Who is a Horse?

Years: 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002.
Month*: June
Hour: 11 am – 13.00
Day: you’ll need a Chinese Calendar or an expert for this.

* Caution: the start of the Chinese month can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year. I can let you know this too.

What is a Horse?

The Horse is yang Fire: the charmer, the extrovert, the seducer of the Zodiac, the Horse is rarely caught out despite his high-risk strategy. He has an ego of course but is better able to laugh at himself than for instance the Dragon. Like the Dragon, the Pig and the Rooster though, he can not generally work with his own kind. The typical Horse is not a deep thinker and his ego can lead him to suppose that no one else is either. Brexit mastermind David Cameron, born in the Fire Horse, may be a good example.

There tends to be a belief in shortage at work in the Horse. She thinks he must be the first to the trough if they are to eat. In romance the Horse like the Rooster, can be what Leonard Cohen called “a thin gypsy thief”. This means his weakness can be a failure to respect boundaries and property. Of all the animals, the Horse and Rooster are typically the marriage breakers and the home wreckers. This is not inevitable of course. If we know this about ourselves we can make wiser choices. Just because today is a good day to die, it is not necessarily a good day to kill.

Predictably the Horse is often not great at commitment. The yin and yang of this by the way is that a self-aware Horse is the most constant partner there is; an endangered species by the way.

Success matters a great deal to the Horse. He is not generally subtle. It is the winning not the taking part that tends to concern him.

The ever-fiery Horse is not keen on Water and especially her diametric opposite the Rat. He experiences this element whether expressed as a Rat year, excessive communication or actual Water as a dampener of enthusiasm. Water slows him down but does not halt him.

Interestingly the Horse’s charisma is best expressed either in a team with the other Plum Flowers, Rat, Rabbit and Rooster or in a pair with the Sheep. You will often find Sheep and Horse out and about together, the Horse radiating charm and the Sheep reflecting it. This actually is a good partnership; the Sheep is in awe of the sheer daring of the Horse and the reckless Horse may often need grounding, safety and a short term loan. Horse places the drinks order for his audience and the Sheep pays the tab.

In the Beatles Paul McCartney was the pr man but the corresponding long-suffering Sheep was George not John or Ringo, both wilful Metal Dragons. Now there’s a key; perhaps we can all let Linda and Yoko off the hook now!

The Horse’s home team all of whom have fire in common, is with the Tiger and the Dog. These are the hunters of the Zodiac: the Tiger kills, the Horse chases, the Dog guards. This support system is the most likely to bring the Horse rewards. On his own he is prone to burn brightly and extinguish early. He’ll have a good time though.

The Horse finds the Ox hard work also. There is metal hidden in the Ox which the Horse can turn to his advantage but the Ox’s preferences are often humdrum to him.

The Horse has visual, imaginative and intellectual gifts but is unlikely to value them enough to put them to good use. So many of the words we use about the virtue of work illustrate the unwillingness of the Horse to stick at things: harness, yoke, saddle, blinker etc. Again the yin and yang is that a Horse once-committed, never quits – think Boxer in Animal Farm.

A Horse who works with a Snake may achieve greatness because the Snake understands the Horse just as she understands the Dragon; the Snake is smart enough not to compete. In many ways the Snake is the perfect partner but it is more likely the Snake will recognise this than the Horse.

The Snake suffers in the short term and the Horse in the long. Racing, partying, playing, the danger is burn out. The challenge for Horses far and wide is to defer gratification long enough that there remains a future.
Richard Ashworth © 2021
www.imperialfengshui.info

The Horse in 2021

If you’re reading this that means you made it through the year of the Metal Rat. Phew! Horses who are emboldened by that might think they can foresee anything now. Nobody can do that.

I know you’re feeling exhausted and yet, the Metal Ox is fertile with creativity and new beginnings for you. If only the pace wasn’t so slow.

Horses are ready ahead of time, as usual, to start new projects and take on new assignments in 2021, but the road ahead is not clear until summer comes. You know there’s no time that’s absolutely perfect for anything but some are better than others. Do you want more independence? Spontaneity? I’m not saying it’s going to be an easy time but in 2021 you’ve got something like a passport. To use it, slow down and proceed with caution. Have a plan.

Horses are wanting to go out on their own. You’re ready to step onto the stage but the audience has not yet arrived. What do performers do in this time? Warm up. Limber up. Keep yourself ready to go on. Line up the preparations with your budget. Most of what you will be doing is in 2021 will be DIY. Make your own infrastructures to support what you do. There are audiences that care and audiences that don’t care. Which ones are you going to cultivate?

I cried for you. Now it’s your turn to cry over me.
Recorded in 1936 (Fire Rat year) by Gene Austin

In relationship you’re tired of feeling like you always come in second place. Are you feeling like your partner is holding you back in some way? Is there truly freedom in being alone with your audience as you envision? The Sheep is already likely to be rejected this year or at least made to feel that way. Will you be part of that? It may be time to leave some things behind, but you don’t have to embarrass yourself. Or maybe you do. Is that the sacrifice you think you have to make to pay for wanting to be free?

If you look at the Cycle of 12 in years, being in the Ox year means it’s the last third of winter. Three years of Water is bound to wear a Horse out. The earth of the Ox will become more fertile when you apply your Fire to it, so muster what you have. Be selective in who you work and partner with. Look for more than desire. It could be a hard landing if you commit to the wrong boss or partner, and a blow for your reputation.

Whatever uphill battle you’ve been fighting in 2020 (health related?) you’ve likely already gone beyond the worst of it. You’re recovering but don’t push it. Keep adding new healthy routines.

Horses generally don’t want to invite being depended upon. Don’t forget you’re not the only one who feels that way. In 2021 family and relationship bonds may feel weak. If you think that’s the case, get up to date with the people that matter to you. You can make the bonds strong again if you’re brave enough. You can make whatever choice you like.

February	Decisions you made in 2010 resurface; it’s not the first time but it may be the last. This month will be a precursor to 2022
March	A burst of optimism could lead to over spending. Money may begin to go out more than it comes in.
June	Don’t overdo, especially when it comes to food, drink, partying, working, exercising. If you adopted healthier habits in 2020, add more. Don’t be greedy. Leave something for the next person. Get head out of clouds.
July	There’s someone to help you clean up the mess you might have made in June. Are you aware that they need your help more than you need theirs?
October	This may be the most helpful month of 2021 for you. Get enough warmth and light and you find more clarity of vision in your work. Keep the faith.
December	If you experienced ill health in 2020 you may find it flaring up again temporarily. Seek Fire.

Horses to Watch
1966 Fire Horses: Christine Blasey Ford, David Cameron
1954 Wood Horses: Oprah Winfrey, Tina Knowles
1942 Water Horses: Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell
1990 Metal Horses: Kristen Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson

©Stephanie Stewart 2021