I love diversity and learning about other cultures. I delight in finding similarities within our differences.
I am so fortunate to support amazing clients from many different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and geographical locations.
Recently, I began working with a woman from Mongolia – literally on the other side of the world from where I live in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
She celebrates Lunar New Year and was generous in discussing with me details about this holiday.
It got me thinking about the beautiful symbolism of Lunar New Year and how it relates to divorce.
Read on as I share…
Lunar New Year:
Lunar New Year is more than a celebration. It is a reset.
Across many Asian cultures, the new year begins with intention and marks transition. It’s a shift rooted in reflection.
That symbolism feels especially meaningful when you think about divorce.
The Year of the Snake: Shedding
Lunar New Year 2025 marked the Year of the Snake, a symbol of wisdom, reflection, and transformation. At its core, the Snake represents shedding.
Snakes naturally outgrow their skin. And when it becomes too tight, they don’t force themselves to stay inside it. They don’t twist or shrink to make it work. They release it.
Divorce often begins in what I think of as a “Snake Season.”
This time can be loud and chaotic but often it’s quiet and internal. It may not always be visible to others but can be painful, constricting and unrelenting as well. You may start questioning things you once accepted. You reflect. You realize you’ve outgrown something that used to feel like home.
That process can feel uncomfortable, raw, exposed. There is vulnerability like standing in fresh, tender skin after letting go of what once protected you.
Sometimes divorce recovery is that exact shift as you recognize that the life you created no longer fits the person you are becoming.
The Year of the Horse 2026: Forward Movement
After the Snake comes the Horse. On February 17, 2026, we welcomed the Year of the Horse.
If the Snake was about reflection and shedding, the Horse is about movement.
The Horse symbolizes strength, independence, momentum, and freedom. It carries action and forward-moving, confident energy.
If the Snake represents the inner work and growth, the Horse represents the outward shift and movement.
In divorce, this is the transition from:
“I’m just trying to get through this.”
to
“I’m moving forward while deciding what happens next.”
With the energy of the horse, you’re not running to escape the past with impulsivity. You’re moving forward because you finally trust yourself to choose your future with grounded, authentic power. There is something deeply hopeful about Horse years. They are associated with courage, optimism, and bold steps forward.
In the context of divorce, this energy feels powerful.
You’ve done the shedding.
You’ve squirmed in the uncertainty.
You’ve questioned who you are and what you want.
Now comes the rebuilding.
How this Reminds Me of Divorce
Lunar New Year traditions focus on clearing out the old to make space for the new. That is exactly what divorce demands.
You cannot step into a new chapter while holding onto old skin.
The Snake teaches you to release.
The Horse teaches you to move.
Both are necessary.
Some of you are in Snake energy right now: grieving, reflecting, shedding expectations and identities.
Some of you are entering Horse energy: building, deciding, moving forward with strength.
They are two of the many seasons of divorce.
The Snake sheds.
The Horse runs.
They are both are part of becoming…and blossoming.
Happy Lunar New Year.
