to penetrate your heart space. Breathe them fully into your being and consciously expand their presence. Practise gratitude for the blessings and mercies of each day. We help make our life good, true, and beautiful when we honour the small touches of grace.
When possible, pause to observe the sunrise or the setting sun. Be sure to have time outside every day and look up. Notice the light in the clouds and the stars in the dark evening sky. If this is not possible, light a candle at the beginning or end of the day. Remind yourself often that you are a divine, whole, heavenly being having an earthly experience.
Be open to transformation this year and expect good things to happen. The Brainz 2026 message was, “Celebrating a bold and purpose-led year ahead.” Imagine the seeds you have sown coming to full maturity, supporting your visions, hopes, and dreams to manifest in the world of form. Put your energy and passion into what you really love and take small steps towards the life you would like to live.
Create more space to run free and wild. When you are feeling restless, move your body and express that energy. Dance, run, sing for your life. Open up to spirit. Find a practice that helps you go inside for answers and trust the wildfire of your own heart.
“What you seek is seeking you.” – Rumi
Read more from Cameron Tukapua
Cameron Tukapua, Heartfelt Coach, Chinese Medicine Practitioner
Cameron Tukapua is a wellbeing coach who shares ancient wisdom teachings from Chinese Medicine, along with Qigong, Yoga, and Meditation practices. She helps people align the head and heart. Cameron has written a book called ‘Heartfelt Living,’ and her work has been featured in Thrive Global. She offers Individual coaching, online study pathways, and face-to-face wellbeing retreats.
