January 31st marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year. Each year of the Chinese calendar is associated with one of the Five Elements and one of the Twelve Animals of the Zodiac, and this year is the Year of the Wood Horse! The Horse corresponds to the Chinese Organ Network of the Heart, and if we can understand the Heart as it is understood in Chinese Physiology, we can know a lot about the dynamics of the Year of the Wood Horse.

The Heart is associated with the Fire Element, and Wood engenders Fire, so a Wood Horse Year is considered to be one of good fortune because the energy is moving with the natural flow of things. The Heart is the Sovereign organ of our internal Universe. Just as a King and Queen sit on their thrones mandating how their lands are to be governed, so too do our Hearts sit in the center of our bodies circulating vital nutrients to every cell so that they may be able to carry out their proper functions.

The sense organ of the Heart is the Tongue and relates to our ability to communicate clearly and honestly, to speak from our Hearts. The Heart is the knower of truth, and keeper of the authentic self. Consider these phrases common in all cultures, “Deep in my heart I alwaysknew the truth” and “My heart just wasn’t in it”.  There is an intuitive knowing inside of each of us that resonates with those words, and according to Chinese Physiology, that knowing is referred to as the Heart. With just these few and simple things about the Heart, we can see how the dynamics of the Year of the Wood Horse begin to make themselves clear.

The Year of the Wood Horse is about stepping into a more full expression of who we truly are. The nature of a Wild Horse is to run free across an open plane, not to be penned up behind a fence. Let the nature of your Authentic Self be present in everything you do. Take the action you know you need to. Speak the truth that needs to be spoken. Honor your purpose and hold yourself to the standard of your own highest calling. This past year, the Year of the Water Snake, was about integrating lessons learned and shedding the skin that no longer serves. This year is about filling our new skins with the whole truth of who we are, whatever that truth may be. Let our words and actions be an extension of our Hearts. And let it be known that in the realm of the Heart, all truth is welcome.