Giddy Up Fire Horse: The Real New Year Is Finally Here

You did the work. You made the decision. So why haven't you moved yet? In this episode, Jojo gets real about the in-between space, the uncomfortable gap between deciding and doing and ties it to one of the most cosmically significant days in 60 years. Chinese New Year, a solar eclipse, a new moon, and the opening of an 18 month eclipse portal all collide on the same day. We break down what the Year of the Fire Horse means, how the North and South Nodes are literally written for this moment, and why the universe is done letting you stay stuck. Plus Jojo shares her own next step in real time. This one is personal. Let's get MESy.

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Transcript

Jojo (00:07.246)
Welcome the Inside Out Podcast. I'm your host JoJo and this is where we will navigate the mess together. That is mental, emotional and spiritual. Let's get messy.

Jojo (00:25.967)
Hi guys, welcome back. Okay, I had to record this episode today. It literally could not go without being talked about. So today is February 17th, 2026, and it is the Chinese New Year. There's also a solar eclipse happening right now, and it's a new moon. So we are officially entering an 18 month eclipse portal. And this specific combination

is happening for the first time in 60 years. So the reason I felt like it so important to talk about today is because if you listen to last week's episode, we talked about change. We did the audit and we got real about what stays, what goes and what transforms. And I mentioned a decision that I've made to move to leave New York and I

No, somebody is already thinking, well, okay, so did you move yet? No, I have not. But what I am doing in the next few days is going to look at apartments. I want to talk about this specifically because right now there's a gap. There's a gap between decision and action. And I think a lot of us are living in that liminal space. And the reason this episode

exists is because today feels like the right time to get into it. So get comfortable because we're getting messy. Okay. So as I mentioned last week, it was the personal audit. What stays, what goes, what changes. And that conversation came from a really real place for me. I have made the decision to move. That's real and it's happening.

But what I didn't fully get into is what comes after the decision. Because there's this space that nobody really prepares you for. Like you've decided, you've made up your mind, but you haven't done it yet. And it's uncomfortable, but in a very specific way. Because you're too far in to go back on yourself, but you're not far enough forward to feel solid.

Jojo (02:47.971)
You're just kind of suspended in this liminal in between space. And I've been living there for quite some time now, but my guess is some of you guys have too. So honestly, that suspended feeling has been a vibe for me for the last year. And probably a lot of you are feeling that too, because the year we just came out of was the year of the wood snake.

That year was literally built for that liminal space energy. The snake, think of a snake. It's slow. It's strategic. It sheds its skin and it sheds it quietly. It observes before it acts. takes its time. And you guys don't even need to follow a Chinese astrology to even feel this. But that was a lot of the flavor of 2025. It was heavy.

It was internal and a lot has been happening underneath the surface that just isn't visible yet. It's been a lot of, know something needs to shift, but I'm not ready to move yet. That's, that's a snake.

And that in a way is kind of doing us a favor. It's giving us permission to sit in a process without rushing an action or an outcome. And dare I say, it's been pretty necessary because the work that we've had to do this past year, that work matters. But as of today, the snake is done. As of today, we are in the year of the fire horse.

And you guys, this energy couldn't be more different. Now, as you know, I'm not an astrologer, but I'm so into the energetics of the universe and the fact that like we are in a new moon, an eclipse portal and a Chinese New Year. Like that's no accident. So when you think of a snake, snakes move sideways. They're serpentine, they're slow, but the horse, it goes forward.

Jojo (05:03.236)
just for, there's no circles, there's no back and forth. mean, unless it's bucking, but we're not talking about that. It's not going, let me think about this a little more. No, it's just, it's charging directly straight ahead. And fire, fire is visibility. It's passion, it's momentum, it's courage. And I'm seeing some astrologers

calling this the double fire energy because the horse itself carries fire and the element of this year is fire. So it's bold, it's fast, and the theme of it, especially of this year, is completely unwilling to let you stay small. And as I mentioned, on top of that,

there's also the solar eclipse happening today, which means we are officially entering an eclipse portal. So for the next 18 months, we're going to be experiencing a series of eclipses that are working on a specific axis. And this is where everything gets really juicy because eclipses work with North and South nodes of the moon. So think of the North node as where the universe is pulling you, your growth, your destiny, your direction, and it's the thing that stretches you.

out of your comfort zone. And your South node is what you're being asked to release. It's your past, the familiar patterns, the default settings, and the things, the ways that you kind of retreat and the things that you retreat to when you're scared. So right now at this very second, we enter this portal and the South node is in Virgo. Virgo is the energy of over analysis, perfectionism.

needing to have every single little thing figured out before you take the next step, needing to plan, needing everything to be right and airtight before you make a move. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Cause it sure sounds familiar to me. And the North node is in Pisces. Good old Pisces and Pisces is faith. It's intuition. It's trust. Pisces is moving forward when maybe you can only see the next step. You can't even see the full staircase. When I

Jojo (07:21.284)
tell you that I made the decision to move, but I haven't moved yet. I'm in that South node Virgo sort of pull in real time. I've analyzed it from every angle. I know the pros and cons and I've had the conversations. I've made the list. I've thought about it. I've overthought it. And I keep finding myself in these moments where I'm like, but have I thought about this enough? And I keep going back to the same feeling.

This is like, have I, have I done my due diligence? Am I making the right decision? However, that fear cycle that I'm in by overthinking, it kind of just needs to stop. I don't need to have everything figured out right now. I don't need to have everything lined up perfectly. I just need to move. And that's the in-between space because you can't just always be living on that threshold. Thresholds are meant to be crossed. So

I am taking the steps. am going to look at apartments. I am going to go check out this new life that I'm about to be building, but I'm taking the necessary steps in order to actualize that next step. And I'm stepping into more of that north node, more of that intuitive. I know that I'm going in the right direction. It might not be clear. I might not be sure how everything's going to unfold, but I know that this has to be done.

I'm saying all of this because I think a lot of you are in a version of this same type of space right now.

So maybe it's not a physical move, but maybe it's a relationship that you've decided you need to end or leave, but you haven't yet. Maybe it's a job that you've decided that this isn't it, but you know, you're still showing up every morning. Or maybe it's this version of yourself that you've decided you're done being, but you're still slipping back to old patterns.

Jojo (09:23.428)
familiarity, a comfortable place that you've always kind of gone back to. However, you have made the decision. You have done the work. You know what the next step is, but again, you're still standing at that threshold. You guys, got it. I really do.

Because when you do the personal audit, that's still safe. It's internal, it's private. No one has to, you know, see you change your mind and change your mind again, unless you're broadcasting it or talking about it all the time. But it's still, it's inside. It's not actually on the outside yet. It's not external. But when you make that move, you see it. When you actually decide, when someone leaves a city, you see them actually leave. You see them move.

And there's a big change. You're stepping into the unknown, but that's what this North note is asking. It's asking you to stretch. It's asking you to go, to be more Piscean, to be more in that, you know, unfurlment of what's really meant for you and trusting that and having faith that if you move, the universe will move with you. And now to tie it all together.

That's the exact energy of this fire horse. The fire horse is asking you to get on its back and take a ride and gallop off into the distance and literally leave that old skin, that shedded snake skin behind. The old life that doesn't fit you, that doesn't suit you, that doesn't make you happy, that doesn't spark joy, that doesn't do any of the things that you are so deeply craving.

It's asking you to leave that completely behind. And this is what I want you to understand about this eclipse portal. And the fire horse, and this year, and the new moon. Because this isn't gonna be a one day, it's not just today. This day is a door opening. And this eclipse that's happening is gonna be the unfoldment of the next 18 or so months.

Jojo (11:31.342)
And it's going to be still activating and accentuating that exact same energy. It's asking you to release those patterns, to move in that new direction, which means the universe isn't going to let you stay stuck anymore. It is probably, if you're not listening, it's going to give you circumstances and keep nudging you and pushing you toward the thing that you've decided.

no matter how uncomfortable it is, no matter how much out of your comfort zone you actually have to break out of. So do you want to move consciously or get dragged there?

It goes back to that little thing. First the universe like taps on your shoulder and it's like, hi, you should do this. Then there's like a knock on your door. You open the door and it's like, hi, the universe, you should do this. And then it knocks on your door again, but this time it throws you down the stairs. Do you want to be thrown down the stairs or would you like the little tap on the shoulder? And I'm going to be straight with you guys. I'm talking myself through this as much as I'm talking to you guys right now. I have made my decision and now I have to trust it. I have to stop.

looking at all the notes and the lists and auditing and I just have to go with my decision and start crossing that threshold one step at a time. And my next step is looking at apartments. So what's your step? Because in this really wild and rare, cosmically loaded time period, I want you to ask yourself that question because

Deep down, I'm sure you already know the answer and you probably have decided that a while ago, but this portal is open. The fire horse is waiting and it's asking you to go, to move and to ride away. So let's get messy with this mentally, emotionally and spiritually mentally. This week's work is learning to tell the difference between processing

Jojo (13:36.54)
And let's call it stalling because from the inside they do feel identical. They, they are mostly the same, both involve thinking, both feel productive. They probably feel like you're doing something, but processing has a direction. It's moving with clarity and stalling is more or less the same loop on repeat.

So ask yourself honestly, am I still gaining new information that can change this decision that I've made or am I going over the same ground because moving feels scarier than thinking? And if it's the second one, that's not more information you need. And no matter how much thinking you do, just, you just have to do it.

So get out of your own way after you've figured out that part emotionally. Get honest with yourself about what's keeping you on the wrong side of the threshold. Let's call it that. Because it's not logic. We know logic, but it's the emotion that's underneath the hesitation. And for me, it's a mixture.

And it's a mixture of excitement for this whole new chapter and this whole life I'm gonna be creating somewhere else. But it's also grief. I'm losing a life and leaving behind something that I've built for the last 10 and a half years. And that's okay. I can grieve something and still choose to leave. I can be sad about closing a chapter, but still close it anyway. I can feel excitement at the same time. I can feel all of it.

And I can still make that step and take that step anyway. Because again, the fire horse isn't asking you not to be scared. It's asking you to move while you're scared. And spiritually, take a deep breath for a second.

Jojo (15:54.03)
because I want you to sit with the North node energy that we spoke about and how the North node is your growth edge. Where the universe is pulling you even when it's uncomfortable.

And the thing about growth edges is that they're not supposed to feel easy, but that's the whole point because it is discomfort and discomfort isn't a sign that you're going the wrong way. It's just the natural process of change and growing and evolution and evolving. did the prep work. The snake year happened. That is behind you. And the eclipse is clearing the runway.

for the next 18 months for that portal that we just entered that is gonna keep supporting this process that you are in right now. But you have to show up. You have to participate. And it doesn't have to be the whole plan figured out. Doesn't have to be every question answered. It's just taking the next step. I didn't have everything figured out. I still don't. I don't know the work situation. I'm just going.

I'm getting on that fire horse and I'm blazing a trail into my future. And I don't know where that trail is going to lead, but I'm asking you to start blazing yours. Just take the next step. That's it. You made the decision. So now let's ride. Thank you for joining me today on Inside Out. Today of all days, happy fire horse new year, happy eclipse season, happy new

We're not the same person we used to be. Thank God. But honestly, that's the beauty in all of this. We aren't even the same people we were last week. We're definitely not the same people last year. And hopefully by the time the next episode drops, we won't even recognize who we were this past week. So that's what the work looks like. That's what it means to get messy. Break things down mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Jojo (18:03.798)
So you guys know where to find me at underscore inside out.podcast. If you know anyone who is in such a transition point in their life, please send it to them. You don't know who you could be helping and make sure you sign up for the mailing list, sub stack, all the things have some announcements coming up that I'm really excited about to do with inside out and have a great week guys.

Bye.