Opening our hearts to the Year of the Horse
We are at the tail end of the Year of the Snake. We are at the very tip, where the tail whips around to give us a sharp surge of snake energy before we move into the Year of the Horse.
At the same time, mixed into this surge of snake, the energy of the horse is beginning to show up. The snake and horse energy is merging and blending. The snake is gifting the horse whatever it has left to give us for the journey ahead.
There is a lot of talk around the urgency to let go of things as we come to the close of this lunar year and move into the next. The Year of Snake invites us to let go, shed our figurative skin and strip the things from within and around us, which no longer serve us. The Year of Horse invites us to intentionally build. The suggestion is, if you do not shed what you need before 17 February, you will build on these things going forward.
Although this suggestion gives us a lovely point in time to work towards, to strip some things from our lives, it isn't something to hyper focus on. It is not snake verses horse, and the invitation is to take a non-dualist perspective. The practice of letting go won't suddenly halt as we say goodbye to one lunar year and welcome in the next. Energy is circular, not linear.
The energy of the Year of the Horse will cup around the energy of the Year of the Snake. We will not stop the practice of letting go. Our ability to reflect on what we intentionally want to gently place on the ground and walk away from, with gratitude, will continue in the Year of the Horse.
With the shifting of lunar years there is an abundance of energy, which may buoy your motivation or action to clear the garden, clean out your sock and underwear draw, to reflect on inner and outer changes, or bring awareness and clarity to your habits. Taking the time over the next three weeks to meditate and then journal about these things may be a helpful reflective practice. It will also give you a space to hold your insights, for you to read and continue to reflect on throughout the year.
Horses are beautifully adaptable animals. They have always represented for me a wonderful wildness and sense of freedom. Horses are gentle and strong. Graceful. Wise. There is something magical and mystical about them. Their presence and connection to the energy of the earth can be incredibly healing. They have also shown me how the individual exists within the collective. Wild horses live in community, where collective intuition is coupled with mutual protection for their survival.
As we move from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse we will not stop and start our individual practices, we will gather and layer them, creating collective practices. As we individually continue expanding on the art of letting go, we will build on the art of community action. We will support each other to unbridle ourselves and return to the wilderness. Opening our hearts to adventure and the beauty of our untamed spirit.
