2023 By The Numbers - Navigating The 9 Year Cycle for the Year Ahead
FYI - We have an updated version of this post for 2024! Check it out!
It’s that time!! 2023 is right around the corner, so it’s the perfect opportunity to examine the numerological shift that is upon us, both collectively and as individuals.
In this post, we’ll discuss the overall vibration of 2023 on a collective level, as well as the Personal Year Number system, including how to calculate your place within it. Keep in mind, while there are some predictive elements to this, we would encourage you to regard this information more as guidance. “What is the energy available?” “How can I best work within it?” “How can I get the most out of it?” This will allow for a much more fluid approach that meets each of us where we are, rather than define where we are headed. In the same way that moon phases help us see our lives within a greater cycle, so too can the the personal year wheel put us in touch with the flow of numbers.
It could also be said that our readiness for the energy of the current year may have something to do with what we were able to learn from previous ones. This means that the personal year system takes an integrative approach; while each year is able to stand alone, it also connects in many ways to the others in the cycle. So the work done in one touches the work done in the next and so on. That's not to say you can't simply start where you are. It is just to say that there may be some benefit to looking at the whole picture to understand what aspects of which years have been thoroughly worked through and conversely, which could use more attention. And remember, this is a cycle for a reason. Like The World in the tarot, even when we complete one trip around, the journey remains incomplete.
So let’s get into it then! In 2023, we are collectively moving into a Year 7 (2+0+2+3=7), corresponding to the The Chariot in Tarot. The secondary influence here is The Tower. Interesting contrast, yes? On top of that, each of us, based on our month and day of birth, enter into a new Personal Year. To discover your number, simply add your birth month + birth day + 2023, and keep adding and reducing until you get a single digit.
For example, if you were born on Dec. 22, like myself, the formula would look like this:
1+2+2+2+2+0+2+3 = 14
1+4 = 5
What does this mean though? Well, let’s start with the the energy of the Collective Year (7) and then explore the individual Personal Year numbers following that.
2023 - COLLECTIVE YEAR 7
2023 is a Collective Year 7 which is attributed to The Chariot. A 7 Year is about connecting to the source of it all and growing into ourselves - figuring out who we are, truly and at the core. But, because this is a Collective Year 7, meaning everyone is impacted, it’s also about discovering who we are as a people, as a group. This could look like a sudden and deeper collective interest in religion, spirituality, the nature of reality, meditation and so on. Forget the small talk; as a whole, we’re going to be asking ourselves and each other the big questions - “what does it all mean?”, “why are we here?”, “what are we missing?”, “how can we cultivate a greater connection to divinity and our higher selves?”
And as individuals, we cannot dismiss what we bring to this, even if it feels minor or inconsequential. This year is a reminder that we are all connected, and even a thought, or time spent in contemplation, can radiate outward and impact the far reaches of this globe. No one is off the hook. 2023 will shine a big spotlight on how our individual thoughts and attitudes can either restrict this world or expand it. We are apart of all of it - the good, the bad, the intolerable, even if we feel as if we’re removed. This is why it’s so important that in 2023, individually and as a collective, we claim responsibility and aim toward a higher truth.
The number 7 really points to mystery in many ways. It’s the thing we seek that also seeks us. Its significance is rooted in many systems, spiritual and otherwise. Take the 7 musical notes, 7 days of the week, 7 ancient planets, 7 alchemical metals, 7 chakras, 7 seals in revelations, 7 steps on Jacob’s ladder - we could go on. The point is, it’s used frequently to suggest a sense of spiritual reward, fulfilment or completion.
But, it’s a process, and 2023 will see both the efforts and fruits of that process in motion. In fact, many of those examples listed above, while complete as a group, do demonstrate a sense of graduation or moving through a series of intervals. Peace, love and attainment are the rewards, but there is also work involved. We know this world has been heating up for years, literally and metaphorically. The pressure continues to build and in a Year 7, it may even be the driving force compelling us, in exasperation, to take the quest inward. Not as a way of escape, but as a way of sorting out for ourselves what the truth is and how that truth can progress us forward.
As it relates to tarot, the number 7 is associated with 2 Major Arcana cards - The Chariot and The Tower. On the surface, they read quite differently, however, together they contain a very important message for our year ahead. As our spiritual eyes adjust to the darkness that has been, we won’t be able to dismiss or deny any longer the things that aren’t working. As these old structures (internal and external) fall, and our perceptions shift, we must rely heavily on our faith to see us through. As we make this trek in our individual chariots, we should understand that everyone will go at it in their own way, at their own pace. We should not judge what it looks like on the surface or else we'll be back to misunderstandings and miscommunications. As long as we’re all steering in the direction of our truest truth, we will ultimately, at one point or another, all end up at the same destination.
Of course, this is the collective energy that we all have the opportunity to work with. The other part of the equation is how we fit in on an individual level. Using the calculation provided above, navigate to the number below that corresponds with where you are in the 9 year cycle for 2023.
Year 1
Keywords: Beginnings, Individuality, Will Power, Seeds, Innovation
Ideal For: Planting seeds and honouring fresh starts
Crystal Companions: Citrine, Amber, Yellow Calcite
Tarot Card Archetype: The Magician
Secondary Archetype: The Wheel of Fortune
Power Cards: The 4 Aces
There is lots more to say about a Personal Year 1. Get a comprehensive overview here.
Year 2
Keywords: Intuition, Duality, Opposites, Relationships, Polarity, Balance, Partnership
Ideal For: Building, evaluating and understanding relationships
Crystal Companions: Diamond, Moonstone, Morganite
Tarot Card Archetype: The High Priestess
Secondary Archetype: Justice
Power Cards: The 4 2s
There is lots more to say about a Personal Year 2. Get a comprehensive overview here.
Year 3
Keywords: Creativity, Expression, Vitality, Artistry, Community, Expansion
Ideal For: Creative exploration and expression
Crystal Companions: Sunstone, Singing Quartz, Carnelian
Tarot Card Archetype: The Empress
Secondary Archetype: The Hanged Man
Power Cards: The 4 3s
There is lots more to say about a Personal Year 3. Get a comprehensive overview here.
Year 4
Keywords: Building, Stability, Security, Authority, Organization, Foundation, Form, Restriction
Ideal For: Exercising authority and creating on strong foundations
Crystal Companions: Smoky Quartz, Obsidian, Petrified Wood
Tarot Card Archetype: The Emperor
Secondary Archetype: Death
Power Cards: The 4 4s
There is lots more to say about a Personal Year 4. Get a comprehensive overview here.
Year 5
Keywords: Configuration, Flux, Change, Expansion, Dynamism, Decisions
Ideal For: Embracing change and transformation
Crystal Companions: Garnet, Labradorite, Tourmaline
Tarot Card Archetype: The Hierophant
Secondary Archetype: Temperance
Power Cards: The 4 5s
There is lots more to say about a Personal Year 5. Get a comprehensive overview here.
Year 6
Keywords: Love, Service, Responsibility, Reciprocation, Cooperation, Beauty, Commitment, Harmony, Peace
Ideal For: Being of service and seeking harmony
Crystal Companions: Rose Quartz, Aquamarine, Blue Lace Agate
Tarot Card Archetype: The Lovers
Secondary Archetype: The Devil
Power Cards: The 4 6s
There is lots more to say about a Personal Year 6. Get a comprehensive overview here.
Year 7
Keywords: Inspiration, Spirituality, Introspection, Meditation, Truth, Consciousness
Ideal For: Connecting with self and the divine
Crystal Companions: Amethyst, Celestite, Selenite
Tarot Card Archetype: The Chariot
Secondary Archetype: The Tower
Power Cards: The 4 7s
There is lots more to say about a Personal Year 7. Get a comprehensive overview here.
Year 8
Keywords: Power, Energy, Life-Force, Success, Effort, Causality
Ideal For: Achieving goals and harnessing the energy available
Crystal Companions: Green Aventurine, Tiger’s Eye, Jade
Tarot Card Archetype: Strength
Secondary Archetype: The Star
Power Cards: The 4 8s
There is lots more to say about a Personal Year 8. Get a comprehensive overview here.
Year 9
Keywords: Consolidation, Refinement, Completion, Reflection, Release, Endings
Ideal For: Closing chapters, reflection on what’s been, and tying up loose ends
Crystal Companions: Kyanite, Malachite, Blue Topaz
Tarot Card Archetype: The Hermit
Secondary Archetype: The Moon
Power Cards: The 4 9s
There is lots more to say about a Personal Year 9. Get a comprehensive overview here.
We also have a PDF download available for $3.33. This allows for easy access to the information, makes it simple to print and helps to support out work.
In conclusion, like all systems of metaphysics or otherwise, there is no one definitive approach. Not all things apply to all people at all times, but there are still snippets of truth that can be integrated wherever we are in life. It is out hope that the vibration of your number will at least shine a bit of light as you embark on 2023, and that these pages, in some way, may serve you on your journey.
With Love,
Julia & Tim