From Shedding the Snake to the Fire Horse
The Fire Horse -
Why so many of us feel tired or frazzled right now, and how to prepare for what is building
If you have been feeling more tired than usual, or noticing a strange combination of fatigue and inner agitation, you are not alone. In sessions, I am hearing a familiar theme: people feel stretched, slightly wired, more emotionally porous, and more easily tipped into overwhelm. I have been noticing this in myself too.
There are always practical reasons this can happen in late winter: less daylight, long work days, disrupted sleep, and the cumulative load of responsibilities. And there is also an energetic lens that many people find helpful: we are approaching a transition in the Chinese year cycle.
Where we are in the Chinese year cycle
We are currently in the Year of the Wood Snake, which runs until 16 February 2026. The Year of the Fire Horse begins on 17 February 2026 (Lunar New Year) and continues into early February 2027.
In this final stretch of the Snake year, it is common to experience a kind of shedding. The Snake is often associated with wisdom, strategy, intuition, and transformation, and many people experience this as a clearing phase: simplifying, releasing old patterns, and noticing what no longer fits.
At the same time, the Fire Horse current can feel like it is already gathering. The Horse is movement, momentum, outward drive. Paired with Fire, it can bring brightness, urgency, and a desire to act. It can also amplify heat: in the body, in emotions, and in the pace of life.
So the lived experience can be paradoxical:
A Snake-like shedding of what is complete
A Horse-like push to move forward
Fire that can inspire, but also scorch if we are already depleted
What that can mean in everyday life
When people say “I feel frazzled,” what they often mean is:
Their nervous system is running too close to the edge
Small stressors feel disproportionately big
Sleep is lighter or more interrupted
They are productive, yet less resourced
There is less patience, less spaciousness, less emotional margin
The invitation here is not to do more self-care tasks. It is to create steadiness. A simple rhythm your system can trust, so the Fire Horse energy becomes clean fuel rather than pressure.
Preparing for the Fire Horse year through 4 lenses
Integral theory gives us a grounded way to prepare across the whole of life: inner experience, relationships, behaviours, and systems.
Inner experience
What may be showing up
Restlessness, impatience, self-criticism, or a sense of inner urgency
A quieter grief or fatigue underneath the “keep going” voice
What this transition offers
Clearer intuition about what matters
More confidence to choose your next chapter deliberately
Practical ways to prepare
Ask: What is my inner ask right now
Name the feeling beneath the feeling (tired is often protecting something more tender)
Use a simple breath pattern that downshifts the system: inhale for 4, exhale for 6 to 8, for 2 minutes
Relationships and belonging
What may be showing up
Over-responsibility, people-pleasing, or carrying other people’s moods
Less tolerance for draining conversations
What this transition offers
Cleaner boundaries and clearer asks
More honest connections, fewer obligational dynamics
Practical ways to prepare
Choose one relationship where you will be more direct and kind
Practise a simple boundary phrase: “I can do X, and I cannot do Y.”
Reconnect with the people who leave you feeling clearer, not smaller
Body and behaviour
What may be showing up
Wired-tired patterns, inflammation, tension, jaw clenching
Overtraining, overworking, or rushing between tasks
What this transition offers
Stronger embodiment and more reliable energy when actions are consistent
Movement that supports vitality rather than depleting it
Practical ways to prepare
Prioritise steady, moderate movement over intensity
Create a daily anchor: 10 minutes that happens even on busy days
Support sleep as a foundation, not an afterthought
Environment and systems
What may be showing up
A calendar that looks fine on paper but feels heavy in the body
Too many open loops: admin, decisions, unfinished tasks
What this transition offers
Simpler systems that free up attention and reduce friction
A clearer relationship with time, energy, and priorities
Practical ways to prepare
Do a “heat audit” of your week: what raises pressure unnecessarily
Choose one system to simplify (even one small change counts)
Create a transition ritual between work and rest, so your day has edges
A simple way to begin today
f you do nothing else, start here:
2 minutes longer-exhale breathing
1 small boundary that protects your energy
1 daily anchor practice you can repeat for seven days
That is how steadiness is built: not through big reinventions, but through reliable, respectful choices.
Free download: Fire Horse Preparation Practice Worksheet
I have created a free, printable worksheet to support you through this transition. It includes:
A short reset practice
A four-quadrant readiness map
A steady rhythm plan for the week ahead
Download it here: Fire Horse Preparation Worksheet
Invitation: Oracle Card and Journalling Session – Thursday 19 February
As we step into the new lunar year, join me for a spacious Oracle Card and Journalling session designed to help you meet the Fire Horse energy with clarity and grounded intention.
What you will leave with
A theme for your next season
One practical weekly focus you can live, not just write about
A calmer, clearer relationship with your energy and time
Date: Thursday 19 February 2026
Bring: a journal, something warm to drink, and an open mind
Join me on Thursday 19 February for an Oracle Card and Journalling session to mark the shift into the Fire Horse year. This is a grounded, embodied space to listen inward, clarify your priorities, and choose one steady focus that supports your energy and wellbeing. Expect reflection, insight, and a simple plan you can carry into the week ahead. Spaces are limited.
Love Sue xx
