What does manifestation look like if you’re no longer sure you can control outcomes?

This has been a question I’ve been pondering since 2020. And it was back in the forefront of my mind over holiday break, as I was stuck in bed with Covid for 10 days. 

A person can only have so many lifequakes and disruptions, plans delayed or cancelled before you start to second guess things.

And I’m not alone with this frustration. Over the last 12 months, I saw clients and students struggling with what they wanted to bring forward, but bumping up against the confines of what was happening around them. 

And this game of tug leaves us feeling powerless and frustrated with the old, over simplified ideas of “change your thoughts, change your life”, what you think creates your reality, and manifestation books like The Secret. 

So, imagine my delight, when I opened up my inbox to a flood of emails about 2026 being a 1 year of new beginnings and cycles – the year of The Magician. Manifest your desires and “create or bring to life anything you want.” 

With each email, I felt my body tighten more and more. In my post-Covid haze I could barely breathe, let alone create my dreams. 

2026 so far felt the exact opposite of Magician-y and the way it was being talked about didn’t help.

What I needed was help locating my power, not being told to change my mindset.

As I read through each email, I realized that we’re really short-changing The Magician and it’s holding us back.

At the heart of The Magician there is this energy of creation and manifestation, but there is so much more there to tap into. More than just talking about effort guaranteeing our outcomes or that if you do the “right” inner work, life will magically cooperate.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I don’t believe in our ability to co-create our life, but what if The Magician is speaking more towards remembering our power and embracing our agency and less towards “magic manifesting”? 

How would that change how we view and approach the creation process?

And when I’m talking about agency, I’m not talking about positive thinking/high vibes only, doubling down on willpower or pretending uncertainty doesn’t exist.

I’m speaking to our ability to recognize where choice still exists even inside moments of constraint. 

The Magician energy is at its most powerful when we’re trying to accept things that cannot be changed, when all we have is how we respond to something.

The Magician is in the moments when we have to rally and shift from “How do I make this happen?” to “How do I move forward intentionally in a less than ideal situation?”

Through this lens, it makes total sense why The Magician is at the beginning of the journey. 

They’re helping with the skills and practices that will support us through the rest of the Major Arcana – all those ups and downs we experience as we move through life. 

The gift of The Magician is that it reminds us there is power in working with what’s present and available. That the way forward is getting creative with how we work with what we have. 

Not what we wish we had.
Not what we imagine could appear.
What’s on the table right now.

Power still exists even when certainty doesn’t.
Working with what’s present is not settling. It’s a skill.

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