The Chinese Fire Horse
“Hell really hath no fury like a Chinese Fire Horse / With a 1966 birthday / A sign not to be crossed.” Shirley Manson
In the Chinese Zodiac, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse (starting February 17, 2026.) This is a rare cycle that occurs every 60 years (last in 1966 and before that 1906). It combines the Horse’s traits of energy, speed, independence and adventure with Fire’s intensity, passion, transformation, volatility, boldness, and sometimes chaos or upheaval.
It is seen to herald a period dynamic, unpredictable change, freedom-seeking, and fiery momentum, often described as “wild” or turbulent energy, like a horse galloping through flames.
In “Chinese Fire Horse” by Garbage (released 2025 as a single from their album, “Let All That We Imagine Be The Light”), Shirley Manson (born 1966, a Fire Horse year herself) channels that same fierce, untamed spirit: “Hell really hath no fury like a Chinese Fire Horse / With a 1966 birthday / A sign not to be crossed.”
The song perfectly captures the “fire horse: passionate, unstoppable, and potentially disruptive in turbulent times and it captures the flavor of February the signature month defining the rest of the year.
The Chinese 60-year cycle, known as the sexagenary cycle, combines 10 Heavenly Stems (representing elements and yin/yang aspects) with 12 Earthly Branches (corresponding to the zodiac animals).
The previous two Fire Horse years were:
1906: January 25, 1906 – February 13, 1907.
1966: January 21, 1966 – February 8, 1967.
In mundane astrology (world events/societal trends) and financial astrology (market cycles, economic shifts), Fire Horse years often symbolize intense, volatile energy: rapid change, passion, disruption, ambition, and transformation which is sometimes chaotic or revolutionary.
1906: Marked by the devastating San Francisco earthquake (April 1906), causing massive destruction and insurance payouts that strained global finance. This contributed to liquidity drains (gold outflows to the US for reconstruction), higher interest rates abroad, and market instability leading into the Panic of 1907 (a major US banking crisis with sharp stock drops 50% from prior peaks). It reflected upheaval, natural disaster, and economic aftershocks and was financially a precursor to tighter credit/money panics. In China there was major famine and other natural disasters due to flooding whilst a weakening of Imperial Rule occurred at the same time.
1966: A time of social/political turbulence (e.g., escalation of Vietnam War, early counterculture/protests, China’s Cultural Revolution onset). Markets saw the S&P 500 peak early in the year before corrections/volatility amid inflation concerns and economic shifts. Financially, it aligned with momentum builds, speculative risks, followed by eventual downturns.
Below I have used $DJIA due to length of historical and data and included the two dates above but shifted 1906 to 1907.
As we enter this Fire Horse year, Laozi’s wu wei (effortless action in flow) offers balance to the intensity. For many though, ‘hope for the best but prepare for the worst’ remains prudent.
In America, the last time Neptune crossed into Aries, January just passed, it coincided with the battle of Fort Sumter in 1862 and this is often seen as the start of the Civil War. Dramatic, perhaps, and yet today we face a cultural battle of the radical left and the conservative right. The echoes of the ideological fervour of the 1960s, in particular, resonate across time and the Fire Horse will surely add to the flames of division and call for radical change as it gallops into our lives.
2 February 2026
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