Beyond Words

Happy New Year! Say what? Yep, a new year started February 17 and is now in full swing. But wait, didn’t the new year begin January 1? Yes, it did…the traditional new year linked to the Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582…but the Lunar New Year started February 17. In Chinese zodiac tradition, each year is associated with one of 12 animals and one of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. This year ushers in the Year of the Fire Horse, which is predicted to gallop in bold moves, increased intentions, boldness, ambition, and energy. Now I’m not big on Chinese legends or the zodiac, but I do like horses and our daughter did Hunter-Jumping and Dressage back in the day, so I’m running with it…excuse the pun.

“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”
John Wayne

So, what exactly does all this mean? According to calm.com as a new lunar cycle begins, people look to the year’s symbolism for a sense of direction or insight into what might lie ahead. According to Asian astrology, your birth year and the animal it represents determine your personality traits. Horses thrive on speed, energy, and forward momentum and paired with fire; those qualities tend to intensify. Giddy up!

Horse years can be like taming a horse and are often described as active with an emphasis on forward progress and may coincide with upheaval, cultural shifts, opportunity, bold collective movements, renewed passion, and pushing for radical change. When paired with fire, elements are intensified. Emotions can run high and drive can be intense. People born in a Horse year are commonly characterized as energetic, independent, driven, social, and self-directed. The year is predicted to propel one into fast forward motion and intentional goals and it makes sense, as what do we know about horses? They run!

All we need do is look back to the last Year of the Fire Horse to get an idea of what this year might bring.  Because an element rotates alongside the animal signs, the same combination only returns once every six years, with the previous one being 1966. IYKYK, right?

That was a year filled with a lot of horsing around, including the Vietnam War, protests, race riots, coups, worldwide nuke tests, the space race, Miranda Rights, the establishment of NOW and the Freedom of Information Act. It also brought us India’s first ever female Prime Minister; The Sound of Music Academy Award; and hit TV shows like Mary Tyler Moore Show, Star Trek, and Newlywed Game. Sports heroes included Hull, Chamberlain, Mayes, Petty, Unitas, and Ali. Perhaps through all of, what spoke loudest was music with hits by Simon and Garfunkle, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Mamas and the Papas, the Monkees, Neil Diamond, and Jimi Hendrix. Songs like “Sounds of Silence” and “The Battle of the Green Berets” will forever be tied to that year and era. Sadly, on November 24, 400 died of respiratory failure and heart attacks due to New York City smog, which was the smoggiest day in the city’s history. The city is again in the spotlight right now and once again the air is again dubious.

Funny tidbit: the most popular car in 1966 was the Ford Mustang!

But I digress.

Let’s go back to Fire Horse 2026!

This is apparently the year to put plans into action and make moves with increased activity and stronger expression while taking into account the following qaulities associated with the Year of the Fire Horse:

1. Momentum and ambition. This year may be driven by progress and visible results and people may feel impatient yet ready to take action. Dare to show your abilities along with your imperfections, share your skills, believe in yourself, and embody the spotlight! Remember, the more open you are, the more doors open.
2. Courage and visibility. Fire is connected with confidence and speaking up so this year may be the perfect time to share ideas or take the lead.
3. Independence and self-direction. A horse is linked with personal freedom and even restlessness with a powerful drive for freedom, self-expression, and breaking away from limitations. As a result, there may be a stronger desire to make independent choices or question things.
4. Restlessness. Progress will be strongly desired, so when it feels slow, frustration may build up.
5. Impulsivity and reactivity. Both fire and horses are associated with speed so decisions and moves may happen quickly but think them out and move cautiously and smartly.

Given these vibes, how should you proceed? You may feel the need to push actions, express strong opinions, and feel motivated but stay clear of overstimulation and impulsive moves. Do so by:

1. Choose a clear direction before moving forward. Clarify your direction and ask why you’re considering making certain decision. In other words, hold your horses a bit!
2. Break up goals into grounded steps. Easy does it. Increased energy can cause urgency but break things up into specific steps. You might want to trot or canter before galloping.
3. Schedule rest. Think of life as a Sabbath…a day of rest. When motivation increases, rest is often the first thing to go but over time, that can lead to irritability, fatigue, and burnout. Put your phone away. Listen to a meditation. Reflect. Go outside. Rest!
4. Practice pausing before reacting. I’ve previously chosen “pause” as my word of our traditional new year’s resolutions and boy does it make a difference, whether pausing before acting, thinking, or speaking. Yes, press forward, but strive for balance and grounding too.
5. Strengthen boundaries. This one is a must every year and pretty much every day. Even things that seem good and positive require time and energy. Ask yourself if it’s truly worth either of those and consider your capacity and load. Personally, I’ve regretted saying “yes” way more than I have saying “no.” No is okay!
6. Define what independence means for you. Horses are often linked to independence, but independence does not need to mean not asking for help or speaking up about your needs. Comfort plays a big role here.

Whether you say yay or “nay” to all of the above, it’s a good idea to be intentional about how you move forward this year and how you respond to possible faster pace. Saddle up but pause before making big decisions, protect time to rest, and honestly consider whether a move a decision is in your best interest. Don’t put the cart before the horse but pony up and take the reins or your life!

A friend of mine recently posted these graphics by Chantal Russell and I loved them so much I thought I’d share them here. Enjoy!

Happy New Year! Say what? Yep, a new year started February 17 and is now in full swing. But wait, didn’t the new year begin January 1? Yes, it did…the traditional new year linked to the Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582…but the Lunar New Year started February 17. In Chinese zodiac tradition, each year is associated with one of 12 animals and one of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. This year ushers in the Year of the Fire Horse, which is predicted to gallop in bold moves, increased intentions, boldness, ambition, and energy. Now I’m not big on Chinese legends or the zodiac, but I do like horses and our daughter did Hunter-Jumping and Dressage back in the day, so I’m running with it…excuse the pun.

“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”
John Wayne

So, what exactly does all this mean? According to calm.com as a new lunar cycle begins, people look to the year’s symbolism for a sense of direction or insight into what might lie ahead. According to Asian astrology, your birth year and the animal it represents determine your personality traits. Horses thrive on speed, energy, and forward momentum and paired with fire; those qualities tend to intensify. Giddy up!

Horse years can be like taming a horse and are often described as active with an emphasis on forward progress and may coincide with upheaval, cultural shifts, opportunity, bold collective movements, renewed passion, and pushing for radical change. When paired with fire, elements are intensified. Emotions can run high and drive can be intense. People born in a Horse year are commonly characterized as energetic, independent, driven, social, and self-directed. The year is predicted to propel one into fast forward motion and intentional goals and it makes sense, as what do we know about horses? They run!

All we need do is look back to the last Year of the Fire Horse to get an idea of what this year might bring.  Because an element rotates alongside the animal signs, the same combination only returns once every six years, with the previous one being 1966. IYKYK, right?

That was a year filled with a lot of horsing around, including the Vietnam War, protests, race riots, coups, worldwide nuke tests, the space race, Miranda Rights, the establishment of NOW and the Freedom of Information Act. It also brought us India’s first ever female Prime Minister; The Sound of Music Academy Award; and hit TV shows like Mary Tyler Moore Show, Star Trek, and Newlywed Game. Sports heroes included Hull, Chamberlain, Mayes, Petty, Unitas, and Ali. Perhaps through all of, what spoke loudest was music with hits by Simon and Garfunkle, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Mamas and the Papas, the Monkees, Neil Diamond, and Jimi Hendrix. Songs like “Sounds of Silence” and “The Battle of the Green Berets” will forever be tied to that year and era. Sadly, on November 24, 400 died of respiratory failure and heart attacks due to New York City smog, which was the smoggiest day in the city’s history. The city is again in the spotlight right now and once again the air is again dubious.

Funny tidbit: the most popular car in 1966 was the Ford Mustang!

But I digress.

Let’s go back to Fire Horse 2026!

This is apparently the year to put plans into action and make moves with increased activity and stronger expression while taking into account the following qaulities associated with the Year of the Fire Horse:

1. Momentum and ambition. This year may be driven by progress and visible results and people may feel impatient yet ready to take action. Dare to show your abilities along with your imperfections, share your skills, believe in yourself, and embody the spotlight! Remember, the more open you are, the more doors open.
2. Courage and visibility. Fire is connected with confidence and speaking up so this year may be the perfect time to share ideas or take the lead.
3. Independence and self-direction. A horse is linked with personal freedom and even restlessness with a powerful drive for freedom, self-expression, and breaking away from limitations. As a result, there may be a stronger desire to make independent choices or question things.
4. Restlessness. Progress will be strongly desired, so when it feels slow, frustration may build up.
5. Impulsivity and reactivity. Both fire and horses are associated with speed so decisions and moves may happen quickly but think them out and move cautiously and smartly.

Given these vibes, how should you proceed? You may feel the need to push actions, express strong opinions, and feel motivated but stay clear of overstimulation and impulsive moves. Do so by:

1. Choose a clear direction before moving forward. Clarify your direction and ask why you’re considering making certain decision. In other words, hold your horses a bit!
2. Break up goals into grounded steps. Easy does it. Increased energy can cause urgency but break things up into specific steps. You might want to trot or canter before galloping.
3. Schedule rest. Think of life as a Sabbath…a day of rest. When motivation increases, rest is often the first thing to go but over time, that can lead to irritability, fatigue, and burnout. Put your phone away. Listen to a meditation. Reflect. Go outside. Rest!
4. Practice pausing before reacting. I’ve previously chosen “pause” as my word of our traditional new year’s resolutions and boy does it make a difference, whether pausing before acting, thinking, or speaking. Yes, press forward, but strive for balance and grounding too.
5. Strengthen boundaries. This one is a must every year and pretty much every day. Even things that seem good and positive require time and energy. Ask yourself if it’s truly worth either of those and consider your capacity and load. Personally, I’ve regretted saying “yes” way more than I have saying “no.” No is okay!
6. Define what independence means for you. Horses are often linked to independence, but independence does not need to mean not asking for help or speaking up about your needs. Comfort plays a big role here.

Whether you say yay or “nay” to all of the above, it’s a good idea to be intentional about how you move forward this year and how you respond to possible faster pace. Saddle up but pause before making big decisions, protect time to rest, and honestly consider whether a move a decision is in your best interest. Don’t put the cart before the horse but pony up and take the reins or your life!

A friend of mine recently posted these graphics by Chantal Russell and I loved them so much I thought I’d share them here. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Here’s hoping you’re surrounded by love and all things pink and red.  But, shouldn’t the day’s message of love stick around all year? Long after the roses have died, the cards have been tossed or saved, and candy has been eaten, the love behind them should last and linger. That’s how St. Valentine would have wanted it and that’s how he lived. There was a real man named Valentine and maybe it’s time to learn about him and why we even have a Valentine’s Day.

Valentine, and yes, that was his real name, was a priest who served in third century Rome. During that time, Claudius II was emperor and at some point decided that single men made better soldiers than those who were married. He outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger military but Valentine thought the decree was unfair and wanted to help Christians who were being persecuted so he continued to marry young couples. He strongly believed people should get married and secretly performed weddings throughout Rome. When Claudius found out about this, he sentenced Valentine to prison.

While imprisoned, Valentine was relentlessly asked to renounce his actions and his faith but he refused. Sent to another prison, Valentine is said to have written little messages to family and friends to let them know he was well and that he loved them. He would also pray with and befriended a guard whose daughter was blind and had asked Valentine to heal her sight. It is said that just days before his execution, Valentine prayed over the girl, touched her eyes, and she regained her eyesight. Word travelled fast, and upon hearing about this, many turned to Christianity. Claudius was not amused or impressed and quickly condemned Valentine to death. The night before his execution, Valentine wrote to the young girl and signed it, “From your Valentine.” The phrase became popular and today is still used on cards everywhere.

Stoned and beheaded on February 14, 269, St. Valentine was initially buried in Rome but in the 19th century, an Irish priest, Father John Spratt, obtained some of St. Valentine’s remains and the relics were brought to Dublin, Ireland, in 1836. Today, parts of St. Valentine’s remains are housed in the Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin. The church features a shrine that includes a casket containing his bones and a vial of his blood. Various churches across Europe also claim to possess relics of St. Valentine, including locations in Dublin, Rome, Glasgow, Prague, and Madrid. Each site has its own story regarding the saint’s remains.

All that proves just how popular Valentine was and to this day, not only is Valentine’s Day a holiday in the U.S., it’s celebrated worldwide. In Japan, chocolate is more beloved than even stateside while in Denmark, flowers are also given to loved ones on the holiday. In both Italy and Germany it’s strictly an adult and “lovers only” holiday while Mexico officially calls it a Day of Love and Friendship. St. Valentine is considered the Patron Saint of Spring in Slovenia but perhaps the holiday is celebrated biggest in France.

We all know that Paris is known as the “City of Love” and that couples used to attach locks on the Pont des Arts Bridge and throw keys into the River Seine on Valentine’s Day, but the practice was halted due to the weight of the locks and their potential damage to the historic bridge.  The French village of St. Valentin is decked in flowers on Valentine’s Day and is a popular destination for weddings, vow renewals, and engagements. How lovely would that be?!

St. Valentine is the Patron Saint of love, young people, and happy marriages, which makes me happy being that I was married a day later on February 15 and tomorrow we will celebrate our 40^th anniversary!  Considering the fact that Valentine saw to it that couples were united in marriage, it’s quite fitting that the holiday of love is named after him. Valentine’s favorite words were “Love one another as I have loved you” and I’m thinking they’re pretty good words for all of us to live by. Have a LOVEly day!