A Farewell to the Snake - A Welcoming of the Horse
Before I begin this blog, I want to start by saying that everything that unfolds in our life serves in our evolution and the embodiment of a more whole expression of who we are. As we grow, we mature, develop, and blossom into the being we always sensed we would become. Our petals fall and return with each cycle, and through every season, we are made new again. This is the embodiment of wholeness. 2025 taught us a new way to be Whole.
2025 taught us more about ourselves than many years prior, because it was the year of the snake. The snake loves to hide underneath the ground cover and slither around in the shadows. The snake is calculated, meticulous, and patient. The snake knows when to wait and when to strike.
Most importantly of all, the snake knows when to shed its skin. There is no set date or time, but instead, nature signals the snake as to when it is time to shed. As a human viewing the snake shedding its skin, the process looks incredibly painful and daunting in time. The snake does not shed its skin in one day. It could take up to two weeks for the snake to shed its skin entirely.
For us, the process is not as clearly refined as the snake. As our society has become more disconnected from the planet’s natural rhythms, our shedding phases tend to be much uglier than the snakes’. The snake accepts its fate, making the process flow much smoother. Us on the other hand, tend to go kicking and screaming in many cases (even if it’s silent on the surface).
In 2025, many of us started as one version of ourselves and walked out unrecognizable on the other side. The snake taught us how to stealthily move throughout our day, being careful not to get stomped on. The snake also taught us so much about our worth and boundary setting. In this process, many of us felt like we were quite literally growing new skin.
Just like the changes in our life, so many of us resort to fear when we see a snake, but have you ever held one close to your body and wrapped your hands around it to feel it breathe? Have you ever rubbed your fingers down the scales to feel them separating and connecting as its breath expands in and out? It’s truly an incredible experience.
I had this experience this year, and it changed something inside of me. A fear that has been so deeply rooted by a disconnected world was abolished within the first five minutes of holding this snake. The snake was gentle, kind, and loving. It exuded confidence while respecting my ignorance and misguided fears. I could feel it healing me as I held it.
When the experience was over, I felt pulled to do some research and learned that components of snake venom can actually inhibit tumor growth, trigger apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancer cells, and interfere with angiogenesis (blood vessel growth tumors rely on). They are natural healers!! And we are afraid of them?
Imagine if we could hold our fears like the snake, witnessing the beauty in them instead of running away when they approach. Examining the intricacies as we exhale and inhale… Seeing ourselves as the snake instead of being separate from it. This is Kundalini - natural life force energy that moves up us like a snake, and makes us unstoppable…When we face our fears and embody true confidence in ourselves.
I think the year of the snake has taught us to dig deeper into our fears, to inspect where they are coming from, and determine if they are rooted in truth or if they are just projections from a fearful outside world. The snake does not allow those on the outside to cross its boundaries, and 2025 has taught us much about boundaries.
As we say farewell to the snake, I encourage you to take a moment to hold yourself (symbolically or literally) like you would hold a snake, and feel your strength underneath those scales. It’s been a heck of a year, and you deserve to be celebrated. You have overcome so much!
2026 The Year of the Horse
The Horse comes in at an incredible time in the cosmos right now. Astrologically speaking, 2026 is taking on a much lighter, playful, and boundless energy! Reflecting the qualities of the horse we love most.
I can’t help but envision the horse just as the movies show us. Galloping up a hill, with the sun shining behind it, mane blowing in the wind. Ah, so majestic. On the other end, 2026 will also have some Maximus vibes (from the movie Tangled).
Maximus is determined and hilarious. He’s goofy in all the right ways, and damnit, he’s set out to protect! That’s 2026 in a nutshell.
The mood is much more playful, allowing us ample opportunities to tune into that inner child that loved to play outside and just be with nature. Not only that, but it grants us permission to hold our heads high and let the wind blow our hair around like we’re Cindy Crawford on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
No bikini necessary. This energy will find you in your robe and messy bun too if you want.
The horse puts the “go” in “you go girl!” The horse takes ACTION, and does not show mercy when you try to make it go into the stable. The horse wants to be free in 2026. Nothing can hold the horse back with the placement of the stars this year.
Speaking of the stars, I can’t end this update without bringing in the biggest highlight of January. Neptune is moving into Aries, where it will take up its home for the next 13 years. The last time Neptune aligned in Aries was roughly 165 years ago. This is a once-in-a-lifetime alignment that will make us pathfinders of possibility until May, 2039.
This alignment alone will catapult us towards our purpose. Even though 13 years may seem like a long time, Neptune in Aries will have continuous goals set throughout the entire period. Keeping us on our feet the entire time. Making space for the version of ourselves that has been longing to come home to our bodies.
Neptune governs many areas in the body, but is especially influential on systems prone to autoimmune, hormonal, and nervous system imbalances.. When Neptune’s energy is out of balance, it can manifest as chronic fatigue, heightened sensitivity, inflammation, or a sense of being energetically overwhelmed. It blurs boundaries, making it difficult for the body to distinguish between internal and external stressors, which can exacerbate immune, hormonal, and nervous system challenges.
By embracing Neptune in Aries, we can take our power back through conscious action, holding strong in the boundaries we set in 2025 (and years prior), listening to our body’s subtle signals, and courageously initiating practices that support our immune, hormonal, and nervous system balance. This alignment is guaranteed to shift us towards a healthier, more balanced version of ourselves, and could be quite beautiful if we allow ourselves to settle into a wider-view perspective, seeing the big picture instead of hyper-fixating on the minute details.
If we can remain in flow, feeling what comes up instead of pushing it away, we will come out on top of every situation that arises. Especially in 2026, while the horse is here to ride us to safety and refuge.
Gentle rituals for 2026 to integrate the energy of the horse:
* Sit in silent meditation - Visualize yourself riding on horseback through a calm meadow. Allow the horse to take you on a calm, inward journey.
* Get silly with it - Prance around the house like you’re riding a horse. If you’re feeling extra spicy, imagine jumping over some small hurdles using shoes or pillows. The jumping movements are excellent for lymphatic drainage, and maybe you can have some laughs along the way. This is an excellent way to connect with your kids or grandkids, too!
* Light a candle and state an intention for freedom, courage, and swift forward movement each new moon. Close out the moon cycle (on the full moon) by journaling about areas in your life where you found more freedom or agility this cycle. Recognize and honor the work you’ve done. At the end of the year, this could be a phenomenal reminder of just how capable you are when you see all of your work over the year jotted down in one place.
Thank you for reading
Wishing you peace in January
