Your Hidden Symmetry

by Jean Haner

  For each year, there’s a way to go with the flow rather than fight the current—and as you align yourself to the direction the year is taking you, life can unfold almost effortlessly. As you read the descriptions in this chapter, find the year you’re currently in so that you can start to apply these insights about how to live in the rhythm of the time. You can also look at the information about previous years to see how the meaning applies in the context of your past experience.

  Important note: You don’t begin to be influenced by these yearly cycles until you reach the age of 18 (or in rare cases when you leave home and are completely independent prior to that time). If you’re under 18, you should look at where your parents are in any particular year. Because you’re under their influence, what’s affecting them will impact you directly as well.

  Under each yearly category, I’ll list the most recent year you were under that influence and then the one coming up next. It can be fascinating to look back to see what year you were in when you had a breakup, got married, or made a big move, in order to understand why that experience happened the way it did, based on the theme of the year.

  When we look at where you are in the cycles of the individual years of your life, we use only your first number; the other two numbers don’t matter here. So for instance, if you’re a 1.4.2, you’ll look at the dates following “If your first number is One.”

  Because this is a nine-year cycle, you can track the past or future simply by adding or subtracting nine years. For example, if 2013 is a Seven year for you, 2022 would be your next Seven year (nine years later), and 2004 was your previous Seven year (nine years in the past). There’s also a chart at the end of this chapter to let you track your journey through more years in your past and future.

  One Year: Dream the Dream

  If your first number is One: 2013, 2022 If your first number is Six: 2008, 2017

  If your first number is Two: 2012, 2021 If your first number is Seven: 2007, 2016

  If your first number is Three: 2011, 2020 If your first number is Eight: 2006, 2015

  If your first number is Four: 2010, 2019 If your first number is Nine: 2005, 2014

  If your first number is Five: 2009, 2018

  This is the first year in a brand-new era for you, so it’s an important time of new beginnings. However, it’s not what you might expect—it’s not a big launch into a whirlwind of activity. Instead, it’s a time when your system needs to reboot.

  In the cycles of nature, the One year is associated with the energy of winter. In most climates, when you look outside in this season, it appears that nothing’s alive or growing. It seems pretty desolate. But in fact, we know that’s not true. Deep down in the ground, the seeds are soaking in all the rich nutrients in that cold, wet soil; and we know that if they stay there all winter, what sprouts in the spring will be able to grow to its fullest potential. We’d never dream of running into the garden in the middle of winter, pulling the seeds up out of the ground, and shouting, “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, grow!”

  So you need to apply this awareness to your One year as well. It’s not a time to take action. Instead, it’s a time to go inward, rest, replenish your energy, and dream about what you’d love from life in this next stage. In nature, winter is a time of hibernation, and your experience this year will reflect that. You may find that you feel like staying home more and being quiet, and this is because your system needs to slow down and turn inward; the work for this year is internal.

  If a client comes to me for a reading about a new business they’re about to launch and I see that they’re in their One year, I know that even if it’s the best idea since the beginning of time—even if they have a great business plan, tons of investors, Super Bowl commercials booked, and a toll-free number with operators standing by—if they launch the business this year, the phones will hardly ring. And then they may scratch their heads, shrug their shoulders, and think, Well, I guess it wasn’t such a great idea after all, and give up.

  It may indeed have been a fantastic idea, but the timing was wrong. There are certain years that support getting a new business out there, but this isn’t one of them. If you do have to launch something in your One year, it won’t be the end of the world, but you should expect slow growth, not immediate results.

  There are things you’re supposed to do in your One year, and the most important of all is to dream where you want to go from here. Give yourself time to space out, float, daydream, and fantasize about what your life could be—and don’t hold back! Get creative and allow yourself infinite possibilities in your fantasies. This isn’t the time to figure out how to make your dreams come true or to create a practical action plan. Don’t be scared that you’ll end up behaving carelessly. If you imagine quitting your job, leaving your family, and running off to Spain to become a flamenco dancer, your common sense will click in at the next stage of the cycle. But if you don’t allow yourself your wildest dreams now, if you try to create a logical plan instead, you’ll significantly limit your future growth, just as if you pulled the seeds out of the ground in the winter.

  The energy of a One year has to do with feelings rather than facts. So it’s best not to have CNN or radio talk shows on in the background all day. Allow silence or listen to music. Watch fewer news shows and documentaries in favor of fanciful movies; read less nonfiction and more fiction. A One year is also a great time to learn, study, or do any creative activities. If you travel, it’s best to go for pure relaxation or an adventure rather than a tightly scheduled business trip.

  There are challenges that can come up in each of the nine years, and for the One year, there’s a possibility of financial or health concerns, usually to a very minor degree but sometimes dramatic. These stimulate and intertwine with the emotional patterns for the year, which center around fear. You’re more inclined to get caught up in fear about whatever emerges this year, and it’s good to remember that these feelings can have nothing to do with the reality of the situation but are more to do with your being swept away into frightened fantasies about what could happen. Talk to friends for reassurance and a reality check.

  Above all, it’s so helpful to remind yourself that in a year like this, things are happening behind the scenes that aren’t yet visible. If you rest on that certainty, you can know that you’re quietly creating a powerful future.

  Two Year: Build the Foundation

  If your first number is One: 2005, 2014 If your first number is Six: 2009, 2018

  If your first number is Two: 2013, 2022 If your first number is Seven: 2008, 2017

  If your first number is Three: 2012, 2021 If your first number is Eight: 2007, 2016

  If your first number is Four: 2011, 2020 If your first number is Nine: 2006, 2015

  If your first number is Five: 2010, 2019

  After using the One year to imagine what this new era could be, the Two year is the time to start to build the foundation for where you want to go from here. The theme of this year has to do with the essence of Mother. A stereotypical mom has to plan well to accomplish all she has to do in any particular day. She has to get the kids ready for school and then head to work in time for a slew of meetings, complete the project on schedule, pick up the dry cleaning, and chauffeur the kids to various after-school activities while still getting dinner on the table in time. If she thinks ahead and stays organized, she can get everything done successfully.

  So in your Two year, it’s time to get your ducks in a row. Similar to a mother at the beginning of her day, there’s a lot of activity coming to your life next year, so if you plan ahead and make sure things are in order, you’ll do fine. You can now figure out what’s needed to support the dream you created the previous year. If you’re going to start a new business, for example, this would be the time to work on the business plan, get your board of advisors and investors, figure out the logistics, and cover all the details. It’s a time to talk to others as well, to get solid advice and to ground your ideas.

  A Two ye
ar is also about helpers showing up. You may find that new friends just drop into your lap or that you easily find the professionals who can assist you in your plan. It’s a great time to network, going to events or workshops that help you develop whatever it is you’re wanting to start. Take every opportunity you can to connect with people, whether it’s coffee with old or new friends or participating in an online forum. Tell your story, share ideas, and stay as receptive as possible to help or advice others offer you.

  Note that at the beginning of a Two year, it’s possible to miss some opportunities because you don’t notice that the energy has shifted and helpers are appearing. Here’s what happens: By the time you reach the last stages of your One year, you’re accustomed to the fact that life has slowed down considerably, and it’s possible that you may feel quite solitary, even cut off from others. Not knowing that this is a pattern that lasts for just one year, it’s likely that on some level, you now believe this is how life will be! You’ve had so many months of experiencing this reality, and you have no reason to think it’s going to end.

  So as your Two year begins to show up, you could miss the fact that the scenery around you is starting to change. Instead, you’re walking down the road with blinders on, repeating this old One-year story to yourself. You might not notice that there are friendly folks standing on the sidelines, offering their hands and trying to get your attention: “Uh, can I help you?” So in the late fall and early winter of your One year, you should be watching for those first opportunities to flow in from the influence of the Two year and allow support to enter your life.

  An issue that will come up in a Two year centers around home. You may suddenly want to change things at home, whether that’s rearranging furniture, remodeling, or planning to move. It’s better not to do an actual move this year, but instead wait till the following year; however, this year is a good time to make all the plans and preparations.

  Relationship issues may surface as well. It’s not unusual to feel unsatisfied in one or more relationships this year—in fact, it’s a great time to think about what will make you truly feel loved and nurtured and how things can be brought more into balance in that regard. At the same time, it’s important to pay attention to your own responsibility for creating or contributing to the situation and not lay all the blame on the other person. As part of this theme, family issues may be at the forefront this year and you could be called upon to help in some way, or be forced to work through problems, especially with your mother or female relatives.

  There’s a possibility of dropping into victim mode this year, feeling sorry for yourself or upset that people are taking advantage of you. To counteract this, be sure to practice good self-care, be mindful of boundaries, and take time to enjoy the pleasures of life as it is right now.

  Things will still tend to feel a little slow in your Two year, so you’ll have to practice patience. It’s not quite time to take action, so stay focused on thinking things through and completing your plans, building the foundation you’re about to launch from!

  Three Year: Go for It

  If your first number is One: 2006, 2015 If your first number is Six: 2010, 2019

  If your first number is Two: 2005, 2014 If your first number is Seven: 2009, 2018

  If your first number is Three: 2013, 2022 If your first number is Eight: 2008, 2017

  If your first number is Four: 2012, 2021 If your first number is Nine: 2007, 2016

  If your first number is Five: 2011, 2020

  If you’ve been wanting to start a business, make a change, initiate a project, or begin anything important, now is the time to go for it! The Three year is like the full force of spring, when plants break through the ground and there’s a natural sense of forward movement overall. Whatever you start in a Three year can have a big response from the world because this is your time of growth and change.

  The influence of this year actually begins to trickle in during the late fall or early winter of your Two year, and that’s when you can suddenly begin to feel twitchy. You’ll start thinking, I’ve just got to make a change! You may want to quit your job, leave your relationship, or move somewhere new. In fact, what’s happening is that your system is feeling the change coming but slightly misinterpreting the information, thinking that you’re the one who has to make the shift happen. The fact is that you could hide in the closet with a blanket over your head in a Three year, and change will still find you!

  In the spring, we have a natural sense of hope and optimism. The days are getting longer, the leaves are sprouting, and there’s a sense of new possibilities; likewise, in your Three year, you’ll likely feel your optimism returning after two years when you might have been unsure at times if things were ever going to get moving again. But it’s important not to get swept away in your enthusiasm and be careless. A Three year can be a time of rapid progress, but you may feel such a sense of urgency that you go too fast and overlook some important part of your plan.

  Along with feelings of optimism come frustration and impatience, increasing the possibility that you can act impulsively. At the extreme range of these feelings is anger, where you might lash out at others. Even if this isn’t your nature, you may become more easily upset or irritated in a Three year; the more you can be aware of this possibility, the more quickly you can catch yourself before it causes problems.

  Another way you can ride the energy of the year is to stay physically active. This has the double benefit of aligning with its theme of forward movement along with giving you a way to burn off any of the frustration or stress that can surface at this time. Even if you’re not usually the type to exercise regularly, this is the perfect year to focus on ways to move your body!

  When a plant sprouts in the spring, there’s a plan built into its DNA so that it grows in a deliberate way to achieve its fullest potential. Similarly, it’s important to focus on your action plan this year. Now that things are moving along, you need to keep up with developments and adapt as situations change. This means staying organized and active, and on a regular basis reevaluating the structure you’ve built for whatever you’re doing. If things aren’t going as you thought they would, it’s time to rethink and adjust the plan to accommodate the new circumstances.

  Your vision of the future is an important theme for this period. It’s essential that you ask yourself what it is you really want for the next few years. Sometimes in a Three year, you can get too shortsighted, too focused on the immediate goal, without seeing where it’s really taking you. Devote some time to think about what the life you want looks like—literally. You might create a vision board with pictures cut out of magazines that represent your goals for the future or write a list or description of things you want in your life. But the essential final step is to let go of any attachment to how they need to show up. The more you focus on a specific outcome, the less chance there is that you’ll achieve the even more wonderful results that life can give you.

  Four Year: Ride the Wind

  If your first number is One: 2007, 2016 If your first number is Six: 2011, 2020

  If your first number is Two: 2006, 2015 If your first number is Seven: 2010, 2019

  If your first number is Three: 2005, 2014 If your first number is Eight: 2009, 2018

  If your first number is Four: 2013, 2022 If your first number is Nine: 2008, 2017

  If your first number is Five: 2012, 2021

  This is the second half of a two-year cycle of change that began with your Three year, but it has a different flavor than the first half. It’s as if change has sped up, so things seem less predictable. The direction you thought you were going can suddenly change or circumstances intervene so that you’re now not sure what’s going to happen. There are distractions and new developments that can make you feel indecisive and unsure; there seem to be so many options, and it’s hard to know which one to choose.

  The most common comment I hear from people in a Four year is: “Everything feels so up in the air!” In fact, the
image for the Four is the wind; and the theme of this year is about learning to ride that wind, accepting that you feel uncertain about how everything is going to work out. At times, it may feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you, and it can be so helpful to recognize that this is the pattern for the year, not due to some mistake you’ve made. When you can avoid blaming yourself for what’s going on, you’ll be able to see that wonderful things are happening in the midst of all this change!

  It’s true that the energy of a Four year stimulates more in-decisiveness within you, so you may waver or back off from a decision or get distracted by all the possible choices. The general advice for this time is to expect change but to try to stay focused on whatever it was that you started the year before. You may have to adjust that vision this year, but it’s best not to change horses midstream.

  Feelings of frustration or impatience can come up more easily, and it’s important to recognize them as part of the year’s influence rather than take them too seriously or base decisions on these repeating patterns of emotion. A Four year can incline you to behave impulsively; alternatively, you may take too much of a “wait and see” attitude and let opportunities pass you by. It’s important to keep moving, but to stay grounded by seeking commonsense advice as you go.

  If a relationship is nearing the end of its life span, it’s not uncommon for the decision to end it to be made in your Four year and the actual “divorce” to take effect the following year. It may be a decision about ending a marriage, or some other kind of parting of ways from someone you’ve been connected to. The thought process around this situation will contribute to your feelings of uncertainty, of course, and it can help to remember that the turbulence you’re experiencing is a natural part of the design for the year and won’t last.