Tending the Flame: Year of the Fire Horse
- Anne Lawrence, Ph.D.
- Feb 26
- 3 min read
Rhythm of Life
Fire and Ice
February has been a month of extreme contrasts: fire and ice, snow and ash, sunshine and shadow. On February 1, the full Snow Moon coincided with Imbolc, the Feast of St. Brigid of Kildare, Keeper of Creative Fire. On February 17, the new moon nearly eclipsed the sun, making a “Ring of Fire” solar halo visible from Antarctica—a flaming hoop through which the new lunar Year of the Fire Horse was born. That same Tuesday, Mardi Gras, marked the last day of Carnival and the first night of Ramadan. Feasting turned to fasting, and the following day, Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent began.
In times of intense conflict and change, I am reminded of the balm of gentleness, how it soothes and softens all it graces, like the glow of candlelight on a winter evening. On February 6, I had the honor of facilitating a workshop for spiritual directors on how Focusing can open us to a felt experience of gentleness that can then guide and support us as we offer gentleness to ourselves and others.
In the words of Eugene Gendlin, the philosopher and psychotherapist who developed the theory and practice of felt sensing: the Focusing “attitude,” or way of being, is “the gentle allowing of what is there” (1977, p. 120).
As Focusing teacher Ann Weiser Cornell elaborates, in this practice of compassionate presence, “we are able to turn toward whatever we feel, whatever is going on in us, with gentleness, with trust in its underlying life-forward direction” (2005, p. 112). Indeed, Cornell describes Focusing as “radical gentleness” (pp. 109-125).
Similarly, mystic poet Rainer Maria Rilke wonders, “Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love” (1984, p. 92).
In this season of turmoil and transformation, you might deepen your own practice of compassionate presence by reflecting on the following questions:
What important place has helped me to experience gentleness?
What is one gift from this gentle place that I continue to carry?
What important person or community has helped me to experience gentleness?
What is one gift from this gentle person or community that I continue to carry?
What needs gentleness now?
How might I offer gentleness to myself?
How might I offer gentleness to others?
Journal Reflection
Year of the Fire Horse
2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. Some associations with fire are cozy warmth, communal gathering, protective force, passionate desire, dramatic change, purifying destruction, and creative renewal. What are yours?
Some associations with horse are freedom, power, momentum, stamina, triumph, honesty, and full embodiment. What are yours?
Write a journal reflection inspired by the Year of the Fire Horse:
What important change needs communal empowerment in 2026?
What freedom will I claim this year?
If I am honest with myself, what do I passionately desire?
How might I set strong boundaries to protect time and space for creative renewal?
When I listen to my body, what do I learn?
Creative Contemplation
Fire Breathing
After a day of running with the Fire Horse, you might pause, breathe, and tend your inner fire.
Notice what you can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste here now.
Turn your attention inward: What do you feel?
Hold your day in your heart.
What experience from the day do you want to cherish?
Light your candle and inhale deeply to appreciate this experience in a conscious way.
What gift from the day do you want to share with others?
Exhale and blow out your candle to offer this gift to others in a conscious way.
As the smoke rises, give thanks for the blessings of your life.
To deepen your awareness, you might write a journal reflection in response to the following questions:
After tending my inner fire, what has shifted in me (e.g., sensations, emotions, insights)?
What has surprised me, if anything?
What relationships can warm my heart?
What other resources can fuel my fire?
What is my intention for tomorrow?