End of the Year: 2016 - Bye, Felicia! (Numerology)

It's December. The final month of a tragic and frustrating year. Most people would agree with me, I'm sure, since this year has seen so much loss, death, trauma, sadness, and anger.

So, what will we do in our last thirty-one days?

Let me start by talking about the numbers. Numerology is a long-time interest of mine, and, if you care to know, I use the system Pythagoras taught in Ancient Greece. I dig the ideas of Pythagoras. So, the short of it: Everything goes in nine-year cycles, and every pattern is repeated in those cycles over the years. 2016 is a 9 year, so that means this is the end of this cycle, that began in 2007. Makes sense politically, huh? In a 9-year, closure is sought after, loose ends are tied up, humanitarian issues come to the forefront, and the Big Picture is looked at, assessed, and acted upon accordingly.

The Big Picture for me, includes:

1. My personal life goals 
2. My career as a writer
3. My massage business plan
4. The World as a whole, and my place within it, including my contributions
5. The state of the nation I live in
6. My local (state, city, neighborhood, etc.) community (-ies) and my place/contributions

1. I've never been great at seeing myself in the future (Where do you see yourself in five years? In ten years? etc. I have no idea! Same place I am now...?) or planning personal stuff. But, in the past nine years, I have made some progress:

• I have a personal money coach that I work with to learn how to change my bad habits and get ahead. It's a great combination of psychological research (what beliefs and knowledge/ignorance did I inherit from my family? What is important to me and how to I enhance that? etc.) and practical skills (Money income and outgo tracking, budget planning, shifting attention, intention, and focus as needed).
• Steps have been taken towards home organization, health care, relationships, and other personal goals, even if I haven't achieved what I had hoped (yet).

2. The last nine years (plus) have seen me focus on a (mostly) fiction writing career. 

• I've successfully run a (now) weekly writers group, thus building a working writing community.
• I've published several short stories and flash fiction, both in magazines and anthology books.
• I've attended several writing conferences, made great contacts in the publishing industry, and successfully pitched my novel and my memoirs.
• I've developed a pretty good structure and routine of writing days and times. 

3. As a massage therapist, I've moved into a newer office, increased my client/patient base, and made several changes to my networking platform.

4. The world is always a mixed bag of extreme goods and evils. I do my part to make it a better place, which, in the past nine years has included:

• Participating in global healing rituals and groups.
• Donating money to working organizations on issues of environmental protection, animal welfare, human rights, and animal rescue, among others.
• Being the best example I can of a conscientious person. 
• Cleaning up litter in the parks.

5. The nation...I have spent much time in the last nine years educating myself on current politics. I have signed petitions, donated money to support democracy, transparency, justice, and fairness in voting and the media. I have participated in caucuses, acted as a delegate in the election process, and volunteered at the democratic party headquarters. I do my best to walk my talk and spread the love.

6. Locally, all the above applies, and I continue to participate in local events, staying up on local politics, bills, and issues, and engage in discussion with other voters and politicians. 

2017 will be a new year, and a new numerological cycle (1). What will be in store for us? As a nation, we are starting a new political cycle with a new leader. The world, too, has been going though many changes and there are several new leaders of prominent nations.

At the risk of losing you completely, my personal year is actually a FOUR, so I will personally be dealing with issues of rebellion against authority, building foundations and structure, and stability. (If you are curious about yours, let me know, and I will fill you in!)

In the past, my FOUR years have been difficult, yet ultimately rewarding. The short history is thus:

• Age ONE: Don't remember much, but obviously I was working on a very basic, physical level of stability, and getting to know my family world.
• Age TEN: Eh, the year puberty hit me. Ch-ch-ch-changes...
• Age NINETEEN: OMG, this was a major traumatic year. I was back at my childhood home, after spending six months on my own in Europe. I was recovering from losing my sanity at the hands of a violent boyfriend while living in England, and still grieving the loss of my best friend to suicide. I basically had to rebuild my self-image and my world-view.
• Age TWENTY-EIGHT: Another shaken-up year - I quit my job and went to massage school, completely changing careers. Exhausting but rewarding year.
• Age THIRTY-SEVEN: This year isn't as clear to me. I was three years into an intensive Japanese language and culture immersion, and actively traveling more than usual. I was two years into my writing career, and I DID take over the writers group that year, so I stepped up my accountability. 

2017 is a "1" year: A beginning of a new 9-year cycle. A one year is about starting new things, being a leader, exploring new ground, and being true to yourself and your unique identity.

As a rule, you can expect nuances of whatever you were going through in 2008 to resurface in the coming year.
(For your personal year number, add the month and day of your birthday to 2017 - mine goes: 1 Feb = 1+2=3, + 2+0+1+7=10, the 3+10=13, and reduce to a single digit, 1+3=4.)

In any case, everyone I know is more than ready to say goodbye to 2016. I am still looking for the silver linings, the lessons to be learned, and the good to come out of it, but, yeah, bye 2016.