HOLA! reached out to numerologist, qualified Hatha yoga teacher, Reiki master, and Sound Bowl practitioner Kiran Sidhu to decode what 2026 really has in store according to numerology. Her take is refreshingly grounded and quietly empowering. At a collective level, 2026 arrives as a Universal Year 1, the energetic beginning of a brand new nine-year cycle. Think fresh starts, new ideas, and bold intentions taking their first real breath. It is the year that whispers, then nudges, then firmly encourages forward motion.
But while the collective energy sets the backdrop, Kiran is quick to point out that personal year cycles are where the story becomes deeply individual. These cycles reveal the themes, lessons, and opportunities shaping your specific path. Calculating your personal year for 2026 is surprisingly simple: you take the day and month of your birth and add them to the year you are entering, reducing each number to a single digit along the way. That final number becomes your personal compass for the year ahead.
© Getty ImagesBelow, Kiran goes deeper by explaining that the energy does not stop at the year level. Each month carries its own numerological tone. Knowing how to work with it can change how you plan, pace yourself, and collaborate. In 2026, January holds a Month 2 vibration, encouraging cooperation, patience, emotional awareness, and slower, more intentional movement. It is a reminder that even in a year built for beginnings, some moments are meant for listening, aligning, and building connections before charging ahead.
To bring these insights off the page and into real life, Kiran also shares how to set intentions using simple rituals both for the year as a whole and month by month. These practices might include journaling, breathwork, sound healing, or mindful movement, all designed to help you consciously align with the numbers rather than resist them. Her approach reframes numerology as a tool for self-awareness and timing, not prediction, offering a gentle structure for navigating 2026 with clarity, purpose, and a little more trust in the rhythm of the journey.
2026 In Numerology, According to Kiran Sidhu
New year, new you? That’s certainly the energy that 2026 is bringing, so if you’ve felt it hard in previous years to start something new, know that 2026 is supporting you with forward momentum. 2025 was a year 9, which highlighted humanitarianism and represented letting go - it was the end of a 9-year cycle on a collective level.
The numerology of the year 2026 is a universal year 1, so 2026 marks not only new beginnings for us all but also sets the tone for the next 9-year collective cycle – so let’s plant some epic seeds (more on intention setting later).
© Getty ImagesCalculating your personal year number for 2026, which impacts you on an individual level. Personal year numbers or cycles represent the underlying theme of the energy you’re going through on an individual level. It’s specific to the year (in this case, 2026) but also considers the day and month you were born.
There are nine different cycles you could be going through, and each one focuses on something specific, like building partnerships, new foundations, and honouring endings. Being aware of the personal year cycle you’re going through allows you to move through the energy with intention and ease.
How to calculate your personal year number for 2026
© Getty ImagesExample 1:
Start with the day and month you were born, e.g., 17th of November (17/11).
Reduce the day and month to a single digit by adding them together:
1+7=8 (for the day)
1+1=2 (for the month)
The universal year for 2026 is calculated as:
2+0+2+6= 10
1+0=1
Add the reduced day of birth, reduced birth month to the universal year number to find your personal year cycle and reduce to a single digit again if necessary:
8 (reduced day) +2 (reduced month) +1 (reduced year) =11
1+1=2
So if you were born on 17th November, then in the upcoming year 2026, you would be going into a personal year 2.
Example 2:
If you were born on 13th of May (13/05):
Reduce the day to a single digit: 1+3 =4
No need to reduce the month as it’s already a single digit: 0+5=5
Reducing the year 2026 (as calculated above) would be a 1
Then add together: 4+5+1=10
Reduce to a single digit: 1+0=1
So the personal year cycle for someone born on 13th May, in the year 2026, would be a personal year 1 (which happens to be the same as the universal year).
What do the themes of the nine-year cycle represent?
Read up on year 1 (the universal theme) and your personal year cycle you’ve just calculated (if it’s different). As mentioned, we’re all going into a collective year 1, but you should also consider the energy of your personal year to better understand the themes you’re going through on an individual level.
© Getty ImagesOutlines of the Energy of Each of the Nine-Year Cycles
Year 1
- The energy of a 1 is that of new beginnings, leadership, and focus on the relationship to self. Since 1 comes after 9 in terms of numerology, it can also represent the energy of a rebirth, and it also marks the beginning of a new 9-year cycle. This energy is great for planting new seeds, not just for the short term, but for what you’d like to bring into fruition over the next 9 years. You may feel called this year to focus more on yourself and less on others. It’s not selfish; it’s about taking time to understand yourself better to find out what it is that you desire and what genuinely makes you happy.
Year 2
- The energy of a 2 is slow and steady, which may test your patience if you’re used to a more upbeat pace at the beginning of the year. This month is also great to focus on collaborations, be it business, romantic, or platonic, and encourages you to find balance, this could be between work and life, in partnership, i.e, balancing your own needs with your partners, and finding balance within your internal world, prioritising inner peace.
Year 3
- The energy of a 3 is fast-paced with emphasis on communication of all forms and creativity. This month is a month to focus on any creative pursuits, but particularly those that involve communication, such as public speaking or writing. This is a good month to catch up with friends, old and new, take up new hobbies or interests, or hone in on any you’ve already started.
Year 4
- The energy of a 4 is that of hard work. Some may find a 4 challenging because of this, but it will also be simultaneously rewarding. The 4 calls out anything built on rocky foundations and will require you to re-examine this, which may include breaking something down to rebuild it with a stronger foundation. Good discipline will keep you going steadily through the energy of a 4. Trust yourself to handle whatever shifts this year brings; sometimes the breakdown comes before the breakthrough.
Year 5
- The energy of the 5 is that of change and variety. It’s a great year to make significant changes across any area of your life, e.g., career, home, or even country. Expect the unexpected in the energy of a 5; you’re likely to find yourself doing things that you never thought were possible. You may also find yourself re-examining your relationship to freedom and what it means to you. The 5 is great for travelling if it's within your means to do so.
Year 6
- The energy of 6 is that of love, relationships, home, and family. It’s a great year to get married (or divorced), and if you’ve just started dating someone new and it’s going well, this could be a great time to commit. Conversely, if a relationship is falling apart, this energy supports both parties going off on their own journeys. Since it’s a year for family, if you were planning on having children, it’s a great time to either conceive or give birth. Consider laying down new roots, such as moving home, redecorating, or redefining what home means to you.
Year 7
- The energy of a 7 is that of introspection, gaining wisdom, and inner development. You may find that you want to spend more time alone to learn, e.g., to delve into spiritual practices. A lot of people feel called towards philosophical pursuits during this time, but also study of any kind. This doesn’t necessarily need to be formal like a qualification; however, it could be. You’ll also find less of a pull to socialise and value more solo time.
Year 8
- The energy of an 8 is a money year as well as power and achieving goals. It’s a year of hard work, but it also has a financial payoff. It’s great to start a business or launch a course this year or consider any other venture that leads to monetary return. You can use the energy of an 8 to take back your power and regain harmony in relationships that feel off balance. However, on the other hand, you may also want to consider where perhaps you are being overpowering in dynamics.
Year 9
- The energy of a 9 is that of letting go, revaluation, and death before rebirth and humanitarianism. This is a great year to tie up loose ends and reflect on the last 9 years, letting go of things that you’ve outgrown. You may consider activism or charity work this year or speaking up on the causes that touch your heart, e.g., through social media platforms. Letting go isn’t always easy, but every ending makes space for a new beginning. Trust that you’re being guided. The last three months of the year 9 give you an indication of how the next 9-year cycle will be.
Intention Setting
There are so many ways to set intentions, and with the new year, we can often feel overwhelmed with choice. You can decide on 1 to a few intentions for the overarching theme of your personal year and universal year combined. These are summarised below with some examples.
© Getty ImagesYou may wish to play some soulful music, make yourself a cup of tea, cacao, or something stronger, and light a candle or incense in a safe environment, then write about your intentions, making it a whole ritual. Or you may just feel like opening the notes app on your mobile phone and typing the intentions up whilst on the go. Both are valid and will work just the same.
Follow the Themes
Universal year 1 + personal year 1
- Amplified energy of new beginnings in any area of life, embodying leadership qualities, e.g., I am starting a new business this year.
Universal year 1 + personal year 2
- New beginnings in partnerships of all types and taking on leadership roles, e.g., I am seeking new friendships this year by signing up to friendship apps.
Universal year 1 + personal year 3
- New beginnings in communication (e.g., writing, speaking) and other creative endeavours, e.g., I am starting to write my new book.
Universal year 1 + personal year 4
- New beginnings or ways of laying down foundations and methods of working hard, e.g., I will be implementing habit stacking this year, such as applying skincare and repeating positive affirmations as I do so.
Universal year 1 + personal year 5
- New beginnings or ways of handling change and making sense of your relationship to freedom, e.g., I am going part-time in my current job so I can focus on building my business.
Universal year 1 + personal year 6
- New beginnings or ways of showing up in relationships, i.e., romantic relationships, other familial relationships, or new starts in the home, e.g., I am calling in the love of my life this year.
Universal year 1 + personal year 7
- New beginnings or approaches to introspection and spiritual study, or building a knowledge base of another subject, e.g, I am attending a silent retreat this year.
Universal year 1 + personal year 8
- New beginnings in creating methods of earning money and approaching dynamics or power plays in any type of relationship, e.g., I am creating my first online workshop.
Universal year 1 + personal year 9
- New beginnings within a period of endings, a bit contradictory but powerful in extending to new ways of how you approach endings and let in the new, e.g., I am celebrating the end of my degree and graduating.
Wishing you a fabulous and fruitful 2026, happy new year!
