Swedish-Brazilian journalist Henrik Brandão Jönsson has cut off his ponytail and quit smoking as part of a fresh start in 2026, a year numerology views as year one. The decisions reflect themes of change and initiative. His friend, numerologist Paulinha, describes the year as foundational for lasting changes.
Henrik Brandão Jönsson, a journalist based in Brazil, describes in a column how 2026 begins with personal changes linked to numerology. The year sums to one in numerological calculation – 2+0+2+6=10, reduced to 1 – symbolizing new starts, initiative, and bold decisions. Jönsson notes that 2025, summing to 9, represented closure and cleansing.
On New Year's, he decided to quit smoking, a habit he associated with social settings like beer with friends in Rio. He has kept the promise, except for carnival, which he views as an exceptional state. A side effect is that he drinks less alcohol, as the chain between smoking and drinking has broken.
Another decision concerned his appearance. After his divorce six years ago, he grew his hair into a ponytail as a symbol of defiance and independence. A Swedish friend, formerly a hairdresser, suggested cutting it off, saying it made him look older. Jönsson agreed and found it liberating, a release from a false security.
His Brazilian friend Paulinha, a numerologist, commented on the decisions: “What begins this year can become stable and lasting. It will not be a glamorous year for you. See it more as a foundational year. You have stepped into a new cycle.”
Jönsson links his choices to a broader sense of global change but focuses on the personal. The column was published in Sydsvenskan and emphasizes numerology's role in interpreting the year's potential.
