Age Point echoes - 36 and 72 years

While researching my recent co-authored book - The Second Time Around - a number of contibutors to the book, who were sharing their own experiences of the Age Point moving around the chart for the second time, noted the "Echo Effect".

Using the chart as a LifeClock, the hand of the clock moves, in an anti-clockwise direction, around the lower half of the chart. Staring at the ascendant (AC/zero point/birth), it takes 36 years to reach the descendant (DC) which is opposite. In astrological psychological terms, this lower half of the chart relates to the unconscious. OK, we're not exactly unconsious from age 0 to 36, but we do have significant formative, shaping experiences which we are challeged to work with and through, surviving and establishing ourselves as indiviuals along the way. During this period we have the opportunity to learn much about ourselves through the contacts and relationships we make, and the responsibilities that go with making our mark in the world.

At age 36, the hand of the LifeClock crosses the DC and, like sunrise waking the earth at the start of the day, we "wake up" to a new perspective on life. Some people speak of finding this age and time of life like being "halfway there" (maybe to old age?) but many people experience an increased sense of maturity and a deeper understanding of their place in the world at age 36.

Even with no astrological knowledge, this age and period of life can feel significant and meaningful; people have described it as a time of waking up to the possibility of new horizons. There is an insight into the immensity of what this next stage of life can offer - I've heard it described by clients who recognised this time as the "world is my oyster" moment.

An echo effect is at work with the 36 year point of the cycle and it's second stage, the next 36 years, leading to one circuit of the circular chart at age 72. Sigificant psychological events that happened in childhood, or between ages 36 and 42, can ping back into consciousness as they are revisited from a new perspective at 36 years or 72 years later.

The 72 year period seems to be of particular significance as we re-enter the 1st house/area of life experience. We're there, literally, for the second time around and we have the first opportunity to experience consciously the energies and events encountered in early childhood, at a time when we had no possibility of assimilating potentially traumatic experiences.

Memories and echoes of this past, or from 36 years earlier, of events we experienced - good or bad, beneficial or painful - surface. Unresolved issues may demand attention and, with the wisdom of life experience to draw upon, it's possible - with some willing work on our part – to clear these. There may be insights, understandings, new perspectives, forgiveness and letting go of things from the past which are no longer relevant of useful – especially if we’re on an upward spiral and a spiritual path.

T.S.Eliot says it far better than I can, and in fewer words:

What might have been and what has been point to one end, which is always present. Footfalls echo in the memory down the passage which we did not take towards the door we never opened…..

Time past and time future, what might have been and what has been point to one end, which is always present.

Four Quartets: Burnt Norton

The Four-Fold Way

Some time back in the 1990s I came across the Four-Fold Way, which was referred to at a personal growth workshop I attended. The Four-Fold Way was attributed to anthropologist Angeles Arrien, and I was impressed by it’s four simple points of wisdom:

 

· Show up and choose to be present

· Pay attention to what has heart and meaning

· Tell the truth without blame of judgement

· Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome

 

This led me to read her book, entitled The Four-Fold Way - Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer and Visionary. The book, its content and ethos have come back to mind right now. The times we are currently living in are full of change and divisions within society. Climate breakdown is not new, but the need to take on board and address the problems we're making for ourselves and future generations now have to urgently be addressed.

It's time for us all to start taking responsibility for ourselves and stop moaning.

Angeles Arrien suggests four paths we might take, and her opening sentence, way back in 1992 when the book was published, is pressingly relevant today. She says,

"Today it is imperative that we pay attention to ecological issues. Our planet, the house we live in, is in danger of becoming unliveable, due primarily to the neglect of our own industrialised society. It is clear we need to take action before it is too late."

She goes on to say that the word ecology comes from the Greek word oikos, which means house, in other words our "house", our planet.

The four ways she describes can be shown diagrammatically using the medicine wheel layout and includes the four points of the compass, and the four elements of fire, earth, air and water. Each Way has a single line description which more or less lays out what it's about.

The Way of the Warrior - Show up and choose to be present- the message here is to stip dillydallying about and do something, take action. The associated human resource is power, the way of living is right action.

The Way of the Healer - Pay attention to what has heart and meaning - this suggests don't allow yourself to get distracted (by smart phones, social media etc?) but remain in touch with what is really important and connected to your heart. The associated human resource is, unsurprisingly, love; the way of living is right speech.

The Way of the Visionary - Tell the truth without blame or judgement - here we have to remember to speak our own truth, be true to ourselves, and not take on board what others have tried to foist upon us. This can be a tough one as it's much easier to go along with things we don't really agree with in order to fit in, or keep the peace. And we have to remember not to blame or judge ourselves and others. The associated human resource here is vision, and the way of living, right placement.

The Way of the Teacher - Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome - the message is to stay open to the new and not have an end goal in mind. A good teacher will always be open to new ideas and viewpoints because so much fruitful material can come from staying open and learning more. Good teachers are always learning! The associated human resource is wisdom and the way of living is right timing.

Angeles Arrien’s work as an anthropologist, educator and facilitator of workshops aims to build a bridge between cultural anthropology, psychology and comparative religions, revealing how indigenous wisdoms are relevant to our families, professional lives and our relationship with the Earth itself. There is something in The Four-Fold Way for all who wish to develop themselves, their potential and their ability to live life creatively, and we need this approach more than ever right now, in our current times.

“Do all the good you can, with all the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can” - Angeles Arrien.

 

Friendship, Fun and Folly in the Fifth House

The astrological houses sometimes cause a bit of confusion for non-astrologers, because people don't know what the houses are, but if you substitute the words "area of life experience" for "house" that will give you a better understanding of what they mean in a real life context.

To find out which areas of life experience each house represents take a look at my my co-authored book The Cosmic Egg Timer and my YouTube channel where I describe what each house  - including the fifth house  - represents.

The fifth house is one which most people can readily understand as it's concerned with relationships, the friendships we make and the experiences and real life lessons - both good and bad -  that we gain from them.

 Quoting from The Cosmic Egg Timer, I say that

The 5th house is, in a sense, a place of self-discovery. This is an area where we venture forth from the collective to explore ourselves in contact with the world and participate in the Games People Play. It is an extrovert place where we are likely to be full of self-belief, flamboyance and even bravado as we go out on our journey of conquest. We like to be involved with people, have a good time, and our conquests may well involve the opposite sex; these may produce the other aspect of this house – creativity, whether this be babies or works of art.

The downside in this area of life is that when our conquests don’t produce the results we need to make us feel special, we feel rejected and insecure. We may attempt to possess somebody and hold him/ her as a personal prize in order to prove how good we are. 

Musing on this, alongside my own life experiences in this house/area of life, I consider myself lucky to have true friends, people I trust. I've known some of them for years. But there have been others along the way who initially presented themselves as friends, but turned out not to be so, and were not to be trusted. In this way, the fifth house can be a learning ground, filled with real life experiences which are not always pleasant, but which offer important lessons for self understanding and personal growth.

Friendship and fun with a true friend is something to treasure and cultivate. Friends can laugh together, do things together, trust each other and share confidences. A friend will support you, stay in touch, be there if you're going through a difficult time, remember your birthday, be kind to you, be honest with you, and not talk behind your back. And you can reciprocate by doing the same for them. It's a two-way traffic and you're equal partners.

Folly creeps in when someone purporting to be a friend proves to be anything but. You might blame yourself for being taken in by this person, for being taken for a fool, especially when you realise that this is a toxic relationship and you're being used, manipulated and controlled. You've been drawn into playing one of the many games people play in the arena of relationships. This is especially so where powerful emotions are involved, and your so-called friend -  or maybe it's your ex - proves unworthy of your trust and reveals their true colours.

Of course, the boot could also be on the other foot and you may realise that you could be the one attempting to possess or control somebody and hold him or her as a personal prize in order to gain power over them or prove something to yourself.

By waking up and being consciously aware of our own motivation and behaviour with the friends we relate to in this area of life we can, thankfully, begin to bypass the downside of these games - such as control and manipulation - and create lasting and worthwhile connections which are true, open, honest and beneficial to all concerned.

In fifth house friendships, as in all areas of life, there's always a choice between  the darker alleyways and the path of light.