by Robert Wilkinson
As you know, I just conducted a long class on how to apply the yearly life map in my new book, The Cycles of Life – 7 Year Cycles and Stages of Change. I gave a guided tour of the material, and demonstrated how it is easily applied to our lives, both with and without astrological knowledge. Today we’ll take a look at the years when we are most likely to be forced by our own evolutionary process to act thoughtfully and wisely.
As I explained in the class, this 7 year cycle system is a roadmap to understand why certain years of your life were a new beginning, why some were structuring, why some were fulfilling, and why some crashed into a wall. These 7 year show us the recurring patterns across time which makes it clear how certain crucial life periods impacted parallel life periods later on.
I originally found the concept of “the 7 Year Cycle” in a non-astrological book by Dane Rudhyar. I took the concepts he offered and found planetary correspondences to each year in each 7 year cycle using knowledge from other sources. This enables us to understand if we’re in a Saturn year or a Mars year, a Mercury year or a Lunar year.
Still, apart from planetary correspondences, the 7 year cycle stands as a concept unto itself. Rudhyar put forth that in any 7-fold process, there will be three stages which are “involutionary and emergent,” a “descent into form,” the fourth stage is a turning point, and the last three are “evolutionary with fulfillment” and “liberation from form.” (for better or worse!)
That makes the 4th year of any 7 year cycle one of choice and change, often with conflict and the need to act to fulfill the vision which came forth up to that year. These are “years of emergence” when the cycle begins to activate in the public realm in a concrete way, regardless if we’re in a general public or private larger chapter of life. These are also explained in the book.
In Chapter 1 of The Cycles of Life – 7 Year Cycles and Stages of Change, I offer what Rudhyar had to say about each year in a 7 year cycle along with my own observations about stages of human development. From the section titled “What Each Year in A Seven Year Cycle Means,”
The fourth year of a 7 year cycle (3, 10, 17, 24, 31 etc.) is what I have termed “a crisis of change.” It is the mid-point of the cycle, where the pulse seeking establishment in form and momentum hits a turning point in its shift from involution to evolution. It is a time of both loss and gain, as well as mobilization to achieve the vision of the previous year.These years bring forth self-awareness and skill in precisely directed actions to get something done. Here any ambivalence of the third year gives way to a direct action, whether effective or misguided. Friction in this year sharpens the focus and forces us “to do something.” It is our task to “do the right thing.”
Rudhyar offers it is “the period of ‘embodiment’ of the impulse-ideas,” where “new energies are likely to be released.” He likens it to “the leaf stage of vegetation.” He also says there can be a struggle or conflict or decision related to a “personal or social crisis.”
In the class I explained how this manifested in my own life, as well as John Lennon’s life and Bob Dylan’s life. It was amazing to see the evolution of their lives take shape according to the nature of each year. You can plot your own evolution from childhood to adulthood, seeing how various years in various chapters held clues about how the past impacts the future.
Even if you don’t know astrology, this book will make it easy for you to research what you were learning in each year of your life. It is a workbook to see when and why certain major psychological changes happened at key points, and understand the larger sweep of your life’s purpose and evolution.
This work explains why certain life themes and lessons repeat at crucial times, why we confront “ego deaths” at key points, and how we can use each year in each 7 year cycle to move our Soul intention forward. It offers practical ways to leave old patterns behind and accept those which are more satisfying. It explores the 7 year material, emotional, psychological, and spiritual cycles and offers ways to become the best expression of our love, wisdom, and understanding.
The 7 Year Cycle model is universally applicable. Besides seeing our own growth trajectory, we can see them at work in child development, marriages, friendships, businesses, or any other activity involving years of participation. It will be of great value for parents, grandparents, and therapists in understanding what children and their parents are going through in each year of their growth, and why there are crucial points of choice and change during specific years.
Regardless of your age or interests, this book will help you track long wave changes in your psychological and spiritual development, and offer pointers about where you’re at and what you’re learning. Please visit The Cycles of Life – 7 Year Cycles and Stages of Change and get your copy today! And when you do, please be sure to leave a review on the page site, as it helps boost the book and all astrology books in general.
This work is of universal value, so I've priced it below other books in its class. Thanks for your interest, and I’ll continue to post pieces of the book over the next few weeks and take questions.
© Copyright 2025 Robert Wilkinson
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