Year 2026: The Magician

Here we are in 2026. Before the year passes us by, I wanted to write a bit about the numerological archetypal tones shaping this year.

In January, I had some fun writing personal year numerology horoscopes. You can find those here. This time, we’re looking at the universal year number. Simply put, your personal year reflects the themes that arise related to your specific life, while the universal year reflects the mood and tone of the world at large, especially in relation to culture and broader societal structures.

Below is a section explaining what numerology is. If you’ve been here before, you may already be familiar with the workings of esoteric numerology, in which case feel free to skip ahead to the next section.

NUMEROLOGY

Numerology is an ancient divinatory practice that spans many centuries and cultures. There are several different systems and schools of thought under the umbrella of numerology and countless lenses to understand and work within those systems.

I tend to be most influenced by Pythagorean numerological principles.

My working definition of numerology:

The study of numbers through the lens of archetypal meanings and occult interpretation, grounded in the natural law and order of the universe.

Within traditional numerology, the numbers 1-9 are the archetypal building blocks of everything.

To make matters even more fun, you can weave tarot into numerology, matching numbers with their visual archetypal counterparts to really get deep into the vibe.

To find the universal year number, you simply add up the sum of all the digits of the year in question. If the resulting number is a double digit, reduce it by adding both digits until it is a single digit.

In 2024 I wrote about our universal 8 year (Strength) right here! Last year I wrote about our universal 9 (the Hermit) Year right here.

2+0+2+6=10→1

2026 is our 1 year, the Magician.

NUMBER 1

Well, here we are collectively in our 1 year, at the very beginning of a numerological cycle. The dust does feel a bit unsettled at the moment. The cultural climate is in a free fall, and it seems we are bracing to hit the ground hard. What strange new world is this?

Most obviously, technology is multiplying and expanding in ways that feel nauseating. I’m not even going to pretend that I understand the first thing about this. I do use the term “technology” somewhat dubiously though. The term implies a simplistic desire to employ practical knowledge, tools, and systems to meet people’s needs and make our little lives here on earth a bit easier. How I wish this was the pure intentions of our technology!

Instead, what we call “technology,” within late-stage capitalism, often exploits child labor to mine raw materials, feeding the insatiable machinery of the empire. This “innovation” is used to enact state-sanctioned murder against families and children. It is actively accelerating climate catastrophe. More accurately, this is the opposite of technology. It is a degenerative force of extraction and cruelty that runs on the fumes of colonialism and a patriarchal death drive.

1 is the number of innovation and invention, but as we can see, its shadow runs deep within the worsening material conditions we’re living through.

The shadow of 1 shows up as senseless violence, patriarchal ego trips, hasty action without ethical reflection, the theft of Indigenous land under the delusion of manifest destiny, rigidity, brittleness, and the prioritization of individual survival over empathy and relational intelligence.

Aries from the Poeticon Astronomicnon Netherlands 1681. 

***Unsurprisingly, this is a big year for Aries in Astrology. Neptune entered Aries on January 26th, and Saturn entered Aries on February 13th.***

I could go on, but you already know. These shadows are in the air we are breathing. I don’t think anyone truly knows how all of this will land, and the sense of suspension feels sharp right now.

The mythology of the number 1 also has ancient roots. It makes me think about Pangea, the 1 extremely large land mass that existed over 250 million years ago. 1 makes its appearance in many different creation stories. 1 refers to origin, and represents something stripped down to its most potent, simple form.

Map of Pangaea around 250 million years ago

There is a deep raw power to the number 1 that is here to support those of us fighting for a better life. 1 is about initiation and bravery. It steps out of line and runs ahead of the crowd in order to influence the direction of travel. It makes no concessions when it comes to principals and ethics. 1 is about self possession and true responsibility. Fully recognizing one’s power to respond.

During this 1 year, we are being asked to consider the balance between the individual and the collective. Communities are weak when they are not made from free individuals. Individuals are vulnerable when they are not connected within a network of others. Let us have ourselves and have each other, too. Practicing this balance can help to address the profound alienation that we struggle with.

Are you someone who leaves yourself behind to belong to a group? Or someone who breaks from the group to remain true to yourself? This is one of those tensions that is probably intrinsic to the human condition, so don’t be mean to yourself about it.

This is also a time that supports honest, direct communication. Practice this with family, friends, or at work. Notice when you say things you don’t mean, or hold back things you do. Total authenticity in every moment isn’t realistic, safe, or appropriate, so don’t turn it into another standard to fail. Simply work to identify small ways to communicate your true thoughts, especially in trusted relationships.

In a world filled with indirect communication styles and rampant passive aggression, learning to be even 5% more direct and honest makes the world a better place in my opinion. Especially for us neurodivergent girlies who can’t be doing all that labor trying to decipher the subtext :(

If you find yourself in situations this year where a group is moving in a direction that feels wrong, or not aligned, and if you have the capacity and the social safety to speak up, do it! It might feel awkward and it might annoy people. But these small disruptions are often what allow new energy and new possibilities to emerge.

Do it, not to be difficult, but to advocate for yourself and for others.

There are many people in positions of leadership who are not acting in the best interest of those they supposedly “serve” (oppress, exploit.) The responsibility falls on us to advocate for one another. The more we can share this labor, the stronger we become. Even better if we organize and unite around collective demands for improved material conditions :)

The Magician

The Magician might actually be my favorite Major, because it represents something so precious: self-determination and consciousness itself. It is the card that reminds us we answer to both earth and ether. We are part animal and part spirit. In between these places, we find our home and our power.

The Magician depiction from the Rider Waite Smith deck, the Marseille deck, and the Thoth deck.

The Magician’s feet are firmly planted on the earth, while his hand reaches up to the sky. In 78 Degrees of Wisdom, Rachel Pollack describes the Magician as a lightning rod, one who allows power to flow through him like a channel, constantly receiving and expelling the energy of life.

Looking at the Magician card and thinking about the world right now is, unsurprisingly, making me cry. I think a lot of people are feeling disempowered and alienated from their sense of autonomy right now. I know I am. I recently spent a whole year working very hard toward a goal that did not materially come to fruition, mostly due to a lack of resources. I have been feeling pretty broken lately and, frankly, like an ineffectual Magician.

Yet as I move through the days, I feel sadness, excitement, grief, dread, rage, intuition, joy, confusion, shame, and pure inspiration still running through me. I try my best not to hold onto any one of these experiences for too long, like the Magician, who keeps everything moving.

To think that every single person on earth has a spiritual channel feeding them this whole spectrum of raw experience is just…well….It makes me soften my gaze toward my fellow Magicians.

Wizards 1977

Wizards 1977 (Love this movie)

With the Magician as our collective archetype this year, there is a lesson in accepting the reality of the tools in front of us and animating them to do the good work as best we can.

If this world is not made for you, the Magician gives you his full blessing to conjure something greater and breathe the full power of life into it.

We are not meant to settle this year or to roll over and die so easily. Struggling against the rotten overculture in even small ways is meaningful right now. Sometimes that struggle simply means carving out some oxygen for your creative life force to breathe and refusing to let it wither.

Collectively, I hope we come together to defend, fortify, and restore our humanity, because our life force and autonomy are what everything else springs from.

Wheel of Fortune

Lastly, a quick word about the Wheel of Fortune. In traditional numerology, numbers are usually reduced to a single digit from 1 through 9. But if we do not reduce, we arrive at the number 10. In numerology connected to the tarot, which spans the 0 through 21 trump cards, this brings in the energy of the Wheel of Fortune for us this year.

2+0+2+6=10 Wheel of Fortune

I am not going to get too carried away here, but the Wheel is whipping fast right now, so I want to spend a moment with it. The Wheel of Fortune has long been associated with the rise and fall of powerful figures. In esoteric interpretations, it often represents the deeper mysteries of life and the unseen forces of destiny.

Wheel of Fortune from the Visconti-Sforza deck, 1450

I hardly need to explain the chaotic influence of the Wheel upon us in 2026. Where it will stop, who will rise, and who will fall are uncertain. So while this is a time to actively influence and direct our material conditions with the power of the Magician, it is also a time for spiritual surrender and adaptability.

So, stay open and stay clever as circumstances churn beneath us. Much has yet to be revealed. The Wheel is shaping a new terrain right now, and our response is everything.

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