The Year of The Fire Horse and What it Means for Sensitive and Intuitive People #255

There’s a moment before a big storm when the air changes. You can feel it. The electricity. The quiet hum of energy building, even before the clouds roll in. You don’t need a forecast to know something’s coming.

The same thing happens before a meaningful shift. The energy starts to gather. Things feel charged. There’s that unmistakable sense of ohhh… something’s on the way. If you’ve been noticing that kind of electricity building lately, it may be because the Fire Horse has left the stall and is headed in our direction.

In Chinese astrology, the Year of the Fire Horse begins in February 2026, and this episode is an invitation to start getting oriented to that energy now — especially if you’re sensitive, intuitive, or someone who’s learned to carefully manage your energy over the years.

Fire Horse years are known for stirring things awake. They tend to surface what’s ready to move, what asks for honesty, and where life has quietly outgrown old habits of endurance and “just making it work.” In this episode, we talk about the themes this year tends to bring forward, and why they matter on an emotional and intuitive level.

As this energy approaches, many people also notice subtle changes in how intuition shows up and how connection is experienced. We’ll explore what shifts to expect, why intuition may feel different than it has in the past, and how to work with these changes in a way that supports your intuition, your nervous system, and your sense of direction.

***2026 in-person Reiki classes in Sedona are scheduled! Join us in-person

Christina Wooten helps you access the wisdom and support of the Spirit World to elevate your life.
She is a Certified Psychic Medium and Reiki Master Teacher.  Christina is the owner of Sedona Medium and co-host of Modern Life and Spirit podcast.

She offers Psychic Medium Readings, Soul Readings, and teaches how you can start communicating and receiving messages from your Spirit Guides - through her program.
Learn more about her offerings here


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Transcript

Narrator: 0:48

Christina, welcome to the Modern Life and Spirit Podcast where we explore spiritual topics relevant to today's world. Your hosts, certified psychic medium Christina Wooten and Reiki master teacher Robert Wooten, break down how to work with spirit to create more positive growth in your life. Consider this podcast your go to spiritual resource for navigating the modern world.

Christina Wooten: 1:14

Hey there, kindered spirits. Welcome to Modern Life and Spirit Podcast. I'm Christina Wooten, certified psychic medium at SedonaMedium.com Welcome to our episode. Today, we are going to be talking about a big change that is happening in February of 2026 so we have some big new energy coming in. And this comes in with the Chinese New Year, which happens February 17 and 2026 so we are talking about the shift into the fire horse energy in Chinese astrology. It works in 60 year cycles. So each year has an element, and it has an astrological animal that is connected with that year. And it really is an embodiment of the energy that is influencing us in the background. And usually you know, not only us individually, but also as a collective in our group consciousness, the agreements that we have, the institutions we have, it's like this energy begins to show itself in how we're relating to one another and how we're relating to our lives. So this year, in 2026 is the Year of the Fire horse. So what's interesting about the fire horse is that both of these elements are Yang elements, meaning the element of fire is predominantly a yang element, and then the astrological animal of horse is a yang animal in Chinese astrology. So what that means is that with both of these as young elements, you know, balance is a little bit out the window, because we are all about expression, go outward energy, and it's really amplifying those elements of ourselves. So there's an intensity about what we are creating in this year and how it is impacting and affecting us again. This is going to begin February 17 of 2026, so we're almost there. We're not quite it's good for you to kind of be aware of it, because you may be already feeling some of this starting to shift and starting to change, because it doesn't, you know, just automatically, you know happen that you usually, there's a little bit of a build up or transitional period. I kind of think of it as like the pre shadow period for this big shift. So we're starting to feel some of that. And people who are really sensitive might begin to feel that as well. So in the years where fire horse is the dominant energy, it is a year of movement, forward momentum. It's here to catalyze us into action. I think of it a lot like the Knights energy in tarot, if the Knight was on fire, okay? So it's like things are wanting to move. So if you're familiar with Tarot and the Knights in terror. It's all about movement and going forward. Things shifting very quickly. So this is a year of creation, of quick advancement of ambition. It's momentum. It's motivation. Big theme is finding and testing your personal power. So you might have a lot of coming into your own inner authority, releasing places where you have felt victimized or allowed yourself to be smaller, and starting to, you know, stand up and shake a lot of that off. So it's time to be in your inner authority. It's time to be leading. It's an important time, also, because we have all of this momentum trying to move us forward, to choose wisely what you engage in. Because otherwise, with all of this young energy, it's easy to get distracted. It's easy to for things to kind of pop up, and then suddenly you're off in a whole nother direction. So we want to be very intentional where we are taking the wisdom that we're receiving about where we are feeling the desire to move and checking that against the long term vision plans and desires that you have for your life and the life that you are trying to create. So you want to be very purposeful, to choose what kind of responsibilities that you take on during this time. So you'll probably shake off some things that are feeling very burdensome to you. In this year, and you also, at the same time, feel tempted to take on other responsibilities, and a horse wants freedom, right? So we only want to take on those responsibilities that are going to make a big difference, that are going to have a big impact. We don't want to get burned out by all of the fire energy. Instead, we want to release the busyness and just use that action oriented energy towards things that are important, truly to us, or that really will make a difference. And what I love about fire horse energy is it's an honest energy. It's not a gentle energy, but it is honest. It's straightforward, it's direct. It brings forward revelations, sometimes those lightning bolt Aha, moments that we really need to shake us out of complacency and shake us out of the places where we are not acting, we're just kind of sitting in in stagnation. And we'll talk about that in a little bit more too. Now this energy does not push, okay? Now you might think like, how can that not be pushy, like a big burning fire horse, right? But what it does is it brings forward within us, whatever it is, whatever it is that is ready to move, that is really ready for that shift. And you'll start to see a shift. So as you hear all of this energy about firearms, you're like, ooh, momentum and ambition and things moving forward, your mind might start to automatically go to certain places in your life where maybe you've been craving that or been wanting that, but it comes to deeply impact the areas of our life where it's time, it's time for that change. So maybe you're expecting or anticipating, oh, this is going to be great for this one area of life, but really you find in the middle of it that what's really ready to shift is something that you weren't expecting. It starts affecting another area of life. So just know that we can't contain a fire horse. It is going to move within us. What it is that we are truly ready to expose and ready to move forward. There's a lot of visibility also that comes with this energy, like there's no shrinking violet here. So we know that the things that are happening can be happening kind of publicly, can be happening in big ways, and we have to also be aware and kind of be gentle with ourselves, recognizing that, you know, yeah, we're probably gonna make some mistakes here and there as we are moving forward quickly, and that's okay, so we're gonna be loving and sensitive to those perfectionistic sides of ourselves who want things to move a little bit slower, and while the energy is here, we have to recognize that it is going to move what is ready, even if our ego or our conditioning is used to perfection, perfection, perfection. So let's go a little bit deeper with what's what's being healed in this cycle with fire horse, it is a very intense energy, but that intensity can be like a medicine. It's a bomb that we really need right now. We have had, you know, many years of emotional suppression and survival mode and a lot of deep, deep inner work that's been happening, and now is the time where we really need this energy to get out of these stuck ruts and stuck places. So we're going to really see this, especially because this is a Numerology year one, we are creating something new. It's time to establish a new order, so we're bringing all of that forward, and that can have really big implications as well. The last time we were in fire horse energy was in 1966 a lot of things were happening. Collectively in that time, there were a lot of protests. It was very, very intense cultural time as well. So I think we can expect to see a lot of that. We can also expect the parts of ourselves that maybe have been numbed or maybe have been frozen or maybe haven't been moving, might start to just thaw out a little bit, and finally, start to shift. So there may be places in your life where you've just felt a lot of stubbornness. You felt difficulty releasing and letting go. You've just felt like that healing has been further away from reach, even. Though you've been working on things and trying, this is the year where you may see that movement open up, because all that numbness and you know, stuff that's been stuck may potentially start to more readily move, and you might see bigger progress in those areas. So that's an exciting element for you, if you have really struggled with trying to release some things. This may be a great time for that to happen, but again, it will happen through intentionality and purpose. Otherwise, you're just in too many different directions, and it can feel like, Oh, so much is happening all at once, but I'm not sure that it's taking me where I need to go. So we want to be purposeful. So healing is being very connected and equated with movement in this particular time. So you might also feel really drawn towards physical movement, towards exercise. Maybe you're starting a new exercise program in 2026 maybe you like start to dedicate your life more seriously to that. Maybe you're working on physical body healing, and that becomes something where you're being really supported in making positive progress with that in 2026 so this is kind of the year of bringing some attention back into the physical body as well. So you'll notice some of that happening also. So let's talk about what intuition looks like in a fire horse year, because things are coming in very quickly, we are connecting more with our physical body. So you'll find that your intuition with your body is very strong, and your awareness of that can be really helpful in accessing your intuition, but it's helping us as well in learning how to respond and react to our intuitive messages. So you might have things come in very, very quickly, like a little lightning rod, just suddenly, boom, you have an aha moment, or a big awareness, something that you feel, oh, I need to really respond and really react to this with a sense of immediacy, like it's time for me to make sure that I'm acting on what it is that I'm receiving. So if you have been that person who gets messages but doesn't generally follow through with them, this is a year where you're going to get pushed it's time to act and just not just receive it, but to make sure we are acting in alignment with that. You also may find that movement is very helpful. So maybe you're getting a lot of messages while you are at the gym doing some exercise, maybe you start to get messages while you're out on a walk, more so than you would typically or normally, but you'll get messages connected with as you are moving your body, and we'll talk about that a little bit later as well. So for people who are very sensitive and are kind of used to more of a reflective energy, having all of this super young energy can be a little bit over stimulating, a little bit overwhelming. So if you start to notice that just kind of know where it's coming from and go that's okay. There's a time and a place for everything. There's a season for everything, right? This is a time for fire horse to be here to shake us up and to assist us in bringing forward the New Beginnings that must happen and some challenges that you may also feel during this time is because we have this fiery emotional energy too, because fire can, like, bring up some stuff quickly and strongly and powerfully, is wanting to burn things down instead of Just set some boundaries. So maybe you're tempted to just light it all on fire, walk away, right? I think there was a meme of that little girl like watching as the fire burns. I think of that when what's really needed is just to release some of the responsibilities, because fire horse is saying, Listen, we got to we got to get moving. We need more independence. We need a lot more freedom here for what it is that's truly important, so it might want to really release some responsibility this year. So instead of burning it all down, setting boundaries may be the answer. It may be what you're really needing to do. So we don't want to escape the real work and the real message that we're getting, which is like, we need to do this in a healthy way. So keep a close eye on that reckless side of yourself that's like, let me burn it instead of starting with creating healthy boundaries for yourself. Another temptation as well, with all of this fire energy is trying to act quickly to escape discomfort. So maybe you're just like, I'll just leave this relationship. I'm just going to get out of here. I'm just going to do x, y, z, because things are getting uncomfortable. You're like, Oh, I just want to act on that fire that I'm feeling in the moment that can be very, very intense. And so what we want to really pay. Tension to is discernment, is checking in with ourselves to go. Is this the feeling of the moment, or is this something that has been within me for a very long time that I haven't been acting on? Maybe I've been afraid. I've been waiting for this power to give me the strength, to help me to move forward. Right? Those are very different things, the intense feeling of the moment versus I have known this in my heart of hearts. I have known this already. I'm just moving to create action. So acting quickly to escape just come we want to be okay with discomfort. We don't want to, you know, just start like, let me do something over here. Instead of feeling what we need to feel, we don't want to run too far into that escapism. We want to acknowledge what it is we do need to acknowledge, because that's where the insight, the direction and the support comes from. Also, you know, as you're shaking things off and letting go of responsibilities and creating more freedom in your life, you might kind of look around and notice that a lot of things have changed. Maybe some of the ways you are feeling connected with your relationships are changing. Maybe how you're connecting with your community is changing. And know that there is a difference between that feeling of freedom and isolation that in the beginning stages, when we create freedom, we haven't necessarily created the same support network around this. Lot of times it's been like I've just shaken a lot of things off, and I have to relate to things now from a new awareness, a new consciousness. So make sure that you're not confusing that sensation of the freedom that's been created, and start to feel really uncomfortable with that, and suddenly tried to fill all of the gaps right? We want to get allow spaciousness. We want to allow freedom to come forward. We allow it to feel a little bit isolating at times, but we want to make sure that it's not isolating in a way that we've seen to be deeply unhealthy. Maybe it's uncomfortable, but not unhealthy. And those are two different things. And of course, also there's just impatience is going to be in the air. So you might have a lot more people riding your behind when you're driving in traffic or, you know, honking their horn, or road rage, more frustration, that sort of thing. There's just a sense of impatience, and so knowing that you're probably going to be feeling that to leave a little extra early, you know, do things so that you won't feel the pressure, or put yourself into too much pressure, and you can allow yourself to move in in places in the timing that is appropriate, not be rush, rush, rush, go, go, go, go, because that's just stressful, right? And people who are very sensitive that can lead to all this over stimulation and balance in your nervous system, and stress that just we don't need, right? We can just do a little bit of a scheduling tweak, give ourselves a little bit extra time and take a lot of that pressure away. And for those people who are very irritated, or, you know, sighing at you in the grocery store or whatever, just send them love and light and keep going. Keep moving on. Okay, so let's talk about for sensitive people, how can you work with that fire horse energy? How can you allow it to be your friend? How can you take some of that wisdom and apply it, especially when it comes to intuitive practices? So let's talk about first, we know that there's a lot of movement and energy and body connection that is happening in this year. So some things that can help you is really listening to the intuition of your body, paying attention to when someone talks about something immediately. What is the reaction that your physical body has use that instant awareness, that new connection with your body, that clarity that you're receiving from this year, really tune into, how is that affecting you? How do you feel? And instead of then trying to mentally justify one way or another, what your interpretation of it is, just go, Oh, if it feels tense, if it doesn't feel great, then there's something for you to think about. Maybe that's a no for you. If it feels open, spacious, freeing, uplifting, connected, then that's Ooh. I want to lean further into that. So we're really focusing on body led intuition, listening to the immediate responses that you're getting. And another thing we can do is to also bring in more movement before deeper levels of work. Maybe you're doing a meditation, or maybe you're doing some sort of other devotional practice. Get some movement in beforehand. And yoga was designed for that to do asanas before. Doing that meditation, because it helps to flush those energetic channels. It brings fresh energy into the chakras. It opens things up with all of that stimulation, and helps you to be prepared to receive energy at higher levels that's trying to flow in to your chakra system through either the root chakra or the crown chakra, for example, during meditation or deeper levels of work. So do more movement. Go on a walk. You could just do a few poses, a few asanas before you sit down to do a reading, for example, or healing with a client. Make sure that you are going on a little lunch walk, or if you are somebody who sits down a lot at your desk, set a timer to take intentional breaks. You know, every, I don't know, 25 minutes or so, make sure that you're getting up, you're moving around, and you're doing some stretches. Allow that clarity of motion within your body, and that movement to help prepare you to be clear for whatever it is that's coming forward. Another thing that you want to do is do short, honest check ins with spirit. So maybe this is the year where you feel, Oh, I don't know, like, I don't know if I've got 30 minutes, you know, to sit and do this. Maybe what we need now is regular, frequent talking to spirits. So Hey guys, what's going on? Like, do a five minute check in, and then a little bit later, do another five minute check in, and a little bit later do another five minute check in, so you're doing more regular check ins, rather than just one solid period of time. Now I don't always think that that's a substitution, right? We do need deeper levels of work when you are doing higher levels of connection with the spirit side. So I what I am doing in my practice, personally, is I'm adding more check ins in addition to the deeper work that I'm doing. But you'll play with both to see what works for you. But for me, I do the deeper work. And in addition to this, I will be doing a lot more just daily chats and check ins. And I'll start first with adding some little post its in places, just to remind me, like, oh, have you checked in today? So that I get into that habit of what works for me, and maybe I'm doing some of that while I'm on the move or going where I'm talking to them while I'm taking a walk, for example, as sensitive people, another thing to really think about is this is a year of freedom, creating more freedom. And so you might want to lean into or explore creating space instead of adding practices. So maybe you've thought, Oh, I've got to learn this. I need to do XYZ. I'm going to, you know, start a program that's going to take a lot of time and effort and energy from you during this year as well, and if that is in connection with your plan and the changes and shifts that are happening, then that is in alignment for this year. However, what we want to explore is just comfort in space that is created and not having to fill it back up again. So explore, do you release some practices, or do you not add certain practices and just allow spaciousness to be there and see what happens when you're in that space of freedom from obligations. I also think it's very important to find the practices that bring you joy this year that are inspiring you, because, you know, fire's got that inspiration energy. So what is it that you really like? You'll probably find that the stuff that your heart really isn't in is going to naturally fall away this year in order to use that energy for other things and other purposes. So your connection with spirit should also be something that's deeply exciting and interesting and fun for you. And if you haven't found that yet, keep looking, because I promise you, it's out there. And the last thing I'll say for us, just as energy sensitive people, is to allow your intuition to help guide your pacing. Fire horse wants to gallop, it wants to move forward, but the pace at which that happens is going to be dependent on what your energy needs. So you want to listen for when the right time for action is, and make sure that you are responding from that place of intuitive knowledge. Let it guide your pacing. Fire horse can bring up a lot of competition, so don't worry too much about what other people are doing. In fact, if you need to kind of isolate yourself from from that, you know where you can really focus. On your own self. Do that really? Focus on your own self. Let your intuition guide the pacing. Don't try and keep up with what it looks like somebody else is doing or to their pace, you know. Maybe you are slow and steady wins the race person you know, and maybe a part of you is jealous of that person who's like the big cat, running, running, running, right understand that that big cat, after they do a big run, they have to pause and they have to rest, and they have to regroup, and they have to sleep for like, 20 plus hours. Okay, so keep that in mind that don't let someone else's what they're doing influence what your pacing is. Your intuition will help you determine when the right time to take action and what you have space for and what you don't have space for. And you want to use wisdom to help you determine what's important to keep this year and some beautiful things to just release. As we're thinking about creating more space, we're really making an effort to release people pleasing, to release over explaining, okay, you don't have to justify why you are doing what you're doing. Stop over explaining yourself. It's important that you know what's happening. You know what's going on. Don't feel like you're you know, need to act from a place of insecurity, or we're letting go and releasing of caring what isn't yours. So there is a discernment that starts to happen with fire horse about this, this isn't mine, and I've been carrying this for a long time, and now suddenly I become aware of resentment. You might become aware of feelings that you didn't realize were there for a very long time, because they're starting to move and they're starting to heal, and you'll become aware of where you have been carrying something that isn't yours, and it gives you a chance to either stay really miserable with that or release and let it go. But just because you might be feeling funky at times because you're becoming aware of this, you know, doesn't mean that that's a bad thing. Just think about this is something that's coming to my awareness. It's finally coming here so that I can act and make a change if it's something that I want to do. And the last thing I would suggest releasing is waiting for certainty before moving, before doing things getting started, we want to release the expectation that we have to know how everything is going to turn out, because that's the only safe way to determine whether we want to actually start out on this course or not. The truth is that we never really know where something is fully going to lead us, we have to allow that consciousness to come in to our vibration and to influence us, and from that space, the future really is created. Okay, so it's important for you to recognize that the certainty that you desire isn't there, and if you think it's there, it isn't real. Okay, that security in the outward things isn't real. So it's important to it in places where you have just waited for that security or waited for that certainty before you have actually chosen to move forward, this is a wonderful time for you to release and let go of that, recognizing that it was an illusion this whole time. I'm really, really excited to see where all of this energy of the fire horse takes us. It will most certainly take us down different paths than we, you know, realized at the very beginning of this year, it is a really interesting type of energy, and I think sometimes it's one that we can be very afraid of, and be scared of that level of power and movement and quick manifestation and creationism, the responsibility and power of that can be overwhelming if we start to think about it, or something that we're a little bit nervous about, but it's also something we must step forward into. We must be confident in our abilities to act with integrity, to act with authenticity, to do the right and aligned thing at the highest levels possible, to trust in our abilities as creators, not just to create, but to create things that make impact, that are important to the world, that are needed here, to trust that our heart is being guided by a higher principle and is being guided to bring things out into the world. And this is the energy that will help you to be able to do that if you utilize it with wisdom, with courage, with strength, and I'd add, you know, gives you the chance to really release some of the perfectionism, to release some of the fear of moving forward. And. To allow the chips to land where they are when you are truly within your heart's passion and guidance. All right, everyone, I can't wait to see how this year shapes up for all of us. Thank you so much for joining me, sending love and light to you and many blessings. The Modern

Robert Wooten: 31:08

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