The Dragon in the Year of the Fire Horse 2026
Dragon Pic by @elliespinelli
Who is a Dragon?
Years: 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012.
Month*: April
Hour: 07.00 am – 09.00
Day: you’ll need a Chinese Calendar.
* Caution: the start of Chinese months can be as early as the 4th & as late as the 9th, depending on the year.
What is a Dragon?
The Dragon is yang earth, the most egotistical of the branches as well as perhaps the most powerful. Putting aside conventional rules of animal compatibility, many of us are either fascinated by the Dragon or suspicious. Or both. Shameless mischief-maker Vladimir Putin and Trump tribute act Boris Johnson are Dragons. So however is Marianne Williamson, whose Presidential ambitions may be over but whose influence continues to grow. It was she who wrote Nelson Mandela’s mantra:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are weak. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.”
These are powerful people. Be aware however that the Dragon is not always issued with a moral compass. He or she may take a lifetime locating it. Indeed they may have spent lifetimes already.
The Dragon is just as charming and affable as (s)he feels like being at any given time, but like the Pig, the Horse and the Rooster, they suffer the self clash which makes them unsuited to working with their peers. Dragons often live alone and enjoy their own company. Sometimes they claim to even when they don’t. Often what he experiences as joy is a subtle experience that others find puzzling. The Horse for instance who likes to dance on tables, may consider the Dragon a high maintenance prima donna. Even his ally the Monkey, contrasts his own goonish delights with the impassive Dragon and can make no sense of it.
And yet the Dragon delivers. Sometimes awkward and gauche, the Dragon can appear incompetent and yet still win. Steadfast Dogs whose workings lead to a logical answer detest this about the Dragon and may sabotage him. Put simply the Dog thinks the Dragon goes on a bit. The Ox and the Sheep share something of this attitude but are more passive about it. If you are a Dragon, know this: you are likely to induce jealousy. However gracious you are, they know the level of your self-esteem.
The Chinese ideogram for thunder is a Dragon under a raincloud. And all over the world rainclouds speak of plenty; drenched is good if you’re looking for growth. The Dragon month is April, the time of sudden change. Dragon times are the tense moments before a storm breaks.
The Dragon does not naturally co-operate or share confidences. He will however work with those he considers his inferiors as long as they are very clear about the pecking order. This is the central weakness of the unbalanced Dragon. King Lear was a Dragon, probably Sersei in Game of Thrones too where Othello (and Jamie Lanister) may have been a Tiger and Hamlet probably a Snake.
The Dragon’s traditional partners are the hands-on Monkey and the plotting Rat although these three may not mix socially. They need a task to cooperate upon, otherwise they find it hard to connect. Socially the Dragon will often seek out the Rooster and the Horse both of whom can act as pr or spokesperson. Alone or teamed-up, the Dragon is just as creative as he wants to be. She can magic up wealth and as rapidly squander it. Neither Horse nor Rooster are much help to them in this regard although a benevolent Rat and a diligent Monkey can be.
Dragon and the Snake form the House of Magic#. Dragon is the Sorceror, the Snake his apprentice. Merlin was a Dragon and his story illustrates the other central weakness of the Dragon: that he can be beguiled by the glamour typical of the Rooster. This coupling takes the Dragon off track. In a Rooster year the Dragon may forget carefully laid plans and go off-piste, tempted – typically – by wealth or sex. In a Pig year they may have to re-think their approach to life ready for the boom times of the Rat year that follows. In an Ox Year there are break-ups.
Note to Employers: A Dragon employee is the best there is if the task suits him. It had better suit him because he will do precisely what he feels like either way.
Final Note: As I said the typical Dragon has to seek his own moral bearings. Which means that unbalanced Dragons are the worst: take predators Philip Green, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. Who’d have thought these three shared ba zi charts?!? Or that they could justify the unjustifiable for so long? Of course as these guys show, the Dragon has the luck of the Devil – technically this is called fiu gong and calls for a preventative calculation.
# These terms are the brain children of the man who first introduced me to the Chinese Zodiac Derek Walters, still the only Western authority respected to any degree in Asia. I sometimes tell my students that of the many thousands of books written on Chinese Astrology in the West, 99% are either nonsense or derived from Derek’s The Complete Guide to Chinese Astrology. Or both.
2026, Hot, Hot, Hot
The outlook for the Year of the Fire Horse
Note: There are four (or five) Pillars in your ba zi, each with a different nuance. It is as unlikely that they are all ill-starred as it is that they are all blessed by any given year. Examine the portents for each and perhaps use that as an indication of how to respond.
2026 Animal by Animal: Dragon
This is a year of learning. In some senses unlearning too; it’s when you recall the best of who you have been and invest it in what you become. And along the way it becomes who you are. If these just sound like words, perhaps read them over again until you really get them.
Dragons do magic. You remain the wizard of the Zodiac even though that wizardry has been seriously challenged the last two-to-three years. You have needed to hold your nerve and trust during a time of healing which may have entailed opening some deep wounds in order to renew. Remember 2024 when as a Dragon you suffered the so-called self-clash which may have made that year something of a trial.
2025 may have been equally demanding but the Snake represents your (growing) audience. It’s likely that emerging as positive and focused as you have, took both courage and clarity of purpose. Remember that in April, when 2024’s challenges may be (briefly) reprised. When in doubt respect the egos of others.
This is such a powerful year for you, one of regeneration, a return to your natural magic. Don’t be surprised then if it involves physical healing possibly including actual operations. Be sure to look after yourself under the usual headings: principally, diet, exercise and work/life balance. Choose the best days for medical or more subtle procedures: generally Rooster and Monkey days. Avoid Dog, Dragon (generally) & Rat days (just this year).
Traditional advice is to give money or time to charity and to give blood. Keep your nails and hair trimmed. Some masters would recommend donating blood. But keep your eyes on the prize. You can see now what you want and what it will take. If it is your truth renew it constantly. Qi Men Dun Jia procedures may be especially helpful.
The Horse’s Fire may make you feel rushed or dragooned. Go with it. It leads to greatness. The relationship of Earth to Fire is unlike that of say Water to Wood which is one of (unsurprisingly) greater fluidity. Fire bakes Earth. Fire makes Earth more solid, safer, more consistent, more committed.
As you might guess, this is not a year for coasting but one for tackling stubborn problems – mostly for others. Address problems head-on. Sticking with courses you know to be appropriate even when it gets really sticky will pay off hugely this year. You know what you know. Remember that. And when the time comes for change, wiggle your nose and make change.
You may doubt this during April but you are likely to be able to see dividends by August. Mechanically you are likely to ease things with the Metal and Earth which respectively relieve and empower you. So trust the numbers 7 & 8 and Gold and White surroundings, lean on Roosters and remember that the self-clash is essentially an arm wrestle with yourself.
This is a year of upheavals. As for relationship, the same kind of dynamics are true especially if you have a Dragon Day Pillar. Addressing intimate issues may not however be smart. If you’re both on board you can afford to be gentle. Your partner does not need to keep proving themselves.
Money will tend to flow throughout the middle months of the year. Your resources will have been renewed shortly before this Horse Year started and will be again towards the end of it. If you were born in the Dragon Month, the Dog Month of October may be especially bountiful. Perhaps surprisingly, the Dog being your nemesis but as the Chinese prophecies suggest, this is a weird old year.
Lesson: Allow renewal
Best Months: August, September.
Worst Months: April.
Theme: Chasing Cars
Hexagram: 52 Zhen Everything happening everywhere all at once.
Health: =/:-( Wealth: =/☺ Relationship: =/☺
Where to find help: Roosters.
Who should I be careful with: other Dragons, Dogs, Rats.
To hire me to draw up a full interpretation of your ba zi, that is (all) Four Pillars, email me at richardashworthfengshui@gmail.com. If you want to learn more about ba zi my book I Talk to the Animals is out now. Here’s a link to a chunk of text: https://amzn.eu/d/c6p72iK
This forecast is prepared by comparing your own Chinese year Animal with the Fire Horse of 2026. Your Year Animal is just one of the four that make up your Ba Zi or Four Pillars of Destiny. A fully-drafted ba zi can indicate possible futures and probable pasts as well as moments of decision. Knowing these moments can heal and prevent heartbreak as well make success and happiness more easily achievable. What is a ba zi?
© Richard Ashworth 2026