2026 By The Numbers: Your Place in The 9-Year Cycle
The New Year is quickly approaching, and as is tradition here, we love to talk about what that means according to the numbers!
There are 2 major components to the 9-Year Cycle system. The first is the Collective Year, and the other is the Personal one.
Depending on where you are in the cycle, there may be certain themes, opportunities and challenges to be aware of. And yes, it’s all very simple on the surface, but this simplicity allows us to explore the profound meaning of numbers by practically applying them to our day-to-day lives. Think of it like stepping into the rhythm of numbers - not unlike what we do with the moon cycle or the seasons. And as a nice byproduct, it can also help strengthen our understanding of tarot!
So, if you're ready to get a sneak peak at what 2026 may have in store for you (personally and collectively) keep reading!
The Collective Year for 2026
To determine where we are collectively is really easy. All we need to do is add up the numbers of 2026, and keep adding and reducing until we arrive at a single digit.
2+0+2+6 = 10
1+0 = 1
In 2026, we’re not just entering a new year, but a new cycle! Think back to 2017 - our last Collective Year 1. Where were you that year and where was the collective, as you remember it? I can think of a number of prominent social, political and cultural events that shook that year, and I can also see how those events have reverberated in the years since.
In 2025, our Collective Year 9, we were called to release things that were no longer serving. This year it’s time to put our “money” where our mouth is. What we place focus on now, could set the tone for years to come. Every choice, every step, and every action counts. What do you want to change - in yourself, in your community, in the world? What are you inviting in? Year 1 calls for clarity and aligning our words with our deeds. If we speak of change, but do not act, the energy stalls. If we act without intention, we risk being swept off course. The alignment of vision and action is everything. Every stone thrown in the pond will ripple, so let's make those throws count!
Themes: Beginnings, Individuality, Will, Discovery, Seeds, Innovation, Self
Crystal Companions: Citrine, Clear Quartz, Sunstone
Tarot Cards: The Magician, The Wheel of Fortune, The Sun, The 4 Aces
Your Personal Year for 2026
The Collective Year is just one piece of the equation. Each of us also have a Personal Year Number, which we can determine by calculating our birthdate and month, with the year in question.
Here is the formula to figure out where you'll be in 2026. I will use my birthday as an example.
If you were born December 22, the equation would be as follows:
12+22+2026 = 2060
2+0+6+0 = 8
That means in 2026, I am in a personal year 8.
Do you have your number? If so, scroll down to find out what that means for you. This year we've done things a bit differently. We have some information available for free (see below), however we also have comprehensive guidebooks available for $5.00, for those who wish to go deeper.
Personal Year 1: Year of The Initiate
Themes: Beginnings, Individuality, Will, Discovery, Seeds, Innovation, Self
Tarot Archetypes: The Magician, The Wheel of Fortune, The Sun, The 4 Aces
Crystal Companions: Citrine, Clear Quartz, Sunstone
If you're in a Personal Year 1, then you're in the group of folks who always move in tandem with the collective. This can mean the energy of the collective is amplified for you!
A Personal Year 1 means a new 9 year cycle for you; a fresh start - a blank slate - a year charged with possibility! Whether or not you were able to ditch all that wasn’t working last year, and regardless of whether you have a clear and direct path for the next 12 months, is not a concern. The point is, anything can happen and you’re in the driver’s seat.
This first year in the 9-year cycle is that of the individual. It is a year of discovery. This means experimenting, trying new things and not getting too hung up on final results. It is also a year to plant seeds that you hope will grow through the course of this new cycle. And, while you will want to keep an eye on their progress, it’s best not to grasp too tight. Remember, this is only Year 1! leave room for pivots, surprises and the unknown!
Personal Year 2: Year of The Mirror
Themes: Intuition, Duality, Opposites, Relationships, Polarity, Balance, Receptivity, Reflection
Tarot Archetypes: The High Priestess, Justice, Judgement, The 4 Twos
Crystal Companions: Diamond, Moonstone, Desert Rose
A Personal Year 2 is all about understanding oneself in relation to others. For that reason, partnerships of all varieties may be front and centre this year. This could look like the blossoming of new a relationship, rejuvenating existing ones, or even cutting ties with ones that aren’t working. As you come to better understand yourself, so too does your understanding of everything else improve.
Personal Year 2s can be thought of as a giant mirror. These 12 months are a period where you may seek to experience yourself through the perception of another. Of course, this isn’t always easy. There will be times when you will need to come to terms with the fact that the aspects you dislike in others are actually deeply rooted within as well. In looking inward and out, you can expect to deepen your sense of compassion for those around you, especially those that may challenge you.
Personal Year 3: Year of The Creative
Themes: Creativity, Expression, Exploration, Curiosity, Community, Expansion, Synthesis
Tarot Archetypes: The Empress, The Hanged Man, The World, The 4 Threes
Crystal Companions: Carnelian, Singing Quartz, Orange Calcite
Year 3s, this is not the time to tuck yourself away and hide. After a connected Year 2, you’re being called to ask yourself, “how can I stand out and shine?” Some of this, of course, may be deep and introspective work, however, the gains you make inwardly will reflect on the surface as well. It’s not just about who you are, but what that translates to in the physical world.
In all forms of your life this year, you will want to explore how you can best show up as the truest and highest expression of yourself. This means wearing what makes you feel good, consuming things that resonate (media, entertainment, culture, food etc.), speaking boldly, creating for the joy of it, experimenting with new things and then finding communities in alignment with all of that (if it calls to you).
Personal Year 4: Year of The Builder
Themes: Building, Stability, Authority, Order, Boundaries, Foundation, Form, Restriction
Tarot Archetypes: The Emperor, Death, The 4 Fours
Crystal Companions: Smoky Quartz, Obsidian, Petrified Wood
The first 3 years of the 9 year cycle are a bit more ambiguous. It’s hard to know, so early on, where you’re headed and how your visions will unfold. When you arrive at the 4-Year though, you get to see with more clarity as things begin to actually take shape. This, of course, will require a bit more discipline and pragmaticism! In other words, it’s getting “real” now, and with that, you need to apply a steady dose of earthly practicality!
The number 4 is one of order, form and structure. Consider: The 4 elements, the 4 seasons, The cardinal directions, the structure of a cube, the sturdiness of a table, the corners in a room etc. A Personal Year 4 is also about building a firm foundation. It is a 12 month period where finding your place in the world begins by creating strong roots around not just yourself, but your ideas, relationships, and anything else you wish to see flourish. Just be careful that you’re building not only strong, but smart. Just like 4 walls can keep us safe and protected, they can also keep us trapped and restricted. You want to build in such a way that you don’t end up boxing yourself too tightly!
Personal Year 5: Year of The Explorer
Themes: Configuration, Flux, Freedom, Change, Expansion, Dynamism, Challenge
Tarot Archetypes: The Hierophant, Temperance, The 4 Fives
Crystal Companions: Garnet, Labradorite, Tourmaline
The placement of the number 5 in the 9 year cycle holds a lot of significance all its own. This is because it falls right in the middle of the sequence, with 1-4 on one side, and 6-9 on the other. The first 4 years place an emphasis on establishing and building form. A Year 5 then comes in and puts it all to the test. In this way, you can imagine a Year 5 like a big wave. Some things will be designed to weather the impact, and other things will be consumed. No matter how resilient a person is, change can be hard and it is natural to resist it! Just try to remember this as you encounter any storms: some of these things we cling to are actually holding us back.
The good news is that change doesn’t happen for the sake of change in a Year 5. All that transforms or even slips away was meant to do just that. Consider a situation from your past that you once clung to. Now that the dust has settled, can you see how that thing leaving actually served you in some way? We don’t always know what we really want and we don’t always know what is possible. It is often the case that the life we plan for ourselves undermines our greatest potential. The universe might know better, so rather than see turbulence as failure, regard it as the divine simply recalibrating your path!
Personal Year 6: Year of The Harmonizer
Themes: Love, Service, Responsibility, Cooperation, Beauty, Harmony, Equity, Forgiveness
Tarot Archetypes: The Lovers, The Devil, The 4 Sixes
Crystal Companions: Rose Quartz, Peridot, Morganite
In a Year 6, responsibility reigns. If you think about the 9-year cycle as an entire lifetime, a 6 year would be right around mid-age. This means you’re at a point where you’ve learned a lot and you can now use the wisdom you’ve gained to guide you through the remainder of the cycle. It also means, in many ways, you’ve matured, and with that comes an increased level of accountability. What are your values? How can you show up and lead with integrity? It’s time to be the grown-up who makes conscious, aligned decisions, and who owns those choices.
Practically speaking, this year may be a time where service is of huge importance. If you can remain present and diligent, it will become apparent where and how you are needed most. In addition, you may feel a deeper inclination to organize, nest, or create an environment where you can truly come home to. Year 6s are about strengthening bonds, leading with compassion, expressing yourself transparently and working in harmony. You might even find that you are suddenly the person everyone is turning to for support or a shoulder to cry on - to provide shelter or other necessities when needed most (literally or figuratively).
Personal Year 7: Year of The Seeker
Themes: Inspiration, Spirituality, Introspection, Meditation, Truth, Consciousness, Growth
Tarot Archetypes: The Chariot, The Tower, The 4 Sevens
Crystal Companions: Lithium Quartz, Celestite, Opal
We like to regard a Personal Year 7 as a 12-month study of self. It doesn’t mean that won’t come with practical gains and tangible shifts, but many of those outer transformations will begin within. Spirituality, whatever that means to you, in whatever form it takes, may also play a significant role this year. This could look like refining your practice, reflecting on your belief systems or even exploring new concepts. That’s not to say that every Personal Year 7 will conclude with a grand awakening, but the potential to ignite all kinds of revelations are perfectly within your grasp this year (or any year for that matter, but this year has the theme!).
Year 7s are ultimately about getting that much closer to your own personal truth - the inner temple or centre of self. This is not the year to follow the crowd or conform to a system simply because it appears to be gaining traction or garner a following. Self-inquiry will be a critical undertaking in order to ensure you’re moving through the remaining 3 years of this cycle with clarity, integrity and ease.
Personal Year 8: Year of The Generator
Themes: Power, Energy, Success, Effort, Causality, Movement, Action, Cycles, Abundance
Tarot Archetypes: Strength, The Star, The 4 Eights
Crystal Companions: Pyrite, Tiger’s Eye, Jade
It’s now time to take everything you’ve learned from the previous 7 years and put it into conscious and deliberate action! Especially after a reflective and introspective Year 7, this year may be swift to switch things up. This is because a Year 8 is all about effort and utilizing energy in the most efficient way possible. It is also a year that will show you over and over, that what you put time and focus into, will grow (for “good” or “bad”). It is a powerful year and one where you could have a lot of influence over outcomes.
Whether you’re looking for the right opportunity, a clear path toward an important goal, recognition or reward - know that anything is possible. But, you also have to be really clear on your desires and most importantly, be willing to do the work. Putting effort into something you only feel lukewarm about will not produce full results, no matter how much you try. Effort is only one part of the equation - the other part is passion.
Personal Year 9: Year of The Sage
Themes: Release, Consolidation, Refinement, Completion, Reflection, Endings, Wisdom
Tarot Archetypes: The Hermit, The Moon, The 4 Nines
Crystal Companions: Kyanite, Malachite, Blue Topaz
Take a deep breath, because this 9 year cycle is now coming to a close. Those in a Year 9 may feel compelled to spend equal amounts of time reflecting back and planning forward. I often think of these 12 months as a period of decluttering and deep cleaning. This could be quite literal if you’ve been hanging onto objects that have run their course, but more likely it will entail cleaning up the greater parts of life i.e mindsets, relationships, patterns, and ways of being in the world.
Because your next personal year will be a Year 1, you must be absolutely critical in what you allow to come forward. That toxic relationship? Say goodbye. The habits or mentalities that are bringing you down? Make peace and part ways. I recognize that the ridding of things is not as simple as a wave and a walk-in another direction. This process of removal will take getting really honest, being really clear, and making some potentially difficult decisions.
We hope you enjoyed this overview of the Personal Year Cycle for 2026. Keep in mind, while there are some predictive elements to this system, we would encourage you to regard the information here more as guidance - “What is the energy available?” “How can I best work within it?” “How can I get the most out of it?”
It could also be said that our readiness for the energy of the current year may have something to do with what we were able to learn from previous ones. This means that the personal year system takes an integrative approach. While each year could certainly stand alone, it also connects in many ways to the others in the cycle. So the work done in one touches the work done in the next and so on. That's not to say you can't simply start where you are. It is just to say that there may be some benefit to looking at the whole picture to understand what aspects of which years have been thoroughly worked through and conversely, which could use more attention.
And remember, this is a cycle for a reason. Like The World in the tarot, even when we complete one trip around, the journey continues!