As many of you know, in Japan and China the zodiac consists of twelve animal signs, and each year is named after one of them. This new year of 2026 is the Year of the Horse—but more specifically it is the Year of the Fire Horse, which occurs every sixty years.**
It was 60 years ago that my family and I
arrived in Japan for the first time. Even though we were told it was the Year of
the Horse, I can’t remember anyone telling us it was the Year of the Fire Horse.
After
two years of language study in Tokyo, we moved to Fukuoka City in southwest
Japan. We lived in an all-Japanese neighborhood, and the Shibata family next
door became dear friends. Mr. Shibata’s given name was Toraichirō, and since tora
is the Japanese word for tiger, it was easy to discern he was born in the Year
of the Tiger, the same as I was.
In
1974 when I turned 36, three times around the Japanese zodiac, Mr. Shibata celebrated
his 72nd birthday, having completed six cycles. At some point, we learned
that Mrs. Shibata celebrated her birthday on January 1 even though she was born
at the end of 1906, which was the year of the Fire Horse.
For the Japanese people who take the
“superstitions” entwined with the zodiac seriously, it is commonly believed
that “girls born in the Year of the Fire Horse will be temperamental, have bad
marriages and be threats to their fathers and husbands.”
Since 1906 was the Year of the Fire Horse and
thus seen as a bad year, especially for women born with that zodiac sign, Mrs.
Shibata’s family registered her birth as being at the beginning of 1907. She
did grow up to be a rather strong-willed woman, but Toraichirō-san was a
kind, patient man, and we enjoyed having them both as neighbors during the 23
years we lived next door to them.
What can we expect this Year of the Fire Horse
(which has little meaning in the Western world)? At the end of each year, there
are always many articles published with what is thought to be the best or worst of whatever in the past year. But I want to think only about 2026 (and beyond)
rather than looking back over the past year. I don’t want to walk into the
future backwards.
In the Old Testament, the writer of Second
Isaiah records these words from the Lord God: “Forget the former things; do
not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!”
(43:18-19a, NIV). We do need to learn from what has previously happened, but it
is important not to dwell on the past. Rather, we are encouraged to focus on the
future where God is “doing a new thing.”
Despite the negative aspects of the Year of
the Fire Horse, especially for women, there are positive aspects also. The Fire
Horse can legitimately be considered as a symbol of strong will and forward
motion, encouraging individuals, families, and communities alike to pursue
important changes and reforms.
In that
sense, the Year of the Fire Horse becomes a metaphor for times when intense
pressures and rapid shifts do not just unsettle life but also open the way for
renewal, growth, and more authentic directions.
Rather than dwelling on 2025 as a horrible
year, let’s look forward to this new year being a year of
positive change. I am a regular reader of “The Cottage,” Diane Butler Bass’s Substack
newsletter. Her January 1 post was titled “Annus Mirabilis Everybody!”
Bass rightly notes that so many pundits
labeled 2025 as annus horribilis, a “horrible year.” That, she writes,
is “the 2025 consensus: Horrible. A disaster. Glad that’s done.” But, looking
forward, she challenges us readers to name the new year of 2026 annus
mirabilis, the “wonderful year,” the “year of miracles,” or the “beautiful
year.”
She continues, “We can do this. Together.
Let’s name this year Mirabilis. … If we start now, 2026 can be a
year of wonder, a year of miracles, or maybe even a beautiful year.”
Among other things, with Fire Horse energy, may
we USAmericans of goodwill work together to change the direction our nation is
heading by voting to change the political leadership of the nation come
November.
_____
** As mentioned in my previous (12/31) blog post,
Japan has long used the “Western calendar,” with the new year beginning on
January 1. But the traditional Chinese-style calendar (generally referred to
as 旧暦 (kyūreki, “old
calendar”) is still often used when referring to the zodiac, which was
borrowed from China. Thus, the “Chinese” Year of the Fire Horse doesn’t begin
until February 17.
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Thinking Friend Bob Hanson in Wisconsin emailed me these brief comments:
ReplyDelete"Being a human born in the year of the dragon 1940 I really needed your good words today, Leroy, many thanks! I will be searching for the miracles in 2026!"
Thanks for the information on the calendar and of the fire horse. I'm actually quite fond of the Asian calendar, and since I taught Asian philosophy, I would hand out to my students chocolate coins each year stamped with the animal of the new year.
ReplyDeleteI have things to say about such proposals as Bass's, but as you can imagine since you know me, they are not very sympathetic to that kind of sentiment. Your last sentence is the one I gravitate to rather than contrived sentiments of optimism and hope. Your last sentence calls for action against the evils that gave us 2025 as a "horrible year," which is the sentiment I think we should be primarily indulging in. But as of now, the empirical reality suggests 2026 is likely to be worse. We and much of the world is going to be tested by the man with no morality who says the only limit to his power is his morality. To paraphrase a common expression, you can't make this stuff up. I've always argued that human becomings cannot live without hope. We hope for better. But since I wrote my seminary thesis as "The Power of Negative Thinking," I've not been too sympathetic to the kind of positive thinking I hear so frequently, which seems to be a rather feeble attempt to comfort ourselves. The unspoken contradiction in what I've said is that, in spite of what I've said, self-help books and superficial psychologies such as cognitive behavioral therapy have been very helpful to me in my life. Go figure!
Thanks for your comments, Anton. As I have often said to you, I endeavor not to be a pessimist nor an optimist. Rather, I want as much as possible to be a realist. Consequently, what I have said about this new year (and what Bass wrote) is not a form of positive thinking. (I was never a "fan" of Norman Vincent Peale; I agreed with whoever said that Peale is appalling but Paul is appealing.)
DeleteI, too, was alarmed by the statement by "the man with no morality" saying the only limit to his power is his morality. But just in the past few days we have seen Republican politicians defy the President's position and side with Democrats on a couple of important issues, and the November election is coming. Even though I am quite concerned about Trump's potential interference in the 2026 midterm elections, I still think there is a strong possibility of a "Blue wave," especially in the House elections, and that will produce significant changes for the better.
A local Thinking Friend, whom I will leave anonymous, wrote (among other things), I "loved the forward thinking positive tone of the piece. New Year’s is a good time to renew our hope in the Prince of Peace’s work on Earth this year."
ReplyDeleteHere are comments from a Thinking Friend in California:
ReplyDelete"I didn't care so much for your first blog of the New Year; you should have mentioned that The Bible doesn't condone Astrology!"
With help from AI, here is my brief response. Most Japanese since the 1950s have treated the Japanese/Chinese zodiac as cultural superstitions or light entertainment, comparable to how many Americans view superstitions such as black cats crossing in front of someone or walking under a ladder bringing bad luck —widely known and playfully followed, but rarely taken with deep seriousness.
DeleteWhen an American "knocks on wood," are they violating the Old Testament prohibition against astrology? The modern Japanese reference to the zodiac is most likely not either.
The main point of the blog post was the third part, which has nothing to do with the Japanese zodiac (although to be consistent, I did refer to the Fire Horse in the closing statement.)
I too am alarmed by the Iwrtestatement of His Highness that he is restrained only by his morality and his mind. Since his morality is largely immoral and he is no genius, any restraint will have to come from outside MAGA. And there are some signs that the influence of MAGA is waning. I too hope for a blue wave in November. In the meantime we must vote and march. I am not physically able to march, but I can still write. My pastor and younger members of our family are marching even as I write.
ReplyDelete