THE 7 YEAR – THE INNER VOYAGE – A YEAR OF LEARNING

Life is a process of growing and outgrowing, and what fits snugly today, be it an idea, attitude, or belief, may be entirely the wrong size tomorrow. ~Sally Brompton

Welcome to the 7 Year Cycle. 7 energy flows in an atmosphere of privacy, solitude, and quietness. It is constantly seeking answers to its steady stream of questions about itself and life. It is seeking truth, wisdom, dignity, fulfillment, and perfection. This year, so are you.

However, without knowing its purpose, the 7 journey can be confusing or even depressing. No matter how much you want to surge ahead, this is a year of learning how to create the conditions you truly want for yourself. In the process, 7 will expose you to aspects of your life with which you have become dissatisfied, so that you can realize just how perfect and satisfying your life can become if you are willing to make the changes that need to be made. Only then will you know where you truly belong in this rapidly evolving and uncertain world.

In this self-centered year, you will be seeking – and finding – a direction that feels right for you. A more serious side of your nature will emerge, along with a stark awareness that the status quo is simply not good enough anymore.

Instead of rushing out to find new opportunity, be patient and wait for opportunity to come to you. Trying to force yourself ahead will result in the same old feelings of dissatisfaction you thought your forcing would eliminate. This is not a time to do – it is a time to plan.

Slow yourself down and admit that you feel lost on life’s great churning ocean. You are not sure of what you want, and even if you are sure, you know you’re never going to get it unless you make a serious commitment to it. Do not panic. Being lost may be the only way to find out where you are – which is exactly where you are meant to be. You are on schedule.

The need for you to slow down and take things easier cannot be overstated. In the 7 year, there is a tendency for people to trip and fall if they are moving too fast. This can quite literally mean a physical fall, and although this does not have to happen if you are cautious, its purpose is to shock you out of your own denials and force you into a quieter and more introspective mode. Or, the ‘7 fall’ can sweep one’s private life into the glare of public scrutiny. 7 is the number of scandals, secrets, conspiracies, and paranoia! Where one’s pride (feelings of superiority) is adversely effecting others, a ‘fall from grace’ is possible. One way or another, denial is not an option this year and, if you do succumb to any kind of ‘fall’, it will not be long before you realize that it was not only inevitable but also an opportunity to move ahead in a more comfortable and natural direction.

7 emphasizes introspection, emotion, analysis, intuition, reflection, seclusion, research, and FAITH. This is meant to be a quieter, “inner” year in which you can learn the answers to your most burning and often avoided questions.

You must seek what feels ideal for you, and study and analyze what needs to be learned in order to make it a reality. It could take the entire year to figure things out, so don’t assume you already have the answers. Instant gratification is not on this year’s agenda. When 7’s slow pace causes frustration and worry, remind yourself that this is not lack of movement, but a chance to move more realistically towards greater long-term goals. Be patient. Have faith. Very little activity is required during the 7-year cycle. It should be used to gain the mental and emotional experience that will make greater achievement possible in the 8 Year.

Although your life will be moving slowly, it is possible for significant things to happen, but these advances should be seen as steppingstones to the greater potential that will present itself next year. No matter what, you will be made aware of the imperfections in your life so that you can study and analyze your options.

Everything you experience this year will be influenced by 7’s power of reflection. Once this power is recognized, your life will become easier to understand and organize. Reflection means not only looking back and pondering the past, but also looking at everything and everyone in the present and seeing your reality being mirrored to you through these people and things. Whatever or whoever affects you is your reality. Some aspects of your current reality will feel out of place and no longer desirable.

No matter how spiritually or materially ‘advanced’ you think you are, the reflective power of 7 will expose an empty space in your life which can make you feel quite lonely. Accept that this emptiness exists, and you will discover the fullness of your true capabilities. You see, that emptiness is your own unfulfilled potential.

When deep emotions arise feel them. Experience them. Do not deny them. If ill health occurs, it is an indication that a buildup of unexpressed emotion is bursting to get out, and may do so in the form of what we erroneously call depression. In fact, it is suppression – the ‘holding in’ of your emotions. Once these feelings have been recognized and released from your body, great improvement will occur in your mental, physical, and/or emotional health.

There is never a need to hurt yourself or anyone else when releasing your emotions. But you do need to spend time alone, with no distractions, so that the feelings involved can be given your full attention. Sometimes your feelings may take you by surprise, as if they were dark secrets you were keeping from yourself, but the insight involved will boost your confidence.

Over-analysis is a form of denial. To overanalyze means that you have the correct answer but refuse to accept it. Then you go on searching for an answer you would prefer rather than accept the truth. Remember that the truth for one is not necessarily the truth for another, and that the truth has a tendency to drive you crazy just before it sets you free. Perhaps what you once thought was craziness is simply what it takes to free yourself from outdated beliefs.

You cannot expect others to know what you are thinking or feeling, what is happening to you, or to understand your moods and bouts of secrecy. They may think you are on a different wavelength entirely, (which you are.) You may be difficult to approach or comprehend. No one can read your mind or feel your feelings. So communicate. Instead of taking your relationships for granted, seek to understand them.

Everyone in your life is now reflecting your reality back to you. Their behaviors and attitudes can teach you a lot about yourself and provide vital information as to what is happening in your life, and on this planet.

Use this year to gain knowledge, confidence and expertise. Realize just how unique and gifted you are. Accept that you are a free spirit. Embrace the diversity of life and your place in it. This year of introspection and soul-searching is a chance to rediscover yourself as you are now– and to let go of the person you once were. Life is not confined to one field or locality. Get reacquainted with the “big” world, along with its beauty and its horrors; excitement and its mediocrity. Recognizing these extremes will help you secure a balanced position for yourself.

This is your year to learn the basics of magic. Yes, magic. The secrets of manifestation. The laws of abundance. The Will must determine what it wants by the way it feels. Consciousness must then plan for this accomplishment by considering and orchestrating all the facts. You must face your fears and let them to move through and out of you. Then you will know what needs to be feared and what does not.

Genuine intent to succeed will release you from the bondage of guilt. Without guilt, your reality can be seen for what it really is, and balance can be maintained. Without balance, your magic may well materialize, but not as you had hoped. Acceptance of reality is the key and, for this, your total presence is required. Only by being completely present in a situation will you find the answers you need. This is why the 7 year asks you to plan rather than do.

Life stretches way beyond our own private environments. Beyond this living planet, we are connected to an entire universe which is brimming with life and energy that we cannot even imagine. Explore every aspect of your own reality and, by the end of this year, there will be no doubt as to who and what you are and where you fit in to the ever-changing kaleidoscope we call life.

If you think you already know your true identity, you may be in for some interesting and possibly shocking, revelations. The 7 year enables you to discover how perfect you and your life can become when your emotional Will teams up with knowledge.