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Based on a reading from Creative Numerology, I am in a cycle year of 4. You can find your own “year number” on the site as well.   In general, I really resonated with the description of this year.  My deepest correlations, I bolded.

In the context of my research, I found this line pretty unbelievable: “You will be coming to terms with your own identity this year and “who am I?” and “what is my purpose” may be two of your most frequent questions.”

A few tasks it pointed out, and questions it begged.  I’d like to spend time thinking about these.

1. You need a specific and meaningful goal to focus on and be responsible for. Seriously consider every aspect of your life and confront yourself with the vision of where each aspect is leading.
2. This year, you must organize your life according to what is important to you. (What is important to me)?
3. Things you believed were important may be the very same things that are now restricting you. (what are those things)?
4. True purpose is to point out where you are stuck on the road of life. (where am I stuck)?
5. Especially when you find yourself more afraid of change than you thought you’d be. (is that true)?
6. Focus on what really matters to you and, even then, face the possibility that half of those things don’t matter either. (what really matters to me right now)?
7. Take an honest look at those aspects which you believe are holding you back. Many of them are of your own making (what are those aspects, and did I make them)?
8. Visualizing what you want, in great detail – using ALL your senses – is the key to bringing it all together.
9. Review and organize your finances and material assets.
10. The more freedom you give your imagination, the more likely you are to find a way forward that is just right for you. (am I giving my imagination enough freedom)?

The 4 Year Cycle

A journey of breakthrough
– on a sea of obstacles

Now is not the time to cling to
what was, but to amend what is.
Helen Hayes

The 4 year cycle is one of vision, management, priority, effort, limitation, restriction, determination and breakthrough. Your sense of identity – who you are and what you believe – is the principle theme. The events of this very practical year will leave you in no doubt that the time has come to set new priorities and strive toward a specific long-term goal. 4 is the number of organization and work; how things work, making things work, and working towards something that means a lot to you.

As the year unfolds, you will need to develop a clear vision of what you want and make a firm commitment to attaining it. Keep in mind that the reason the 4 year often feels confusing and ‘difficult‘ is because its nature seems to place obstacles in your path any time your attention is diverted from reality. Setting realistic goals not only helps you to stay focused, but often results in a very satisfying achievement. Whatever it is you hope to accomplish, (and your priorities may change several times this year), you can be assured that it involves mental, emotional and/or physical hard work.

The 4 energy reacts to the strength of your Will, which is comprised of all your feelings, both pleasant and unpleasant. Denial of your feelings weakens and imprisons your Will which, by its very nature, needs to be free. The natural response of the human Will is that of complete acceptance of reality, along with whatever feelings reality triggers. The Will thrives on truth, even if the truth hurts. Those very sensations – the whole gamut of emotions – are our natural responses to reality. Of course, you may want to keep your feelings to yourself if circumstances call for a show of steadiness and resolve, but the long-term success that the 4 year offers is going to come through your ability to fully feel your feelings and gain the intelligence they contain.

Whatever you want to happen, you have to make it happen. A strong Will is needed. However, it is in the 4 year that we realize that our Will is not free at all because we have repressed it with a limited vision of our potential. 4 can make you feel restricted and boxed-in by circumstances that really are ‘beyond your control’, and knowing how you feel is the only way to know what to do next. It is from your feelings that creativity is born and, thankfully, your experiences along the down-to-Earth 4 year road will make emotional denial almost impossible.

The part of your Will that is free is now trying to rescue the imprisoned parts of itself. Don’t worry if you do not understand this immediately. As the year unfolds and you face the reality of the world and your own personal life, new understandings, especially about the positive power of your emotions, will come.

The serious and practical 4 energy needs a specific goal to work towards so that it can maintain its profound sense of purpose. It responds best to routine, efficiency, order and organization. There really are limitations on how far you can travel this year. So, when you find yourself dealing with the inevitable frustrations that come with such restriction, remember that the very essence of the human Will is ACCEPTANCE, and think about the parable of the two frogs who fell into a pail of milk. One of them could not accept its sudden new reality and drowned. The other realized (accepted) what had happened and could not accept such a fate. It went into survival mode and thrashed around and did whatever it could to stay afloat. Eventually, all that effort paid off. The thrashing around turned the milk into butter and the frog was able to climb out.

Last year, you learned about the power of optimism. It was pessimism that defeated the first frog and caused it to drown. The 3 year urged you to see beyond your first impressions and face the reality of the situation. The first impression that the first frog had was that nothing could be done to change things, so why even try? 3 is the number of ‘the joy of living’ and it seems that the second frog enjoyed life enough to want to persevere in order to preserve it. His purpose was not only to survive, but also to find a way to enjoy life again.

This year, you will be developing a greater sense of your own purpose and you will be setting a definite course or direction for yourself. You cannot drift aimlessly along and just hope for the best. You need a specific and meaningful goal to focus on and be responsible for.

Seriously consider every aspect of your life and confront yourself with the vision of where each aspect is leading. And, later in the year, when you find yourself churning around in a situation that appears to place you out of your depth, be practical, face the facts, and look for solutions that will change your circumstances, or at least help you get through them.

Yes, 4 is a serious and life-changing year, and as soon as you accept the nature of the 4 year, you will be able to relax into it. From a more accepting frame of mind, you will have a better chance of shaping your reality as you would prefer it, rather than have it shaped for you.

This year, you must organize your life according to what is important to you. Things you believed were important may be the very same things that are now restricting you. Blaming others is just another form of restriction because it implies that you are a victim when, in reality, it is you who is causing your own restrictions by refusing to prioritize. That is what good organization is all about. Being able to deal with various issues in the right way, at the right time, with the right people, in the correct order of importance, and in the direction you want it all to go.

The circumstances of the 4 year can make you feel ‘stuck’ and, yet, their true purpose is to point out where you are stuck on the road of life, and help you to break free from situations and beliefs that are keeping you physically, emotionally, creatively or intellectually restricted. These issues are preventing you from evolving into the person you know you can be. This year, you will be facing the reality of YOU – and it may not always be a pretty sight, especially when you find yourself more afraid of change than you thought you’d be.

It is time to weed out the useless and trivial aspects of your life, especially those beliefs and attitudes that simply don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. These trivialities are distracting you from the larger picture. Focus on what really matters to you and, even then, face the possibility that half of those things don’t matter either. What does matter is your freedom to exist as you want to exist, and the level of loving intent in your heart.

Take an honest look at those aspects which you believe are holding you back. Many of them are of your own making. Are you too set in your ways or too frivolous and uncaring? Are you too stubborn to learn from your past and present mistakes? Are you unrealistic about your talents and potential? Are you unhealthy due to poor diet, substance abuse, or lack of exercise or sleep? Are you unrealistic about finance and materiality? Do you distract yourself from reality? Do you base your actions on your own feelings and beliefs, or those of other people? Are you freeing your Will, or giving it away?

Be honest with yourself. Identify what is not working and, through the process of elimination, you will soon see the direction you must take if you are to build the identity and new circumstances you desire. 4 is the number of the builder, and it is time to construct what you want. Hard work is inevitable and careful planning is essential. Visualizing what you want, in great detail – using ALL your senses – is the key to bringing it all together. A certain dream or goal may have emerged last year but, this year, you are dealing with the hard work that comes with reaching and then sustaining a goal.

Review and organize your finances and material assets. The events of April and May will bring these matters to your attention. Conserve all your resources, and be aware of what your resources actually are. Skills, abilities, knowledge, contacts, family, friends, are all potential resources. Use them only as needed, and take nothing and no one for granted. Next year’s 5 cycle will provide the atmosphere and opportunity for you to invest in yourself or in something else that excites you. Be practical and efficient with this year’s limited reserves. Understand how money works and be aware of what is happening in the deceptive world of politics and economics. Any time you feel yourself struggling this year, stop what you are doing and face the facts, just as they are.

The 4 year is a road of limitations and roadblocks – life’s very own obstacle course. It brings you to what you believe are your personal limits. In turn, you will learn to expand your Will to such an extent that the increase of energy you’re emitting will push your limits further away from you. Then, although you will still have limits – we all do – they will not be boxing you in or otherwise pressuring you.

At some point this year you could find yourself a lot less trapped or restricted than you thought you were and, perhaps, even sitting on a cushion that seemed to appear from nowhere but which actually manifested from the power of your determination not to give up. There is often a magical effect when one’s determination is generated towards reality, and not just wishful thinking.

You will be coming to terms with your own identity this year and “who am I?” and “what is my purpose” may be two of your most frequent questions. Your sense of identity does not come from what you do in life but from the way you feel about life and your place in it. Your professional life, or just making ends meet, may predominate, but there is more to you than what you do for a living. The question is, what do you do for a life? In these unpredictable evolutionary times, nothing is out of the question. Keep your imagination OPEN, no matter how practical you feel you have to be. Most people on Earth cannot yet imagine alternatives and possibilities, but there is no going back to way life was. The more freedom you give your imagination, the more likely you are to find a way forward that is just right for you.

Although there may be a spurt of highly accelerated action this year, progress is usually not rapid in the 4 energy. You may often encounter delays and hurdles, and bouts of loneliness, pessimism and frustration, only to regain your acceptance of reality, and with it, your balance, vision, belief in yourself, and determination.

Why must the 4 year be so frustrating? To show you that many of your restrictions are unnecessary and that no matter what situations arise, you can deal with them in the best possible way and perhaps even use them to your advantage. If you are able to adjust to new realities as you go, you will be able to break through limiting circumstances that you or others have built. This may not be the easiest of years but, with the combined strength of your feminine will and masculine intellect, it can be one of the most fulfilling cycles you will ever experience.

Tags: Acceptance, Imagination, Intuition, Meaning, Mysticism, Numerology, Purpose, Reality, Restrictions, Truth, Will