Before I begin, I should warn you that I am not an expert on numerology. In truth, I've always been a bit math-phobic and numerology seemed too math-ish to not be intimidating. Besides, it's based on arbitrarily assigned numbers, right? A few years ago, though, someone approached me and asked if he could use my Pagan Name database for his numerology-based name app and my part of the project included adding each name's number to the database. So, I was sort of shoved into numerology and my interest was piqued. I learned enough to be dangerous. This article isn't going to go terribly deep. And it's going to be super-simplified. Real numerologists would be horrified.

By the way, this is based on Pythagorean numerology. I haven't even looked at Chaldean.

Personal Cycles

Each of us have a number of numbers that we can use to guide us. Our Life Path1 number is based on our birthday and that never changes; our Destiny number2 is based on our name and that may or may not change. But we also have a personal cycle number which changes every year. To calculate this number, turn all the individual digits in your birthday to single digits by adding any multiple digits together, combine the year's digits the same way (2+0+1+6=9) and then add the two numbers together. For me it would be (6+(2+1)= 6+3=9) + ((2+0+1+6)=9)= 9+9=18 1+8=9. So my personal cycle year is 9.

There is some disagreement as to whether your personal year cycle begins when the year begins or on your birthday. I'm not even fussing with that. The cycles go from 1 to 9 (some traditions have "master numbers", 11, 22, etc. but I'm not getting into that, either. If you'd like to look it up, you have a keyword.) 1 represents beginnings, obviously, and 9 represents maturity, things coming to fruition. The 9 year is often marked by a deeper understanding and connection with other people, a mark of maturity, but it also is about really looking at the course of things and deciding if this is the path you want to take, so it's also wrapping things up to get ready for next year so as the year wanes, endings begin happening and that can be an issue. What specifically is happening this year is affected by other numbers in your chart.

These personal year cycles can also apply non-people things, like businesses, institutions, countries. For example, the USA's birthday is July 4th 1776, which is a 5, but it's cycle year now is a 2.

Now that I've said all that, I'm going to tell you that this isn't what we're talking about. But it is related.

Universal Year Cycle

The universal year cycle is sort of like your personal year but it's for everybody. It's based just on the year. 2016=2+1+6= 9. Since we're in a 9 year, everyone, that is everyone is thinking about the course their lives are taking and deciding what to cut out. Likewise, the universe itself is cutting out things that belonged to the past cycles and do not fit in the coming cycles. Fashions, people.

The year 9 is about thinking deeply and trying to understand others as well. There is more of a global view. We saw in the beginning of the year a huge movement toward trying to understand differing points of view. This thoughtful, open-mindedness gradually gave way toward the end of the year turned toward preparation for the year 1, the year of beginnings and foundations toward the end of the year as people started thinking about what we really don't like and want to get rid of. What these things are varies by who we are.

How this Affects People on an Individual Level

Following the US election cycle, we can pretty much see all of that falling right into place. But wait, the US's year is a 2 (assuming you accept July 4th, 1776 as its birthday) and that means relationships are a-changing. The relationships between the US and her allies, between our leaders and our people, the way we view each other. So while the Universe is getting ready to end a cycle, the US is figuring out who we're going to spend it with. What do you do when you're putting together a crew and the Universe is tossing out everything that made the last decade what it was? You step back from the tried and true and get a new crew. Beyond that, 2 years aren't generally very productive and trying to make them productive can blow up in your face.

America's Life Path number is 5 (again, assuming the 7/4/1776 birthday). The American egregore is highly optimistic. The USA sees possibility where other countries see catastrophe. She plows forward into every opportunity with a self-absorbed glee and the only thing that brings her down is stagnation. America is enjoying the excitement (let's be honest, she loves a riot) but has some concerns. While Trump won the election, I don't think America is on board with being "Great Again" or anything, Again. America isn't about doing anything Again. But she's sure, in the end, it'll all work out. She wanted change, she's going to get it.

As for me, well, my personal cycle is also 9. My cycle flows with the Universal cycle and I'm going with the flow… Many of the things that happened this year felt like the end of my childhood. Yes, I'm middle aged, I should have done that by now, but I guess maybe not as much as I thought. My childhood was marked with the belief that we were in a post-racial society and that women had achieved equality. I believed that my society was all about progress and moving toward a better way. I had begun to suspect that I was deluding myself some time ago, but it really got driven home this year as I spent a great deal of time really looking at the world around me and people from different backgrounds. Prince and David Bowie were major parts of my youth (Gene Wilder to a lesser degree, and Nancy Reagan is the first First Lady I have any memory of). They are gone. And I cried. And I feel like an era has ended. My Life Path number is 4. I'm a nester. I work hard to create a permanent foundation and I settle in. I am not taking this year well. Change is not my friend.

As you can see, this year affected some people more than others and some people are enjoying it while many of us are not. How this year affected you will depend on where you are in your cycle and what other numbers you have in your chart.

Now I know that I have just scratched the surface, and frankly, that's all I'm qualified to do, if that. These are just some things that struck me in the course of my own research and you can take it all with a grain of salt.

Recommended Reading

By the Numbers: Numerology as easy as 1,2,3 by Lex Rice
http://affinitynumerology.com/using-numerology/the-numerology-personal-year-number.php
http://astrology-numerology.com/num-cycles.html

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