Personal Years are a system of numerology that move in a specific 9-year cycle, with each year carrying a different set of themes. They are also a system of organizing the complexity of our world by observing the practical and spiritual significance of numbers. Similar to colours, numbers hold a vibration. Depending on where they show up for us through the course of our day, or as they relate to our birthdate or the year ahead, we can apply certain significance. Please keep in mind that much like our Sun Sign, this information can look very general on the surface. For this reason, it’s important to use discernment. In this way, personal year numbers are not the be-all-end-all when it comes to what is happening in our lives. There are many factors that make up our journey and this is just one piece of the puzzle. With anything, take what resonates and adapt or disregard anything that doesn’t feel right.
While there are some predictive elements to this system, we would encourage you to regard the information here more as guidance - “What is the energy available?” “How can I best work within it?” “How can I get the most out of it?” In the same way that moon phases help us see our lives within a greater cycle, so too can the the personal year wheel put us in touch with the flow of numbers.
It could also be said that our readiness for the energy of the current year may have something to do with what we were able to learn from previous ones. This means that the personal year system takes an integrative approach. While each year could certainly stand alone, it also connects in many ways to the others in the cycle. So the work done in one touches the work done in the next and so on. That's not to say you can't simply start where you are. It is just to say that there may be some benefit to looking at the whole picture to understand what aspects of which years have been thoroughly worked through and conversely, which could use more attention. And remember, this is a cycle for a reason. Like The World in the tarot, even when we complete one trip around, the journey continues!
Calculate Your Personal Year Number
The calculation for your Personal Year Number is as follows:
Your month of birth + your day of birth + the current year =
With that number, continue to add and reduce until you have a single-digit such as the following example. I (Julia) was born on December 22, so my calculation for 2024 would look like this:
12+22+2024 = 2058
2+0+5+8 = 15
1+5 = 6
That means in 2023 I am in a personal year 5! For those familiar with numerology, you will notice we’ve stayed away from the master numbers. This is because personal years move along a very specific path (as part of a cycle) and so the master numbers, in this case, would not apply (in our opinion). Follow the formula above to determine your number for 2023, and then click the link below to learn more! You will also find information related to the collective year for 2023, which is a Year 7 (2+0+2+3 = 7).
Year 1 • Year 2 • Year 3 • Year 4 • Year 5 • Year 6 • Year 7 • Year 8 • Year 9
Universal Year 9 - 2025 • Universal Year 8 - 2024
*Please note that some people observe personal years as going from birthdate to birthdate as opposed to moving with the whole when the new year begins. If you prefer that approach, you can adapt the calculation accordingly to find your personal year. Personally, we use and prefer the method above.