Of Snakes & Horses!

I don’t profess to know a lot about Chinese astrology but I am intrigued by what I am hearing in relation to this period in time.

As a Westerner, I have always felt that the start of a new year brings new ideas and the chance to start fresh after the holidays. Down here in Australia, the new school year starts at the end of January after the long summer break, and so I have been ‘programmed’ with this ideology around the new year from a young age.

But the start of 2026 hasn’t felt like a fresh start. I’ve felt like I’m waiting. I’ve felt the need to withdraw a little and stop generating ideas/projects. I’ve simultaneously felt the need to clear out and reduce – my cupboards, my stuff, my routines, my brain!

I’ve been seeing information related to Chinese Astrology - the end of the year of the snake and the beginning of the year of the horse. This information has been resonating strongly with me.

This information tells me that the snake is still shedding its skin – patiently waiting to leave behind the old and welcome the new. This makes sense of how I’m feeling – the need to wait and watch. The need to clear out and let go. I can see that my desire to clean up my home and belongings is representative of what’s happening in my soul. The act of letting go creates a space – a space for something new. I don’t know what that is yet, but I trust that it will appear in the space I create for it.

The energy of the next cycle – the horse – is about getting going. Putting ideas into action. Manifesting creativity into the physical plane. And, it seems, that if we have done the preparation ie shedding, then the we will be better able to enjoy and handle the speed with which the horse brings this all into being.

And, interestingly, the change from the snake to the horse happens in February – not January 1^st! This feels more in alignment for me right now 😉 

I wonder why I’ve never noticed this February transition before. Maybe the changes weren’t as significant for me. Maybe I was in ‘doing’ mode too much and unable to pause long enough to notice how I was feeling.

I wonder how you’re feeling this January. Has the energy of the horse begun to arrive early for you or are you feeling the shedding of the snake still? Honour how you feel.