Blue Mountain Institute

The Fire Horse of 2026: A Year That Demands Movement — and Form

Horse years are not about waiting. Fire Horse years are not about comfort.

This article looks at 2026 as a threshold year: where accumulated tension turns into action, decisions become irreversible, and speed must be matched with discipline.

Alongside global analysis, it offers a personal navigation map — how to work with Fire without burning out, why Water, Earth, and Metal matter, and which zodiac signs feel the year most strongly.

Read and prepare consciously -- https://www.bluemountainfengshui.com/the-fire-horse-of-2026/

Long before Feng Shui became known by its modern name, the ancient Chinese were observing the world as a living network of relationships. The night sky, the flow of rivers, the shape of mountains, the change of seasons — all of these were seen as reflections of one greater whole.

In early Chinese thought, “Heaven and Earth were not separate realms, but two parts of one continuous system”, always responding to one another. This way of understanding the world formed a sophisticated cosmology, one based on patterns, resonance, and balance.

This worldview was recorded in many classical works, such as the “Yijing” (“Book of Changes”), the “Lüshi Chunqiu”, the “Huainanzi”, and the “Kaogong ji (“The Artificers’ Record”). These texts describe how natural forms and spatial orientation influence harmony, prosperity, and well-being — principles that later became the foundation of Feng Shui.

This year, the symbol guiding us was the Snake - a sign of transformation and inner renewal.

If to say it shortly:

The Snake teaches quiet change. Not the dramatic upheavals of the Dragon, but a softer, more introspective shift. It encourages healing, patience, and resilience - the kind of transformation that begins inside and unfolds slowly, step by step.

As we moved through 2025, this symbol invited us to look inward, to shed old layers, and to grow from within. And with this foundation, we may be preparing for brighter, clearer horizons in 2026 and beyond.

I am continuing the tradition of Master Hsu, and I will soon be writing the forecast for the upcoming Year of the Horse, which begins on February 17, 2026 (according to the Chinese calendar).

Stay tuned - the Horse carries very different energy, and I look forward to sharing what is coming.

-- Taras Lytvyn

On September 27, 2025, we gathered at the Taoist Temple in Seattle for a heartfelt memorial service in loving memory of Dr. Shan-Tung Hsu - our beloved teacher, friend, and founder of the Blue Mountain Feng Shui Institute.

It was a warm and intimate afternoon filled with stories, laughter, and quiet moments of reflection. Over tea, we shared memories of Dr. Hsu’s wisdom, kindness, and lifelong dedication to teaching harmony and compassion.

As our dear friend Jenny Nakao Hones said,

“The Memorial was very nice and low key - I think Dr. Hsu would have been happy.”

Though the group was smaller this time, the spirit of connection and gratitude filled the room - just as Dr. Hsu always inspired in his students and friends.

🌿 His teachings continue to live in all of us, reminding us that true harmony begins within.

We’re grateful to share a few photos from the gathering here - special thanks to Jenny Nakao Hones for capturing these beautiful moments of remembrance.

Invitation to a Memorial Service in Loving Memory of Dr. Shang-Tung Hsu

We invite all who knew Dr. Shan-Tung Hsu - his students, friends, and colleagues - to join us in a service to honor his remarkable life and enduring legacy.

Dr. Shan-Tung Hsu Memorial Service:

Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025

Time: 2-4 PM

Place: Taoist Temple
225 North 70th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
USA

Please join us for a celebration of Master Hsu life & legacy.
There will be an opportunity to share our stories Dr Hsu and reminisce while sharing a cup of tea.

If you are unable to attend but would like to share a story please email: [email protected]

-- No host dinner at Chiang’s Gourmet restaurant
7845 Lake City Way NE
Seattle, WA

-- Please let us know if you plan on going to Chiang’s.
Email [email protected]

Photo: Mykhailo Semenchenko, Crimea - Ukraine, 2013.

From the memoirs of Feng Shui Master Shan-Tung Hsu

Feng Shui is not a religion, nor has it ever belonged to any single spiritual tradition. Yet across Asia, and increasingly beyond, its principles have quietly shaped the design of temples, monasteries and sacred spaces for centuries.

Most Taoist and Buddhist temples, for example, were built in locations believed to nourish and amplify spiritual energy. Their siting is rarely accidental.

In November 2009, I was invited by the abbot of Yunjuishan Temple in Jiangxi Province, China, to help identify a site for a new meditation and training center. The monastery itself, a Chan - or Zen - establishment, traces its origins back more than 1,200 years to the Tang dynasty.

The abbot had a practiced eye for the landscape. He sensed, almost intuitively, where the energy of the place was most alive. My own observations, rooted in Feng Shui, largely matched his impressions. That alignment delighted him.

A few months later, in March 2010, he asked me again to assist - this time to select the location of the gates for the new temple. High in the mist-covered mountains, in cold rain, I watched as the abbot moved with remarkable energy, striding across wet ground and weaving through the trees. I struggled to keep pace. It was, in the end, an extraordinary lesson in both place and practice.

Over the years I have visited many Taoist and Buddhist temples, and rarely have I encountered one poorly aligned with Feng Shui principles. The energy in such places tends to be tuned to spiritual life rather than commerce.

Good Feng Shui for business requires more worldly conditions - lowlands near water, environments suited to trade and exchange. Temples, by contrast, rise on mountainsides or perch on elevated sites within cities, their very placement designed to lift the spirit.

In the end, that is the heart of Feng Shui: harmony between a space and its purpose. It is less about superstition, more about alignment - between place, intention and life itself.

✨ Special Release!

Today we are publishing, for the very first time in English, an insightful interview with Feng Shui Master Shan-Tung Hsu. 🏮

Originally published in April 2010 in the Ukrainian magazine Zefir, this conversation was made possible thanks to Toma Ruzhanska (then Chief Editor) and Taras Lytvyn (then Writing Editor).

Back in 2010, Toma organized Master Hsu’s workshops and consultations in Ukraine, while Taras served as his interpreter and translator.

Now, 15 years later, we’re excited to share this timeless wisdom with a wider audience. 🌏

📖 Read the full interview - link in comment

Though time continues its relentless march, the profound impact of an exceptional educator endures. Today, as we mark what would have been his birthday, we pause to honor Dr. Hsu, a teacher whose wisdom, compassion, and boundless inspiration shaped countless lives.

Dr. Hsu's dedication to his students extended far beyond the classroom, fostering an environment where curiosity thrived and knowledge took root.

His lessons, delivered with characteristic insight and intellectual rigor, continue to resonate, guiding and informing those fortunate enough to have learned from him. The echoes of his teachings persist, a testament to a life devoted to enlightenment.

In the hearts and minds of his former students, Dr. Hsu's memory remains a vibrant flame, illuminating the path forward. He leaves behind not just a legacy of academic excellence, but of a deeply human connection that touched everyone he encountered. Happy heavenly birthday, Dr. Hsu Shan-Tung Hsu ! ❤️🙏☯️

Invitation to a Memorial Service in Loving Memory of Dr. Shang-Tung Hsu

We invite all who knew Dr. Shang-Tung Hsu — his students, friends, and colleagues — to join us in a service to honor his remarkable life and enduring legacy.

Dr. Shang-Tung Hsu Memorial Service:

Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025

Time: To be announced

Place: Taoist Temple
225 North 70th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
USA

Following the service, we will gather at a Chinese restaurant, as no food is permitted within the Taoist center.

To help us plan appropriately, please R.S.V.P. to Jenny Hones at [email protected]

An approximate count of attendees would be greatly appreciated.

In Memoriam: Shan-Tung Hsu, a Bridge of Cultures

Two months ago, on April 6, 2025, Master Shan-Tung Hsu passed from this world. And yet, for those who knew him—or even simply sought his guidance—he remains quietly present, offering invisible support. May his memory be a guiding light.

I stumbled into Master Hsu’s first lecture in Ukraine back in 2001, almost by accident. My qigong teacher at the time, Tamara Martynova, invited me to translate. I had already been practicing qigong for some time and, in 2000, I attended a retreat in Shaolin with Master Xu Mingtang. It was Xu who suggested that Tamara invite his friend— Shan-Tung Hsu, a feng shui master from Taiwan—to Kyiv.

The lecture was held at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. I interpreted from English and, I’ll admit, it wasn’t easy. Master Hsu spoke quickly, with a Taiwanese accent. I also had no real understanding of feng shui then. I was outside the world he came from.

But that day changed everything.