The 48-Year Cycle

The 48-year cycle is the longest of the three cylces upon which Secrets of Your Age is based. If we live to 96, we will experience three 48-year cycles.

The first 48-year cycle -- from birth to 47 -- represents the cardinal qualities of ENERGY, when we are out there setting the world on fire.

The second 48-year cycle -- from 48 to 95 -- represents the fixed qualities of CONSOLIDATION, when we are settling down.

The third 48-year cycle -- from 96 onwards represents the mutable qualities of CHANGE, when we are preparing to leave this life.

The 48-year cycle provides a broad backdrop to the other cycles in our lives -- and except for years in which a direct clash occurs, we hardly notice it.

Significant Ages

The three most significant ages in your life are the ones that start the 48-year cycles and Phase 1 -- namely birth, 48 and 96.

At 48 and 96 you are, in effect, 're-born' and you are likely to exhibit the same demanding and aggressive tendencies as a newborn baby -- for a good reason. Because it is a new start for you, 48 and 96 are two ages where you are literally driven to put yourself first and demand whatever it is you need to stay alive and prosper.

The next most significant ages in your life are those that start the 12-year phases, namely:


Phase 2 - 12, 60, 108 when material needs predominate

Phase 3 - 24, 72, 120 when social needs predominate

Phase 4 - 36, 84, 132 when emotional needs predominate

Age 0, 48, 96

EGO AGGRESSION
Cycle: energy/consolidation/change
Phase: ego
Phase Type: energy/consolidation/change
Year: ego
Year Type: energy
Expression: immature aggression/proud aggression/philosophical aggression
Astrology: At birth you're Aries-Aries and energizing; at 48 you're Leo-Aries and consolidating; at 96 you're Sagittarius-Aries and changing.

Whether or not you arrive kicking and screaming at birth, 48 or 96 your presence is unlikely to go unnoticed, unannounced or even unadmired by others.

At these ages you are acutely aware of your ego needs. You want ego gratification, you want recognition, you want to be the centre of attention and your ego is growing so fast that asserting your will on others in order to achieve your goals is easily accomplished.

In this year, you cannot escape noticing your effect on others, and their effect on you. You become involved in power struggles, stretching your ego to the limit, and you become so obsessed with ego gratification that you often alienate the very people you need to nurture you and admire you.

The purpose of this year is to become aware of your ego needs and to learn to gratify them by means other than power struggles. A smile can achieve far more than a scream.

Getting your ego needs met without alienating others is the lesson to be learned from this year.

When you were a little baby, everybody expected sleepless nights walking the floor with you, giving you 2am feeds and trying to stop you crying and get you to sleep. They put up with your teething grizzles and constant demands for attention because they loved you, or were responsible for your welfare. At 48 and 96 you are unlikely to elicit the same devoted attention. You're not as cute!

Despite knowing that you need to tone down your act, nothing is going to stop you from wanting and gaining centre stage this year. You will be chewing on things indiscriminately and you are likely to bite off far more than you can chew. And that's okay. That's what ego awareness is all about.

This is a special year. It's the year of birth and rebirth. You can't get enough of life and you'll be squeezing as much into every day as you can. You'll be trying new things and expanding your ego in all directions. The world is your oyster. Explore it. Revel in it. Let your ego go free, but do remember to smile when you want others to co-operate with you.

Interestingly, some men become a parent for the very first time at 48 - and some women have an unexpected late life baby at 48, too - literally allowing them to recreate every experience they had in their first experience of this year. Also, the fickle hand of fate gives many women an early menopause at 48 - freeing them to experience a totally new lifestyle; and at 96 one must bear in mind that the new life at this age may presage the proverbial afterlife.