While the recent rains may have dampened our spirits, the energy of the Lunar New Year is inevitably building. On the 17th of February, we welcome the Fire Horse—a symbol of passion, speed, and dynamic potential. To harness this powerful energy without being unseated, we must enter the year feeling light, balanced, and clear. This means first taking stock of our internal landscape: the “terrain” of our body and mind.
Think of your body as being as a kingdom, with its “Officials” that carry out important functions. They are named after some of the organ., Over the past year, your senses have been tireless workers, delivering a constant stream of information—every conversation, every joy, every stressor—directly to your internal energy field. If this influx was too great or went unprocessed, your internal kingdom may now be overwhelmed, leading to blockages (Qi Stagnation) or depletion (Qi Deficiency). The fiery, fast-moving energy of the Horse will only amplify these existing imbalances.
To ride with the Fire Horse, we first need to understand how we process—or fail to process—the year that has passed.
The Foundation: The Spleen as Minister of Transformation
Before we trace the path of information, just bear in mind that this all needs to be fueled, and it the Spleen “Official” that fuels the entire system. The Spleen is the “Minister of Transformation.” Its job is to transform food into Qi (energy) and Blood, and then transport that fuel throughout the body. On a mental level, the Spleen is responsible for concentration, study, and “digesting” our daily experiences.
When we worry excessively or eat poorly under stress, the Spleen weakens. It can no longer produce enough Qi, leading to Spleen Qi Deficiency. The entire body lacks fuel, resulting in:
Digestive upset: Loose stools, bloating, poor appetite.
Chronic fatigue: Waking up tired, with heavy limbs.
Brain fog: An inability to concentrate or hold onto new information.
A sense of heaviness or prolapse: The Spleen can no longer “hold things up.”
The Pathway of Processing: How Overwhelm Creates Imbalance
The journey of information from the outside world to your inner core can break down at several stages, often worsened by a weak Spleen.
- The Lung (The Gatekeeper) Becomes Brittle
The Lung is the “Minister of Reception.” It governs your boundary with the world, your protective energy (Wei Qi), and your openness to sensation. Too much sensory input, grief, or environmental stress weakens this boundary, leading to Lung Qi Deficiency.
You feel vulnerable and fragile.
Signs: Weak immunity, catching every cold, shortness of breath, a quiet voice, and spontaneous sweating.
2. The Spleen (The Analyst) Gets Waterlogged
When the Spleen is already weak, a flood of information overwhelms its capacity to “digest” it. The system gets clogged with “dampness,” leading to Spleen Damp-Heat or Spleen Qi Sinking.
The body fills with undigested waste, like a swamp.
Signs: Water retention, sinus congestion, heavy achy limbs, sticky loose stools, and weepy skin conditions like eczema.
3. The Small Intestine (The Filter) Gets Clogged
The Small Intestine’s job is to separate the “pure” from the “impure” in all we take in. When life moves too fast, this filter gets overwhelmed and starts sending everything—junk and treasure alike—up to the Heart/mind. This is Small Intestine Qi Stagnation.
You feel mentally confused, indecisive, and scattered.
Signs: Bloating around the belly button, gurgling in the gut, and neck or jaw tension (along the meridian’s pathway).
- The Liver (The General) Gets Stuck
The Liver is the “General” who ensures the smooth flow of Qi everywhere. When it receives too much unprocessed information, its job becomes impossible, and the energy gets stuck.
This is Liver Qi Stagnation.
Signs: Aching under the ribs, IBS triggered by stress, a feeling of a lump in the throat (globus hystericus), chest tightness, and a need to sigh.
5. The General Catches Fire
When Qi gets stuck for too long, it generates heat, like a dammed-up river turning stagnant and warm. This is Liver Fire Blazing.
Frustration turns into active anger.
Signs: Throbbing migraines, red painful eyes, high-pitched tinnitus, a bitter taste in the mouth, and waking between 1-3 AM.
6. The Heart (The Ruler) Gets Overheated
The Heart houses the Shen (Spirit/Mind) and is the “Emperor.” It receives a flood of unfiltered information from the Small Intestine and rising heat from the Liver, becoming agitated. This is Heart Fire or Heart Blood Deficiency.
The mind cannot rest.
Signs: Palpitations, insomnia, poor memory, painful tongue sores, and facial flushing.
7. The Kidney (The Foundation) Runs Dry
The Kidney stores your deepest reserves, your Essence (Jing). A year of constant stress burns through this fuel. The fire from the Liver and Heart begins to consume the body’s deep resources, leading to Kidney Yin or Yang Deficiency.
You crash into deep exhaustion.
Signs of Yin (heat) deficiency: Night sweats, low back ache, low-pitched tinnitus, premature aging.
Signs of Yang (cold) deficiency: Feeling intensely cold, frequent urination, loss of drive, and oedema.
Common Patterns of Overwhelm
Life rarely creates a single, simple imbalance. Here are the common patterns patients bring to the clinic:
The Burnout (Lung & Kidney Deficiency): You started the year porous and ended it deeply exhausted. Presents as: recurrent colds, chronic fatigue, feeling cold.
The Pressure Cooker (Liver Qi Stagnation turning to Fire): You feel stuck, which turns into rage and impatience. Presents as: migraines, IBS, insomnia, high blood pressure.
The Waterlogged Mind (Spleen Deficiency with Dampness): You couldn’t digest the year’s experiences. Presents as: brain fog, water retention, poor memory, sinus congestion.
How to Process: Self-Care and the Role of Acupuncture
If you recognise yourself in any of these patterns, take heart. These are not labels, but simply descriptions of where your energy has become stuck or depleted. The body has an incredible capacity to heal.
Self-Care for Processing the Year:
For the Spleen: Eat warm, cooked meals. Try a “grounding walk” in nature without distractions. Keep a “processing journal,” noting what you took in and what you can let go of.
For the Lung: Practice long, slow exhales. Create a small ritual to physically let go of a grief or disappointment (e.g., writing it down and safely burning the paper).
For the Small Intestine: Go on an “information diet”—reduce news and social media to give your filter a rest.
For the Liver: Move your body with gentle stretching, yoga, or tai chi. Drink warm lemon water in the morning. Write an “unsent letter” to express stuck anger.
For the Heart: Practice a short, heart-centred meditation. Reduce stimulants like caffeine and alcohol in the evening.
For the Kidney: Prioritise rest, aiming to be asleep by 11 PM. Apply gentle heat to your lower back. Spend time in stillness.
How Acupuncture Helps:
You can do all of this self-care, and it will help. But sometimes, the patterns are too tangled to unravel alone. This is where acupuncture comes in.
Diagnosis & Clarity: Through pulse and tongue diagnosis, an acupuncturist can see your exact pattern of imbalance, providing a clear map for healing.
Moving the Stuck: Fine needles act as keys, unlocking the gates where Qi has become trapped, relieving pressure and pain.
Nourishing the Empty: Acupuncture also strengthens and nourishes depleted organs, drawing on the body’s deep reserves.
Rebalancing the System: Acupuncture restores healthy communication between the organ systems. It can calm an overactive Liver while supporting a weak Spleen, for example.
Creating Space for the Shen: Most importantly, the treatment room offers a rare space for the Spirit/Mind to simply rest. In that deep stillness, the body remembers how to heal itself.
A Final Word
As you stand at the threshold of the Fire Horse year, know that you are not broken. You are simply carrying the weight of a year that asked much of you. Whether through your own self-care or with the help of a skilled practitioner, you have everything you need to process, release, and restore.
The Fire Horse is not here to burn you. It is here to carry you forward—if you are light enough to mount it.
May your new year be filled with exactly the right kind of fire.