Year of the Horse – 2014

The new moon of January 30-31, 2014 marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Horse, which comes every 12 years; and more particularly the Year of the Wood Horse, which is celebrated every 60 years.  This Year of the Horse will end on February 18, 2015.

Although I am not an expert in Chinese astrology and am no more psychic than the next person, I am continuing my tradition of looking back at what has occurred in previous Horse years as a basis for extrapolating what might happen over the months to come.  Past predictions have been quite accurate, if I do say so; so let us consider the upcoming Year of the Horse.

In China, as in much of the world, the Horse is seen as a noble animal whose strength, speed and stamina have greatly benefited mankind.  Horses have been used extensively in agriculture, have been ridden into countless battles, and been utilized in the more recent field of equine therapy.  Still, they are sometimes headstrong, stubborn and unpredictable animals.  Speaking from personal experience, anyone who has spent much time around horses will have probably been thrown, kicked or bitten a time or two.

This implies that the coming year will be a good one for personal growth.  The universe is there to help each of us – provided we take the initiative.  Even the best horse is not going to saddle himself or begin to pull a plow without human impetus. This is a good time for individuals to look at the patterns that have developed in their lives and separate those that are beneficial from those that no longer serve their interest.  The outdated ones should be cast aside or completed, as may be appropriate, while the beneficial ones should be “ridden” into a brighter future.

The thought of a wood horse also brings to mind the image of a carousel.  This is a year in which any of us could simply be carried along, going up and down and round and round – or we can grab the golden ring the universe is holding for us and move on with our lives.

In Horse years, people tend to take impulsive actions.  Many of them are fun and good experiences for development, but to benefit from the cosmic help that is being offered it is important to know where you want to go and guide life in that direction.  Left to make its own choice, many a horse will simply turn and run as fast as he can back to the comfort of the barn – especially at feeding time.  Anyone who lets that happen will have wasted what could have been a positive and productive year.

A metaphoric example for the downside of impulsivity occurred when I was in junior high school.  One day I was riding our horse, whose name was Jeff.  As he was loping along, we approached a tire swing hanging from the limb of a tree.  I decided to grab the rope as we passed and swing from the horse like a cowboy action hero.  I was riding bareback, so it was not difficult to pull off my stunt.  It did confuse Jeff, however.  He continued about 20 yards until he stopped and looked perplexed.  As I walked to where he was waiting, intending to continue my ride, Jeff tuned, lifted his left rear leg and kicked me in the thigh.  He wanted nothing more to do with a crazy person that day.  Don’t be surprised if “crazy” actions in any of our lives are met with a similar response by the universe during the coming year.

While I think that individual personal development is going to be more important than national or world events this year, we should look briefly at what we might be seeing on the news.  The previous Horse years I have researched are 1894, 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990 and 2002.  Each of us could benefit by looking back on what happened in our lives during any of those years (the ones in which we were alive, anyway) for a glimpse of some of the themes that may come around once again.  The Wood Horse years were 1894 and 1954.

From looking at the past, it seems that among the focal points of the next few months will be Russia, Egypt, Syria (in fact, the entire Middle East), earthquakes, mass killings, major decisions by the Supreme Court and the expansion of U.S. influence.

Russia has experienced major historical events during past Years of the Horse.  The reign of Nicholas II, the last czar, began in 1894.  In 1918, following the Bolshevik Revolution, Nicholas and his family were executed.  1918 also saw Russia withdraw from World War I to focus on its internal problems.  In 1942-43, the Russians halted the Nazis at Stalingrad, winning the bloodiest battle in the history of warfare.  In 1954, as the cold war was revving up, the Russians began operation of the first nuclear power plant; and that plant remained in operation until the Horse year of 2002.  1990 was a very important year in Russian history as almost all of its “satellite states” declared their independence, the Berlin Wall was torn down and Boris Yeltsin was elected president of the Russian Republic.  In 2002, Russia experienced turbulent times with attacks by Chechen rebels, including the tragic theater siege in Moscow.

The Sochi Olympics will bring world attention to Russia during the opening weeks of this Horse year.  The possibility of terrorist acts and/or political demonstrations is real and concerning.  It is hoped that no tragedies will occur.  It is likely, though, that the spotlight will remain on Russia throughout the year.

Although Brazil has not been very prominently in the news from other Horse years, there is also a concern that violence may be experienced during soccer’s World Cup this summer.  Besides the Chechen incidents, past Years of the Horse have seen such incidents as Puerto Rican nationalists opening fire in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1954, wounding five congressmen, and the killing and imprisonment of thousands of “counterrevolutionaries” by the youthful Chinese paramilitary force known as the Red Guard in 1966.

The Middle East has seen much violence in Horse years.  In 1954, the Muslim Brotherhood was outlawed in Egypt following the attempted assassination of President Nasser.  In 1966, a group of army officers seized power in Syria.  Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, and the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2002.  None of those historical events seem that far in the past.  It is “déjà vu all over again.”  During the next year, it seems we can expect the whole Middle East to remain a hot spot, particularly Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

To finish up the discussion of mass tragedies, among those that have occurred in a Year of the Horse are the murder of eight student nurses in Chicago by Richard Speck in 1966, which was the same year that 13 people were killed by a sniper firing from a tower on the campus of the University of Texas.  In 2002, terrorists attacked at the Miss World competition in Nigeria and several people were shot in the “Beltway sniper attacks” in Washington, D.C.  It is unfortunate, but there will probably be more mass shootings in the coming year.

There have been serious earthquakes in past Years of the Horse, including one that caused over 50,000 deaths in Iran during 1990.  Similar tragedies are possible in 2014.  Since this is the Year of the Wood horse – and wood fuels fire – we can also expect a bad year for wildfires.

With respect to American incursions in foreign countries, recall that in 1954 the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu, which was the indirect beginning of the American involvement in Vietnam; and U.S.-backed rebels overthrew the government of Guatemala.  In 1966, CIA-backed rebels seized power in Ghana.  In 1990, the U.S. supported the independence of the former Soviet republics; and Americans are still fighting in Afghanistan where troops have been since the 2002 invasion.  2014 will likely see the expansion of American efforts to influence or control foreign governments.

In the United States, the Supreme Court has announced some of its most important decisions during Years of the Horse.  These are cases that even non-lawyers know by name, including Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 (separate but equal schools), Miranda v. Arizona in 1966 (“you have the right to remain silent . . .”) and United States v. Eichman in 1990 (flag burning as expression of free speech).  One or more equally momentous decisions may be handed down over the next 12 months.

So far, this annual preview has focused on the more negative possibilities.  However, previous Years of the Horse have included events that that changed our world for the better.

Let’s start with 1954.  There was a sense of outrage after it was learned that the Postmaster General had approved a project permitting the CIA to open the mail of individuals.  The government would not think of spying on its own citizens today, would it?  Okay, maybe so – but there will certainly be outrage.  Perhaps Edward Snowden will be offered a sweet deal to end his status as a fugitive.

The Communist “witch-hunt” of the early 1950s was ended with the censure of Joseph McCarthy by the U.S. Senate in December of 1954.  In other instances of increased tolerance, the Vatican abolished its index of banned books in 1966, Nelson Mandela was freed from prison in 1990 and that year the Sandinistas lost power in Nicaragua through a reasonably free election.  In 1966 a committee of the U. S. Senate did charge that communists were organizing campus demonstrations against the Vietnam War.  That was sort of a regression, but overall Horse years have been good for human rights.  Look for continued improvements in 2014.

1954 was also the year in which the Humane Society was founded.  2014 could be a good year for animal rights, also.

As mentioned, 1954 was the most recent Year of the Wood Horse.  That year President Eisenhower proposed the interstate highway system; the first shopping mall was opened; the first passenger jet, the Boeing 707, was introduced; and the American Cancer Society announced its “suspicion” that cigarettes may contribute to lung cancer.  In the coming year we can expect improvements in lifestyle that will affect society for many years to come.   Also look for progress in the field of “alternative” medicine.

The performing arts have fared very well in Horse Years.  For instance, 1966 was probably the best year ever for popular music – featuring the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, the Mamas and Papas, Bob Dylan, the Kinks and many others.  In 1990 television drama was transformed by the “Twin Peaks” series.  2002 saw popular motion pictures such as Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  2014 should be another fine year for popular media.

There have been some important moments for the British government during years of the Horse.  For instance, Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister in 1990 and the Queen Mother died in 2002.  There may well be a major change in that government in the next year.  And although there could be a royal death, there may also be an announcement that Prince George will soon have a little brother or sister.  I also feel that there will be a death or serious health problem in the Bush family here in the U.S.

An interesting observation for 2002 was that a near-Earth asteroid exploded over the Mediterranean Sea, while another narrowly missed the Earth.  In 2014, there could be another close encounter with an asteroid, as well as increased solar activity affecting the Earth.

Looking to the economy, the stock market is almost always down slightly during a Year of the Horse.  There should be more volatility in stocks this year.  Equities should be somewhat higher through the spring; then down from May until October; then mixed with a slight downward bias through the end of the year.  High quality companies paying good dividends should prove a good investment, but there will be marked ups and downs.  Gold prices could begin to rise again in mid-year.

Unemployment rates generally continue existing trends, with no significant reversals during Horse years.  Accordingly, the rate will probably decline over the next year, dropping to about 6.5%.

In the United States, much attention will be given to the mid-term elections.  In all Horse years except 2002, the party out of power made slight gains but did not achieve a majority in Congress.  In 2002, the Republicans increased their majority.  After this year’s elections, the Republicans will probably retain a small majority in the House and the Democrats a slight majority in the Senate.  If “Obamacare” turns out to be as bad as some have feared (which is not likely), the Democrats could lose ground.  On the other hand, if the Republicans are unable to keep their extreme “Tea Party” element in check, they are in danger of losing control of the House.

Turning to the Super Bowl, the Denver Broncos are playing in the Year of the Horse.  That should be good for them, right?  The Broncos were in the Super Bowl in 1978, too; but lost to Dallas 27-10.  That game was actually a few days before the end of the year of the Snake, so it should not be given much credence.  The Broncos also played in the 1990 Super Bowl, which was on the first full day of the Year of the Horse.  Again they came up short, losing to the San Francisco 49’ers 55-10.  It wasn’t pretty.  This year, though, the Broncos should be able to take advantage of the Horse energy and emerge victorious.

Back in 2012, in the year of the Dragon, some were predicting the end of the world based on the Mayan calendar.  I predicted that it would not end.  Last year, I predicted that the world would not end during the Year of the Snake, either.  Again, I would like to state unequivocally that the world will not end during this Year of the Horse – and again, I feel so strongly about this that I will permanently give up making any further predictions if I am wrong.

As mentioned above, individual development should be considered of primary importance during this coming year.  Some good advice includes:  (1) each of us should invest in ourselves, (2) we must make productive use of the resources at our disposal, (3) this is a good year to consult with those who are older and more experienced, (4) we should create a plan that is realistic and stick to it, allowing the universe to assist and carry us to our goals.

The period between April and June should be the most dynamic time of the year, the time when major events should occur.  It would be best not to make major decisions at that time.  Rather, wait until the energy in your life and in the world has regenerated and replaced the new with what has been stagnant.  Most especially, be aware of what happens in the two weeks before Easter.

Gung hay fat choy.