* “These pains you feel are messengers. Just listen to them.” (Rumi)
The planet that rules this year: The Moon
Keywords & planetary energy: emotional balance, mental peace, domestic happiness, home matters, family matters, motherhood, childhood memories, ancestry, past experiences, health, wellness, (inner child) healing, nourishment, protection, conveniences, comforts, (subconscious) mind, dreams, intuition, creative imagination, self-reflection, relationships, partnerships, cooperation, collaboration, diplomacy, patience, receptivity, perception, sensitivity, inner world
What can you expect in a Personal Year 2?
After an action-packed, energized, and self-focused time where it was all about you, your ambitions, and your outer world, the Universe wants you to take a step back and put the focus more on others. So, if last year you felt all fired up due to the influence of the Sun, now you may feel a sudden push to cool down a bit. In a Personal Year 2, ruled by the Moon, you are encouraged to put your ego on the back burner for a while so you can connect more with your inner world and develop a more attentive existence; one in which you have to pay careful attention to the various aspects of your life, including your health, wellness, everyday environment, and the people in it.
Compared to last year, when everything went at full speed, this time around, the energies may feel a lot different. And yet, they are quite similar to the balanced and harmonized energies of a Personal Year 6 (ruled by Venus), in which you are more of service to others, combined with the heightened sensitivity of a Personal Year 7 (ruled by Ketu), which focuses more on your spiritual development and search for inner peace. Now, common themes pertaining to the behavioral qualities, significations, and energies of the Moon will be highlighted this year, just like the ones mentioned above. But the energies that may dominate the year more prominently will be in the area of your relationships, interpersonal skills, intuitive abilities, creative imagination, domestic matters, past experiences, and your psychological and physical well-being. In addition, your ability to unlock childhood memories and find inner peace and happiness within may also come forth, so you can heal your inner child, and establish a healthy, balanced relationship with yourself and others.
Throughout these next twelve months, the Universe will shower you with various opportunities so you can provide those people in your daily life with the support and attention they need. You will no longer have a starring role like last year. Instead, you will be in a more supportive and nurturing role, personally and professionally. This is a prosperous time in which you can concentrate more on nurturing and honing the quality of all your interpersonal relationships, including partnerships while bringing more (emotional and mental) balance, harmony, domestic peace, and happiness into your life. For this to happen, however, you will have to use your innate traits, talents, and skills to help others with their aspirations, while yours takes a temporary backseat. In certain situations, you may have to show more of your soft side, including your ability to care for and nurture others. If you fall short on soft skills, such as empathy and sympathy, you may get the chance to develop and improve this part of yourself.
A Personal Year 2 can be quite an intense period, especially if you are naturally impatient and emotionally imbalanced. Because the way things may pan out for you depends on how well-balanced you are. It is a time in which you can expect to see events that may test your patience like never before. You may have to face some hindrances, disturbances, and even some delays in relation to your personal and professional life. Things can move very slowly. Sometimes it might even feel as if you are stuck in a pile of mud and every time you try to pull yourself out of the dirt, there is just no way out. It may even feel like taking one step forward and then being pulled two steps back. Your emotions and feelings may also fluctuate from time to time, just like the waxing and waning phases of the Moon. Even your thought process could change frequently. One day, you may feel thrilled and upbeat, and the next day, you may feel as if every dream you’ve ever dreamt of is slowly going down the drain with no hope of it ever coming back. Apart from mood swings, you could experience sudden changes in your work and living situation. For instance, you could build or buy a new property, move house with your family, and go through all the challenges (and possible delays) that come with this change. Or if you’ve been living and working overseas for a while, away from your family, then unexpected circumstances may force you to return home. It could also be the other way around. As such, you could suddenly move for a new job or study abroad program far away from your family, and thus find yourself in an entirely new environment. But adapting to this new place of residence and culture may require a lot of time, effort, and energy.
The Moon’s influence can make you highly sensitive to practically any environment you find yourself in, whether that’s at home or at work. You may sense people’s energy more so than ever. Every move they make, every breath they take, and every word they say could affect you emotionally and mentally; from your chatty coworker who talks your ear off to your noisy upstairs neighbors stomping every night. You might also become more worried about how others may perceive you, including your image in society. In certain situations, you may even act overly emotional and struggle with keeping your emotions in check. In case you find yourself in a situation that you cannot control or one that takes a lot of your energy; strive to use your patience instead of losing it! Avoid any unnecessary arguments, discussions, or confrontations that may come up, even if people get on your nerves. Keep your cool and do not fall prey to other people’s behavior, as it could make things worse. So, for the sake of your health and well-being, it is important that you balance your emotional needs with those of others by establishing healthy boundaries. Be assertive and express how you feel and what you need, but not to the point that it becomes aggressive. Whatever changes you may face, try to adapt to the new circumstances and let things unfold naturally. In case you are in a situation in which you have to make a life-changing decision; think twice before you forge ahead or get a second opinion. Refrain from making any decisions that are purely based on your emotions without giving them some rational thought. Because with the Moon’s energy influencing your psyche, there is a tendency to make irrational decisions, so be mindful of this as you navigate your way through this challenging period.
The second year of your cycle may strongly emphasize the way you connect and relate to the people you surround yourself with. The Universe may show you, through your daily experiences, that the world does not revolve around you. It is about others too. There are other people in this world who also have things going on in their lives. They have their own ambitions, dreams, and aspirations. They, too, have feelings, thoughts, and emotions just like you. Since you already had your chance last year, it is now the time to support other people with their projects and help them achieve their goals. And it would not hurt to be (more) compassionate to those close to you, or even strangers, and ask how they feel or whether they need your help with anything. You could suddenly realize how your perception of life differs greatly from others. Thus, you may experience how everyone has their way of seeing things, and that each of us is different in our own unique way. And if you are in true alignment with this year’s energy, then all you can do is respect their viewpoint and come to terms with it. There is no need for debates, discussions, confrontations, or arguments. Through your interactions with others, the Moon’s energy will show you that we all have our own paths and we all go through different stages and cycles. For example, while you are in a Personal Year 2, someone else may be in a Personal Year 1, 5, 8, or 9. Once you become aware of this, you will better understand where people are coming from. In addition, it will be easier for you to tolerate, accept, and respect other people’s uniqueness, perspectives, differences, and journeys; from your family members, friends, and romantic partner to your business partners, acquaintances, colleagues, and neighbors.
In this slow-moving period, you may get the chance to experience how teamwork makes the dream work. So, if you’ve ever thought about starting a business partnership or a creative project in which you can collaborate more with others, use this fruitful time to set things in motion. Or, in case you are in a job that requires you to work with different teams and different personalities, you may find that your cooperative and collaborative skills may be put to the test. But if you are in tune with the energetic vibrations of the number 2, working with others should not be a problem. After all, life is not a one-man or one-woman show. The more you help others, the more you will gain something in return, and this does not have to be in a material sense. Instead, what you may gain and learn at the same time is something new about yourself. When you are in a certain group dynamic or partnership, you may get to see a different aspect of yourself that you thought you didn’t have, especially when you have to work with people who are different from you. And so, whatever project you get to work on and whomever you get to work with; do not push forward with your own personal agenda because it will not work. Understand that there is a time for you to be in the spotlight (and play the leading role) and a time for you to stay in the background. As mentioned earlier, your role, for now, is just a supporting one. Thus, focus on offering your time, service, talents, skills, and expertise to those who need your help so they can become a star. Whichever way you choose to support other people, whether personally or professionally, just make sure your intentions are selfless and not self-serving.
Though you may find yourself in various situations where you put others first, just do not lose sight of yourself. Watch out for not only emotional and mental exhaustion but also how it can affect you physically. To prevent yourself from extreme fatigue, burnout, or – worst case scenario – hospitalization, it is important that you make self-care a priority. Take some time out to nurture your soul and nourish your body; e.g., book a spa day or weekend getaway, travel to your favorite country, read a book, watch a movie, eat more nutritious food, or redecorate your home and make it comfier. Engaging in activities that focus on both the mind and body can also be of help, such as forest bathing, yoga, meditation, Qigong, and Tai chi. Just try to do more activities that make you feel emotionally protected, physically nourished, and mentally safe, and you may discover that when you take good care of yourself, you will be able to take care of others wholeheartedly.
A Personal Year 2 can be an excellent time to heal old wounds, fix broken relationships, reconcile, and make amends, especially with people from your past, as they may show up in your life again. These could be past life connections (if you believe in reincarnation), ex-lovers, childhood friends, old business partners, ex-colleagues, or family members you have not seen in years. As such, you could suddenly reunite with an old classmate or reestablish and strengthen your bond with a long-lost friend or soul mate. In case you haven’t been in touch with your parents, you may get the chance to reconnect with them again. Besides fixing your relationships and reconnecting with old contacts, the Moon’s energy can also influence you to burn bridges with those you’ve outgrown. Thus, if there is anyone in your immediate environment with whom you do not feel a strong connection, you might decide to part ways, let them go, and move on peacefully. This is also a nostalgic period, as you may find yourself reflecting more on your past, including those experiences pertaining to your childhood and upbringing. These memories of the past could spark something within you and may lead to you revisiting your birthplace or motherland if you haven’t been there in a while. You could gain a sudden interest in researching your ancestry and anything related to your past; from learning about your ancestors and cultural tradition to returning to your childhood home and old primary school. This sudden interest in your family history could lead to a significant new discovery about your roots and family tree, including the branches and leaves that have shaped your adulthood.
Now, this year’s energies may bring forth unhealed hurts and wounds from past traumatic experiences that you were not aware of before or may have swept under the rug. Certain thoughts, emotions, and feelings you kept hidden for a long time may suddenly come to light. One way this could manifest is through your own behavior and the way you might project certain aspects of your personality onto others, which could affect your day-to-day negatively, including your relationships. You could, for instance, come to the realization that your behavior and those traumatizing pains you feel actually stem from early childhood experiences. Perhaps your parents conditioned and raised you in a certain way that might have impacted your inner child. And as an adult, you suddenly see the reality of things. On a different note, you could realize that your everyday environment, including the people you surround yourself with, might be the actual cause of your emotional imbalances. Perhaps their way of thinking and the things they say to you might impact you negatively, so much so that it may block you from living your best life and reaching your full potential. Oftentimes, those deeply rooted behavioral patterns and psychological issues that one may have can only be analyzed and examined by a professional. So, in case you are dealing with any longstanding problems you were not able to address before, the Moon’s healing energy may help you identify and understand the root cause of the pain you feel on an emotional level. Thus, it is a favorable time to seek a counselor, therapist, or psychologist to help you shed more light on your situation and find clarity within. This could also be someone close to you, who you trust, feel comfortable with, and can open up to. Once you are able to address those issues of the past and get to the root of your emotional imbalances and behavior, it will be easier for you to heal the relationship with yourself and others.
In some cases, it may not be you who may need psychological and/or therapeutic support. Instead, you could be the one with a listening ear and act as a therapist or counselor to someone else. For instance, you could offer your nurturing, emotional support, and guidance to a friend who might need your second opinion about a personal issue or work-related matter. If the aforementioned scenario or idea of professional psychological support does not apply to you and your situation, you might still use this time for some quiet self-reflection and self-analysis, especially when you feel stuck in various areas of your life, and nothing seems to work in your favor. You might decide to focus more on self-healing and do self-therapy, for example, through art, music, or creative writing. You could do your own ‘shadow work’ to get in touch with that deep, dark, unconscious side of yourself. This could help you learn more about your own emotions and help you confront your thoughts, including those parts of yourself that you have kept hidden from the outside world. Perhaps you feel insecure and uncertain about yourself but never took the time to identify why you have been feeling the way you do. If that is the case and you find yourself in a state of self-analysis, then here are some questions to tackle:
Are there any insecurities I have never dealt with properly? If so, what are these insecurities, and what can I do about them? Are there things I would like to undertake but am ashamed or afraid of doing so? What do I think about myself? How do I feel about myself? Do I take enough care of myself? If not, then what can I do to develop a better self-care practice? Do I love myself? What do I love about myself? Is there anything I dislike about my personality? If so, then what can I do to change that perspective about myself? Who or what do I see when I stand in front of a mirror? Do I feel confident and secure about my talents and skills? If not, then what can I do to improve my talents and skills? What has affected my current state of mind? Where do all the thoughts I have and the emotions I feel come from? What is the cause of my emotional, mental, or physical imbalance? Is there anyone or anything that is holding me back from living my best life? Am I happy and content with the life or lifestyle I live? If not, then what can I do about it?
One of the best ways to heal yourself and gain some peace of mind is by going within, analyzing thoughts, processing your emotions, and facing your fears. By exploring your inner world, you can discover many qualities about yourself you were not even aware of, not just your strengths but also your weaknesses. Once you have identified these, you can decide what needs to change and improve, so you can get unstuck. This, in turn, can help you gain inner happiness and contentment in the long run.
Since the Moon symbolizes motherhood, women, and feminine energy; you could experience sudden events and challenges pertaining to either your own mother, a motherly figure, or just women in general (e.g., at work or in your social circle). If you do not take the necessary precautions, these sudden, unexpected events could take a toll on your health. Alternatively, you might grow into motherhood or parenthood yourself, literally or figurately. In a figurative sense, you could become a pet parent or if you have a female pet dog, she could give birth to new puppies. In a more literal sense, if you became a first-time parent last year, now you may grow more into your new role as a nurturer and caregiver of another human being while you try to balance things around the household, and family obligations, your work and raising your child(ren). And if you already have adult children of your own, then chances are that you could become a grandparent and deal with the responsibilities of supporting your grandchild(ren). On a different note, you could find yourself in a situation where you are the one who acts a bit too “motherly”, overprotective, controlling, and perhaps a bit too interfering, which might cause some tension and agitation in your direct environment. If the latter is the case, then watch your behavior. Be mindful of how you may come across to others and how you react to those who may come off a bit too ‘motherly’ for your taste. Always try to incorporate some diplomacy when the situation calls for it.
Though your emotions might run high and your moods might change a lot; your intuitive abilities will be very strong this year! So pay careful attention to everything around you, because your intuition will be very active, your subconscious mind heightened, and your dreams highly vivid. The Universe may even communicate with you through dreams, signs, and various symbols, such as repeating numbers. In case you witness any of these things, it may be a good idea to document everything you experience through, e.g., a dream journal. Not only will it help you decipher the Universe’s messages, but it may also help you gain a better and deeper understanding of yourself through your interaction with those around you. Additionally, spiritual teachings and esoteric sciences, like astrology and numerology, can serve as tools to help you discover new things about yourself.
When you pay close attention, you may notice how things happen in two; for example, you could have two pets or two jobs or even work on two projects simultaneously. Or you could decide to extend your family by adding a second child. Speaking of creation, this is a wonderful time to water the seeds you planted in your Personal Year 1 (ruled by the Sun), or nurture the new creative projects (e.g., a children’s book) you begin now. Just make sure that the things you are working on remain under the radar. Work behind the scenes, and do not draw too much attention to yourself. Moreover, try not to announce any of your creations, projects, or perhaps a new job to the world just yet, because things might change drastically and unexpectedly before the year ends. So keep that in mind. However, next year – a time of growth and expansion – you will get the opportunity to showcase yourself, your talents, and your creations. For now, you have to focus on developing, improving, and strengthening your relationship with others. Let others shine while you are getting to know and understand different aspects of yourself. At times, you may feel less social and prefer spending more time alone, which is perfectly okay. We all need some “Me Time”. Just watch out that you do not close yourself off from your near and dear ones. Try to communicate what is on your mind, even if you have to do it in writing or other creative means.
Ultimately, in a Personal Year 2, the Universe will teach you that we each have our own journey in life, and the way to understand others is to know yourself first. Not just your good qualities, but also your shortcomings. It is only when you tap into the energies of the number 2 and develop positive Moon-like traits such as empathy, sympathy, patience, cooperation, collaboration, and diplomacy that you can look at things from a different perspective. But you must take a closer look at yourself, including any negative behavior you might display to others, and you may discover that the way you view and react to those around you could be nothing more than just a (mirror) reflection of how you feel or think about yourself. In the end, whatever emotions and perhaps painful feelings may occur, know that; * “these pains you feel are messengers. Just listen to them.”
Side Note: The examples mentioned for each Personal Year are merely examples based on my personal experience and observational research, and might not apply to your personal situation entirely. However, if you relate to some events, then they could have happened in a previous cycle already, or you might go through some of them right now. And if you do not relate to any of the events pertaining to your present cycle, then they may have yet to be manifested in the future. It is all possible. But keep in mind that in order to understand your Personal Year, you should know the meaning of the planets in Astrology. Simply because each year is influenced by a certain planet. Once you have a basic understanding of the astrological significations of the planets and their association with the numbers in numerology, it will be easier for you to see how the energies may play out in your own life. In addition, having some self-awareness about your own behavioral pattern can also help you work better with the energies instead of fighting against them.