Unless you have been living under a rock, it is likely that you have heard the old adage about humans changing every 7 years. And while you may hesitate to believe it, there is actually quite a bit of truth to this statement.
The early twentieth-century philosopher known as Rudolph Steiner believed that our lives and the development of our lives came in cycles of seven. According to him, these cycles are intertwined with astrology and that with each cycle we begin a new shift in our life. While the new age world discusses the topic of energetic shifts quite often, this theory is often overlooked.
However, if you truly think about his theory, it begins to make sense that we are shifting our consciousness in a different direction with each cycle of seven.
Life obviously begins when we are born. From this point, we enter into the world open, full of energy and full of awareness. After our time of birth and until we reach 7 years of age, we are in the first cycle. Once we have reached the age of 7, we begin to reach our first realization of the self. It is also during this time that we grow from a tiny infant into childhood. While at first you may be focused on yourself and feel as if life completely revolves around you, you transform from the definition of ego into the stage of curiosity.
As we reach 7 years of age, we enter into the second cycle. With the second cycle comes a curiosity that could be defined as magical. From our self-centered childhood, we enter into this cycle and begin to look at life in a different light. It is during this time that we are extremely pliable. Due to this, we may mold ourselves into that which we are not, but it never lasts.
At fourteen, we begin to enter into our puberty stages, with young men experiencing a voice change while young women begin to transform into their adulthood. During these years, we transition from the family unit being our major source of information and inspiration to a vast group of people in comparison to the latter. As this occurs, we begin to consider the thoughts and influence of our peers at school, playgrounds, our community and anywhere else that we may roam.
As we begin to mature, our interest shifts to the opposite sex, and we grow to search for someone to be in a relationship with.
Once we have reached 21, we are in the fourth cycle of life, which brings with it an entirely new outlook. While our teenage years focused on growth and finding love, our twenties cause us to create more motivated goals. As this shift takes place, a sense of responsibility is gained and we begin to strive towards attaining true goals, not centered entirely around love or sex.
The age of twenty-eight marks the beginning of the fifth cycle, and with it, we begin to understand that life doesn’t always go our way and that we don’t always get what we want. It is also during this time that we begin to differentiate between attainable goals and those that seem impossible. Sadly, with this transition, we also end our years of being ‘carefree.‘
With this loss, we begin to develop a desire to settle. While in the past we may have been content with constant change, this cycle brings a desire for something more concrete.
As this cycle comes to an end, we enter the age of thirty-five. At this age, we begin to understand the many influences that have determined our decisions, and we grow to understand that we must do things based on our own desires. In the past, we may have had difficulty understanding the difference between the concepts of others and those that truly belong to us. With this, we obtain a stronger sense of self. Beliefs, traditions and a purpose is formed, causing us to grow to be at ease with the rules set forth.
In our younger years, rules may have caused discomfort, but during the sixth cycle, order becomes a very important part of our life.
Forty-two begins the seventh cycle, and this is a time of true change. It is at this point that we begin the integration of our whole self. Once we may have asked the world what it had to offer us, but at this age, we begin to contemplate what we can offer the world. With this change, it is often common for us to begin to doubt ourselves and our life. To many, this may seem to be a negative change, but it isn’t. Instead, we form a new ability to understand how we must transform ourselves to enhance our lives.
The eighth cycle continues the trend of doubt, but for whatever reason, this can oftentimes grow to become more negative. We may begin to question our lives and what we have accomplished during our lifetime. It is with this cycle that we truly realize that we can let go of the things in life that stand in our way. For many, this cycle marks the beginning of a quest to take our life to an entirely different level.
As we shift into the 9th cycle, our interest also shifts. While we once were focused on other people, and the formalities that come along with socialization, we are now more focused on a quest for truth and enlightenment.
At the age of sixty-three, we begin to revert back to a more child-like state. However, this time, we are more aptly prepared due to the many lessons we have learned during our lives. Ironically, it is also during this time that we internally begin to prepare ourselves for our death. While this may seem a bit dark, it is actually a time of true serenity. The prospect of death may have once been terrifying to us, but now, we can begin to accept death as a fact of life and prepare ourselves to die in peace.
The ‘final’ cycle of seven, according to Rudolf Steiner who created the theory that supports the cycles of seven, is governed by Saturn. As long as we have followed the natural patterns of seven that govern our lives, then we have become aware just nine months before reaching 70 that death is inevitable and quite possibly even soon. During this time, we transition towards our own completion of the cycles which leads us back to where we originated from.
Source: Awareness Act