Personal Years Explained: Calculate Yours (The Right Way!)
Have you ever wondered why some years feel more transformative, challenging, or opportunistic than others?
The answer may lie in the concept of personal years.
So what is a personal year exactly?
A personal year in numerology is a 12-month cycle starting on your birthday, each carrying themes that shape your experiences and personal growth. This period, part of a nine-year cycle, helps guide you through unique challenges and opportunities specific to that year's imprinted energy.
Unlike the universal calendar year that begins on January 1st, personal years are intimately tied to your birthday, making them a unique and personalised experience.
Ever Feel Like Your Years Have Themes? They Do.
Remember that year when nothing seemed to go your way financially? Or maybe that year when everyone wanted to get with you? Or perhaps you remember that year when everything felt hectic, like you were caught in an year-long eclipse, ready to implode with all the overwhelming emotional energy?
Those were your personal years at play, doing their part in influencing those experiences.
Each personal year has its own imprinted energy, think of it like a significant factor for setting up the theme of an entire year, one birthday to another.
Each one carries a distinct vibe, setting the tone for that year, influencing how you handle relationships, health, your career, your personal growth, among other things.
Each personal year has its own set of obstacles and opportunities.
For example, your 7 personal year might not be the best time for your bank account, but it's an excellent time for learning, introspection, meditation, diving into the occult sciences, and a lot more.
All things considered, your 8 personal year will be better for your bank account compared to your 7 personal year.
However, your interest in the occult and meditation may fall off. Things like meditation, which would have been easier to do in your 7 personal year, will require a lot more effort in your 8 year.
Think of personal year cycles as a significant factor in the blueprint of your year. This blueprint gives you insight into what areas of life might flow more naturally.
For example, you will be awarded a lot more if you use your 3 personal year for networking and connecting with others rather than being cooped up at home, not wanting to talk to anyone.
Similarly, for your 4 year, it would be much more beneficial for you if you use that time to work your ass off instead of being lazy and not getting anything done.
Now that you understand that each personal year has its own theme, it's very important that you calculate your personal year correctly.
Calculating Your Personal Year - The Right Way
Now that you know how much influence your personal year has on you, it’s time to calculate it. Don't worry; it's easier than you think! Here's the step-by-step process:
1. Your Birth Month + Your Birth Day:
Let's say your birthday is November 10th:
- November is the 11th month, so you'll use the number 11.
- Your birth day is 10.
- Add them together: 11 + 10 = 21
2. Factor in the Current Year (Personal vs. Universal):
- This is where many people, even popular sites like CafeAstrology.com, get it wrong. They base the calculation on the Universal Year, starting on January 1st. However, your Personal Year is just that – personal – and it begins on your birthday.
- To determine which year to use, consider today's date (specifically the month and day).
- If today's month and day fall after your birth month and day, use the current year. For example, if today is December 5th and your birthday is November 10th, you'd use 2024.
- If today's month and day fall before your birth month and day, use the previous year. If today is October 20th and your birthday is November 10th, you'd use 2023.
- In our example (November 10th birthday), let's say today is June 1st, 2024. Since June 1st comes before November 10th, we would use the previous year (2023) in our calculation.
3. Complete the Calculation:
Add the sum from Step 1 to the digits of the correct year (determined in step 2).
In our example, it would be 21 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 3 = 28.
4. Reduce to a Single Digit:
- If the sum from Step 3 is greater than 9 (except for 11, 22, and 33), keep adding the digits together until you have a single digit.
- In our example, 28 is greater than 9, so add 2 + 8 = 10. Reduce further, 1 + 0 = 1.
The Result: In this example, the personal year number would be 1.
Why It Matters: The Case of November 9th
Let's imagine someone born on November 9th, 1998. If we were to calculate their personal year based on CafeAstrology's method (using January 1st), they would be in a 1 Personal Year (11+9+2+0+2+4 = 28, reducing to 2+8 = 10, and further reducing to 1+0 = 1).
This personal year is considered ideal for new beginnings and fresh starts.
However, since today is June 1st (at time of writing), their 1 Personal Year hasn't actually begun yet!
Using the correct method (factoring in their November 9th birthday), they are still in a 9 Personal Year (11+9+2+0+2+3 = 27, reducing to 2+7 = 9).
Why is this such a big deal?
Personal Year 9 is a time of endings and completions, not ideal for starting things meant to last.
Getting married in a 9 Personal Year, for example, could significantly increase the chances of the marriage falling apart down the line.
All Personal Cycles Explained
You’ve done the calculation (correctly, we hope!), and now you have your personal year number.
But what does it all mean?
Each personal year, carries its own unique set of energies and themes, shaping your experiences and influencing your path.
In this section, we’ll delve into the essence of each personal year, providing you with insights and guidance to navigate the year ahead.
We'll cover the main themes and energies associated with each number, highlighting the opportunities and challenges that might arise.
1 Personal Year
- Good time for: New Situations, new beginnings
- Avoid: Being passive
- Watch out for: Aggression
- Expect: A sense of independence and many new opportunities
11 Personal Year
- Good time for: Learning new languages, getting married, having kids, diving into numerology, astrology, meditation, kundalini yoga, and building the body you want
- Avoid: Being overwhelmed with emotions (meditate!)
- Watch out for: Emotional intensity and challenges that test your resilience
- Expect: Significant life changes, a chance to connect with your higher purpose.
3 Personal Year
- Good time for: Learning new languages, socializing, networking, pursuing creative endeavors, and expressing yourself
- Avoid: Staying isolated, being too serious
- Watch out for: New people that you may not want to move forward with
- Expect: Many new people coming your way, a lot of fun, opportunities to express yourself, and increase in funny points & charisma
4 Personal Year
- Good time for: Building a solid foundation, working hard, organising, disciplining yourself, and establishing routines
- Avoid: Breaking the law, procrastinating, taking shortcuts, and neglecting responsibilities
- Watch out for: The Law
- Expect: Stability, structure, achievement, decrease in funny points and charisma compared to your 3 PY
5 Personal Year
- Good time for: Travel, change, freedom
- Avoid: Sleeping with everyone you can, resisting change, staying in one place, and limiting your freedom
- Watch out for: Unexpected changes
- Expect: A lot of changes, opportunities to try new things, and more attention and interest from others
6 Personal Year
- Good time for: Nurturing relationships, family time, taking on responsibilities, starting a family
- Avoid: Neglecting responsibilities, overextending yourself, taking on too much, travelling abroad, and learning a new (foreign) language
- Watch out for: Conflicts in relationships and feeling overwhelmed
- Expect: Growth in your relationships, a focus on harmony (in a positive light), and potential issues with your family (in a negative light)
7 Personal Year
- Good time for: Gaining new knowledge, inner-work, astrology, numerology, kundalini yoga, meditation, and exploring the occult
- Avoid: Going hard in the gym (build your mind instead this year), starting new relationships, getting engaged or married, being overly social, always seeking the spotlight, being too noisy, never being alone, and learning a new language
- Watch out for: Injuries
- Expect: A deep dive into your inner world and a chance to gain wisdom
8 Personal Year
- Good time for: Building wealth, career advancement, gaining power, control, and respect, paying off karmic debts, using the knowledge gained in your 7 Personal Year to make money and gain respect and power
- Avoid: Messing up your karma
- Watch out for: Financial setbacks and a difficult year all around (indicative of bad karma which you are paying off this year)
- Expect: A chance to create abundance
9 Personal Year
- Good time for: Completing projects, letting go of people, things, and situations that no longer serve you, quitting habits that don't benefit you, exploring spirituality
- Avoid: Starting things you want to last, holding onto the past, fearing letting go, getting married, starting new romantic relationships, drugs & alcohol
- Watch out for: Emotional challenges (seek help or therapy if you need it)
- Expect: Letting go of various things, people, and situations; a possible shift in your path; and a chance to move into a new chapter
Personal Year FAQs
Q. Which Personal Year Is Good for Marriage?
A. The 11 Personal Year, a master number, is considered a good time to get married, as is the 6 Personal Year, as 6 is the number of home and family. It's best to avoid getting married in a 7 or 9 Personal Year.
Before deciding on a wedding date, make sure you've calculated the Personal Years of both people involved correctly. Remember to also consider other numerological factors like the Universal Year and the numerology of your chosen wedding date among other factors.
Q. How to Calculate Personal Year Number for 2024?
To calculate your Personal Year number for 2024, start by adding the digits of your birth month and day together. Then, check if your birthday has already passed in 2024. If it has, add 2024 to the sum of your birth month and day.
If your birthday is yet to come in 2024, add 2023 instead. Finally, reduce the total to a single digit by adding the digits together, unless the result is a Master Number (11, 22, or 33), in which case you would leave it as is.
Here are two examples, considering today's date as June 17th:
- Example 1: Birthday June 12th, 2001
Month (5) + Day (8) = 13. Since June 17th has already passed June 13th, add 2024: 13 + 2+0+2+4 = 21. Reduce to a single digit: 2 + 1 = 3. Current Personal Year = 3 - Example 2: Birthday November 9th, 1998
Month (11) + Day (9) = 20. Since June 1st has not yet passed November 9th, add 2023: 20 + 2023 = 2043. Reduce to a single digit: 2 + 0 + 4 + 3 = 9. Personal Year for 2024: 9
Q. Personal Year Number vs Lifepath Number
A. Your Life Path number, calculated from your full birth date, is the constant energy you carry throughout your life, like your soul's roadmap.
Your Personal Year number, also derived from your birth date, is the yearly theme that changes with each birthday, highlighting the specific energies and opportunities for that 12-month cycle.
