A 1‑Year disguised as a cosmic blank page; a spiritual reset; a divine permission slip to begin again.

If 2025 was a 9‑year; the great release, the sweeping-out of closets, a pruning of long‑rotting emotional leftovers; then 2026 is the inhale after the exhale. A numerological 1‑year, the purest number of beginnings. Raw, intentional, uncomplicated.

Where the 9‑year strips you down to your essence, raw, delicate, the 1‑year hands you the pen and says Write. Write the next era of your life the way you mean it this time.

 

Understanding Numerology

Put simply, numerology is the study of life’s cycles through numbers. It is not astrology. Everyone carries personal numerology derived from their name and birthdate, each revealing different layers of character and calling.

For example, using my full name, Jerome Stuart Nichols, we can calculate a core name vibration (often called the Expression or Destiny number). When reduced through standard Pythagorean numerology, my name resolves to a 7.

That said, whenever I calculate my Life Path using my full birth date, it consistently resolves to a 4 and that distinction matters.

A 4 Life Path is the builder. The stabilizer. The one tasked with creating structure, systems, and foundations that last. Where a 7 seeks understanding, a 4 is here to apply that understanding in the real world. Discipline, persistence, responsibility, and long-haul effort define the 4’s work.

Everyone has these kinds of numerical collaborations in their personal life but we also follow the flow of the years around us.

 

Calculating Your Personal Numerology

If you want to understand how this applies to you, there are two simple numbers worth knowing. You do not need to calculate everything at once; start here.

1. Your Life Path Number (from your birth date)
This reflects the terrain of your life; the kinds of lessons, responsibilities, and growth you are here to encounter.

To calculate it:

• Write out your full birth date (MM/DD/YYYY)

• Add every digit together

• Reduce the sum to a single digit (unless you reach 11, 22, or 33)

For example: 09/24/1987
9 + 2 + 4 + 1 + 9 + 8 + 7 = 40 = 4 + 0 = 4

2. Your Name or Expression Number (from your full name at birth)
This reflects how you move through the world; your natural instincts, talents, and the way you express yourself.

Using the Pythagorean system, each letter is assigned a number from 1-9. You add the values of all the letters in your full name, then reduce the total.

You do not need to memorize the chart to begin; most people simply verify their number once and keep the insight. What matters is not the math, but noticing the relationship between who you are and what your life keeps asking you to be.

Once you know these, you can read any numerology insight with discernment; filtering it through your own structure instead of trying to force yourself into someone else’s.

The Energy of a 1‑Year

Numerologically, we arrive here by simple math: 2 + 0 + 2 + 6 = 10 = 1 + 0 = 1.

Initiation, leadership, instinct, first steps, new cycles.

This is the year you get restless sitting still. Your inner pilot starts tapping the dashboard asking, "You ready to drive or nah?"

Expect:

• New business moves

• New relationships

• New home or location energy

• A new self that almost embarrasses you with how confident they are

• Clarity about your mission

• Courage to pursue what you secretly always wanted

• A sudden need to cut your own path rather than follow anyone else’s

• A desire for perspective over guidance

A 1‑year doesn’t care about your comfort; it cares about your becoming. Who are you supposed to be, and what will it take to walk toward that version? Every deliberate move you make in that direction will place you in a better position come 2027.

The Shadow of 1

Every number has a messy twin.

If you’re not grounded, a 1‑year may push you into:

• Running before you can walk

• Chasing too many ideas

• Isolating yourself under the guise of "focus"

• Confusing impulsiveness with inspiration

• Starting 12 projects and finishing none

Remember; 1 is fire. Fire creates light or it creates ash depending on your stewardship. If your end‑of‑year impulses have produced chaos rather than creation, be patient. These are the last of the bad fast ideas for a while.

2026 Themes

• Rebirth; returning to the person you were born to be and meeting them again now.

• Identity upgrades; weight loss, new hair, new style, new rhythm, new attitude.

• New work, new money, new purpose. New job? New ideas for your business? New charitable work? Nows that time to go after it. 

• New or transformed relationships; yes, call your ex; yes, remain open to people returning with better intentions.

• Foundations for the next 9‑year cycle; in the last 1 year, I launched The Butters. What will you launch?

• Self‑trust as religion; only you are the shepherd of your flock. Lead, even if your flock is just one black sheep.

• Creative momentum returning; whatever’s been rattling around your mind, get it out. Nows the time to actually create. 

2026 is the year people say, "You changed" and you confidently say, "mhm."

How to Work With 2026

Use your Art of Existing tools. The ones you've quietly fine-tuned, the knives you've sharpened over the last few years. 

1. Choose your direction on purpose

The 1‑year rewards clarity, not perfection. Pick three major priorities and let everything else orbit them. 

2. Say yes to opportunities that feel like oxygen

Walk through doors that make your chest expand, not collapse. If it excites you, run towards it.

3. Don’t isolate

A 1‑year has lone‑wolf energy, but even wolves have a pack. Pick your new crew with discernment learning from the mistakes of your past. 

4. Build the habits you’ll need for the next decade

This is the first brick in a 9‑year castle. Lay it with intention. 

5. Lead your life

Even if others don’t understand your path yet. Truthfully, they probably never will and it won't change your outcomes regardless. 

The Vibe of 2026

A seed splitting open underground; it looks like destruction, but it’s the beginning of a forest. Get growing.

My Results of 2025

When it came to death, endings, severing, and letting go; my god, was I busy. I moved across the country. I opened up to everyone who was near me and took notes on who cared most consistently. I went toward them and discovered who had integrity to their own words.

Now I’m stepping into 2026 with clarity about how much love actually surrounds me; quite a lot, just dispersed across the world. No more mixed signals. It’s refreshing. Emotionally devastating, yes; but refreshing.

My Intentions for 2026

1. Continue restoring the person I’m supposed to be.

2. Beat the bricks off the demons and ideations creeping over my shoulder.

3. Capture the kind of true, genuine care I have been starved for.

4. Learn how to accept that care and reflect it back outward again.

I need to open up again. I need a foundation again. I need roots and community. I need you, the audience, my flock, closer to me than ever; do not worry, I will be coming to you. I need the few in my real life who show up with pride and integrity to be elevated and exalted.

A Grounding Prompt for You

If you want to work with 2026 intentionally, take five quiet minutes and answer these questions honestly; write them down, do not optimize them, do not make them pretty.

1. Who was I becoming when I was at my most natural, before I started performing for survival?

2. What did 2025 remove from my life that I secretly knew could not come with me into the next decade?

3. What am I willing to begin again, slowly, without an audience or applause?

4. What kind of care do I need in order to grow roots instead of just coping?

5. Who feels like home to my nervous system, and how can I move one step closer to them this year?

You do not need all the answers. A 1‑year only asks for a direction; the rest reveals itself through motion.