As we head into a New Year in 2019, it’s as though we can all feel the rumbling underneath our feet. It’s as though the ground we’re walking on is changing its constitution—like we’ve been walking on a gravel road and suddenly the path runs out and we are faced with taking a turn onto a dirt road (or a well-lit sidewalk, garden path, highway, or whatever other thoroughfare you can imagine).

In numerology, every number contains meaning, influence, and effect and we feel this very directly as we close out a year and enter into a new one.

The most encompassing of these changing energies is called the Universal Year. This energy (or theme) is like the landscape or terrain we’re traversing all year long and is calculated by adding the numbers of the current year together.

Overall, the Universal Year indicates what elements of life are being highlighted and supported during a given year. It also means that everyone on the planet will be feeling the energy related to a particular number during the entire year.

You calculate the Universal Year by simply adding the numbers in the current year (in this case, 2019) together like this:  

2019 = 2 + 0 + 1 + 9 = 12.  

Then reduce again:   1 + 2 = 3

In 2019, we’re experiencing a 3 Universal Year.

All of us begin feeling this energy starting January 1, 2019 and it’ll end on December 31, 2019

What To Expect During the 3 Universal Year

The number 3 in numerology is the number of creative self-expression, emotional sensitivity and it’s the number of joy, optimism, and social engagement. The energy of the 3 is buoyant, dynamic, and is a hub of creativity. Universally we’re being offered energy supporting us in infusing creativity and actual fun and connection into all that we do. It may seem counter intuitive, yet humor and lightness holds immense power in the face of the heaviness and monumental change happening in the world.

This year holds the opportunity to bridge the spiritual illumination opened in 2018 (review the Master 11/2 Universal Year)  and infuse a newfound purpose and power into creating our next collective chapter.  Often the best form of resistance is finding a strange sense of purpose in the midst of chaos and finding contentment in the middle of upheaval.

The Universal Year is set up as a canvas ready for our inspired collective work of art to manifest. And as they say: “Necessity is the mother of invention.”  There appears to be universal and global consensus that the overall dynamics politically and on every other realm were rather circus-like and chaotic during 2018. As we bridge from 2018 to 2019, we’ll be asked to focus on several key factors, including how we choose to communicate, how we use our creativity, and how we express ourselves on virtually every level of our lives.

The 3 is the number of creation—of the Trinity. This is an extremely fertile year for creativity in all forms. Creative problem solving, scientific and medical innovation, new environmental solutions, and there will be a highlight on the arts as a conduit for expression across the board. We have seen how artistic communities have stepped forward to use their influence to speak out about everything from climate change to the #TimesUp, #MeToo, and #BlackLivesMatter movements (or insert your movement of choice). This influence will carry forward with even more velocity and power in 2019.

The 3’s highest and best use is to inspire and uplift others. As old paradigms dissolve, new ideas and paradigms are created. Yet this isn’t a seamless or linear action. The mantra for the 3 is to speak your truth. Yet the funny thing is that in order to speak your truth, you must know what your truth is. This is a year where truth is a core issue, value, and lesson.

So while it may sound simple, it’s anything but simple. Many philosophers and writers assert that truth is multiple. So how do we hold on to our own truth while allowing others theirs? How do we express our truth and stand up for ourselves when our truth doesn’t align with someone else’s? How do we discern the difference between “truth” and “values?” Or “truth” and “integrity?”   Or “truth” and “dogma?” How do we evolve and redefine our own sense of truth?

As many suggest, beliefs are just thoughts we think over and over again. When we change our thoughts we change our beliefs. So you can see how the simple act of speaking your truth can become a bit more layered that it might first appear, particularly in our era of “fake news” and social media where anyone can hurl an opinion into the ethers without having to take responsibility for it. All of us will be supported in diving into the challenge of truth—individual, collective, and universal. Connecting with our individual and then our collective truth—and expressing it in a healthy, dynamic, compassionate, and transformative way.

Challenges with the Emotional 3 Universal Year

One of the issues with the energy of the number 3 is that it brings all of our emotions to the table—the good, the bad, and the ugly—not to mention the known, unknown, and repressed. So part of the strange brew the 3 demands is for all of us to get real with our emotional life.

The year will be full of global trigger points for us in terms of how we emotionally engage on both a macrocosmic and microcosmic level. Also understand that the energy of the 3 brings in waves of emotional highs and lows that can translate to some depressive or melancholy moments. We can all feel much more emotionally exposed and vulnerable when working with the energy of the 3 Universal Year.

One of the resounding challenges with the otherwise buoyant energy of the 3 is its severe sense of self-doubt. The 3 can be challenged with being scattered—starting lots of projects and finishing nothing. The distraction of the “bright and shiny objects” can be intense, therefore during a 3 Universal Year we must all keep in mind that we benefit from some gentle focus and active follow-through. We’ll be challenged to not only watch our words, but also do bring precision to the way we choose to communicate. Choosing the proper words. Choosing not to gossip or tear others apart with sarcasm and hurtful words. Choosing to get more in touch with our truth and speak it with consistency and with grace.

Overall the 3 Universal Year brings a spotlight to the world in the realms of creative self-expression, joy, optimism, and authentic communication. The year brings opportunities for some new ideas to be expressed and created. It’s earmarked for all of us to take a deep look at how we communicate our deepest feelings, desires, and fears. Despite the deep unrest we all feel on a global scale, the universal energy for 2019 invites us into the sandbox, onto the stage and into the spotlight, and reminds us to play, to laugh, to find lightness in the shadows and to shine our light into the dark crevices in order to bring creative solutions to the global table. As graphic designer Paula Scher observes: “If you aren’t in a state of play, you can’t make anything.” This is the time to infuse optimism rather than defaulting to pessimism, to enjoy rather than dread, and to inspire rather than divide.