It's Like Spring Cleaning For Your Soul And Body.
Understanding that life happens in cycles will give you a sense of direction. At the end of every cycle, old beliefs drop, new ones take their place, you understand yourself better with new insights and self-awareness, your sense of self-expands and your relationships, finance, and external life reflect these inner experiences.
These cycles are life's way to give you a chance to spring clean your body and mind. You get to choose what relationships, lifestyle choices, and personal baggage can be dropped and what is worth taking over to the next stage.
Major Life-Events Correspond With These Cycles.
Meeting the love of your life, weddings, breakups, losing someone, moving to a new city--all these major events happen around the end or the beginning of the seven-year cycles. Astrologists explain this is the effect of Uranus on our life. The planet is known to bring about big inner and outer changes, and its force propels us to go to the next stage.
Your Body Is Completely New Every Seven Years.
While scientists have debated over this with arguments that some of our cells are replaced every few weeks, those who understand the concept explain that all our old cells have been replaced by new ones by the end of every seven years. This means everything from your skin cells that shed every 3-4 years to your internal organs whose cells last longer get renewed and by the end of seven years, none of the cells present in the previous cycle will be present anymore.
Your Identity Goes Through A Big Change.
Behavioral psychologists and developmental scientists have outlined stages of evolution that every human goes through. This includes psychological developments, such as identity development, gaining autonomy, overcoming guilt, isolation etc. These stages identified by psychologists correspond with the life events and emotional themes of your life.
Your Big Questions About Life Will Change At Every Stage.
While psychologists subdivide these seven-year periods into shorter phases, the overall themes seem to follow a pattern. According to psychologist Erik Erickson, you are likely to go through the stages of:
Trust vs Mistrust
Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
Initiative vs Guilt
Industry vs Inferiority
Identity vs Role Confusion
Intimacy vs Isolation
Ego Integrity vs Despair
While this follows a chronological order, philosophers and healers suggest that the stages of struggle are subjective and change based on your personal life journey.
You Will Repeat What You Fail To Learn.
We tend to repeat patterns until we pause and reflect on what we need to learn from it. All over the globe, therapists working with couples and individuals find how people repeat patterns that reflect their early-life experience. Every cycle brings with it a life lesson, and the sooner you learn it, the easier the remaining years of the cycle get.
For example, you have a problem with saying NO and you always put others first. You are likely to find partners who are disrespectful and controlling, until your drop the pattern within.
The Emotional Theme Changes Every Seven Years.
Every seven years, your underlying theme of feelings is likely to show a pattern. For example, in your teens, which is when your second cycle ends and your third begins, there is a spurt of energy and restlessness. While this is generic, your personal theme as you enter adulthood will change.
It could be all about freedom in one cycle and the pain of feeling restricted, which gives way to a sense of freedom in the next cycle. Or, it could be feeling lost and lonely, and finding a sense of belonging later. You sense of inner balance will change as well based on your priorities.
Your Primary Relationships Go Through A Change.
This includes those with your parents, siblings, kid, and of course, partners. Just like you, the relationship with your partner evolves as it passes through the seven-year phases. Again, each phase comes with its own set of challenges and lessons, and the sooner you identify the pattern, the smoother your relationship gets.
Your Sense Of Belonging Shifts.
You need to feel a part of something always exist. But as you go through these cycles, your sense of home shifts. From identifying with peers and feeling most at home with folks who speak the same language or listen to the same kind of music, your shifting identity will make you connect with causes, people, beliefs, and philosophies that resonate with your current emotional and existential phase.
Your Idea Of Friendship Changes.
This is the case even if your friends remain the same. Your conversation will change, the way you connect to them will change, the idea of bonding will evolve. While this is a natural course for all friendships, just like your primary relationships, the bond with those few super close friends, too, will undergo big changes.
It's Time To Say Bye To Things That Aren't Working For You.
This could be a job that is draining you, a friend that you can no longer relate with, or a relationship that is not working for you anymore. While these changes are often painful, they are necessary to clear the space and make room for new things to enter.
Your Source Of Happiness Will Change.
What made you happy might not seem as exciting as you cross over to a new cycle. While family, kids, and loved ones will always hold a special place, your personal happiness will evolve in every cycle. Typically, the 3rd and 4th cycle will call forth your creative side and you are happiest when you do what you love. This will continue to shift in every cycle.
