Our Power Years
Just as there are power places in the world—sacred locations such as Glastonbury, Machu Pichu, and Sedona that are said to vibrate at a higher frequency and accelerate transformation—there are also power years. These years correspond to the generational or life cycles that we all share at the same ages:
Transits are a method of prediction. They describe the movements of the planets overhead, and, like our transit systems here on Earth, they are always in motion. Because transits are linked to individual birth charts, they can occur at any time in our life. For instance, the planet Saturn can “make an aspect” (the relationship between one planet and another within the zodiac) to your Sun (or other planets in your chart) at any time. That is unique to your birth chart. When the planets arrive at a point in the sky that corresponds to a point in our chart, they generate an event, and something happens—this is the transit.
These power years or life cycles are determined by our age and shared with others born at the same time. These cycles take place when a planet makes an aspect to its own natal (birth) position. For instance, at age twenty-nine, Saturn returns to the place it occupied at birth; this is called the Saturn Return.
Just because many people experience these cycles at the same age doesn't make them less powerful or relevant. Think of those treasured rites of passage such as a Bar Mitzvah, Sweet Sixteen, or high school graduation: these events are imbued with meaning specifically because they are shared by so many and are deeply rooted in our culture. These rituals mark a person's progress from one stage to another. The generational cycles operate in the same way; they are the significant passages we all experience and that, strung together, tell the story of our lives.
We are all individuals with our own unique path, but on this journey called life, each and every one of us will come to certain crossroads or cycles. Although our fate may differ, the timing of these cycles is the same. These cycles or power years are the great turning points in life; at every juncture there will be challenges, lessons, and loses—in this we have no choice. Our freedom lies in how we respond: consciously or unconsciously, awake or asleep, with fear or with love. The planet that governs the cycle acts as a wise elder or guide and holds the key to navigating the cycle successfully and releasing the potential that lies within. This book is the story of these cycles. Ultimately, it describes the process of becoming whole.
These cycles are not confined to astrology; psychologists have been examining them for ages. Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) was the founder of psychoanalysis and, with the possible exception of William James, explored the human mind more than anyone who came before him. He laid the groundwork with his study of early childhood and how it influences one's life in adulthood. Carl Jung (1875–1961) made the greatest contribution to the study of adult development; he was the first psychologist to recognize midlife as a separate phase and the first to write about it extensively. He also coined the term “individuation” to describe the developmental process that begins at forty and extends throughout the second half of life. Erik H. Erikson (1902–1994) built on Jung's findings with his eight stages of life. In fact, his book Childhood and Society (1950) spawned a great deal of interest in the concept of the life cycles.
The late 1960s psychologist Daniel J. Levinson (1920–1994) gathered together a team and conducted a ten-year in-depth study of the adult life cycles. This study explored specific periods of personal development through which we all pass. He was building on the psychologists who had come before him, including his mentor, Else Frenkel-Brunswik (1908–1958), who was a pioneer in this field.
Journalist and author Gail Sheehy drew on these sources for her bestselling book, Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life, published in 1976. A superb writer and researcher, she was able to weave together psychology and sociology along with hundreds of interviews to create a clear map of the individual life cycles (through age fifty) that was both relevant and accessible. Her timing was impeccable: the late 1970s was a period of increasing self-discovery. People were waking up, and they needed to make sense of what they were experiencing. They recognized themselves in her themes: the trying twenties, the catch thirties, the forlorn forties, and the refreshed (or resigned) fifties.
There seems to be a kind of order in the universe, in the movement of the stars and the turning of the earth and the changing of the seasons, and even in the cycle of human life.
Astrologers have long been aware of these cycles, for they follow the same trajectory. Astrology may overlap with psychology at various times, but it is also distinct from therapy, counselling, or coaching—which are all extremely valuable. But astrology offers another perspective, one that is universal and tied in with cosmic awareness and a search for meaning.
Astrology, at its best, is a symbolic language and is therefore able to elude the cunning ego (so prone to judging and rejecting). It makes use of ancient archetypes, gods and goddesses of myth, as well as planets and stars that are much more exciting than those on reality shows. Although you may not be familiar with its technical language, references to astrology are everywhere: in poetry, Shakespeare's plays, art, song, books, movies—indeed every time we marvel at the heavens above and sing its praises. We experience astrology's connection in the passing seasons and nightly when we watch the moon. Knowledge of astrology's cycles gives us valuable guidance for navigating these great passages that we all share.