Anshu Bahanda: Whether you follow Chinese astrology or not, if you spent any time on social media recently, you probably noticed this. 2026 is being talked about as the year of the Horse. Not just any horse, it’s being talked about the year of the fire horse. And everyone’s talking about leaning into horse energy. Wellness practitioners, astrologers, everyone’s pointing to this year as the year of movement, the year of action. And that idea seems to be taking over. But beyond the trends and the buzz, what does a horse year actually represent in Chinese astrology? What kind of pace does it bring to our personal and professional lives? And how do we move in step with that energy without losing ourselves to its speed? That’s where today’s conversation begins. This is Anshu Bhadanda, and today on Wellness Curated, we’re exploring 2026 and the year of the Horse. This is a reflective conversation on what this powerful cycle awakens, how this energy moves through our lives, and how it aligns with its rhythm as the year unfolds.
Welcome to the Wellness Algorithm, where wellness isn’t static, it evolves as our lives evolve, shaped by time choices and the rhythm we move through. Today, we’re looking at Chinese astrology not as a way to predict the future, but as a way to understand the present. It offers insight into timing, momentum, and how larger cycles influence the way we move through life. 2026 is the year of the fire horse. In Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes movement, independence, breakthrough. And fire intensifies whatever it touches. So they create a year that feels fast, dynamic and demanding of action. This kind of energy often shows up not just in our personal lives, but in our work, in our career, in our relationships with money. And for some, it can bring opportunity, growth and momentum. But for others, it may highlight the need for smarter decisions, better pacing or clearer direction. And this energy won’t land the same for everyone.
How it unfolds depends on personal timing, individual constitution, and how consciously we engage with it. To help us understand what this year is really asking of us, and how to work with its rhythm, and rather than feel overwhelmed by it, I’m joined by Master Edgar Lok Tin Yung, a Chinese practitioner, Chinese astrology practitioner and Feng Shui consultant Priya Khanna, who’s a leading voice in Chinese astrology. Before we begin a quick request, please subscribe to the podcast. It’s free and it helps us continue to bring you thoughtful conversations like this one. And if this episode resonates, feel free to share it with someone who might be standing at a moment of change.
When people hear about the year of the horse, what does that actually mean? What is this craze that’s going on about the year of the horse? And what kind of personal shift should they be paying attention to or looking forward to?
Master Edgar Lok Tin Yung: Right, okay, so here the horse is just the name we give it to, to the year. Because in the old times, the Chinese, not everyone, had a very good education. They, they don’t know, you know, how to write and read. But the animal sign, the horse, like the horse, the, you know, the ox or the goat or monkey is the sign for them to easily remember. Okay, so actually in traditional astrology we should say it is a Yang fire horse. Yang fire horse. So each year we have two parts. One is the stem and the branch. Two parts.
AB: So the year has two parts you said?
ELT: Yes, one is the stem, one is the branch. So it’s two parts there. So one is from heaven, one is from the earth and humans are in the middle. That’s why the heaven Qi affecting us and the Earth Qi also affecting us.
AB: Okay, okay, so you’re saying. So just explain that to me in the context of the Year of the Horse.
ELT: So for the Year of the Horse, the horse is a fire element. So fire is like burning, very ripening and it’s very fast. You know, in the end, the whole fire is related to fire issues. So in the end we have three different layers of energy. One is called the heaven, heaven layer. The other one is called the earth layer and then also the human layer. So the heaven which we cannot control. Like it’s maybe we get see a lot of fire burning in the Year of the Horse like in Australia. And this heaven, earth and human, the starting time are different. Not at the same time, not starting at the same time spot. Like heaven generally starting on the 22nd of December. So you know, from 2nd of December onward to now we have less than a month. So in Australia there’s a lot of fire issues. Burning, burning down many houses. And then this very complicated, very complicated calculation when two parts acting together. When two parts like the young fire and the horse, we have come up with the one called melodic element. Melodic element. And the melodic element for the Year of the Horse is water. And we’ll also see a lot of water issues. So fire and water, issue in the ear of the horse. That’s from the heaven point of view. From heaven.
AB: From what I understood from my research, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, like you said. And it comes around every 60 years. So every Year of the Horse is not a Year of the Fire Horse, is that correct?
Priya Khanna: I understand what you’re saying, that the 2026 Yang Fire Horse has come after 60 years, but does that really have any importance? I don’t think so because there are 12 animals and 10 earthly branches. So the 12 animals everybody knows, but the earthly branches are the Yin Water, Yang Water, Yin Fire, Yang Fire, Yin Earth, Yang Earth, Yin Metal, Yang Metal, and then in Yin Wood and Yang wood. These are the heavenly branches. And what we say is that they are going to come every, they’re in a cycle so they’re going to keep repeating themselves. It’s basically defining the nature of the impact of the year. So if it was a Yin Fire Horse Year, how would it be different? It would be more subtle. So the impacts will be more subtle. There’ll be hidden attacks, there will be hidden disasters. Here it’s a Yang Fire Horse. Yeah. So the impact and the inference is going to be very visible and vivid and you will be able to tell there’s an attack coming from here, there’s a problem coming from there, there’s an explosion happening here, or whatever. So it’s going to be very much out in the open and the energy of people around is going to be very active and very strong. How does it really matter? Well, it matters in your decision making. It matters in how you’re going to treat every opportunity that’s going to come your way.
Will you take it positively, will you take it negatively, will you take it sensibly, or will you be very aggressive about it? Now aggression is a part and parcel of this year. Like it or not, this is going to be a part of this year and it’s going to impact everyone. However, the people who are born in the year of the horse, dragon and dog, these three elements combine and they create something that we call the energy of a leader. Okay, so it’s a leadership energy. People who are born in these years are going to feel that beautiful feeling of being a leader and they will lead. So let’s say someone’s born on the, in the Year of the Horse, in the month of the dog and the day of the dragon. Now he’s a born leader. What will happen with this born leader? He is going to be very powerful this year. He is going to win, he is going to achieve, he is going to lead. And so this is how you tend to understand how the year is going to be for each person. But generally it’s going to be a good year for most people. Keep your aggression under control. That’s the most important thing. Don’t get, you know, angry, because anger is going to be one. Anger is the main thing because it’s a fire element and that is what is going to raise your blood pressure, it’s going to give you heart issues, it’s going to give you kidney issues.
Because obviously when the fire is high, the water is going to be low and so is the liver going to get impacted because the liver is wood element and it’s going to be suppressed. So there’s going to be a problem. Keep yourself away from alcohol as much as you can because that’s going to impact your liver tremendously. And the wood needs to be strong because if the fire is very strong, then the wood will be weak. And if the wood is weak, liver is in trouble. So these are the few things. Heart, liver and kidneys. This is what we’re going to look at this year. When I say this to people, you know what I mean? I had a client just two days back and I was telling him the same thing and he said, what do you want me to do? I said, I want you to be aware so that if there is a problem, you will not take it easy. You will go to the doctor, you will visit the hospital, you will do your tests and you will find out what’s going on. Because this is something I tend to do, I just say, kuchnai, you know, till yesterday I was fine, what can it be today? But no, it can be something today because the elements have changed and things are moving. So then it really does impact your life.
AB: How do people find out what year they were born? What element is it that affects them?
ELT: Right, so if they want to find out, then the day they have to go to someone they know Chinese astrology, that’s the one step. Another step is if they think back to 12 years ago. 12 years ago also a Year of the Horse, also five elements and three that year. If that horse benefit to them or not benefit to them, if that year is a beneficial to them, that means that the chart need fire element, then they able to well use of this year and go for it.
AB: When you said it’s the Year of the Fire Horse this year, what kind of tendencies does it bring out in people normally?
ELT: If someone, let’s say look back 12 years ago. It’s the Year of the Horse and this horse is beneficial to them, then that means this year the horse will also be beneficial to them.
AB: So what, what happens is because horses are about movement and speed and a lot of people are saying that the Year of the Fire Horse if harnessed right, and you can validate it and tell me if this is true because this is all over social media. People are saying if this is harnessed, right. It will help with abundance, with money, with prosperity.
LKT: Is wrong. Unfortunately, unfortunately it will be impossible because this world is.
AB: Oh, okay.
LKT: We have Yin and the Yang, right? Yin and Yang. Yin let’s say is more negative. Again, it’s positive. There’s not never have 100% positive when you’re doing very, very good. There’s another area that will be issues as well. It’s not just the horse itself will bring us, you know, abandon, bring us a lot of wealth, money, all that. I don’t agree with this point. I don’t agree with that point.
AB: Okay, okay. So what do you see happening in general? I mean of course there have been fires is what you said and, and you said there might be water issues and that was in the heaven area. What other things do you see happening in the year of the horse?
LKT: So we have to look at from the fire element point of view. Just because there will be abundant of fire element. And then we have to look at what this fire element related to. Firstly, health. You know, from the health perspective point of view. Fire represent our eyes. Remember the eyes. Fire represent the heart, fire represent the blood and fire represent circulation as well in our body.
AB: So you are saying heart, eyes, blood and circulation. These four things, correct?
EKT: Yeah, yeah. So when it’s too hot, when the year has a lot of fire, everyone, every single human being, we need to look after this area. And some people will be more impact by them. I would say some animal sign like people born in the year of the horse. They have one horse already and then come another horse. That means have two horses and that, that means have two fire in their chart. If their fire is a beneficial, of course it’s a very, very good. But if their fire is not beneficial then will be double, double bad. That will be, you know, double, double harm. Or double harm. Yeah, no, no good thing would, bad thing happen to them. If there’s a bad element for them in their chart, then the other one will be the rat. The rats. Then the rat has also the horse and the rats, they clash. So for the rats, there will be a, lot of changes coming up for them, for those people going in the road.
AB: So you’re saying if you’re a rat or a horse, be careful. How would you warn them to be careful? What should a rat or a horse, someone born under the year of the rat or the horse be doing?
ELK: So the horse will be, have double fire, you know, double fire in the chart. So in terms of health, you have to look after, you know, the eyes, the heart, the circulation and the blood. Those areas and the blood we have to look after that. Then how we look after ourselves is firstly to start with, you know, good breath, you know, good habits, good diets, you know, don’t overwork. That is a good thing to start with. And you know, a time to do more like meditation, all that, or you know, watch your, you know, wellness YouTube channel to start with. Learn to have a, you know, have a, a good routine, you know, don’t go to bed too late, you know, wake up a bit, you know, early, do some exercise. And the other thing, because fire, fire will make someone very fast thinking, you know, so don’t do things too rough, you know, be more and don’t rush into things. Just think before you act. That’s very important.
AB: Okay, so for the horse and the rat, both you said?
ELK: For anyone, because the horse and the rat will be impacted more.
AB: What would you advise people when it comes to financial abundance and wealth generation this year?
PK: So about what you said about wealth creation, what I would say is that this is going to be a good year for people. This will be a lot of active energy. Active energy in the sense that people will trade a lot. People will find money is coming and going. So active energy will be there. People who are obviously born with strong water energy are going to make a lot of money. A strong metal energy. They’re going to make a lot of money because the metal will be brought into balance with the fire. Excessive fire. So having said that, this is going to happen also, if anybody is born with very strong wood will also find that they will make a lot of money. So then that means out of the five signs, at least three are going to make a lot of money. So which means a big chunk of people around the globe are going to make a lot of money. Will the money stay? Big question.
AB: Right, Right.
PK: There will be a lot of volatile sort of ups and downs. However, it’s in your own hands, whether you’re going to hold onto it or you’re going to get swayed into doing a lot of these, you know, things that will take away your money. So be careful is what I will say. Make your money. Hold it. And, I have a tip which I have used for many, many years. I always create in such years where I know that I’m going to be earning a lot more than normal. I make something which is called a wealth vase. It’s a vase and it’s, it’s a very traditional Chinese thing. We make a wealth vase, which means I’m preparing the ground to accumulate my wealth. Over the years, I’ve made many wealth vases and I have them all and I keep them in my wardrobe. A traditional way of accumulating wealth. It’s like, you know, in the old Chinese homes used to always have a rice urn and they used to put the gold in the rice urn earlier. So from there came this whole thing about having wealthy ways as well. An urn which you keep your dwelt in.
AB: We apparently we’re coming out of the Wood Snake Year. Last year was the Wood Snake Year, which was quite inward and reflective. Now a lot of people, there seems to be a lot of more people meditating, a lot more people doing inner work. How do you think that will help them? In this year of the fire horse?
PK: The year 2025, yes, it was, the year of the snake and it was a Yin Wood Year. So does that have any influence? Well, really not. People say it was very reflective. Maybe it was for some. You can’t generalize in Feng Shui because there are 12 animal signs and there are lots of combinations that do not favor each other. So for those who had a reflective year and who put in a lot of inner work into their lives, they could find that the energy of this year is very active, too strong because this is a Yang Fire Horse Year and horse is a yang animal. So it’s Yang Fire over Yang Fire and it’s too much Yang energy. So for people like me who are strong water, it’s a great year. I mean, we know that we will have a great year this year because this is going to bring our yang, I mean, the strong water energy into balance. So I was going to tell you about, about this thing about inner work. It’s got nothing to do with what, what influence is going to have because it’s going to have a different influence for different people.
And I’ll explain to you how that works. So if you are going through a health issue and the health issue is related to fire energy, which is the heart and the blood, then you will have as much as you might want to do inner work, you will have an impact on your health and it will disturb you. Only thing that can happen is that you could focus on doing something that will strengthen your metal element. Now, metal element is the lungs. So how do we strengthen the metal element? By doing a lot of breathing exercises, because that expands the lungs. Now when that, when the lungs expand means your metal element gets stronger. So these are like tips which are very fine-tuned. Not everybody will talk about it. This is something that you learn and you experience over years of practice and you’ve done them with some clients and it’s worked. So you tend to, obviously, I would like to share at this point in time that just doing breath work can actually activate the metal element. And metal is one energy that will bring the fire in control. When the metal is strong, the water will automatically be strong because water is created out of metal in the cycle of evolution, as per the Chinese, traditional Chinese medicine, metal is the mother for water. So as a result, water will get strong. The minute water gets strong, fire will calm down. So how interesting is that? Now, somebody tells you, go to a health center and do pranayam, those breathing exercises, and you’ll say, oh, what is this going to do? But reality, it’s going to do a lot of work because not only will it bring it, not only will it activate your vagus nerve, which will bring all your, body parts and your chakras into balance, it will also strengthen your lungs, which will means it will strengthen your medellin. So that’s what you can do.
AB: Okay, so, so, Edgar, you’ve said so far that this year there’ll be fires and there’ll be water issues. You’ve said we need to be careful about our health, particularly the eyes, the heart, the blood, the circulation. And you’ve said be careful before you act. So these are the things you’ve said in general. And of course you’ve said that the year of the horse and the rat, people born under those signs need to be careful. Anything else that you want to tell us in general about the year of the fire horse that you know, any other sign you want to tell us it’ll be beneficial to or anything you want to warn us about?
ELT: So in each year, you know, on the 12 animal side, some animals have a connection together. For example, the tiger will connect with the horse. So we call the horse, actually in astrology, we call the horse the Tai Sui or some master, translated as the Grand Jew. Or simply, I put it like the yearly king. The yearly king, like this year, is the horse. The horse is the yearly king. If the king loves you, then you do well. You know, if the kings hate you, then you won’t do well. That’s the simple yin and yang theory. So the tiger and the dog and the goat, they will combine with the horse. So the tiger sign, the goat sign and the dog sign, they are combined with the king. So the king will like them. So if they have any of these dogs, any of the tiger, the goat, the combination. So combination means new joint venture, new friendship, new partner, new business that will be, forest for them. Because the Tai Sui, the yearly king, loves them. So, so, when we talk about the changes for the rat, because the rat and the horse, they clash. So when there’s a clash, there’s a few things will happen, at least four. Sometimes everything will happen. Sometimes just one or two things, you know, so moving house, moving job, traveling or buying a property. Because generally a clash. When there’s a clash, there will be a. A star called spending money. Spending star. So in astrology, we can see someone spending money, but we cannot see where they spend the money, to be honest.
AB: But see, Edgar, spending money and all these things you’ve said is not necessarily bad. Moving jobs, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
ELT: No, no, it’s just changes. Just give them some, pre-warning, say, oh, this year was changed. Don’t be afraid to change if you have to change. But because, because the clash, you normally carry a star. A star called a big spending. As an astrologer for my, I don’t know where they spend their money. I cannot exactly pinpoint where they spend the money. But normally I would tell them if you spend in the property in a few years time, you get the money back. So, if you go to the casino, everything, maybe you, because it’s fixed spending, you don’t go there, you will not get it back. Buy something variable in a few years time because you have to, spend. So most of the time I’ll tell my client, just do up your own property if you already have a property. If not, then budget well and buy the property in the year. So normally I warn them a year ahead as well. If you look, at some of my, you know, Prediction or for the animal. Sign up on my website. I’ll let them know two years in advance. Budget, budget, you know, that year you will spend money. Yeah.
AB: You know, this Year of Horse is also associated with horse energy, which is about speeding up, about going fast. Give me your feedback on this. Because speeding up works well for some people, but for other people it’s overwhelming.
ELT: Exactly. That’s also come back to the Yin and Yang. Some people, well, use the horse, they can speed up very quickly. Some people if they speed up too fast and they don’t know how to ride a horse, then we fall down.
AB: They fall off. Yeah. And hurt themselves. And what about. So I understand that you have to look at it, you know, in individually, just like Vedic astrology, where you have to look at each individual, right? Chinese astrology is the same thing. You know, if you’re born five minutes after me in a different place, your horoscope could be completely different from mine. But in general, what would you advise people when it comes to the energy of this year? I mean, you gave us some advice for health and wellbeing. Would you give us some advice for things like the pace at which we are going, for things like freedom, for relationships, for careers? Because a lot of people felt very stuck. Last year was a particular kind of year where people felt like they haven’t made enough progress in their lives. So do you think people will? How would you handle them? How would you advise them to handle the transition from last year to this year?
ELT: That there will be different, different personalities. You know, some people, they’re more introverted, some extrovert. So for you, you need to be, you know, show out. I think nowadays because with social media, you know, you can, you have to like doing the business. You have to show your face or you have to be a little bit more brave because the energy will give you some, some energy. You know, fire energy. You push you out and fire, fire is showing, you know, fires without fire we cannot see because the eye need fire to see. So with fire, we have to show ourselves there. I heard one term before, someone say the best known beat the best. So you have to come out and let people know that you are good at something. No matter what your expertise is, you can come out and show people.
AB: You’re saying, come out and make a noise, make, you know, be out there rather than quietly doing your work. Make sure you’re out there, make sure people see you on social media. What about relationships? Do you see the horse energy or the Fire Horse energy affecting relationships in any way?
ELT: Cannot just saying in this way, you know, Because, because the relationship in a chart, we’re more looking at the day master, you know, the day you’re born instead of the year you’re born. So if someone, let’s say someone, they have a horse in the date born the day in the date horse day. Okay. And the horse is the spouse house. Okay. So born on a horse day and the horse is the spouse house. And now it’s the horse year. Okay. So for those single, you know, there’s a single people, single ladies or single men, that means someone will coming in. If someone born in the tiger day, even better, because the spouse house combined with the horse so attracts a horse in. So it really depends on the day they were born.
AB: Day that you’re born. Okay.
ELT: Yeah. Okay. So generally, generally for the tiger, right? For the tiger, for the goats and for the dog, they have a combination with the horse. If they’re born on that day, that means they will meet someone. For singles, right. If already married, then maybe you have to pay a bit more attention to yourself, you know, be more in control. Because in my theory, my principle is that astrology is just a guide only, it doesn’t dictate our destiny.
AB: Absolutely, I agree with you. Yeah. So now tell me, is horse energy linked to freedom? Because that’s the other feeling, you know, when you talk about a horse, that’s the other feeling you get that it’s linked to. Is that right?
PK: So you asked, and you said that horse energy is linked to freedom? Yes and no. I think horses are very, they are tamed animals basically, okay? And they’re very loyal. So I don’t know, when you say freedom, what does it really mean. Because a horse is always connected with the master, with the person who looks after him, brought him. He’s always like my horse, his horse. Horses have their own patterns. So having said that, what will it impact on the relationship has got nothing to do with the nature of the horse. It’s got everything to do with the nature of your destiny, which is if you are born in a rat year or a rat month or rat day, you are going to have a clash, and that is a given, okay?
So you will find extra-marital affairs happening. Sometimes it will also see people straying from their relationships, moving away. Sometimes you also see that, people are not as attentive as you would like them to be, not as focused because they’re very, engrossed in their own activity in their own life. So that also makes a difference here. So these are like certain scenarios that can happen.
AB: Okay, so, Edgar, my last question before we move on to the rapid fire for you is that a lot of people I found after last year are standing at a crossroads in their life. There was a lot of confusion, a lot of reflection last year, and there was a lot of disappointment, a lot of trauma, and people are standing at a crossroads. What kind of questions should they be asking themselves to move forward this year without burning out, without falling off the horse? What kind of questions would you advise them to be looking into?
ELT: I think they, they have to ask themselves, what do I really want? What do I really want? And what direction I want to go into. So that means if they haven’t consult any astrologers, like either Western astrology or Chinese astrology, then they would, in lots of time. If someone in a, better luck cycle, the gut feeling. The gut feeling is the best because a lot of time I read chart, I, I read the chart for people and they say, oh, that’s exactly what I’m thinking. I say that’s good because you are on the right track. But sometimes if they not like not so good luck cycle, their thinking will be different to what I’m told them. So yeah, so, so if they have to ask a question, what do I really want? Do I want this? If they want it, use their gut feeling. The gut feeling, human being, the gut feeling, particularly for someone, those who do meditation, they will have more intuition to get to the destiny they want to the direction, the destination they want.
AB: We’re going to move on to a fun segment, a rapid fire round called Horse energy check. So I’ll give you a scenario and you tell me if it flows with horse energy or not. So staying in a comfortable job you’ve outgrown.
ELT: Stay in. No, it’s not horse energy.
AB: Okay. Starting something new, even if it’s imperfect.
ELT: Yes. Okay.
AB: Over planning every step before taking action.
ELT: No, no, it’s not horse energy. So horses would be, you know, trotting even, not perfectly, but they can trot, they can move, you know.
AB: Okay. Choosing freedom over approval.
PK: I would choose freedom, but is that as simple as that? No, it is not. Because 99.99% of us are always seeking validation.
AB: Okay. Saying yes to adventure, travel or learning?
PK: I would say learning. Learning is going to be the energy this year.
AB: Okay. Thank you. As we come to the end of today’s conversation, it’s worth remembering that the year of the horse won’t feel the same for everyone. In Chinese astrology, a lot depends not just on your year of birth, but on the day you’re born, the time you’re born, the place you’re born. So you have to look at the full chart. But in and in general, for some people, 2026 may bring momentum. It might bring a sense of forward movement, but for others, it might be more about slowing down, recalibrating, or choosing carefully rather than rushing in. All of that is valid. It depends on you. It depends personally on your chart. At the end of the day, astrology guides you. It gives. It brings together your past, your present, and helps you formulate your own future. If something in today’s episode helped, you do, share it with someone. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast. It’s completely free and it helps us continue bringing thoughtful conversations like this to you.
