Prophecy 2026: Part One

Merry Meet and Welcome to you magickal souls!!!!

It's time for this year's Prophecy: Becoming the Seer series. For anyone who hasn't seen the last couple of years, I attend a workshop in late December run by Wise Woman Witchery's Emily Morrison. During this workshop, she leads the group through a tarot reading for the whole of thhe year ahead as well as looking back on the past year. I break my experience down into five parts: the first looking at the review of 2025, then four parts that make up three months plus the final part also includes the theme for the year so I can look back on it.

This is Part One so I'll be reviewing the cards I pulled relating to 2025 and the ones that aren't month-specific for 2026.

The very first card was a choice of who/how I am/was as the end of 2025 approached. My initial thought went to Temperance but now that I'm a few days into 2026 (at the time of writing this), I'm unsure whether The Chariot might also be appropriate.

Temperance is all about making slow and steady progress towards a goal rather than rushing in and trying to do too much all at once.

This is the card of moderation, of being involved but still having distance or boundaries when it comes to being asked to get involved. It's a card of balance to me, where I value myself while not allowing anyone else to disrespect me.

This card does advise patience, which I am having to learn on a deeper level as I approach my surgery date and subsequent period of healing.

I feel like this card is really encouraging me to remember that there is only so much I can do without my efforts potentially having a negative effect on my physical, mental and emotional health. I know this which is why I'm trying to be as prepared as possible for my surgery and recovery.

The Chariot is all about forward movement which is what I'm looking towards.

This card shows Samwise with a wheelbarrow that carries vegetables but he's also heading down a hill, which means his speed can increase and he won't be stopped by any obstacle, regardless of what it might be.

I do want to rush towards this year but I also know that Temperance/caution is a better idea.

However, this card is also about determination and removing self-doubt because Sam never doubts that he'll go with Frodo, even when he knows what the danger is. He's also stubborn about this, holding fast to this one conviction. Perhaps this is what I need to embody this year: knowing I can do things and doing them just because I want to and I told someone that I would.

What are the gifts I'm taking from 2025?

The Tower Reversed

This card usually denotes change, which could potentially be forced on us.

Change is a good thing but sometimes we prefer the things we know and are comfortable with over the new. This is what I'm focusing on with this card being reversed.

This card depicts Barad-dûr in the process of destruction, like at the end of the films. However, because it is reversed, it looks like the ceiling is falling instead.

I do try to see change as a good thing as I know it is a natural part of life and the world because change doesn't have to world-ending or catastrophic.

This card could also be showing that I have needed to lose a huge burden that I've been carrying for too long, perhaps even an outdated belief system that is so ingrained from my childhood.

What lessons have I learned?

The Star

This is one of my favourite tarot cards because it's all about hope.

While Arwen's necklace is shown here, the item that gives Aragorn hope along his journey, this card makes me think of something that Gandalf says in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey': "Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I've found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love."

To me, Gandalf is saying that anyone can be a hero and hold true darkness at bay just by doing anything. I feel like Gandalf is also saying that it's the simple things in life that can bring a bit of light to the world around me, like baking a cake or doing a cross-stitch project for someone.

What obstacles are here for me now?

Ace of Cups

Initially I thought this card was all about a new emotional cycle but after looking at this card a bit more, I think this card might be saying that the main obstacle that I face is sharing my emotions. I say this because the Ent-Draught could be about to be shared or drunk by the Ent holding it.

However, both could also be right at the same time because I'm not used to sharing my emotions so this could be a whole new emotional cycle where I learn how to do so effectively.

This card could also be saying that I haven't understood my emotions fully before and this is what is holding me back from expressing my emotions.

Regardless, I need to put my whole effort into this.

What resources are here for me now?

Seven of Swords Reversed, The Hanged Man

If the Seven of Swords were upright, I would have said it was saying that discernment was a resource I could use as I needed to take care of who I listened to as not all those who would offer advice have my best interests at heart. But because it is reversed, I think it's saying that perhaps secrets are my friends, although I will need to be careful what I hide from others and what I do share. Or it could be reinforcing that I need to be open and honest with others about how I'm feeling, both physically and emotionally. Sometimes I think that hiding the truth from others is saving them from pain when in actuality, holding the truth back is what causes the pain.

The Hanged Man is tied into this and asks me to find a new or even an alternative perspective. It's a bit like Smeagol and Gollum, where they are two versions of the same person. I wasn't happy with myself at the end of 2025 as I hadn't done a lot of writing in that last 4-6 weeks but I also knew that putting pressure on myself to write wouldn't help me at all. I expressed my creativity in a different way by doing some cross-stitch projects and resting, almost like I was having a practice run at my post-op recovery plan. This wasn't something I consciously chose to do but it was interesting to see how this went and how I felt at the end of it. I like having a routine of sitting and writing before relaxing with a cross-stitch project after dinner but I know that sometimes I won't always feel like writing so being flexible with myself is important.

I know I've mentioned this in another post but when I calculated my Year card for 2026, I discovered it was the same as my Birth card: The Emperor. This is not one of my favourite cards because my brain always connects the name of it with the Triple Goddess Tarot deck's version, which feels very forceful and authoritative.

But in this deck, Aragorn was chosen to embody the energies and symbology of this card. All because he was a gentle leader who listened to those around him, would take advice when it was appropriate but who would also stand up for what he believed in when others doubted.

However, when I looked at this card while doing this workshop, I wrote down a couple of questions: How can I be more of a leader? How can I stop my ego from getting drunk on the power that can come with leadership?

The only observation I made was that I shouldn't let power or the idea of being powerful become my identity. I have typically been a follower but perhas this card, and Aragorn, are saying that I should stop hiding in the Wild and instead I should step into who I really am and have always been. (I can hear a particular line from Merlin here!)

This was an interesting review of 2025 and what I have taken with me into 2026. I never know what to ask for personal readings but it's definitely something I might look into in the future. It wasn't just a review of 2025 though because I feel as if this was a gentle review of everything I've learned in my life, which feels a lot deeper than it should be.

If you enjoyed reading about my eperience, I hope this inspires you to work with Wise Woman Witchery. I always do.

Peace and love to all!!!!