The Art of Influence, Ego, and Honest Exchange

Gate 26 - Taming Power of the Great

We are moving toward the end of the year, getting closer and closer to the end of 2025. The Sun now in the Gate 26, and it is known as The Gate of the Egoist, the Salesman, the Trickster, the one who knows how to influence, persuade, and survive. It sits in the Will/Ego center and is fueled by willpower, confidence, and the desire to gain something in return. This is the energy that knows how to sell, convince, and negotiate life in its own favor. At its best, it transmits value. At its worst, it manipulates reality.

This gate has a fascinating dual nature. On one hand, it carries the raw survival instinct of “How do I get the most with the least effort?”. On the other hand, it asks a deeper question: “Can influence be clean, honest, and fair?”

This is where my personal paradox comes in.

I don’t have Gate 26 defined. I have Gate 44. In result, I read people easily. I feel their needs, their fears, their desires. I often know exactly what would help them. But when it comes to selling, persuading, or confidently putting an offer out there… my Ego gets quiet. Too quiet. I don’t like manipulation. I hate being pushed into buying something, so I instinctively refuse to push others.

And yes… this has absolutely affected my business and my finances.

What makes this transit especially interesting is that when Gate 26 meets Gate 44, the full Channel of Surrender comes alive: A Transmitter of a Product or Service for a Fair Reward.

This might means: Not trickery; Not pressure; Not manipulation.

But truthful transmission.

And this is where I feel this week’s energy becomes deeply personal for me.

Because I see both sides. I see how easy it is to twist stories, to dress something up, to play on fear or desire. The media does this. Marketing does this. Politics does this. And sometimes, even in the spiritual world, this happens too. Gate 26 knows exactly how to shape a message so others will believe they “need” something.

But it also holds the wisdom of fair exchange.

This week is not just about selling but observing:
- Where do I feel pressured to buy, agree, or follow?
- Where do I pressure myself to perform, convince, or prove?
- Where does my will want to push… instead of wait to be recognized?

For me, this transit touches a very sensitive point: How do I offer my work without betraying my own values? How do I allow money to flow without forcing myself into a role that feels fake or manipulative? How do I trust that the right people will recognize me, without me having to shout?

Gate 26 teaches that influence is only clean when it serves both sides at the right time. Not ego alone. Not fear alone. But mutual value for the collective with a fair price.

As we move toward Christmas (i am writing this on the 8th of December, 2025) , this gate becomes even louder. Sales everywhere. Emotional pressure everywhere. “Buy now.” “Limited time.” “You’ll miss out.”

I suggest for myself and for everyone that It’s a perfect time to slow down and ask: Do I really need this? Does this really serve me? Am I choosing… or being pushed?

And from the other side, selling my works, books and services: Am I offering from truth or from desperation? Am I transmitting value… or trying to survive at any cost?

This next 6 days’ energy is not about becoming better at manipulation. It’s about becoming more conscious in influence. In buying. In selling. In promising. In exchanging.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s also here to help people like me learn that selling doesn’t have to mean betraying your soul. It can mean trusting that what you offer is already enough and that those who recognize it will meet you at the right time and at the right place.