Like all forms of magic, divination works best when it’s narrowly defined. Specific questions lead to specific answers – vague questions lead to vague answers.
Divination for a whole year is necessarily vague. But a good Tarot reading can still tell us the themes and trends we’ll experience in the coming year. That knowledge helps us prepare for what’s coming, and to put things into context so we can better understand them as they happen. That in turn helps us to adjust and refine our plans as we move forward.
We have to live in the world as it is, not as we wish it was. The sooner we recognize reality, the sooner we can adapt to it – whether our adaptation is to go with the flow, to swim upstream, or to rage against the system.
Last year’s divination was clear: 2025 will be a year of moving on. And it was.
Some of that moving on was for the better. Much of it was for the worse. All of it was confirmation that the world we thought (or at least, acted like) would last forever is gone and it’s not coming back.
Your victories, your heartbreaks, your grand narratives: they’re in the past. They may have been meaningful and helpful at one time but they no longer serve you, your goals, your mission, or your community. It’s time to move on – it’s time to create something new.
I hope you took steps in a new direction in 2025. Part of me wishes I had taken more steps, but I took some, and they were helpful, and that will have to be enough.
And now let’s look at what’s coming in 2026.
As it is every year, the question for this reading is “what does the new year hold for me and mine?” The closer you are to me, the more this reading applies to you. If you do ritual with me in my back yard, it’s very relevant to you. If you follow a Pagan polytheist path, it applies a fair amount. If you’re a casual blog reader, less so. You must decide how much weight to give this reading in your planning for the coming year.
I’m using the Robin Wood Tarot again this year. It was my first deck, I’ve had it for over 30 years, and it still speaks to me very well. I’m using the Celtic Cross spread because it’s the best I’ve found for broad readings such as this. All cards are in the upright position because I do not read reversed.
At first glance, this is the most positive annual divination in the ten years I’ve been doing them. No Tower, no Death, no Ten of Swords. The only traditionally negative card in the whole reading is the Five of Swords and it’s in the “what is passing” position.
I really wanted to interpret this card in this position in a political context. I drew three extra cards for clarification – they gave me zero indication that’s what this means. When I contemplated this further, what I heard was “that’s not what this reading is about.”
What it’s definitely about is The Fool in “the heart of the matter” position. Last year was about moving on, but the call to move on begins with disengaging, closing down, packing up, and starting a new journey. Now we’ve done that, and we’re on a new path that leads to… somewhere yet to be determined. Hopefully not off a cliff. Artist and creator Robin Wood’s key to this card is “pay attention.” We don’t need divination to tell us we live in troublesome times. This is a positive reading, but it’s hardly an “all is well, let’s party” reading.
Crossing it for good or for ill is the Nine of Pentacles. Our desire for comfort and for the familiar can stop our progress. Combine that with the Six of Pentacles in the “what is coming” position and The Empress in the “hopes and fears” position and we see a strong warning that settling for good enough will keep us from accomplishing what we really want.
The King of Cups, Queen of Cups, and Two of Cups speak to the relationships we’ve built and nourished, especially our closest relationships – which aren’t necessarily romantic. Where we’ve built well – rooted in hospitality and reciprocity – these relationships form a foundation for our lives as individuals, as families, and as a community. Where we’ve built poorly, the Five of Swords warns us to watch out for treachery. It also warns us not to take advantage of those who have placed their trust in us. Who are you in the Five of Swords – the betrayer or the betrayed? The goal is to be neither. Divination show us what will be, not what must be.
The Queen of Swords in “the environment in which we work” position is the most important card in the entire reading. This year calls for wise and sharp decisions. What year doesn’t? But this is especially important this year. Note the sun coming from behind the clouds – what is unclear now will become clearer as the year progresses. Be ready to use the sword of discernment when the time comes.
Because if we do, we will end the year with the Three of Wands, the “your ship is coming in” card. Look carefully at the artwork. The ships are still on the water – they’re not in the harbor yet, much less unloaded. 2026 will not be a year of completion. But what we started in 2025 will get closer and closer to reality as the year progresses.
When I first looked at this spread, I was taken by how positive it seemed. Once I examined it more closely, I see that it shows three possibilities for the year.
We can move through life mindlessly, not watch where we’re going, and end up getting hurt.
We can be afraid of losing what we have, get caught up in the seduction of the familiar, and settle for good enough.
Or we can build on what we accomplished last year, wait until the time is right, and then act with the wisdom and skill of a Queen and set ourselves up for great things in the near future.
Blessings and good luck as you respond to the opportunities 2026 will bring.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In