Universal Tarot Card of the Year zine
— A MAKE IT MAKE SENSE GUIDE —
Cover Page of one-page zine on the Universal Tarot Card of the Year (free download below)
There are as many different ways to work with cards of the year as there are ways to make pumpkin soup.
Here’s a free, downloadable PDF of a one-page zine I made. You can download, print, fold, cut, read, add to your library or share with a friend. No email opt-in required. (You’re welcome.)
BIG PICTURE
It’s kind of weird, but it begins with math.
But before we get into the math, let’s look at what we’re even talking about.
Here we are talking about: the Universal Tarot Card of the Year. Each year one of the 78 tarot cards is deemed the Universal Tarot Card of the Year.
It is called Universal because it is talking about a big picture, universal, collective, global pattern of energy.
Not to be confused with the Personal Tarot Card of the Year. It is not talking about a personal, individual energy pattern (that would be the Personal Tarot Card of the Year.)
I think of the Universal Card of the Year a bit like the vibe of a city. New York has a certain way of moving, which is different from the vibe and movement of Basel, which is different from the vibe and movement of Doha. The Personal Card of the Year is then a bit like the part of you that comes out when you are in that city, that vibe.
Ten+ years ago when I first began messing around with tarot, it didn’t make sense. The instructions were as vague as my Swiss mother-in-law’s recipes. In a world that was new to me I wanted the measurements and instructions to be precise, clean, and clear.
It wasn’t. And still isn’t. Only, now, I understand why. And now I understand when and how to add a pinch of this and a handful of that.
HOW TO CALCULATE THE TAROT CARD OF THE YEAR
THE MATH
For example: what is the Tarot Card of the Year for the year 2026?
We add each of the digits of the year together. 2 + 0 + 2 + 6 = 10 (This is Numerology.)
We now find the number 10 card (in the Major Arcana) of the tarot. 10 in tarot is the Wheel of Fortune card. The 2026 Card of the Year is: The Wheel of Fortune. (This is tarot.)
We explore the energy patterns of Wheel of Fortune energy. (This is Archetypology.)
I find using with the Universal Tarot Card of the Year is like using my mother-in-laws pumpkin soup recipe. You have 3 main ingredients and mix them together in equal measure: Numerology, Tarot, and Archetypology.
THE SECRET SAUCE
But just like when you’re making soup you want some seasoning, herbs, spices, or salt. This flavoring is like a secret sauce that most cooks and people do not talk about. Not because it is secret but because it is so individual and changes just a little bit every time you make the soup.
When we’re talking about the Universal Tarot Card of the Year, it gets flavor from the secret sauce. That secret sauce is found when you take the card from an idea and concept on a piece of paper and put it into real life. When you begin noticing and experimenting with that energy pattern in real life, in real time, in nature, in your community, in your own personal life. The spice of life.
What is the Universal Tarot Card of the Year? It’s a combination of three different systems plus a secret sauce..
DOES IT WORK
A lot of people wonder if the Universal Tarot Card of the Year actually works?
By which I think they mean: does science back it up that the energy patterns on the cards are the primary energy patterns that everyone on the planet experiences throughout the entirety of the whole year and we can plan our choices around it?
I love this question. The short answer is: no, science does not back it up. BUT, also, yes, it does work.
By which I mean, the Universal Card of the Year is helpful.
I gotta be honest, the question “Does it work?” leads us down a rabbit hole of scientific or philosophical thinking and the slippery slope of predictions (which leads us back to science). All of which I adore. And, also, completely missing the point on this one.
There are many holes one can go down in life. May I suggest a more useful hole. Ask: Is it helpful*—for me, right now?
*See also: Does it feel nourishing? Does it connect me to myself, my community, my environment? Or does it pull me away from nourishment, connection, power? Does it help me make sense of my life? Does understanding this energy help me find my way through a situation I am currently in? Does it allow me to be more myself, have that being be a contribution to the community I am in, and not be a jerk? That is my definition of “helpful”.
I’m currently reading a book by a neuroscientist who applies neuroscience to tarot reading (or any other kind of divination-type of artistry). Neuroscience explains how our brains process images in tarot cards to develop a narrative that helps us to make sense of our world.
One thing we know about human brains is that they are brilliant at collecting, collating, and connecting information for a plethora of sources and making sense of them. Maslow, the psychologist who created the Hierarchy of Needs, didn’t include this in his pyramid of needs but one of the basic needs of humans is: to make sense of our world. That is exactly what the Universal Tarot Card of the Year does.
The Universal Tarot Card of the Year helps us make sense of our world.
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE
I find it helpful to think of the card of the year is like a pair of sunglasses.
It wasn’t until I moved to the Middle East that I started wearing sunglasses. I didn’t need really them in Switzerland but when I moved to a different environment I was blinded by the light and couldn’t see when I driving. In the desert environment sunglasses were helpful, and sometimes required. I needed to block out some of the light so I could see where I was and where I was going. Literally.
The card of the year is like that.
It is like a pair of sunglasses or lenses I put on so I can see more clearly. I don’t wear them all the time. I only wear my card-of-the-year sunglasses when they’re helpful. To see a situation through another lens, to get a fresh perspective. To see different energy patterns. To make sense of my world. To see where I am. To see where I want to go.
10 years of the Universal Tarot Card of the Year calculated for you.
SPIRITUAL SKIVVIES
Yearh, but how do you use it?
Like I said the secret sauce is in the real life, physical, human, messy experimenting.
I know some people who use tarot, and cards in general, have their heads so far up their spiritual skivvies that they somehow seem to think that the point of being human is to be divine, a goddess…in short, to not be human. That makes zero sense to me. My experience so far has been that the point of being human is…to be human.
For me the Card of the Year is all about seeing life through a different lens…so I have more freedom to make and do the things I actually want to make and do in my physical life.
My point: the Universal Tarot Card of the Year is a spiritual, esoteric, psychological concept that can be used to help make sense of how I want to move through this human adventure and what I want to make and do with my time here (and oh goodness what a fluffy wonder this adventure is).
But I only came to that understanding after years of experimenting with the cards. My other point is: I want you to experiment and explore and play with it for yourself. I’ve given some ideas above. Come to your own understanding…based on your actual, for real experience, not based on what I said or someone else said.
A DIY Intuition Expedition
Below is an idea for an Intuition Expedition you can make yourself — you can do this with the Universal Tarot Card of the Year and with any card in any deck, whether tarot, oracle, intuition, or angel cards.
How to work with the Universal Tarot Card of the Year
Go on a blind date with a card. Take the card out of the deck. Take it to a cafe. (I’d order a latte macchiato and cake.) Pretend this card is a person you’ve been set up on a date with. What are you reactions, responses? Who is this person? How do they act? Is this someone you want to share your cake with? Have a conversation with them. What do they have to say?
I recommend having a notebook where you log your discoveries.
This little adventure works really well at the beginning of each year but also at touch points throughout the year.
Onward…with grace & ease!
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PRIVATE INTUITION EXPEDITION: If you’re stuck and not sure what to do next, you can book a private session with me. If you want me to lead you through a personalized guided Intuition Expedition to help you find an answer to a burning question or challenge, book a private session with me. We’ll apply this card to a real life in real time situation to help you get clear so you have the freedom to move forward in a way that works for you, within your context. Sustainably.
Whatever you do, take some space to pause and listen to what your inner voice is nudging you to do.
Create space to hear the whispers of your heart.
Share with your friends.
Want to learn about the Universal Tarot Card of the Year this year and what it means for you? Join the workshop.