We’re now at the start of the second half of 2024 and like all calendar years, the second half is the beginning of the ramp up. The first half of this year was all about getting used to the 8 energy of 2024. The thing with the number 8 is it doesn’t let up. There’s no rest. Lessons come on top of each other, so to speak.
We are being reminded to be nimble, flexible and focused on pushing through, staying the course despite juggling competing tasks. As I wrote back in my blog at the start of the year, an 8-year is big-stage energy; it plays out in big institutions such as government and business. It also expresses itself through the legal system, with a strong emphasis on justice: “rewards received, punishments due”, as the Chaldeans put it. We’ve seen many changes of governments and within corporations and in the legal system. While these changes began in the 6 year of 2022, they are continuing through this 8-year and are destined to increase in frequency and intensity in the second half of the year. By year’s end, very few of the players on the political scene and in many of our corporations and institutions at the start of 2022 will remain in place. It’s not a bloodbath, more a shakeout. Numerous countries are having elections this year; in fact two billion people go to the polls in 50 countries! The legal system is also in the spotlight, none more so than in the US, where the name of the game is lawfare; so much is playing out through the courts, particularly to do with politics in an election year. This is a very 8-year.
It’s not unusual to feel a bit slack in the first half of any calendar year. Our world is adjusting to the new number. The 8 energy is different to the deep-dive journeying of 2023. The years 2022 to 2025 are the evolutionary years in the 9-year cycle. These are the manifest/do-stuff years, with 2024 being the second last of them. So it is action-focused.
Once July hits, it’s slack time no more for those big institutions. Think of it as an end-of-year exam. Those who’ve been happily figuring out what have been the key takeaways from journeying in 2023 are likely to be well-prepared. They’re comfortable unearthing and exposing any and everything. They’ll take the exam in their stride. For those unaccustomed to it, it’s cram time, something akin to the frantic all-nighter before the big test. That’s what December could look like for many. So, for those who’ve been shutting out the shifts going on around them, it’s time to sit up and pay attention. The best advice is to not to wait til the end-of-year scramble when people end up in a panic, and are therfeore prone to taking all that unresolved energy into the new year. Not wise, in my book.
So, everyone’s task is to gain wisdom and find balance through identifying what needs changing and then doing it, certainly by the end of 2025. Turn the number 8 on its side and we are reminded of the necessity of seeking and finding balance. The pendulum may swing from side to side — expect some wild fluctuations across the board — but the challenge is to always return to the centre.
Here are some personal things I feel are germane to finding balance in a world that is also striving for balance amid the wild swings.
Take time to reflect upon the last few years, but last year in particular: what did we learn about ourselves? And what will we do about it? Refer to how you have resolved similar challenges in the past: what did you learn last time this happened? Don’t be stingy spending time on this.
Communication is crucial as we gain wisdom and our thinking matures. Explain yourself clearly. Share your stories.
Make a list of what’s been achieved so far and what you still feel you want to do. If you’ve been holding yourself back, stop with that! Tell yourself, “I will do what I’ve longed for.”
The opinions of others are not so important right now. There’s no point comparing yourself to them. This is a time to cultivate your sense of self-worth. Listen to the inner voice, the first thing that you feel and think when confronted with anything new.
That said, there is one exception: Listen to the wisdom of those with more experience than yourself.
Balance is the keyword. If rewards are due, you’ll receive them; if debts are to be paid, they will be due this year. Pay them off.
Budgeting is smart; only spend on the essentials. Be realistic and modest: if you don’t have it, don’t flaunt it.
Career-wise, you’ll ask yourself: is this the right job/path for me? If not, find one that is. The change, whether voluntary or involuntary, is appropriate to your growth.
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