17 February 2026: Chinese New Year

17 February 2026 marks the start of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Fire Horse. Recently I have been seeing messages with predictions about this fiery year. I am also regularly asked about the influence of the Great Movement Water in this Bing year. Why is this year not called a Water year?

Years are named after their Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch, hence the designation Fire Horse. And yet Qi Bo, in the Huang Di Nei Jing, very explicitly describes the characteristics of Water in a Bing-Wu year.

I could write a long article about this, but I will keep it to the following. In this year, the Fire-Water axis, our inner orientation in life, is particularly important. This orientation refers to how we direct our attention, energy, and choices: whether we are driven outward by ambition, urgency, and desire (fire), or guided inward by reflection, patience, and clarity (water). In everyday life this becomes visible in how we speak, make decisions, deal with conflict, and care for ourselves and others.

If the focus lies mainly on the fulfilment of desires, all that fire will lead to struggles around power. If the focus lies on the gentle, patient, and clear strength of water, there is hope.

Wishing you a year of serene flow, warmth, and joyful clarity.

Joan