* “ What is meant for you, will reach you even if it is beneath two mountains. And what isn’t meant for you, won’t reach you even if it is between your two lips.” (Arabic proverb)
The planet that rules this year: Saturn
Keywords & planetary energy: karma, karmic relations, fated events, law and order, mastery, empowerment, authority, hard work, productivity, responsibility, duty, career, ambition, public service, discipline, limitation, restriction, organization, improvements, solid foundation, stability, commitment, effort-based results, material manifestation, financial rewards, recognition, social status, maturity, old-age, reality check, resilience, patience, progress, delays, separation, solitude
What can you expect in a Personal Year 8?
A Personal Year 8, ruled by Saturn, is a powerful and karmic year in which you may see the manifestation of the things you have created and developed over the years. This can be good, bad, or a mixed bag. It all depends on your personal karma and the amount of effort you have put in. So, if you’ve planted some seeds in your Personal Year 1 (ruled by the Sun) of your current nine-year cycle, and have consistently worked on growing and watering those seeds over the past seven years, you may now reap the fruits of your labor (provided that it is your destiny) or lose what you have sown. Something you have done in a previous cycle, or perhaps a past life, could also come back to you now, as a reward or—in extreme cases–a punishment. And if anything needs to get sorted out, you may gain the time and opportunity to make improvements, enhancements, and adjustments where needed. The year will highlight common themes and matters in relation to the behavioral qualities, planetary energies, and signification of Saturn, like the ones mentioned above. But the energies that may dominate the year more prominently will be in the area of karmic events boundaries, restrictions, organization, service, mastery, and self-improvement through slow progress. Themes pertaining to your profession, career, employment, and various work-related matters may also come forth. However, it is, ultimately, through your hard work, productivity, commitment, and dedication toward your duties and responsibilities that you may gain success, material rewards, recognition, and greater performance appraisals.
This year’s magisterial energies will create the desire and need for you to pursue only those endeavors that may bring long-term commitment, stability, and security to your life. Since Saturn is all about building solid structures and foundations, you can consider this as a time when you can truly build (or start building towards) the life (style) you desire, provided that you align yourself with its energetic vibrations. It is an excellent time to take charge of your ambitions, hopes, wishes, and desires and manifest them into existence. But in order to bring things to fruition, you have to step into your personal power first. You have to believe in yourself, your talents, your skills, and your ability to turn your dreams and ideas into a reality. Believe that you can achieve anything you put your mind to, but do not forget to be realistic about your goals. Understand your limits. Know what you can and cannot achieve within your power, but watch out that you do not place too many restrictions on yourself, as this may create hurdles on your path to growth, advancement, prosperity, and emotional fulfillment. But once you’ve identified your strengths, worked on your weaknesses, and built that faith within, you may find that your choices, possibilities, and opportunities are infinite. Therefore, it is imperative that you walk into this new year with a positive mindset. Leave any fears, self-doubt, self-judgment, negative self-talk, pessimistic thinking, or victim mentality at the door! Do not let negative outside influences enter your mind. In case you find it hard to develop self-confidence, a positive attitude, and a growth mindset, then try to get involved in activities that can accelerate this. For instance, read self-help books or listen to motivational speeches online to motivate and empower yourself. You could also seek professional support with, for example, a mentor, coach, teacher, therapist, or trainer who can help you get started, reorganize your thoughts, balance your emotions, and build the confidence and drive to move forward.
A Personal Year 8 is not a time to contemplate your life’s path or direction anymore. You did that in your Personal Year 7 (ruled by Ketu) already. Instead, you ought to get serious, put your thoughts into action, and take up the reins of your own life. If you have any long-cherished aspirations, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work! Do not just sit back and think things will come to you without getting your hands dirty. If that is your mindset, you may be in for a rude awakening! Whether that is in your personal or professional environment, you may learn that it takes hard work, dedication, determination, consistency, resilience, sacrifice, and compromise to get to your goals. There is no room for laziness and procrastination. You may also learn a thing or two about taking ownership and responsibility for your actions, and accountability for the consequences. In addition, you may learn that every action you take and every choice you make will eventually lead to either a positive or a negative result. It all depends on your frame of mind, the sacrifices you make, the type of behavior you practice (be it ethical or non-ethical), and the amount of work you are willing to do. So if, for example, your goal is to lose weight but you continue to live an unhealthy lifestyle, how would you expect to see a positive result? If you complain about your low-paying job but are afraid to ask for a raise, how would you improve your income and career? If you’re in a stressful job and toxic work environment and don’t make an effort to send out any new applications, how would you improve your situation and find employment elsewhere? How do you want to become a published author if you haven’t even written the first page of your book yet? And if being in a committed relationship is all you desire, then why are you wasting your time and energy on dating people who don’t align with your values? Once you understand what it takes to achieve anything in this world, you won’t come up with excuses anymore, nor will you blame others for your circumstances. Instead, you will make a plan, gear yourself up, and get down to business!
Unlike last year, life will run at a snail’s pace, but you might value it more than ever, especially when you have a lot on your plate. This slow-moving period will, however, provide you with the time you need to do what you have to do, so you can go where you want to go and achieve what you want to achieve. Interestingly, the energies you may feel throughout these twelve months are quite similar to a Personal Year 4 (ruled by Rahu), but this time there are no mind games and illusions at play nor is there any confusion. You may even get a sudden reality check i.e., a wake-up call, as Saturn’s energy will make you see things and people for what and who they really are. The power of this planet is that it removes everything you thought was real about yourself and the world around you and then places it right in front of you so that you can carefully examine what needs to be fixed or changed in order for you to build solid structures and stronger foundations. So if the world looked a bit foggy in your Personal Year 7, now the veil will be lifted from your eyes so you can see things as is. In some cases, you may even be forced to return to public life again and be more visible, especially if you were hiding under a rock, living like a hermit, and did not attend any social gatherings last year. Suddenly, you may see everything and everyone in much brighter daylight and realize that certain areas in your life need serious improvements. This can be in relation to your job, career, education, health, relationships, home, finances, business, or the community/organization you belong to. With that in mind, here are some questions to ask yourself:
What needs a better structure? What area in my personal and/or professional life needs to improve or needs more refinement? Do I feel a sense of financial security and emotional stability? If not, then what steps do I have to take so I can feel more secure and stable in the future? Are my long-term goals realistic for me to achieve them successfully? Or do I need to tweak them some more? How do I feel about my talents and skills? Do I have enough experience and the necessary skills to qualify for my dream job, or do I have to upgrade my skills, and thus upskill myself? How is my level of patience? Am I calm and patient as a monk or do I need some training in that area? How is my relationship with myself and others? Am I satisfied with the way I take care of myself and those around me? What have I done with my time so far? Did I spend it well or did I procrastinate? Did I make time for others or have I been living a completely self-focused life? What have I done so far that benefits both myself and others? If I haven’t done anything significant for someone else, what can I do to contribute to my community and make a positive change in the lives of others or the world at large? Are there certain aspects of my life that are out of balance? If so, then what situation has gotten out of control, and what can I do to bring it back into a state of balance and complete equilibrium? Am I mature enough to handle the new responsibility so I can achieve those ambitious career goals and dreams? Can I step up to the challenge? Am I ready to commit wholeheartedly to that which will require a lot of my time and energy?
These are all questions you may take into consideration as you assess the different areas of your life that either may need further enhancement or need to get solidified before you can slowly proceed to the next stage and complete your nine-year cycle successfully.
If you are completely in tune with the Saturnian energies, you may find yourself having a closer look at your situation and everything around you. You may suddenly take things more seriously and start working progressively towards fixing whatever needs to be fixed, so you can move towards a future that is built on a solid and strong foundation. For instance, if there were any issues, arguments, or conflicts in your relationships and partnerships (e.g., with family members, friends, colleagues, romantic partners, and business partners), you may get the chance to resolve things. You can rebuild, reconstruct, and stabilize the relationship between you and others. Or, if your car broke down, but you didn’t have the money to fix it, you might find the resources to bring it back to life, and you could even decide to put your DIY skills to the test. And if there’s a water leak in your house, you might repair it yourself or hire a professional to have a look at it. On a different note, you might have moved into a new place, but your busy work schedule didn’t allow you to settle in properly, so you’ve been living in a mess ever since. However, now you may use this precious time to unbox and decorate your new home. In a different scenario; the company you work for could suddenly move its office to a new city and your boss may put you in charge as a Project Manager. This new position may obviously come with a heavy workload and increased responsibilities, but it may give you the opportunity to prove your ability to streamline and organize everything surrounding the move. Besides that, you may get the responsibility to implement new ideas to help improve the workplace environment, employee experience, and overall conditions at your place of work.
Matters in relation to your health might need some enhancement as well. So, if, for example, you’ve let yourself go, you may start a new fitness routine and change your eating habits or if your eyesight has weakened, you could get a new pair of glasses or find alternative ways to improve your eyes. Or, if you’ve been walking around with an excruciating toothache, then a visit to the dentist may reveal that it may be time for you to get a root canal treatment. Your personal finances might also need a closer look now, especially if you got too carried away with e.g., online shopping. This sudden realization may trigger you to set up a healthy budget plan so you can spend less and save more money. On a different note, if you’ve been single for a while, you might suddenly feel the need to be in a serious, committed relationship. As such, you could take the steps to make it happen and meet someone who is ready and willing to commit long-term. Taking further training or extra courses to refine your talents and master a specific skill could also be of interest, especially if you’re looking to land that dream job or start a business to become an authority/expert in your field. Alternatively, if you wrote a book in your Personal Year 7, then this year’s energy may provide you with the time to edit everything yourself or find a professional editor or proofreader to help you with the final touches before you publish it worldwide. These are all examples and scenarios of how the Saturnian energies could play out. From enhancing your well-being and developing your professional skills to helping people in your day-to-day life and improving things around your home, work, and school environment. Whatever you decide to improve about yourself and your surroundings, know that you can get a lot done and accomplish many things in this highly productive period, as long as you put your nose into the grindstone, and keep going, even when the going gets tough. Just try to remain in the present and in alignment with the energetic vibrations of the number 8, and you will see positive results. This includes being more organized, practical, methodical, consistent, and meticulous about everything you do, especially if you want to create better structures. Also, be extremely patient with yourself and others because, in this slow-moving period, things may not always happen quickly. But when they arrive, they will be longer-lasting, unlike a Personal Year 4.
This is not only a perfect year for enhancements of all sorts, but it is also a period in which you may have to face certain obstacles and delays when doing so. As such, you might find yourself re-planning, restructuring, reorganizing, refining, and just redoing a lot of things, more so than usual, and you may have to go through a lot of hurdles to get to your destination. For instance, your dream vacation to the Seychelles islands could get a false start when you miss your connecting flight, or your train from Paris to Amsterdam might get delayed or canceled due to a transport workers’ strike. Alternatively, you might experience constant disruptions during your commute from home to the office or wherever you refer to as your place of work. If, for example, you’re building a new website for your business, you may have to spend some extra time revising and re-editing some of the web content, and in a worst-case scenario, you may even have to reschedule your launch date. Matters concerning your education or a home-based project could also be delayed. For example, certain problems might arise that could prevent you from finishing your kitchen renovation on time or you might have to go over some details pertaining to your Master’s thesis before you can get the green light from your professor. In a different scenario, if you desire to have children, you could experience difficulties in this area as well. Or if you’ve been waiting for a promotion, you may have to wait a little longer. Feelings of restriction and limitation may also come forth in this period and could play out in various ways. For instance, you could find yourself dealing with strict authority figures (e.g., boss, manager, teacher, parents, government officials) who may push your buttons and won’t allow you to do certain things as you’d like. Your boss, for example, won’t let you work from home/remotely anymore (or less than you were used to) and forces you to be in the office more often than you think is necessary. This sudden return-to-office (RTO) mandate may upset you, cause anxiety, and disturb your work-life balance. On a different level, you could experience issues with your parents that constantly interfere with your life, which may cause some friction between you and them. If this happens, and you feel disrespected, restricted, and controlled by an authority figure, it is imperative that you assert yourself (without being aggressive and rebellious of course), address your concerns, and set healthy boundaries. Because if you don’t, they may continue to push you to your limits, disrespect your boundaries, step all over you, and take advantage of you, your time, talents, and skills. And you don’t want that.
As you go after your goals and try to manifest your dreams, you could feel anxious, limited, lonely, and even isolated at times. When that happens or whenever you face certain obstacles and setbacks, see and accept it as a challenge. Understand that these blockages, hurdles, hiccups, and delays on your way to success are not there to discourage you or stop you from pursuing your happiness. Instead, they are there to test your patience, perseverance, resilience, readiness, willingness, and commitment to your goals. It is all part of the process. So, whatever situation you find yourself in; avoid negative emotions and feelings like anger, stress, stubbornness, worries, or frustration. In addition, try not to push yourself too hard, or take on more work and responsibilities than you can handle, as this can leave you feeling drained, depleted, and burned out. In case you find yourself being swamped with work and struggling with time management, then you may need to rethink the way you plan, organize, and structure your day-to-day. You may also want to consider taking occasional breaks from your busy schedule and incorporating some exercise (e.g., fitness, jogging, biking) or spiritual activities (e.g., yoga, meditation, forest bathing) to help you calm your mind and relax your body. This way, you can reach the finish line in a healthy and more relaxed state. Just keep in mind that although you may be in a Personal Year of hard work, it doesn’t mean you should neglect or forget yourself. Always prioritize your (mental) health, emotional wellness, and overall well-being, and make time for some R&R.
Since Saturn denotes the law of karma, fate, justice, and judicial matters, you might experience fated events and situations in relation to these areas as well. For instance, people from your past (or a past life) could suddenly reappear to pay off some unresolved spiritual karmic debt with you, which can be a positive or negative experience. Their return, however, will give you the opportunity to identify whether this reconnection and thus the relationship aligns with your long-term vision, plans, and aspirations. If you discover that these people from your past do not serve your highest good, whether these are personal or professional relations, you may decide to let them go or they may decide to part ways with you. When you look at karmic payback from a financial perspective, it simply means that you could get some relief and support through a debt settlement. Thus, if you’ve been slacking off and can’t seem to pay your bills on time, you could find yourself consulting with a financial advisor or in court to have that sorted out. This way you get to pay off your karmic debt. When it comes to legal matters, there are a few scenarios of how this could play out. On one level, someone could publish negative stuff about your business that might affect your online reputation. This crisis could, in turn, lead to you hiring a lawyer to do the necessary damage control. On a different level, you may have to deal with minor issues and changes pertaining to your social status or the administration/registration of legal documents. This could be in relation to e.g., a birth certificate, marriage license, registered partnership, name or identity change, passport application, immigration, residence change, or land ownership. Alternatively, you might find yourself in court to finalize a divorce, an adoption, a settlement agreement between you and your employer, or something even bigger than the aforementioned. But whether those legal matters and cases will be in your favor depends on your past and present karma, and thus, your actions.
If things are in your favor and you have put in the work to the best of your abilities, then a Personal Year 8 could be a wonderful time for materialistic gains and financial rewards. As such, you might see improved (remote) working conditions and workplace policies, receive that long-awaited promotion or long-term/permanent employment contract, or you could advance your career by getting into a leadership role. You could also get a sudden financial windfall e.g., a performance bonus, grant, scholarship, inheritance, subsidy, tax return, or tax exemption. Besides that, it is a wonderful time to enroll in a new training course or a higher educational program (e.g. Master’s), get engaged, married, move house, buy property, publish that book you wrote a few years ago, or launch a business and become your own boss. If you already have your own company, you could land a lucrative deal and see your business soar like never before. An honorable recognition or reward for something you’ve accomplished in the world might come to you now if that is your destiny. It is a favorable time to make financial plans for the future, such as opening a new savings account or planning for retirement. Since Saturn signifies separation, time, maturity, old age, and people much older than you, it could mean that either you or someone else close to you might retire from a long-time career. If not, then there is a possibility of losing an older family member, e.g., a (grand) parent or parental figure through death, or you may get separated from them in a different way. For instance, you could move out of your parent’s house, you might have to put your parent (s) into a nursing home or you could deal with the responsibility of becoming a caretaker, and take on a more service-oriented role. Speaking of service; it is a great time to be more charitable towards others and get involved in your community in whichever way you can. And so, you may find yourself being more of service to the elderly or those more mature than you, such as your colleagues, friends, neighbors, relatives, or complete strangers. You could, for instance, devote your time to nature conservation and animal rescue projects or share your skills by organizing local events and tours (e.g., community cleanup days, senior citizen trips, and guided tours for children). Alternatively, you could offer your selfless service to the most vulnerable, disadvantaged groups of society through donating food or cooking and serving meals at a homeless shelter. How you choose to serve your community or society at large is obviously all up to you – be it through a charitable organization, a volunteer program organized by the corporation you work for, or perhaps through your profession as a social or healthcare worker. In the end, you may see that the more you do for others, the more you will receive.
Though the emphasis may be a lot on your external world i.e., your ambitions and personal growth on a material level, try not to become obsessive about money or let the gains, recognition, and rewards overshadow your inner world. Be careful of any unethical practices and immoral behavior, such as misusing your power and position or taking advantage of others so you can achieve your goal, as this could lead to (public) humiliation. Also, avoid comparing yourself to others. Do not be jealous of other people’s successes and achievements, and do not look down on others because they have a lower job title and salary than you. Always strive for a healthy balance between your spiritual needs and material wants. Adopt an attitude of gratitude and treat others the way you want to be treated because, during this karmic year, anything or anyone can be taken away from you at any moment.
Ultimately, in a Personal Year 8, the Universe will teach you the valuable lessons of consistent hard work and daily productivity while cultivating a sense of responsibility and accountability, as these are key ingredients to achieving your goals successfully. But in order to soar high and reap the fruits of your labor, i.e., your good karma, you have to get real with yourself. You have to commit yourself wholeheartedly to your goals by taking full ownership of your life, including your actions — as these will not only bear results but also determine how far you will go. Though you may work towards building a stronger foundation for your future, bear in mind that the return on your investments may not always fully fructify at your timing; however, that does not mean it will never come to fruition. Saturn’s energy may cause delay, but it does not deny things, as you will always get what you deserve (based on your karma) and not necessarily what you want. Just stay positive, be humble, ground yourself at all times, and give all you’ve got. In addition, be kind to people even if they aren’t kind to you, be a good judge of character without being judgmental, and trust that; *“what is meant for you, will reach you even if it is beneath two mountains. And what isn’t meant for you, won’t reach you even if it is between your two lips”.
Now, as you improve and grow yourself, including your resources and the world around you, know that you are also slowly but surely moving towards your Personal Year 9 (ruled by Mars), which marks the end of your nine-year cycle. When you carefully examine everything you experience in your Personal Year 8, you may notice how certain events and situations may already run their course before the year ends.
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.