How to Ascend During the Transitions and Transformation of the Year of the Horse

Horse Symbolism, Flames, Unicorns, Shadows, and Ancient Wisdom

The Year of the Horse is asking us for the embodiment of what the Serpent has stripped and shed. Asking that we live from our truth, and in this, I would like to guide you through how you can ascend during this Year of the Horse.

What Does This Year of the Horse Symbolize?

For me, the Horse symbolism runs deep. I was born in the Year of the Horse. I embody so much of its nature: a longing for freedom, a resistance to being contained, and a need for open space and self-direction. Horses taught me to lead with clarity, to move forward with intention, and to honor both strength and vulnerability; to live confidently through sensitivity. The Year of the Horse is a time of expansion, embodiment, and living in alignment with your highest truth.

I spent my entire childhood walking and running with horses on Irish soil. My wisdom about this animal comes threefold: from being born into the Year of the Horse, from my personal experiences of living with horses most of my life, and from my nearly 30 years of mastering Classical and Intuitive Feng Shui and understanding each annual shift and its signs and symbolisms.

If you also carry Horse energy, this looks like resisting overly rigid systems or situations where you feel confined or controlled. We flourish when we can set our own pace, walk our own path, and run freely towards our own goals. We do not enjoy being broken or judged.

Have you worked with horses before or spent time around them? If you have, you will know they do not enjoy being contained; they love their freedom and autonomy. A horse’s very existence resists control and expects raw and vulnerable wildness.

If we look at history, the horse has carried humanity through centuries, across continents, into battle, into fields, and into myths and legends. It is a creature of power and grace, of untamed spirit and deep sensitivity. In Feng Shui and many other cultural traditions, the horse symbolizes movement, freedom, embodiment, and the journey toward our true path. As history shows us again and again, the pure, unadulterated nature of a being cannot be altered beyond recognition. The horse’s truth is its freedom and the strength to honor it.

What the Horse teaches us, beyond movement and freedom, is embodiment.

The Stallion does not live in theory or coincidence. The Horse lives in the present, intuition, instinct, and the feeling of freedom. The Horse reminds us that ascension is not an escape from the body but a deeper sacred space within it. This year, I believe we are called for truth: unfiltered, unconditioned truth. Where we are invited to stop rehearsing, pretending, or masking ourselves and rather start living it, breathing in our becoming.

The Transition and the Snake

Now, many cultures and traditions have different times and dates to celebrate the renewal of the cycle, the new year. The Gregorian New Year starts on the 1st of January, while Feng Shui relies on the solar new year, which is on the 4th of February. Most widely known in the holistic field is the lunar new year, otherwise known as the Chinese New Year, which is on the 17th of February 2026. It does not matter which you celebrate, as long as you still honor and celebrate the transition on both ends.

The transition we have been through—and depending on when you are reading this, we are still in it—is the transition from the shedding of the Serpent to the movement of the horse. In the year of the wood Snake, our ascension process was to go inwards. It was the mirror, facing the venom and, of course, releasing what we have been piling up, what caused us harm by being held onto. It was our inner clutter. The Snake was our winter solstice, constantly reflecting, constantly releasing, and going inward.

For most, this past year was heavy, at times dark, and very demanding. It stripped me of more of my ego than in years before it. It asked me to release what no longer aligned, even when it felt very uncomfortable. The Snake slithered into many areas of my life that I had no idea were so cluttered by the past or by ideals I was holding onto for too long. I truly reawakened in the year of the Snake; I was either shedding or in the soil of the earth, belly to the Mother, and reflecting. I know for many people, this year felt like a loss. It felt like an unburdening of old identities and patterns, and it was not always easy. If you resonate with that, I am here to tell you that it was worth it to make way for this new shift.

The ascension process in the year of the Fire Horse may seem like the opposite, but it is actually an embodiment of the fruit of the Snake. The horse is all about moving forward, breakthroughs, bold action, and reminding us of our inner child and creativity. The horse demands action, but it needs conscious intention to accompany it. If we have complete freedom in the year of the horse without a commitment to consciousness, it can easily slip into chaos.

The Serpent year was that clearing, so we can embody the ascension process and be clean and clear before we expand. It was so we could guide each other home and ultimately raise our collective consciousness. Now, in the transition, the early days of the horse, I invite you to honor the Snake. It is the grounding force behind your becoming and has cleared the path for the horse to run.

The Fire Element of the Horse

From the Feng Shui perspective, in 2024, we entered Period 9, a 20-year period of Fire, the feminine, and the phoenix rising. With the Year of the Horse being a Fire element year and us now being in a Fire element period, grounding and centering ourselves has never been more important.

The Fire element is not chaotic or destructive; it can be enlightening and momentous. Fire reveals truth and amplifies what already is. Fire governs the heart, passion, consciousness, and joy. This is why emotional regulation and honesty are important.

You do not need to fear the Fire, but with Fire, there needs to be a level of caution. Take care of your inner flame, don’t let Fire overrule you, don’t let it overrun your home, be in balance with the elements, and ensure that you honor all the elements. Grounding is the most important part, because when we are not grounded and in balance, the flames can spark arguments and can cause us to disconnect and move too quickly or without listening to Source.

Pegasus: The Horse Medicine

There is another layer of Horse medicine that is calling to me, and I have seen it call to others, and that is Pegasus.

Pegasus is the initiated Horse. The Horse, after it has passed through the underworld of the Snake, becomes the Stallion that earned its wings.

Where the Horse moves across the Earth, Pegasus moves between worlds. In many ancient traditions, including Celtic mythology, the Horse serves as a bridge between realms. Figures like Brigid and Niamh of the Land of Eternal Youth (The Tír na nÓg) are carried by horses because the Horse understands how to travel between portals, gateways, and the thresholds we have come to honor.

If the horse allows us freedom to run, Pegasus allows us the freedom to fly. This creature supports the quantum realm, lifting old timelines and inherited limitations. It provides prophecy, divine guidance, and clarity when you ask. For me personally, Pegasus has guided my ascension journey through embodiment. The work I do on my inner shadows, my inner landscape, that is what Pegasus activates and then brings into full alignment.

The Unicorn: Another Magical Calling

The Unicorn carries a different frequency; where Pegasus elevates consciousness, the Unicorn restores innocence, purity, and remembrance. The Unicorn is a reminder to all of humanity that magic is real.

Where is the Unicorn? Well, it is present across many traditions and mythologies: from Biblical texts to Eastern mythology. It appears as a symbol of integrity, heart-centered wisdom, and innocence. The horn, we know, represents a higher perception since it is rooted in the third eye, guided by compassion rather than power.

I believe the symbolism of the Unicorn holds unity consciousness, supporting global, deeper healing, infinite love, and remembrance. The Unicorn reminds us of who we were before the separation, before the realms were split, and we entered the 3D. Before, when the New Earth was our home, it was natural and beautiful.

If you can take one thing from the Unicorn this year, it is to invite joy, beauty, and playfulness back into your life. The Unicorn calls us to live from our highest heart, but with the joy and trust of a child who can only see the good. That leadership can be gentle, and we can live in the New Earth, in the present moment; it’s not some far-away fantasy.

The Horse’s Shadow and Truth

This year, our ascension process asks one of the most vulnerable strengths to be foregrounded: Truth. We need to remain in our truth, move around in our truth, and only act based on our truth. It is your divine genuineness and your energetic blueprint; it is how you show up in the world.

The way you express yourself is unique to your frequency, your bones, your cells, and the core of your soul. It is incomprehensibly vital that in this year, you do not dilute yourself, water your highest version down to mediocre, or edit yourself beyond your originality. If you did your inner work during the Year of the Snake, this step might come easier to you. The venom of the Snake ultimately stripped us all the way back to our truth so that in the Horse, we can step out into the world boldly and brightly with verity.

Another integration that is deeply necessary for the Horse is nervous system regulation. The horse is emotional, intuitive, and sensitive. If we cannot regulate our emotions, we will not be able to ground ourselves. Ascension is often marketed as an upward experience. This year is less upward and more in the body, more forward, and more in the present moment. This means we need to learn when to pause, to listen to our bodies, and to integrate and embody now more than ever, before the horse gets rattled or spooked.

The horse’s wildness and insane physical and mental power come with warnings that need to be respected. A horse has weapons or defenses such as biting, kicking, and bolting, and oftentimes, it reacts very quickly instead of responding consciously. Each of these is strong enough to cause harm even without meaning to. This year reminds us that unchecked and unregulated freedom without respect can become dangerous, both in relationships and in our personal lives.

Throughout history, we see horses being broken for the benefit of humans, suppressing their wild spirit. Today, I see consciousness shifting more toward honoring their nature and working with them instead of on them. We are called to do the same with our own spirit, without breaking it to fit the mold of society and without minimizing ourselves for the sake of company. This year speaks to us consciously expanding without playing small and without fear of success.

Ask yourself: Have I broken my spirit into bite-sized pieces to be more digestible for others? How am I serving my highest self by playing it small?

How can you embody Ascension in the Year of the Horse? 

This is a year where you stop shrinking or asking for permission. The Snake has shed and created space for the horse to run and expand, and you are expanding, arriving, and rising with it. If you want to embody the ascension journey in the Year of the Horse, my invitation is twofold.

In all my classes and retreats, you will hear me say that you cannot ascend if you do not root down; you cannot rise if you are not grounded. We need the balance, the yin and the yang.

We need both the heaven and the earth.

Earth

On Earth, it is all about grounding. It is all about the small things, the conscious and mindful actions we take daily. It is about drawing boundaries, checking your fences for holes, and ensuring that your mental, emotional, and physical boundaries are maintained.

In the 3D realm, that looks like space clearing your home, bringing nature into your home, and embodying a living, breathing connection with Mother Gaia. You continue in the consciousness of the Serpent by letting go and releasing what no longer serves you. You release it when you can already feel it is no longer in alignment, rather than waiting until it is too late and has redirected you.

It also looks like being mindful of your words, your bite, your actions, your kick, your bolt, and your fears running wild. This is especially where the necessary grounding comes in. This is where we regulate our nervous system, where we practice mindfulness, and where we walk with the earth, honor her, and honor our cycles.

Heaven

Expansion, Embodiment, Ascension. This could look like recommitting to the rebirth, to the Fire that will cleanse you and recharge you, but only through the greatest transformations. The Heavenly aspect of the Horse year is rooted in the Heart, in the expansion of the Higher Heart.

The rebirth of this year might feel like a sudden redirection, or stepping into your own unique energetic blueprint; in the 5D, it will all ignite a heart-led movement where we are focused on embodiment and not preparation, inner knowing and not permission. When the heart knows, it knows. When your intuition is calling you to a higher level and asking you to show up in that higher form, then you know it’s heart-centered divine guidance.

In order to tap into this heavenly frequency, you need to become still and allow your heart to become the command center of your choices while intuition leads. Give yourself space and trust your intuition before you make rash decisions. And most of all, I invite you to listen. Listen to your heart, to your calling, and do not suppress that call once you hear it, no matter how uncomfortable it can be.

The Call

If you are reading this before the shift into the Year of the Horse, I invite you to specifically look at your shedding patterns and what is still calling to be released. If you have held onto something, someone, an ideal, a dream, a relationship, memories caught in the objects of your home, or perhaps even daily habits for too long, this is the time to release it. Rushing now does not make the horse arrive sooner. 

This is the quiet time, the time when you do not set New Year’s resolutions just yet. You look forward to the horse without pressure or anxiety; you sit in the stillness and acknowledge the medicine of the Snake. This pause, the tail end of the Snake, is specifically in preparation for the movement and the Fire.

If you are reading this after the shift into the Year of the Horse, I urge you to invite consciousness and mindfulness into every aspect of your day. Find the time to ground; find where your fences are drawn and where your boundaries lie. Do not, I repeat, do not let your horses run wild and free without intention and intuition. 

Listen to your body, listen to Source, and listen to your galactic guides and your ancestors of heaven and earth. This year is energetically charged, and its key power is to remain anchored in the truth of who you are, but more importantly, who you are becoming.

This year marks a shift from inner work into lived expression. From shedding to embodiment. The Horse, Pegasus, and the Unicorn invite you to take what you have learned and transmute it into movement and action. Continue to ground and honor both the heavenly and the earthly forms of ascension. May you experience the most blessed and abundant 2026, Beloveds, with a deeper embodiment of who you are becoming!

TAKE ACTION: Step into embodiment, movement, and heart-led truth in the Year of the Horse. If you feel called to ground what you’ve shed and live your ascension through the body, intuition, and aligned action, explore Amanda Sophia’s teachings, classes, and retreats at her website.