By Cayelin K Castell
The Earth has seasons as she travels around the Sun. There are four main recognized seasons, Spring when new life is growing and blossoming, Summer when the Earth is flourishing and abundant, Autumn when it is time to harvest and store up for Winter and of course Winter when life seems to be more still and inner as it prepares for new birth in the Spring.
There are also the four main cross-quarter points marking the halfway point though each of the four main seasons that are defined by the Equinox and Solstice points. In the same way humans also have seasons, or cycles that occur throughout their life. Knowing what these seasons are based on age (or how old we are) helps us navigate through the intended changes as we grow and evolve.
An illustration of this is the idea that it is not wise to plant a garden in winter, just as it is not wise to miss planting your garden in spring. Knowing what time it is for you is one of the most important ways that Shamanic Astrology helps us to navigate through life here on planet Earth.
When we know what Timing or Season we are in and we know what the intent of that Timing or season is, we can align with that intent and choose actions that support the fulfillment of that intention. In this way we are empowered with an understanding that helps us to make more informed life choices.
Initiation Cycles and Their Intent
When we understand the intent of any initiation cycle, it is easier to cooperate with it rather than miss it or fight against it or resist the changes that are taking place with or without our conscious participation. It helps to remember that these cycles are a natural part of life. We can NOT stop them any more than we can stop the sunrise or sunset or the shfiting of seasons.
From this perspective it helps us to see that the planetary cycles we all encounter are deeply interwoven into who we are. They are not separate from us but a part of us. These cycles are here to help support our life journey, even (and especially) when we feel we are at the affect of circumstances beyond our control.
Whatever is happening is happening for a deeper far more profound reason than we may have previously imagined, and it is all for our benefit and growth. This is true even when the cycles we are experiencing seem to be destroying every aspect of the life we have been living. I have personally gone through the complete destruction of life as I knew on several occasions. When this first happened I didn’t know it was going to be better than ever on the other side. I have learned to trust this process and let go way more quickly than in my earlier years.
The Alchemical Timeline of Life
As mentioned, when we trust the process and get to other side of the cycle there is often something more magical and amazing than anything we could have imagined before we went through that initiation. Alchemical Astrology refers to these age related planetary initiation cycles as The Alchemical Timeline of Life that we all go through at specific ages. There are times when more than one of these age related initiation cycles is happening at the same time. These are referred to as “milestones” (or intensified points of opportunity) along the Timeline.
Student Phase
For example, we move from the student phase of life into true adulthood around age 29. This is intended to be a time of maturation that occurs during the first Saturn Return and the second Nodal Reversal usually around age 27 to 30. Major life shifts often occur during this time that helps us step into a time of greater responsibility and learning how to navigate the twists and turns in life with integrity and the ability to trust it is about empowerment that happens as a result.
For me, it was age 29 when I became the mother of 3 children under the age of 3 – giving birth to twins 2 days after my 29th birthday. My life was already about being a Mom but the responsibility more than doubled when I had two babies and a two year old to take care of on a daily basis. I discovered I did have the ability to keep track of the home front and my little ones. The people around me asked how I did it? I wonder that myself now looking back but at the time I was aware that I simply did what I had to do and I did it well.
Midlife Phase
Another example of a seasonal life transition and multiple initiation cycles occurs in a range of ages from 38-45. This time has been called the “Midlife Crisis” due to the radical shifts many go through. These cycles include one of the most powerful Venus returns (an 8 year cycle at age 40) along side a Mercury Return (a 6 or 7 year cycle also at age 40) along with Uranus opposite Uranus (designed to expand our perspective often through unexpected changes) and Neptune Square Neptune (designed to support us in trusting our inner knowing when the outer world makes no logical sense). The Uranus Opposition and Neptune Square shift slightly not always showing up in the exact same years.
For example, I went through the Uranus opposition at age 39 and the Neptune Square at age 42.
In 2026 it is more likely a person will go through their Neptune Square around age 40 to 42 and the Uranus Opposition around age 44 to 45.
These cycles are intended to produce events that powerfully altar a person’s perspective, or a shift in their belief system that organizes their reality so they can discover and connect with a new vision and possibilities that are aligned with the soul’s purpose.
In Toltec teachings this is referred to as an assemblage point shift or what beliefs assemble our reality. This often occurs through a radical identity crisis that allows for new possibilities, new awareness, new ways of perceiving reality to occur, thus transforming a person’s life in unusual and/or unexpected ways designed to support living in greater alignment with our soul’s divine purpose.
For me, the shift in my assemblage point was joining a Priestess Process and having a whole new perspective on what it meant to be a woman who cared about the sacred aspects of life, who did ceremony, who celebrated the phases of life, who got to be with a community of loving, kind, caring, supportive women. It totally changed my life in wondrous ways I hadn’t ever imagined before.
Elder Phase
As a person approaches age 60 (sometime between 58-60) they are beginning to enter the years that are intended to connect with Elder Knowledge or Elder Wisdom. This is when Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury return near the same time, creating a special initiation window when many find their true life expression or purpose if they haven’t found it yet, or they move into a higher octave of their purpose that is even more satisfying and fulfilling.
These are just a few examples of the age related cycles we find on the Alchemical Timeline of Life. It is important to remember that we always have the freedom to choose our life path and our experiences and that those choice are what determine our experience. Alchemical Astrology understands that when we are living in alignment with our soul’s original intent that is when we experience the greatest sense of fulfillment and happiness.
As I reached this phase of my life, I found myself getting to share what I have learned in ways that often surprised me. I didn’t set out to do this but the opportunities were there and all I had to do was say YES and embrace them. Yes it was often scary, and even downright terrifying. I was given numerous opportunities to face my fears and eventually get over them. I felt empowered to share with others and was encouraged to keep doing so.
I am happy to share, these opportunities have been some of the most fun and fulfilling experiences of my life. I do still get tested from time to time. I do still question myself and what is happening but for the most part I have learned to let go and trust what is unfolding is designed to support me in fulfilling my life’s purpose.
Cycles of Time
Each decade has cycles of time that can alternate between a feeling of all things are possible and feelings of density, challenges, and questioning reality. All of these experiences are intended to support our evolution and growth even if it feels like the exact opposite. These cycles often feel like we are being forced to evolve whether we want to or not as major life events beyond our control unfold. It helps to remember it is all part of the greater divine plan unfolding in ways to help us fulfill our divine design.
Strategy
The best strategy is to surrender the need to control outcomes, go with the flow and trust the process is happening for you in the best ways possible. The more we resist the more the challenges persist to help redirect us toward our soul’s divine intent.
We are living in a remarkable time so experiencing dramatic cycles of change seem to occur more often to get us on track with why we are here. We are navigating the shift of an entire 26,000 year cycle, dying to what no longer serves so we can be reborn into a whole new way of being that hasn’t been possible until now.
This understanding helps us to know that the gift of knowing what time it is for us – both personally and collectively – is needed now more than ever. We are here to dream a new personal and collective dream and begin to embody a New World now coming into form!