By Haddon Libby
As the world grapples with economic tremors, geopolitical unrest and a changing climate, fortune tellers— from Nostradamus to living psychics —blend clairvoyance, tarot, astrology and quackery as they attempt to give some guidance each year.
Nostradamus, the 16th-century French seer, looms large with his 1555 book, Les Prophéties. Originally written with 353 quatrains (aka poems), the book covered four centuries. Subsequent additions over the next 13 years nearly tripled the quatrains to 942 covering a millennium (1,000 years). As Nostradamus never dated his prophecies, living psychics retrofit his writings to fit with modern occurrences. For 2025, his quatrains refer to floods which are interpreted as climate issues. Power shifts are thought to refer to leadership change(s) with a major power. This could refer to world leaders in the United States, China, Russia or another major economy. References to new inventions are thought to refer to the AI revolution that is underway. Prophecies for 2026 foresee worsening climate issues and a “man of light” from East Asia who will unite the world. Could this refer to Premier Xi Jinping or someone like NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang? Huang was born in the United States but has Asian ancestry.
Jeanne Mayell, a U.S. psychic, predicted that 2025’s economic divide would deepen with U.S. tariffs driving market volatility. If this is a psychic prediction, I must be a psychic as I’ve been talking about a K-shaped economic recovery for years. A K-shaped economic recovery means that some people are doing extremely well while others struggle under the weight of rising costs without comparable increases in income.
For 2026, Mayell warns of food scarcity, rising costs, and “war energy,” possibly tied to a U.S.-Venezuela oil tanker seizure and political issues in Nigeria. She also refers to a political awakening, with MAGA voters turning against the government. She thinks that this could shape the outcome of 2026 midterm elections. Mayell’s tariff predictions hold, but war visions remain speculative.
Mayell supporters cite her 2016 prediction that Trump would become President as an example of her abilities while her detractors feel that her symbolic imagery allows for overinterpretation of her prophecies.
PsychicWorld’s 500 astrologers published its 2026 predictions at the end of last month. Amongst their predictions are an end to the Russia-Ukraine war in 4-6 months. They cite Saturn and Neptune’s alignment in the sky as the astrological event that signals a dissolution of rigidity under Saturn once Neptune crosses its path as Neptune will help foster compromise. PsychicWorld also forecasts that bitcoin will surpass $150,000 in value. For sport fans, they predict the FIFA World Cup will have a first time winner this year.
Australian astrologer Jessica Adams foresaw much of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal back in 2017. Back then, she predicted how Prince Andrew would lose his royal titles due to a woman named “Virginia” (subsequently determined to be Virginia Giuffre) and trips on the “Lolita Express”. She also foresaw that Prince Charles would not be king around that time. For what it is worth, the meetings between Prince Andrew and Giuffre happened in 2000 with the first public mention of Jeffrey Epstein’s “Lolita Express” in 2006, more than ten years before her ‘prediction’. For 2026, she foresees a split in the Republican party and global gun control.
Skeptics cite investigations by magazine Skeptical Inquirer when refuting the abilities (or lack thereof) of psychics. In general, they argue that psychics match chance with vague statements in duping believers. They also note The Barnum Effect where selective memory clouds accuracy. Barnum is in reference to circus operator P.T. Barnum who said, “there’s a sucker born every minute.” A 1948 study at UCLA birthed the term The Barnum Effect after giving 39 students fake personality readings using vague descriptions to dupe study participants. In most cases, the students felt the readings were accurate.
Haddon Libby is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Winslow Drake Investment Management, a locally based RIA investment management firm. For more information on our services, please visit www.WinslowDrake.com.
