The Fire Horse, Trend Cycles, and Not Pretending You’re an Expert in Someone Else’s Tradition

So everyone is talking about the Fire Horse right now.

My inbox and algorithms have been filled with dramatic posts about intensity, chaos, passion, destruction, rebirth, and how we all need to “prepare” for what’s coming. And every time I see one of these posts, I feel that little internal twitch that says, “Okay… but do you actually know what you’re talking about? And why do you all sound exactly the same?”

Here’s the thing.

The Fire Horse comes from the Chinese zodiac. It exists within the framework of Chinese astrology and is connected to the cycles honored during the Chinese New Year. That system has a history. It carries cultural weight and context.

Most of the people currently explaining it are not practitioners of that system. Because when was the last time you heard them talk about Chinese astrology? Oh, right. Last year when we were talking about the Wood Snake. 

That doesn’t automatically make them malicious. It does make the whole thing feel… off and just trendy.

There’s a difference between appreciating a tradition and mining it for aesthetic content. There’s a difference between studying something deeply and grabbing a buzzword because it’s trending. When we start confidently interpreting systems we don’t actually practice and haven’t fully studied, we move from curiosity into cosplay. And that’s where it starts to feel like a weird spiritual version of cultural appropriation.

I’m not a practitioner of Chinese astrology. I haven’t studied it in any way other than every year getting a Chinese wall calendar from our local noodle shop. I don’t celebrate the Lunar New Year as part of my spiritual tradition. So I’m not going to sit here and tell you what the Fire Horse means within that tradition. That would be pretty disingenuous and would feel kind of gross to me.

What I can talk about, though, is energy, archetypes, and why themes like this catch fire in the collective consciousness.

Because fire and horse as symbols are not exclusive to one system. Fire is transformation. It’s will. It’s destruction, purification, and passion. If you’ve ever lit a candle with intention, you already work with fire. The horse is movement, instinct, power, and momentum. It’s forward motion. It’s energy that does not like to sit still and needs to be in motion.

When people hear “Fire Horse,” even without knowing the deeper cultural meaning, they feel acceleration. They feel intensity and the feeling that something is speeding up.

Here’s what I think is actually happening.

When something like this trends, it acts as a mirror. It gives people language for what they’re already experiencing. If life feels intense, they point to Fire Horse. If relationships feel volatile, Fire Horse. If ambition feels stronger, Fire Horse. I mean I posted the other night to my private Facebook page with just my friends and family about how I almost rage quit my day job during a meeting this past week and said, “It’s the Fire Horse vibes.” 

I mean, we’re literally going to be talking about this exact same thing again in a few day with Mercury Retrograde, so just keep that mind.

But acceleration is neutral. Fire does not care what it’s burning. A horse does not care what direction it’s running in. Energy amplifies what’s already there. If you’re grounded and intentional, intensity can feel exciting. If you’re scattered or avoiding things, that same intensity feels chaotic.

That’s not mystical doom, it’s just basic energetic mechanics.

What makes me uncomfortable isn’t people feeling into archetypal energy. It’s the way we sometimes rush to borrow authority from traditions we don’t belong to. Especially when we’re not actually engaging with the culture itself. A lot of the same accounts dramatically talking about Fire Horse aren’t saying a word about Lunar New Year, about cultural history, about the lived traditions connected to it. They’re just using the headline, the hashtag, and the buzzy buzzwords for attention.

As witches, we have to be more thoughtful than that. And I know many of you are which is why it still surprises me to see so much of this stuff during the year. I mean, let’s be so for real for sec. The same person who is going around berating people for burning sage is then going to make 10 posts about Fire Horse stuff…it’s just weird, and the selectiveness just shows unrecognized privilege. 

You don’t need to adopt another culture’s astrology to access fire. You don’t need to borrow a system to feel momentum building in your life. You already work with elements. You already understand cycles. If you work with tarot, you get archetypes. You already know how to create, direct, and contain energy in your own practice.

If you’re feeling heightened intensity right now, ask yourself what’s accelerating. Where is momentum building? What needs direction instead of more fuel? Where are you pouring gasoline on something that actually needs grounding?

That’s practical magick. That’s self-awareness. That’s working with energy in a way that’s honest.

And if you genuinely feel called to study Chinese astrology, then study it!. But let’s not pretend we’re experts because we read two Instagram captions and watched a three-minute explainer video.

Learn from teachers within that tradition. Support people who are actually rooted in it. Go deep instead of wide. That’s the appreciation and respect needed to separate people with a passion for another culture from people appropriating for likes and views. 

Magick works best when it’s personal and rooted in truth. Part of that truth is knowing what is yours to teach and what isn’t.

You don’t need cultural cosplay to be powerful. You don’t need borrowed symbolism to make your spells stronger. You don’t need a trending astrological headline to justify the fact that your life feels intense right now.

Light your candle. Set your intention. Direct your energy consciously.

So, I know, this got a little heavy…but I can’t help it, it bothered me. And it seems like stuff like this just gets bigger every year.

But let’s end this on a positive note and a focus for us, as witches, to connect with this energy that is around us right now. Here is some magick for you to dive into this week.

A Simple Elemental Ritual for Directing Intensity

While a lot of people are calling it Fire Horse Energy, let’s just acknowledge that the energy in the world and life is a lot right now. Let’s take that energy and not allow it to run wild and direct it somewhere useful instead. 

You’ll need:

• One candle in either gold, orange, or yellow

• A small bowl of water

• A small dish of salt

• Fiery incense like amber or cinnamon

• Something to write with and a small piece of paper

That’s it. No elaborate tools. No exotic correspondences. Just elements.

Sit down somewhere quiet and take a few steady breaths. Light your incense and ask yourself one question:

Where is my energy building momentum right now?

Don’t overthink it. It might be a relationship. A goal. Anger. Ambition. Anxiety. A project. Just notice what immediately comes up and go with it, don’t dig into it. The first answer is the right answer for right now.

Write it down in one clear sentence.

Now light the candle and say, out loud:

“I direct my fire with intention. My energy moves where I choose.”

Simple. No theatrics.

Hold the paper in your hands and feel into it. If what you wrote feels scattered or chaotic, that’s fine. Just notice it. You’re not judging it. You’re directing it.

Dip your fingers lightly into the water and touch the edges of the paper. This is balance. Fire without water burns out of control. Water without fire goes stagnant. You need both.

Then touch a pinch of salt and press it between your palms. Salt grounds. It stabilizes. It brings intensity back into the body and also protects your energy and intentions.

Now look at the candle flame and imagine the situation you wrote about moving forward in a focused, controlled way. Not exploding. Not spiraling. Just moving steadily in the direction you choose. Don’t try to force the outcome. Simply set the intention that you will be guided toward the best and most aligned outcome. 

When you feel settled, fold the paper once toward you and place it under the candle.

Let the candle burn safely for a while, even if it’s just ten minutes. When you’re ready, extinguish it gently with a candle snuffer, wet fingers, or the back of a spoon.. Do not blow it out. 

You’ve acknowledged the fire. You’ve balanced it with water. You’ve grounded it with earth. Now let it go.

If in the weeks to come you feel yourself drawn to add more fire toward your goal, meditate on your intention and light the incense and candle again and repeat the final part of the spell. You can do this as many times as you wish until the candle burns out. 

That’s how you work with intensity.

No borrowed astrology required.