Tending the Fire

As we near the Lunar New Year, there’s been a lot of talk about the upcoming Year of the Fire Horse. At least that’s how it’s felt to me.

Since about October, I’ve noticed a real shift in how I’m showing up in the world. I’ve been on a creative streak; writing has felt natural, I’ve been creating resources for clients, and I seem to be bubbling over with new ideas. There’s been a sense of flow, and creating has felt nourishing rather than forced. In just the past couple of weeks, I’ve launched my website, started a blog, begun posting more publicly, and opened a Substack.

If you had told me a year ago that this would feel good and nourishing, and not another thing to push through, I honestly wouldn’t have believed you.

The shift has been quick. And potent.

That’s Fire.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we work with the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. They’re ways of understanding how the body organizes itself and how balance is created. When the elements are in harmony with one another, we tend to feel grounded and at ease. When one is out of balance, the body lets us know.

With the Fire Horse approaching, Fire has been on my mind.

For much of my life, Fire was the element I felt least connected to. I carried many signs of low or constrained Fire, and I think part of that came from how I understood it.

To me, Fire meant aggression, intensity, burning through and destruction.  This always brings to mind an episode from Avatar: The Last Airbender; a show that holds more wisdom than it appears.

In Avatar, Firebending (the ability to work with and master Fire) loses its way. It becomes fuelled by anger, control and domination; something to use to control and dominate others. When Aang and Zuko seek out the ancient Firebending Masters, they encounter a very different understanding of Fire.

Fire doesn’t come from anger. Fire comes from the sun. It is life-giving, warm, creative and sacred. Zuko realizes that while anger can fuel Fire, it’s unstable and depleting, eventually burning itself out. True Fire comes from inner warmth, purpose and alignment. Not rage.

If you’re curious, this short clip from Avatar: The Last Airbender captures this teaching beautifully. It’s the moment where Fire is remembered as life-giving rather than destruction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ITNmnS680

This scene always makes me a bit emotional if I’m honest. It’s also how Fire functions in the body.

In TCM, healthy Fire is anchored. It’s supported by Water (rest, depth, reserves) shaped by Metal (breath, rhythm and boundaries) and moved by Wood (vision, dreaming and creativity). When Fire loses those supports, it flares upwards and symptoms such as unbalanced anger, anxiety, insomnia, burnout and emotional reactivity tend to show up.

When Fire is tended, it shows up as sustainable creativity, real connection, and quiet joy. It doesn’t consume; it illuminates.

The Fire Horse carries this same lesson. When misunderstood, it looks like intensity for its own sake. When it’s rooted, it becomes inspiring, generous, and steady.

Fire, I’m learning, isn’t something to fear or control. It’s something to tend.

If this reflection resonated, you’re welcome to stay here with me. I’ll be sharing more about the elements, the inner seasons and what it means to tend to our energy with care.