Thereat you didn't feel it was right, on the contrary, you had a feeling that you are always repeating the same mistakes.
Sometimes you had a feeling that a circle closed in the sense of the final accomplishment, a feeling that everything was in its place. Circles mark our lives in different ways and explain why, for example, exists the period that we call “midlife crisis”.
Astrology works with different circles, or better to say, cycles that determine the rhythm of life. The circle is a symbol of perfection, fulfillment, and universality. In astrology, a circle with a point at its center symbolizes the Sun, which is the source of life. The circle is a promise that we can reach a fullness of life! A point in the middle is a symbol of creative energy which each of us has in his core.
Even Natal horoscope is represented by a circle in which planets are charted. It is a representation of the moment in which we started our independent lives. Everything is moving in the Universe, including our horoscope; planets are moving, our horoscope breaths and lives, and changes together with us. From the initial circle, whose energies are deeply imprinted on our beings, our lives move in circles that are drawn by planetary cycles...?
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Day and night, changing of seasons, the passage of years marked by our birthdays- all of those are cycles by which our lives are measured. Every cycle is like a trip we have to take. Although always being a part of some cycle, the good news is that there is always a way out. That exit opens- symbolically speaking- upwards. When we, in some life situation, gain needed experience, we are ready to deal with the same or similar situations with more wisdom, more conscious.
We can rise to a higher level of understanding and make different decisions, better maybe, but certainly more mature. Our traveling in circles or cycles becomes an ascent on a kind of an indefinite spiral. Development possibilities are numerous. Some astrological cycles are long and crucial, while others are short, dynamic and lively. One of the most important cycles is marked by moving of Saturn. To make a full circle and come to a starting point, Saturn needs 28 years, sometimes more than 29.
Saturn is the master of time, a symbol of the maturation process. Its first cycle symbolizes our childhood and youth, so we, according to stars, become „of age“ at the age of 28. During that cycle, we learn about ourselves and build our skills. Its second cycle, which begins at the age of 28 and lasts till the 56th year of every individual, is a cycle of maturity. That is the period when our personality is in full bloom. We accomplish ourselves using knowledge and skills acquired during the first cycle. We are aware of our goals and our strengths. In that cycle, we can materialize our wishes and gain wisdom through different experiences.
The third cycle begins at the age of 56 and lasts until the age of 84. During that period, we are no longer occupied by self-accomplishment in the material world, we enrich our spiritual life with wisdom and life experience, and we could be an inspiration to others. We are free of many prejudices and strong instincts, but still curious enough to accomplish ourselves in the area of intellect and spirit.
Every time Saturn comes back to its starting point, it is called the Saturn Return in astrology; we feel that we are at a turning point of some kind. The Saturn Return is the moment of reckoning; a moment when we review our deeds and accomplishments. That is the moment when we face the reality and when we can clearly perceive what we have done good, and what we have failed to do right.
Our successes make us stronger and happier, and no one finds it easy to face their mistakes and failures. At the ages of 28, 56 and 84 each one of us experiences that moment of personal development. Disappointments, wrong decisions, and missed opportunities are a bitter pill to swallow. These are the moments when we became aware of the transience of all things, of our existence, but also of the inconstancy of friendships, jobs, material goods, health and many other things.
At those moments, many of us will experience a sort of crisis. The crisis stems from the cognition of transiency, from recognizing what we've done wrong, from the relentless reality that reflects everything we've created ourselves. That is the moment when we realize that we are responsible for the current state of our lives. And such a responsibility is not easy to accept.
If we are not capable of facing the truth and saying: “Well, ok, it is clear now what the situation is like. But no problem, I can fix it”, then we can be swept away by our guilt and shame, the feeling of inferiority or depression.
Every seven years, we face the reality
That is the opportunity to come back to the desired way of development. We experienced and learned many things, enough to have the strength for the rest of the journey. Do not forget that happens to everybody. It is a way of a life exam, and the strict examiners are our inner voices that will evaluate our accomplishments and according to that, award us or criticize us.
Inside every circle, certain weak points divide cycles into smaller periods. In Saturn’s first cycle those are the ages 7, 14, and 21, then 35, 42, and 49 years in its second cycle, and so on.
Every seven year, we have an opportunity to face the reality. Those years do not have to be intense, as the years of the Saturn return, but if you think for a moment, you will certainly come across numerous events from your past that you remember to this day, and which were essential for your development.
Uranus steps, control points when we experience different turmoil, happen every 21 years. So, the wish for a change, rebellion and an increased need for freedom will be highlighted in the ages of 21, 42, 63, and 84, when Uranus returns to the place where it was at the moment of your birth. Uranus encourages us to be free and independent. It moves us away from the common way of thinking, separates us from the crowd and tries to break every link that holds us tight to things, people and habits.
Neptune cycle will come after the previous two. Its steps are even longer, so you will feel its influence, for the first time, when you are 24, and the second, when you are 84. Neptune energy connects us with our inner life, with the need to search for answers to spirituality or religion, the need for beauty and creation. The points where all three cycles meet are at the age of 42 and 84. But, planets do not move at the same speed, so those ages are approximate; these changes can happen a year before or after.
Those are the moments when we can, not only see the reality the way it is, accept it or not, but we also have an opportunity to break free from all behavioral patterns and different burdens that you had to bear for a long time. At those ages, we can more maturely and more wisely free our potentials and step into a new reality with the higher level of consciousness. All big cycles meet at the age of 84, but there is no guarantee that we will live that long. But if we do, with good genes and a bit of luck, we will have a chance to experience the new youth.
The midlife crisis exists. The period of life around the age of 42 is full of active planetary energies, full of changes and very unstable. Bearing in mind that this happens to all of us, it is not strange that we speak of the midlife crisis. According to the stars, that period is special but does not have to be critical for everybody. We consider it to be critical because it is a period when we notice things we are not satisfied with. We want changes, and changes sometimes can be drastic.
Many couples separate, people change jobs, changes homes hoping that those outer changes will solve their inner turmoil and discontent. Others keep the external way of living while the changes take place inside them, they experience deep transformation, change their attitudes and habits. Unfortunately, there are those who face the illness as a bodily reaction to all tensions that couldn't be let out of the system otherwise. Many discover their new talents, fall in love again, and some, unfortunately, surrender; they decide to give up and start to fall into different addictions or mental and emotional numbness.
Shorter, sweeter, and not so dramatic are the cycles of Jupiter and Venus. Jupiter cycle lasts for 12 years. In its relatively fast pace, every 12th year will bring rewards for the efforts we made. Our ages of 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 84 are potentially marked with satisfaction, with the feeling that life is great.
One of my best experiences with planetary cycles is connected with the 8-yers-long Venus cycle. At the beginning of that cycle, which overlapped with the cycles of Saturn and Neptune, I quit my job and opened a yoga studio. Venus symbolizes values, and teaching yoga in my studio was crucial to me. But soon, private and unfortunate events changed the course of my development, so I had to temporary give up on my wishes.
At first, I found an 'ordinary' job and was doing it for eight years, while teaching yoga in the evenings. After eight years, I found myself in the completely same situation. I quit my job again and devoted myself to yoga. But, at the beginning of the new cycle, I realized that I was stronger and more mature, and now my wishes are smoothly coming true.
The ages that, by themselves, bring turmoil and changes, ages when we take a sort of a maturity exam, shouldn't be the reason for surrender. We can't say: “Oh, I'm just experiencing the Saturn return! And Uranus is making my life difficult! I can't do anything about it! “. As in any change, cope with challenges, discover your new strengths.
May you all be healthy enough to live to 84. That is the begging of the new youth that we build on our maturity and experience, free from prejudices, stupidity, unnecessary burdens.
Creative out of love, not out of the desire for benefits, rewarded with optimism, spiritual and calm understanding of life, we are ready for creation and freedom for itself. For the life joy, we celebrate all previous circles of our lives.
