Tuesday, February 17, 2026

The Year of the Fire Horse

The Lunar New Year 2026 opens the gate to 

The Year of the Fire Horse.


The Horse carries power, stamina, independence, loyalty, and a natural current of prosperity. When joined with Fire — the most dynamic of the five elements — these qualities are brightened and enlivened. Fire does not only burn; it clears. And after clearing, there is space for growth.

This is a year that invites forward movement — not frantic striving, but purposeful motion. The Horse is aligned with yang energy: active, life-generating, vital. When the Horse arrives, momentum gathers. There is ambition here, yes — but also vitality, courage, and a deep pulse of aliveness.

The Fire Horse is rare. While the Horse returns every twelve years, the Fire Horse only circles back every sixty. The lunar calendar rotates through twelve animals and five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal, and water — creating a longer rhythm within the rhythm. When Fire and Horse meet, the energy is distinct.

And yet.

A healthy horse does not gallop without reason. In ancient China, the horse symbolized inner freedom — ease within strength. Fire, when balanced, is not chaos or thrill-seeking. In classical Five Phase understanding, balanced Fire expresses connection, maturity, calm joy, spaciousness, and a quiet brightness of spirit.

Seen this way, the Fire Horse year favors steady momentum rather than dramatic upheaval. It encourages clarity without haste. Movement with rest woven in. Care that strengthens connection.

Imbalance comes when Fire is overstoked or starved, when the Horse is startled or held too tightly. Then we exhaust ourselves — expending great energy without true progress.

Perhaps this year asks something subtler:

Can action arise without urgency?
Can your spirit remain settled even as the outer world quickens?
A wise Horse knows when to pause, flick away what irritates, lower its head to graze, and then continue — grounded and sure.

💮A Gentle Action Step

Choose one meaningful intention for this new year — just one. Not a list. Not a frenzy of goals. One living thread. Write it down. Then ask:
What would steady, grounded movement toward this look like?

Take one small step this week — without rush.


💮A Blessing for the Year
May your strength be paired with softness.
May you move with courage and rest without guilt.
May growth rise naturally from what has been cleared.
And may you carry both kindness and warrior within you — bright, balanced, and unafraid.

May your fire burn warm and steady, not wild.

Gong xi fa cai — May you be blessed with prosperity in all the ways that matter. 

Chúc mừng năm mới, dồi dào sức khỏe   Happy New Year, wishing you 
great health.

 

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Color Series : Singapore Red


Singapore’s cultural landscape is layered, and red moves through it like a pulse.
Opening doors to many cultures.

It passes between Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian communities—
carrying vitality, protection, celebration, and life force.
 

Red here is not singular.
It adapts.
It weaves itself into many ways of living.


In Chinese tradition, red holds fire and sun,
the color of power, good fortune, and joy.

In Indian culture, vermilion marks purity and auspicious beginnings—
a sign of fertility, devotion, and passage.

In Malay tradition, red speaks of courage and celebration,
worn for moments meant to be remembered.

Among Eurasian communities, red appears at ceremonies—
especially weddings—shared as a color of happiness and prosperity.
 

But red in Singapore also lives in labor.

The Samsui women, marked by their bright headscarves,
carried stone, soil, and steel through heat and rain.
They paved roads.
They raised buildings.
They lived simply, sending their wages home,
often remaining unmarried, their lives shaped by duty and endurance.

Their red was not ornamental.
It was practical.
Visible.
Unyielding.

They became a symbol of strength and grit—
women who helped build the foundations of the city itself.

There is a movement in red here.
A rhythm that connects ceremony and work,
joy and survival,
tradition and becoming.

Red in Singapore is not only seen.
It is carried through each culture.
World Heart Day- Singapore


This pulse of red continues in my gallery work, where color, labor, and cultural memory meet. At this time, I am finishing a collector piece entitled: Shinzō no kodō, or Heartbeat. I will be posting the images in two weeks' time...

Please visit my website!

xoxo

Leslie




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