On January the 31st we leave the Year of the Snake behind and enter the Year of the Horse. In the five-element system, it’s a Wood year and the Horse is associated with the element Fire.
But what does all this mean? With Fire and Wood in harmony, this should be a lucky year. Wood feeds the Fire, which makes it a fast-paced and lively year with good economic news. Many people will find themselves earning more money and the economy should do well. Businesses will thrive and consumers will be more confident and spend more on luxury goods and non-essential items.
All this movement means that travel is important this year. In fact, anything to do with speed is highlighted, so look out for athletes breaking records, and new high-speed forms of transport. Communications are another area with a lot of energy so the publishing industry may get a long overdue injection of energy.
On a personal level, all this speed may even give your metabolism a boost and it’s a good year to try to lose weight or take up a new form of exercise. Some people use all this volatile energy to try high-risk sports like skydiving or mountain climbing. Many of us will grow this year – emotionally and spiritually. People will care deeply about injustice so we may see an increase in activism and humanitarian acts that should lead to permanent changes in society.
What’s the downside? Wood and Fire are a bit volatile. This may be as literal as an increase in fires (check your smoke detectors) or as symbolic as disagreements and arguments. It’s not a great year for one-on-one relationships, which may be tempestuous (friendships should thrive, however). The Fire element sometimes leads to an increase in sexual expression and this can lead to more meaningless flirtations or even an uptick in sex scandals. The speedy nature of a Wood Horse year makes it more likely that epidemic diseases will spread, especially those associated with fever. Diseases associated with inflammation or toxicity may also worsen this year.
However, all in all, Chinese astrology sees this as a good year because it’s passionate. It’ll be intense and lively and by the time the year is done we will probably all be ready for some rest, but much will have been achieved.
