Saddle Up | The Horse has Arrived
As we saddle up for the Year of the Horse, I find myself reflecting on the intense, sometimes strange, yet deeply formative rhythm of the past year. This Snake year carried a very particular energy. I suspect many of you felt it as well. Feeling something, of course, is different from neatly naming it. The year often moved quietly, but it was undeniably strategic, occasionally uncomfortable, and consistently clarifying. It was a cycle of refinement, of shedding illusions, of seeing with greater precision what must remain and what naturally fell away.
It was not always gentle. It was, however, deeply instructive.
The Year of the Horse arrives with a distinctly different temperament. It is movement, momentum, vitality, forward motion, and a certain fearless engagement with life itself. Horse energy is responsive to direction. It gathers force wherever attention is placed. It asks for trust, decisiveness, and a willingness to move even without perfect certainty.
After a year defined by tightening, questioning, and recalibration, this shift feels especially meaningful.
I have always loved horses and the experience of riding. Even after being thrown by a young mare in my youth, an experience that left a very real imprint of fear, I eventually found my way back. That return required patience, trust, and a gradual rebuilding of confidence. In many ways, the memory feels quietly aligned with the transition between these two cycles.
Today, I am marking this threshold simply, with breath, nature, tea, and time. The most understated gestures often feel like the most honest way to acknowledge changing rhythms.
I have been asked what teas feel harmonious with Horse energy. I find myself drawn to teas that feel alive, expressive, and dynamic, while remaining balanced.
Fragrant oolongs, particularly Tie Guan Yin and high mountain styles, beautifully mirror the brightness and lift of this cycle. Their aromatics feel expansive, floral, and kinetic. There is movement in their character, paired with softness and clarity. This morning, I begin with our Gold Goddess, a competition grade Tie Guan Yin chosen to honor the abundance, vitality, and prosperity invited into the year ahead. The sweet honey notes are out of this world; I have no doubt this year will be sweet and abundant.
Later, I will sit with Osmanthus Goddess, a deeply roasted Tie Guan Yin scented with osmanthus. Osmanthus has long been associated with joy, warmth, and auspiciousness. Its golden blossoms carry a gentle sweetness and a fragrance often linked to celebration, harmony, and graceful transformation. It is a natural companion for a cycle infused with motion and expansion.
For those who gravitate toward puer, young sheng, like Green Sunlight, offers another expression of this same vitality. It is vibrant, evolving, and full of living character.
Even a vivid green tea can feel beautifully aligned today. Something fresh, clear, and animating, such as Matcha or Imperial Jade Dew (gyokuro).
The intention is resonance. Choose something that feels awake, moving, and alive. As always, personal alignment remains the most reliable guide. Drink what you genuinely enjoy and what harmonizes with your environment. Balance remains essential.
The Snake year cultivated patience and discernment.
The Horse year invites motion and courage.
Tea, as always, becomes the bridge between the two.
