Numerology has been a fascination of humans for ages, dating back as early as the 8th century BC, with the practice of assigning numerical values to words and names. These values would then be ascribed a religious or spiritual meaning, taken from texts like the Bible or other mystical and theological systems.
Today, many tarot readers practice something similar by adding the numbers in the year and finding the corresponding tarot card from the major arcana, giving the coming months a theme or lens to work within.
For 2026, the corresponding tarot card is the Wheel of Fortune. Here’s how we get it:
2 + 0 + 2 + 6 = 10
The tenth major arcana card being the Wheel of Fortune.
You could add those numbers even further to get a single digit of 1, representing the Magician card as a secondary or companion card to the Wheel of Fortune.
The Year Through the Wheel of Fortune
Every year, we face personal, social, and global ups and downs. It’s a natural part of life, and something that the Wheel of Fortune illustrates so simply and beautifully. A card-of-the-year is a reminder to pay attention to specific themes in your life. The Wheel calls us to be aware of moments of change and movement, and most importantly how we respond to those moments.
Change is inevitable and necessary for growth and progress. Often, it can feel painful or confusing, especially in circumstances that are completely beyond our power to sway. The Wheel of Fortune represents those cycles and learning to accept what we do and don’t have control over.
Hopefully, in 2026, we all have an abundance of ‘up’ moments. Realistically, we know there will also be some low points, and this is when the Wheel of Fortune reminds us to be flexible, to roll with the punches, and embrace the coming change as a positive instead of something totally negative. Sometimes the Wheel doesn’t move in a logical, straight line. It may feel like you’re taking two steps back and that the progress you’ve made is lost. This is something I have to constantly remind myself of: that even rest or revisiting old ideas can still be progress. If you feel yourself moving backward, consider what is important to reunite with in that moment. Is there something you should reassess?
Attunement is a crucial aspect of the Wheel of Fortune. Life is in constant motion around us, and we are along for the ride whether we like it or not. But there are things that we do have influence over. Our actions, if intentional and purposeful, can put us in line with our goals (this is where the Magician as a complementary card comes in). Alternatively, misjudgment, apathy, and obliviousness will have us swimming against the current of the Wheel, making it feel like everything is working against us.
The Magician echoes these themes of agency – that you have what you need to make the changes you want and bring your visions to life. This is an action-oriented card. While the Wheel is turning, it can be easy to become complacent. If you wait around for the ‘perfect’ moment to make a move, you might be waiting forever. We don’t need to sit passively as the world spins by. There are always changes, even small ones, that we can make to improve our mindsets and situations.
There’s an element of trust in The Wheel of Fortune as well: trust that, while you are doing what you can to create the life you want, the universe is also working behind the scenes. Whether this is God, destiny, or other forms of spirit, I can’t say, but I think we do know those moments when we know the path we’re on is right, even if things don’t immediately make sense. This faith can make some of those difficult moments a little easier to manage.
The Wheel of Fortune mimics the cycles of life and symbolizes movement forward, even when it may not feel like we’re going in that direction. We can take solace in the fact that the low points aren’t forever, and these periods of hardship help us savor the good times when they do roll around.
For 2026, keep these questions in mind:
- When faced with unpredictability, how do you perceive and react to what’s happening around you?
- When do you recognize moments to reassess and realign with your position on the Wheel of Life?
- What do you have influence over? What small actions can you take when things feel out of your control?
