This year is the Year of 8, in the Age of 8, therefore ‘an alignment’. It is the last one we will have in this 20 year cycle. You may be experiencing the very strong energies and impulses of this alignment. The energy is Karmic. This may be experienced as enhancements / elevations / inspirations / connections. Or in contrast they may be experienced as very difficult and challenging. If the latter, last year, The Year of the Dog (2018), and also being a ‘9’ year may have set you on this trajectory. One of the energies of the Year of the Dog is also a Karmic / Destiny influence as it makes us face personal issues that are required to be transformed. It is not negotiable. Numerous people are facing what appear to be enormous challenges to bring balance and alignment. This may be true for yourself and / or your clients. If so you are in the right place.

A Purpose of the Dog to facilitate engagement into the deeper aspect of the personal psyche, to a place of deeper connection, understanding, wisdom and self realisation – which then proceeds this year and into the future

The importance of both the Year of 8 and the Age of 8 cannot be understated. The month of 8 this year was May, which coincidentally being the Snake, was the ‘clash’ month of the Year. You may have noticed strong shifts around that time (give or take), that have immense significance. The Year of the Pig is the last year on the 12 year cycle, again and ending into a new phase

Successful negotiation and transition of any Age forms the foundation of the next one. By nature, the Age of 9 is / will be a volatile, dynamic, energy which we are experiencing already. At the time of writing, the Amazon Forest, one of the most sacred places in the world is on fire. There are also many places experiencing heat on an unprecedented scale. Fire out of control is an incredibly volatile, destructive and unstable energy. You may want to speculate and perhaps share your insights on how from an elemental point of view this can be managed, and even bought into balance. Energy bought into balance can affect how it manifests externally

On an individual scale we see this in the Fire / Spiritual imbalance of many individuals – the Fire / Heart / Spirit hence behaviour is out of control. In Chinese philosophy / medicine Fire is the Heart and a very important aspect of fire psychology is the Heart houses the spirit (Shen), also referred to as the seat of consciousness. Interestingly and perhaps contradictorily, the I Ching makes emphasis to this in its themes and impulses of the Mountain Trigram, (which is Earth). One Age of 8 challenge is to become Heart Connected / Heart Centric. However the I Ching continues:- ‘ it is very difficult to achieve a peaceful heart’. Any benevolence in life if often not bestowed but has to be earned. This again is especially an Age of 8 theme – the application to the task, often over a long term to meet challenges, to climb ones ‘Mountain’ if you will

The Heart is also referred to as the ‘Emperor of the body. An intrinsic theme here obviously is ‘Authority’. A challenge of this time individually and collectively is authority. This theme is paramount and not only underpins the Mountain Trigram but also the Fire Trigram, the next Age. Individually we are asked to become, and live our lives from, and internal place of authority – the challenge being to separate from attachments, dependencies, outmoded situations and circumstances, therefore having the courage to move into unknown territory. To say that governance and authority in the world is in absolute chaos and disarray is an understatement

I will write more about the themes of the Age of 8 and 9 in upcoming newsletters. The upcoming year, the Year of the Rat, has an increasing amplification as we approach the turning into the next Age. This is because the Jupiter / Saturn alignments which rules the Ages, do not conjunct in 2024 but at the end of next year. We will see this alignment in the night sky. Presently if you look directly upwards about 8pm there is a bright what looks like a star. This is Jupiter. Just a little further to the East is Saturn. We will see them come together later next year, a great astronomical, once in 20 year event. I will write about this conjunction in future newsletters and in Year of the Rat talks and lectures. Rat years are the turning points of the 12 Year Chinese cycle of Years. We are immersed in immense transitions which will continue to increase and demand a lot from us

Till next time,

My best,

Vic Ketis