Fire Horse Energy: Unleash Your Inner Empress

The Year of the Fire Horse arrives February 17, 2026—a once-in-60-years cosmic event that invites you to step into bold, unapologetic visibility. After the introspective Wood Snake year of shedding and wisdom-gathering, it's time to gallop forward with passion, sovereignty, and heart-centered action.

In this episode, Rose explores the powerful fire horse energy and what it means for women ready to rewrite the rules of aging, visibility, and power. Drawing from Chinese astrology, elemental wisdom, and the Empress Rising framework, you'll discover how to harness this intense, transformational energy without burning out.

What You'll Learn:

• What makes the fire horse year so rare and revolutionary (hint: the last one sparked the counterculture movement of 1966)
• How to balance fierce yang energy with essential yin practices to avoid burnout
• Five powerful practices to harness fire horse momentum: grounding techniques, choosing your direction, honoring sovereignty, stepping into visibility, and balancing fire with water
• Why this year is custom-made for midlife women reclaiming their power
• How to lead from your heart instead of overthinking every decision
• The sovereign pause practice for discerning true yes from obligation
• Mirror work and daily practices to build your courage muscle

Practices From This Episode:

✨Morning grounding ritual: barefoot earth connection before checking your phone ✨ Compass exercise:  four life directions ✨ "Not This Year" list: releasing obligations that don't serve your path ✨ Mirror practice: visibility affirmations ✨ Sovereign pause:  ✨ Weekly water rituals

Resources Mentioned:

• Grounding crystals: hematite, black tourmaline, black obsidian, smoky quartz

This episode is for you if you're done shrinking, ready to be seen, and willing to trust your untamed, unapologetic aliveness. The fire horse is galloping in—will you ride?

For more on reclaiming your sovereignty and owning your energy, grab a copy of

Empress Rising: Own Your Energy, Trust Your Wisdom, and Rewrite the Rules of Aging 👑 Don’t miss your chance to step into your reign as an Empress — your wisdom years are your most radiant yet.

Rose Wippich is an Energy Alchemist, Reiki Master, and host of Chat Off The Mat—a podcast exploring energy, empowerment, and transformation for women. She helps women embody their Empress energy and rewrite the narrative of aging through her book Empress Rising: Own Your Energy, Trust Your Wisdom & Rewrite the Rules of Aging. 👑

Connect with Rose 🌐 rosewippich.com 🎙️ Subscribe to Chat Off The Mat | Leave a review | Share with a friend who needs to hear it

Wear your crown proudly and live the magic. 👑

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Produced by Rose Wippich | Chat Off The Mat Podcast

© 2026 Rose Wippich

Transcript

Welcome & Setting The Theme

Rose 0:10

Welcome to Chat Off the Mat. I'm your host, Rose Wippich. This is where we explore energy, empowerment, and what it means to embody your Empress energy. Welcome back to Chat Off The Mat, where we explore energy, empowerment, and transformation for women who are ready to rewrite the rules. I'm Rose, your energy alchemist and modern empress, and today we're talking about something that has me absolutely buzzing with anticipation. The year of the fire horse, which begins on February 17th, 2026. Now, if you've been with me through this wood snake year, you know we've been in a time of shedding, introspection, and deep wisdom. The snake invited us to move slowly, to trust our intuition, and transform from the inside out. Beautiful, necessary, but maybe you have felt it, that sense of things falling away. You know, those old stories, those old identities dissolving, getting really quiet and still to hear your own inner voice. But on February 17th, everything shifts. The fire horse gallops in. And sisters, this is the energy that we've been building toward. This is where your inner empress gets to run free. I have to tell you, when I first learned about the fire horse year, my whole body responded, you know, after a year of introspection, really focusing on writing and just shedding, I'm ready to move. I'm ready for passion and action and bold expression. And I'm guessing if you're listening to this, you are too. So grab your tea or maybe your coffee because we're going to talk about high octane energy. Let's talk about what the fire horse is, right? So in uh Chinese astrology, we're going to enter into a year that only comes around once every 60 years. Think about that. Most of us will only experience one, maybe two fire horses in our entire lifetime. So the last one was in 1966. And if you know your history, you know that was not a quiet year. 1966 was the height of the counterculture revolution. Women, well, they were burning bras, or at least starting to, and demanding equality. The civil rights movement was in full force. People were questioning authority, demanding freedom, creating new ways of living. The Beatles released Revolver, the Black Panther Party was founded. NOW, the National Organization for Women, was established. That wasn't coincidence. That, my empresses, was fire horse energy moving through the collective. So what exactly is the horse in Chinese astrology? The horse is the seventh animal in the zodiac cycle, and it represents freedom, vitality, passion, and forward movement. Horses, well, they're beautiful creatures, right? And they're powerful. They're also very social creatures. They're warm-hearted, enthusiastic, and optimistic. They love being around others, but they also fiercely value their independence. You cannot cage a horse. You can't control a horse. A horse needs space to run, to express, to be fully themselves. Horses are also incredibly intuitive and sensitive. They can sense energy shifts. So if you've ever ridden a horse, you know that they can sense your energy. They can read environments, they can feel what's not being said. They're intelligent and very quick thinking. And they're courageous. They're willing to take risks, to leap, to gallop toward what calls them. So now add the fire element to that equation. Fire is one of the five elements in Chinese medicine and philosophy, and it's associated with summer, with expansion, with the heart organ system. Fire is about joy, connection, love, passion, transformation. Fire illuminates what's been hidden in shadow. It's light. Fire transforms everything it touches, turning the solid into ash, creating light and heat and movement. Fire is also about leadership and charisma. It's magnetic. It draws people in. It inspires. So now put horse and fire together. You get an unstoppable energy for expression, bold action, living life on your terms, and inspiring transformation in everyone around you. But here's what's important to understand fire horse years are intense. This isn't gentle, meandering energy. This is powerful, young, dynamic, sometimes overwhelming energy. And that's why the snake year was so important. It prepared us. It gave us the wisdom, the discernment, the inner clarity that we'll need to ride the fire horse without getting burned. So if you've read my book, Empress Rising, or you've heard me talking about it on this podcast, you know that the journey to claiming your sovereignty isn't gentle or quiet. It's fierce. It requires you to stop shrinking, to stop dimming your light, to stop playing by rules that were never designed for your liberation. The fire horse year is custom-made for the woman who's done with those old narratives, those old stories, those old rules. So let me paint a picture for you. For so many of us, especially those of us in midlife and beyond, we've been conditioned to become invisible. Or maybe society just makes us invisible. We're told that our power years are behind us, that it's time to quiet down, step back, fade gracefully into the background, right? We're supposed to be content with less visibility, less passion, less fire. We're told to be practical, right? To be realistic, not so sensitive, not make waves, to support everyone else's dreams while setting aside our own. And here's what I know from my own journey and from working with women. We've been complicit in our own dimming. Not because we are weak, but because we're trained so well. We learn to read the room, to adjust our energy, to make others comfortable, to prioritize everyone else's needs over our own desires. And the fire horse says this no way. Absolutely not. That's not happening. Not anymore. So really, this is the year of Empress Rising, right? The fire rising, the energy rising. And in my book, I write about the moment when you realize you've been living by someone else's rule book. Maybe it's your family's expectations. Maybe even it's your generational family expectations. Maybe it's cultural conditioning about what women should do. Maybe it's internalized patriarchy telling you that your worth is in service and not in sovereignty. Well, the Empress archetype is the one who says, listen, I'm writing my own rules now. She's sovereign. I'm sovereign, meaning I trust myself completely to govern my own life. The Empress is powerful not because she controls others, but because she owns her energy, her choices, her truth. She doesn't ask permission. She doesn't wait to be chosen. She chooses herself. How powerful is that? I think about my own journey from when I worked in corporate many years ago, and I spent many years doing that. And then becoming a mother at 41 and raising my children, and then my journey through breast cancer. And then finding my space, finding my tribe, finding my passion and my life journey as a teacher, as an author, as a speaker. There were moments of doubts, but I knew that it was something that I wanted to do and I wanted to pursue. So my passion for this energy work and for being here on this stage to provide the message for you, to help empower you and helping women reclaim their sovereignty, that fire that was building inside of me that was always there, that was stronger than my fear. Because change can be scary. And sometimes we have to just overcome that fear and do what we feel we must do. The snake gear that we just lived through. Well, it helped us to shed what wasn't ours. Maybe those those thoughts about not being good enough or being scared. And maybe that our journey was over, but it's not. Now the horse asks this What are you going to do with all that wisdom? How are you going to move? Where are you going to run? What are you going to create? Who are you going to become? And here's the beautiful part. You don't have to do it all, or you don't have to have it all figured out today or on the 17th. The horse doesn't plan every step before galloping. It has the freedom to run, to explore. The horse trusts its instincts, feels the wind, and runs. The fire illuminates the path as you go. Now I want to be real with you. This much fire, remember, I said it was going to be intense. This much young energy. It can be intense. And the fire horse doesn't do moderation well. So it's going to be go, go, go, move, move, move. So you have to be careful of one thing: the burnout. You don't want to burn yourself out. I've seen this happen, including myself. When I do too much yang activity without adding a little yin. So being more passive, being more relaxed, being more restorative, pausing more. So you have to have that balance. Otherwise, you'll crash. You'll make impulsive decisions when you should pause and think about those decisions first. So we need to work with this energy in a certain way. Wisely. How do we harness the horse's momentum without losing ourselves? How do we tend the fire without getting burnt? First, we ground ourselves. Let's say there are so many things you want to do, you want to do it all, and you feel you can't. But think about your grounding techniques when you may feel overwhelmed or full of anxiety because there's a lot happening. Maybe you have a chigang practice, maybe you have a yoga practice or a meditation practice. Maybe you just walk, maybe just take a bath to ground yourself, put your feet in the earth. Maybe some gardening will help. Try to incorporate these into your life because they're very essential, because they'll root you down so you don't rise up too much or too fast and you don't burn out. For example, every morning before you get up, before you check your phone, which is the first thing a lot of people do, including myself at times. I'm honest. Stand barefoot on the earth, even on your floor, right? Because the floor is connected to the earth. Just feel the energy centers on the bottom of your feet, grow roots connecting to the earth. And ask for the earth to ground you throughout the day when you're feeling a little off or out of balance. Take three breaths in and out, long ones, to help center you and ground you. Just say to yourself, I am here, I am grounded, I am ready. Takes two minutes. You could do that same exercise throughout the day, not just in the morning. It's such a simple practice. So maybe a hematite, maybe a black tourmaline, black obsidian. Smoky quartz is a really beautiful stone to help ground your energy. So when you feel that energy get a little too intense, maybe hold that stone, breathe it in. Maybe go to your throne for a few moments and pause. Just sit there and breathe. Five minutes just to ground your energy when you feel overwhelmed. Bring that flame down a little bit towards the earth. Now, the second thing is to choose your direction. So the fire horse has incredible momentum. But momentum without direction is just chaos. Get clear on where you want to run. Now where others think you should go. Now think about that. Where does your heart call you? Here's a practice that I love. Take a page and draw a compass. North, south, east, and west. And in the center, write me in 2026. Then in each direction, write one area of your life: career, relationships, creativity, and health. And whatever matters to you. Okay, so in those categories, write what is important to you, what you value, maybe even a goal or an intention. So ask yourself, and for each one, if I let my fire horse energy run free here, what would I create? What would I dare to do? Don't edit yourself. Let the horse run wild on the page. Just write. Then circle the one direction that makes your heart race the most. That's where you start. You can also create a vision board specifically for the fire horse energy. But here's the key. Don't make it pretty and peaceful. Make it bold, vibrant, even a little crazy. Think outside. Run wild. Use reds. Use images of movement. Pictures that make you feel, yes, this is what I want to gallop towards. One of the things that I've been thinking about as far as myself is that in all the years that I've been alive, probably, I've played itself safe. I let fear stop me. And this year, my word for the year is adventure. Because I want to be adventurous. I don't want fear to stop me anymore because life is too short. The fire horse in me wants to be on bigger stages, reaching more women, speaking uncomfortable truths about aging and power and sovereignty. That both thrills and terrifies me, which tells me that's exactly where I need to run to. Third, I want you to honor your sovereignty. Sovereignty means you trust yourself to make your own decisions about your energy, your time, your life. The fire horse will test this. It will bring opportunities, invitations, exciting possibilities, and you get to decide: does this align with my truth? Or am I just getting swept away from the by the practice the sovereign pause when an opportunity comes your way? An invitation, a request, a new project, instead of immediately saying yes or no, just stop, pause. Put your hand on your heart, take three breaths, ask yourself does this expand my energy or contract it? Does this align with where I want to run? Or is this someone else's direction? How does that feel in your body? Trust your intuition. That felt sense. Here's another exercise. I want you to create your not this year list. Write down three to five things you're officially not doing in 2026, even if they're good things, even if people expect them from you. This might be committees that you're stepping off of or obligations that you're typically doing. You want to let go of those things. Let them go. Or maybe they're patterns you're done with. Post it where you can see it. And remind yourself of those things. Let them go. Let the fire element burn them away because that fire horse needs clear lanes to run. So create yours. Remember, saying yes to everything is not going to help you. Choose your adventure, your path, your journey based on what you want. Fourth, let yourself be seen. This might be the scariest part for many of us. Fire illuminates. The horse runs in the open field, not hidden in the forest. 2026 is asking you to step into visibility. Share your gifts. Speak your truth. Own your power publicly. Do not go into the background. Don't become invisible. You have something to share. Do you know how much wisdom you have? Do you know how many gifts that you have? A lot more than you think, or give yourself credit for. And start small. Each act of visibility builds your courage muscle one small step at a time. Try this mirror practice, okay? Stand in front of a mirror, look at yourself in the eyes, and say, I am meant to be seen. My gifts matter. My voice matters. I'm done hiding. Do this daily, especially on days when you want to shrink. I know it sounds simple, but let me tell you, it's so, so, so powerful. You'll be surprised at what may happen. You may decide to start your own podcast, write your own book, do something different, take classes, speak in front of an audience. Who knows? Turn that spotlight on yourself. Fifth, balance fire with water. Literally and energetically. Okay, so water, you think about water and fire, water will put fire out. But you don't have to put fire out totally. You can just spritz it a little bit so that it dims it down. Stay hydrated. Rest. The fire element can deplete our kidney energy if we're not careful. Your yin practices like yin yoga, restorative yoga or qigong, meditation, rest, become even more important this year. Practically speaking, drink more water than you think you need. The fire horse burns hot and a pinch of sea salt to help your body actually absorb it. Maybe you want to create a weekly water practice. If you have some place that you can go swimming indoors or even outdoors, depending on where you live, go by the ocean. Take a walk, absorb the ocean energy, that ocean vibe. Take a bath with Epsom salt and lavender. No phone, just you, warm water, candlelight. This is an indulgence. It's essential. You're literally putting out the fire before it burns you out. And if bats aren't your thing and it's not for many people, or maybe it is for some, but not for everybody. Don't wait until you're depleted to do that, though. Okay. Make a regular habit or routine or ritual with water. Most sustainable fire is one that's tended, not one that rages until it burns out. Remember that. So having that water element, that water practice is going to keep the balance. Will become depleted and you'll burn out. So really take care of yourself. Think about cooling and calming and nourishing practices. One last thing. Let's talk about the fire element and how it governs the heart in Chinese medicine. Here's what's beautiful: the heart is called the emperor in the body. It's the seed of consciousness, of shen, which is our spirit, our divine spark. When we talk about fire horse energy, we're talking about heart-centered living, leading from the heart, making decisions from the heart, connecting with others heart to heart, living with joy, passion, authenticity. And for so many of us, and I include myself in this, we learn to lead from our head. Too much thinking, too much strategizing, too much planning. Let's just not think so much. Let's think from our heart. Let's react from our heart. A lot of us close our heart space because we want to protect ourselves from disappointment or failure or judgment. And sometimes that's okay. But to totally shut that heart off, that's not healthy. Firehorse is asking, lead with passion, lead with love. Trust your heart. Trust what your heart desires as much as your what your mind says to you about making plans. Allow yourself to be able to express joy and not hold it in. Be happy. In Empress Rising, I write about owning your energy, really knowing what lights you up, what drains you, what makes you feel most alive. This year, it's a perfect time to put that into practice. Say yes to what makes your heart race with excitement. To say no, what dampens your fire. This is maybe radical for women who've spent decades putting everyone else first because we're trained to consider everyone else's feelings, everyone else's needs, everyone else's comfort before our own desires. But your aliveness, your joy, your passion, these are not luxuries. They're your birthright. They're what makes you. You're brilliant. You're talented. You have so many gifts. Share them. Don't wait for permission. Don't wait until you think you're ready. Don't wait for the perfect time. Don't wait till you think you have everything figured out. Now's the time. Get on that fire horse. You're ready. Your gifts are needed. Your voice matters. And here's what happens when you lead from the heart. You inspire others to do the same. Your courage becomes contagious. Your authenticity gives others permission to be authentic. Your fire lights other fires. You support other women. That's the real magic. It's about collective awakening. When enough of us step into our power, speak our truth, own our sovereignty, we change culture. And it's gonna happen. We're rising, empresses. Let's all do it together. Now, remember I said horses are social, so surround yourself with people who celebrate your fire, not dim it. This is important. Look at the people around in your life. Who are those that celebrate you, that support you, that you can go to when you need them? Surround yourself with these people. And release relationships that require you to shrink. Seek out people who inspire you, challenge you even, and see your greatness, even when you don't. And practice from your heart. Listen to your heart first. Ask your heart what it needs, what it wants, what it knows. Trust what you hear. I want to acknowledge that fire horse energy has a shadow side too. Too much fire can burn bridges, damage relationships, lead to impulsive decisions that you may regret. The horse can be a bit stubborn, impatient, reckless, perhaps. So watch for making major decisions in a state of high emotion without grounding first. The antidote is to come back to your practices. Ground, pause, check in with your sovereign self. Ask, is this passion-fueled action aligned with my deepest truth, or is this just adrenaline? The goal isn't to suppress firehorse energy, but it is to channel it wisely. The fire horse year is a gift, a once-in-a-60 years invitation to live fully, to love deeply and lead boldly, to let your inner empress run free. The question isn't whether you're ready, the question is, are you willing? As we prepare to transition from snake to horse, from introspection to expression, from wisdom to action, I invite you to get clear on what wants to gallop through you in 2026. Because the world needs your fire, your passion, your truth, your untamed, uncontainable, unapologetic aliveness. The fire horse is coming. She's ready to run. Are you? For more in reclaiming your sovereignty and owning your energy, grab a copy of Empress Rising. Link is in the show notes. I'd love to hear what resonated with you from this episode and each episode, actually. So reach out on Instagram at RoseWippich, or you can email me, rose at rosewippich.com. And if you know a woman who needs to hear this message, please share this episode with her. Until next time, stay sovereign. Ready for more? Subscribe to Chat Off The Mat, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it. Learn more about embodying your empress energy and claiming your throne at rosewhipitch.com. Until next time, I'm Rose Wippich, reminding you wear your crown proudly and live the magic.