Fortune does not so much change men, as it unmasks them.
Madame Necker, née Suzanne Churchod (1737-1794)
After suddenly showing up as the opening Card of the Week for 2026, the Tarot is loud and clear that this is a very important hinge moment. For not only is it our initial weekly card, but the cyclical, magical Wheel of Fortune is the card for the year 2026.
As you may know from my many articles and classes on the topic (or if you were once upon a time in my Birthday Club), the numerology of your birthday or of a particular year relates to the Tarot. Specifically, this number would align with a Major Arcana card (although it is true that the Pips corresponding to that number are also significant).
This year, 2026, is 2+0+2+6, which equals 10 – The Wheel of Fortune.
Many numerologists might continue to reduce that number to 1 and some Tarot readers also feel that this should be recognized as a Magician Year.
I disagree, though.
For decades, I have used the system that the late Angeles Arrien created. She in turn taught it to the renowned Tarot scholar, Mary K. Greer, and it has become the standard for many, if not most, experienced Tarot teachers and practitioners.
The rule, therefore, is that the first Major Arcana card encountered when reducing the year’s number defines the year. And as you are certainly aware, the Tarot differs from many other oracles and divinatory tools in that it is a system that honors its long lineage of methodology and guidelines.
Therefore, there will be no Magician years until the year 10,000 C.E.
However, as Mary herself has reminded me, the numerological relationship between the 10 and the 1 in the Majors is important, as is the other card that is tied to this numerical “constellation,” namely, the 19. Thus, The Magician and The Sun may also have a role to play. (Keep reading!).
Using this respected system, we can learn about some general traits and patterns that can be anticipated for a given year.
The Solitary Path Gives Way
The first thing we may notice this year is that it will bring a major shift from last year, which was more inner-directed, when a feeling of introspection, reflection, and even dissociation prevailed. Certainly, after the terrible results of the American election, there was a lot of retreat, soul-searching, and hindsight examination.
And even the first days of the new administration last January seemed to point to more isolationist policies, with the party in power having run on the promise of ending U.S. involvement in foreign affairs and so-called “nation building.” (All the while threatening to “annex” Canada and Greenland).
But only twenty-five or so hours into this new year (Eastern time), air strikes began in Venezuela, with the U.S. declaring it would be “running” the country for the indefinite future. Suddenly, U.S. policy looks radically different.
Meanwhile, America has been turning its back on alliances and agreements that have been in place since WW2, aligning instead with some of the most regressive, anti-democratic nations in the world. How this plays out, as the Wheel of Fortune turns, remains to be seen.
Turning Points
Which confirms that a Wheel Year is likely to be a time of surprises. Look for past patterns, friends, and even enemies suddenly switching roles or popping up in unexpected ways. While such turnabouts may trigger a wave of nostalgia for the “good old days,” there will also be an equal push for growth that reaches towards the future.
In fact, the hallmark of a Wheel year is that it is a major turning point.
Everything that was once hidden, or not spoken of, becomes much more visible, while also transforming before our eyes. What’s up takes a fall downward. Other forces are suddenly on the ascendant.
Pay Attention to the Patterns
The most recent Wheel year was 2017, at the start of which the Convicted Felon’s first term began. That certainly brought radical setbacks rippling across the globe and an attack on core values that I, for one, assumed were as solid as bedrock: the rule of law, government accountability, the very principles of our Constitution, and basic decency to other humans.
But it wasn’t only happening in the United States. We also saw a sharp turn to the right in Europe that made it clear the old paradigm was not going to go quietly.
As dramatic as 2017 was, the previous Wheel of Fortune year rivaled it, but in sharp contrast. It was in 2008, when the economy crashed and Barack Obama was elected. He ran on a ticket of “Hope” and spent two terms working to undo the damage from George W. Bush’s perfidious, disastrous war.
Curious about the previous Wheel of Fortune year before 2008? It was the year 1900! It was the only Wheel of Fortune year in the 20th century.
There were only two in the 1800s and three in the 1700s.
So yes, Wheel years are big ones, with profound change at the heart of them. They often come in clusters that wane, disappear for considerable periods, and then re-emerge again.
Our current cycle, after that long pause during the 1900s, is 2008, 2017, 2026, 2035, 2044, 2053, 2062, 2071, and 2080. Can you see the pattern?
Then, after 2080, there is a gap until 2107. I believe this prolonged 21st century cluster is a harbinger of the extremely rapid and revolutionary crossroads that lie ahead for the human race.
While Wheel Years herald enormous societal shifts that, at the time, may feel Tower-like, they aren’t. The Wheel’s motion is cyclical, not like The Tower’s one-way crash. The Wheel of Fortune offers a patterning we can trust.
Nevertheless, my advice is to buckle up. This year’s ride on the Wheel of Fortune may spin faster and less smoothly than we would like, with even the occasional rude reversal.
Equanimity and Poise
And yet, while things are in flux, there is opportunity.
First and foremost, when events threaten to overwhelm us, it is critical that we step back. Ground. Reconnect: to the natural world, to your own sovereignty, and to each other. Find the still center within you, where your heart and your quiet, sacred Self dwell. That soul-self understands and anticipates the turning of the Wheel. In this calm, eternal place of Now, you can recognize where you are in its great arc and plan accordingly.
Just like in a game, you might see wondrous good fortune about to turn up. But if you interfere before it’s your move, you may lose your desired prize or even be disqualified. So patience and clarity bring rewards.
Similarly, as a supportive Guardian card, the Wheel of Fortune has a way of unmasking, not only various individuals, but their motives and their very way of life. We are given this cosmic moment in which to see our turning world as it truly is, from the context of timeless cycles and the eternal order of change.
The old saying goes that the only constant is change, and the winds of fortune are likely to seem fickle this year. But by stepping back and looking at the big picture, you may be able to glimpse where the pattern is taking us. That’s why, during this flux, opportunities will open that we may not see again for a very long time.
After 2025’s gift of assessing and considering what lessons we might absorb from our experiences, events now speed up. For better or worse, Fate seems to be at work. Beware of those who are trying to cheat at the Goddess Fortuna’s endeavors, for they can bring calamity upon us all. Hubris and treachery will out eventually because, whether you call it karma or simply coincidence, the Wheel is always turning towards balance.
Don’t forget that it is blessed by its family members, The Sun and The Magician. Good things are very possible for those who learn to be patient and trust the turning of Time. Want more reassurance? Next year is a Justice year, bringing the gift of divine rectification.
Thus, it is vital to do all you can to ensure that you are the change you wish to see in the world.
We are now dwelling in one of the biggest, fastest moments of transformation ever experienced by the human race. How humanity might roll with it has presented an existential crisis the likes of which have not been seen in many centuries, if ever.
We can observe how this global transfiguration is stripping away the artifice of many, revealing the true character of the people around us: the selfless heroes, the dedicated faithful, the inspirational guides, the cruel, the ignorant, and the opportunists. We can clearly see the predators who feed on fear, shadow, and lies. But it is revealed, too, that there are angels in our midst.
I believe you may be one of them. For I know that most of you reading this have been among those who have been working, mediating, praying, and activating the transitioning of our human race from many millennia of colonialism, plunder, misogyny, and violence. This may well be our year of make it or break it.
It is no accident that we have incarnated into a period that has been dubbed The Great Turning. We surely know we are witness to the end of an Age, and now all caring, awakened people are called upon to labor together to bring forth the birth of a new aeon for our species. The stakes could not be higher.
For those attuned to the cycles of sacred time, including our friends the wise astrologers who have long been discussing the current alignment of the planets and stars, a door now opens.
Although it may entail a big gamble and upheaval, be prepared to act quickly while fortune smiles.
How Might This Year Affect You Personally?
This is a powerful year for relocating, changing jobs, or making other life-altering choices. And it is a particularly favorable occasion for educational pursuits, publishing, and other kinds of communication, as well as initiating new projects. In this, you can see the influence of The Magician and The Sun at work.
There may be a sense of Providence taking a hand and a sense of gravity, even destiny, regarding many of your endeavors.
Now is the time to set goals, make a plan to fulfill your most important Life Dreams and other long-range arrangements, and visualizing the big picture before becoming caught up in the day-to-day details. With the Lunar New Year and Imbolc just around the corner, the moment is ideal.
This is a year when you will be able to trust luck, with fortune smiling — IF — you honor the life lessons you have learned so far and are true to your highest nature.
There are some golden opportunities coming, although they may need a lot of energy. And once again, if things get too hectic, be sure to take care of yourself, protecting your boundaries and finding ways to reconnect with your quiet center. The edges of a wheel are far more dizzying than the center.
Ultimately, the Wheel of Fortune demands that we set aside pettiness of all sorts and see things in a more universal manner. The future may well depend upon our clarity, our good will, and especially our participation. Each small act adds up. As long as we are committed to integrity and honesty, and, most of all, to act for the highest good of all, luck may be with us.
And for everything else, the wisdom of the Wheel of Fortune teaches that “this, too, shall pass.”
A Seven Card Wheel of Fortune Spread for 2026
Want to take a deeper look at what you can expect personally this year? Going back to my earlier reference to the “Tarot Constellation,” as Mary K. Greer calls the numerological family of cards that the Wheel of Fortune is a part of, here is a spread you might wish to try. I shared my own reading from it back in 2017, but this year, I invite you to pull your own cards and see what happens.
If you wish to discuss your results in my Luminous Sparks, you would be most welcome (but please don’t email them to me). Blessings and Happy New Year.
In loving memory of Bobby Weir
October 16, 1947 – January 10, 2026
Flight of the seabirds
Scattered like lost words
Wheel to the storm and fly…
