New year, new me… or so they say! Every year our social media feeds are filled with a long list of goals and habits people want to kick off for the new year. While I’m all for self-improvement and taking life by the horns, most New Year’s goals or resolutions are dead in the water by the end of January usually because life’s gotten busy again and the Capricorn-induced willpower (the sign the Sun is placed in at the beginning of the calendar year) has well and truly worn out. Often this is because we’ve either bitten off more than we can chew or we’ve chosen goals that aren’t actually aligned with the season of life we’re currently in. This is one of the greatest benefits of astrology. It can offer us insight into the ebbs and flows of our life so that we can adjust our expectations and plan to make the most of the cycle we’re currently in rather than swimming against the current.
Before we get into the astrology of it all, I’d like to first explore a major pitfall with setting goals or intentions: focusing too much on the goal itself and not enough on the internal shift we want to have. Sometimes our new goal becomes yet another thing on our to-do list rather than a chance to tap into something we really want for ourselves. In the popular book Atomic Habits, James Clear makes the case for aligning goals with identity rather than behaviour. He argues that when focusing on identity-based habits (reinforced by one’s self image and values) it will lead to more sustainable change. An example being, instead of setting a goal to run every morning or run five kilometres, try telling yourself “I am a runner.” This reframe is powerful because it allows you to step into alignment with the person you want to be and focuses on what you are gaining/becoming rather than just simply accomplishing something. Like anything in life, and our practice of astrology, the importance isn’t just on the data, it’s also about the mindset we have.
The most empowering part of astrology is the ability to tune into your life’s cycles and to have awareness of what, when, why and how events in life are likely to happen. There are various different astrological timing methods and they all have their place, however, in traditional astrology (and in my humble opinion) nothing beats annual profections. Profections are a traditional astrology timing technique where each year of our life, a different House of our birth chart becomes activated. This is determined by age, so each time you have a birthday your profected House will change and the House topics of the new year of age will become activated in your life.
If your birthday is in the middle of the year, you may want to either wait to set any New Year intentions or set your intentions for 2025 using last year’s House topics, then closer to your birthday, reset and refocus based on your new profection year.
In traditional astrology, Houses were often referred to as “Places” because they represent the different areas of life that planets operate in. They are the environment, situation or settings in which events happen. When considering profections, this foundational understanding of the Houses doesn’t change. We extrapolate the meaning of each profection year from what that House represents. This technique is incredibly helpful when setting intentions for the year as you can direct your energy towards an area of life that you’re naturally going to be more focused on and therefore likely to have more success with changes or effort in that area of life.
Along with a House, and therefore a particular area of life being highlighted, you’ll also have a planet that will become your Time Lord for the year. This is determined by which traditional planet rules the sign on the profected house cusp*. For example, if you’re a Scorpio rising and in a 1st House profection year, Mars will be your time lord. Your planetary time lord will give an indication as to the pace or tone of the year. While this isn’t essential to know when setting intentions, it is helpful to understand the rhythm of which events will be unfolding. Mercury-, Mars- or Moon-ruled years may be a little bit more turbulent, fast paced or have more ebbs and flows. Whereas, years ruled by the Sun, Jupiter and Venus may be steadier, more consistent and calmer.
Saturn profection years are in a league of their own as they occur back-to-back and are usually experienced as a bit of a tough slog. Things might feel a bit heavier and harder in the first year but by the time you get to the second Saturn ruled year, you’re more likely to start appreciating what the extra dose of discipline and determination can do for you.
You will be much more sensitive to the movements of your profected planet throughout the year, and when working with intention statements and manifestation. This sensitivity is something to lean into. To build a stronger and clearer connection to your profected planet, it can be incredibly helpful to have an altar or space in your home dedicated to your time lord. You may even want to decorate the area or create a vision board with images of what you’re wanting to manifest during the profection year in this space. Spend time in this space regularly or have the vision board/wall in a place where you will see it each day.
Additionally, you may want to take note of any sign ingresses or major planetary aspects your profected planet is involved in and align some specific action or effort towards your goals and intentions with the planetary movement. This isn’t to say you wait until your time lord is being activated to take action. You can and should act towards your intention statements and goals whenever and wherever possible, but it can be helpful to throw some additional effort around these points of time.
One last thing that’s worth factoring in when considering profections is that they’re essentially a 12-year cycle. Every 12 years you’re going to have the same house activated, so it may be useful to reflect back to the last time you experienced the profection year that you’re in now as it’s likely that similar themes or threads will start to reappear. Just keep in mind that not only has our age changed, and therefore our agency over our lives is different, the planets themselves are in different positions than they were 12 years ago. A Saturn profection year is going to be experienced very differently if it’s transiting Capricorn than would it would feel if it was in Aries. Just as a 2nd House profection year when we’re 13 years of age is going to look differently than when we’re 25 or 37. In saying that, there will still be some hints and threads as to what your year will hold based on what happened last time, as well as the opportunity to tie up some loose ends and kick off a new 12-year cycle in this area of life.
The Houses as Profections
1st House Years
1st House years are all about you! It’s the beginning of a fresh 12-year cycle. It’s a chance to direct and steer yourself towards what it is that you really want. You know the saying, “sometimes you have to be selfish to be selfless,” that’s a good motto for this year. You can only give to others what you can give to yourself, therefore carving out time for yourself this year is a must. This is a year where you’ll likely have more energy and vitality available to you. Intentions or goals to do with your physical body, appearance and/or the way in which you present yourself to the world are a good target this year.
2nd House Years
There is an opportunity this year to really hone in on what resources you have available and explore whether you’re maximising the value of them. This house is often associated with money and, while it is a great year to get a handle on your finances, your resources are actually so much more than mere finances. The second house is also strongly tied to our self-esteem and confidence. Our capacity to grow and earn is limited if we have a poor sense of self. While it’s not a bad idea to take a look at the budget this year, I also recommend reviewing your mindset. What’s your self-talk like? Have you identified what your core values are? Do you filter decisions in your life through those values? Doing so is the easiest way to build belief in oneself.
3rd House Years
3rd House years can sometimes feel like you’re spinning your wheels but not much is happening. Trust me, it is! Have you ever heard the saying that we don’t always rise to the level of our goals but instead we fall to the level of our systems? Well, whoever first said that was probably tuned into the 3rd House. While the focus is more on your day-to-day routines and rituals, it’s these small activities that ultimately build momentum to what our lives actually look like in a big picture context. Setting some intentions around developing a consistent routine or daily rituals that help support you, rather than just living life on autopilot, is a good idea this year. The 3rd House is also associated with siblings, close friends who feel like siblings, and with communication. Therefore, intentions around self-expression and/or connecting more with your siblings is also a great target.
4th House Years
4th House years at the surface level seem obvious, it’s about home and family. While we do often see big changes to where someone lives or calls home during 4th House years. They can also often be years where we are faced with themes and patterns from our past, in particular from our childhood. While it might not be the year that your career takes off, work done in this area of your life creates the foundation for which everything else is to come. Goals or intentions for 4th House years can be as simple as spending more time with your family or bringing forth changes to your home life. They can also be more directed towards healing wounds from the past and making peace with those things that have gotten stuck in the way of us having a strong foundation in our lives.
5th House Years
Got a creative project you keep putting on the backburner? How about a hobby or interest you just wish you could make more time for? Perhaps you’re just feeling the urge to get out and have a bit more fun with your life. 5th House years are the perfect time for this. You may also find this year being centred around children — be it yours or others. No matter what it is, the 5th House year is likely to feel good. 5th House years hold the potential for a whole lot of fun and games, and setting intentions to spend more time on the things that bring you joy is a good option.
6th House Years
I’ve got to be honest with you, 6th House years are rarely fun… but they can be productive. One of the biggest pitfalls you can fall into this year is working too hard and inviting sickness or illness. It’s a year where you may feel like you’re constantly in service to everything and everyone. My advice is, while to a certain extent you may need to work the hamster wheel a bit, don’t work yourself into the ground and ensure you are taking care of your body. While I’m sure you’re keen to set some intentions or goals centred around work, committing to focus on taking care of any long-standing ailments or niggles in the body shouldn’t be off the table.
7th House Years
7th House years can be quite interesting because they may not even be about you. It’s a year when your relationships take centre stage. Be it a romantic partner, a business partner, or even a housemate, chances are these relationships are going to be taking up much more of your time and focus this year. Sometimes it isn’t even about the closeness of the relationship, it can just be about someone you spend one-on-one time with such as a personal trainer, an accountant, a coach or a mentor. Regardless of the type of relationships that get highlighted, you can be sure that you’ll be spending more time on and with others this year. Setting intentions around improving your quality of relationships or even calling in new relationships is a good target this year.
8th House Years
8th House years in some shape or form are going to contain loss. We can’t sow and reap in the same season, and often growth is more about what we need to let go of than what we need to make more of. 8th House years show us where and what it is we need to release. It’s only from letting things go that space in our lives is created for something bigger and more meaningful — which is what we’ll find in our 9th House years. Leaning into this process and identifying the things you’re ready to let go of can be very medicinal during this year.
9th House Years
After the losses from the previous 8th House year, we may find ourselves asking “what’s the point of it all?” This philosophical question is quintessential of the 9th House profection year. Delving into spiritual, philosophical or academic pursuits to derive more meaning and purpose in your life is available to you this year. Sometimes the exploration isn’t just philosophical. It could literally be an urge or desire to explore other countries or cultures. If you’ve been wanting to do some overseas travel, learn a new language or engage with another culture, this is a good year for it. Intentions that involve anything that has you stretching yourself into a new way of thinking, re-exploring your beliefs or becoming exposed to new ideas is going to serve you well.
10th House Years
In this modern age, the 10th House is very much associated with our career and life direction. While this is certainly true, 10th House years do tend to bring a focus on life direction. They also highlight what you are publicly known for. This can come in forms other than just your career or work that you do. Perhaps you’re very active in your community and are recognised as a leader or you’ve got a hobby or play a sport that you’re known for. It can even represent how you’re known as a wife, husband, mother or father by others. No matter what it is, the roles you play out in the world come into focus this year. While you can certainly set some lofty intentions for your life direction and what you’re hoping to work towards in the next 12 years, I also encourage you to think about what kind of role you need to play to walk with confidence and conviction along that path.
11th House Years
This is another year where it might not be about you. Expect friends and social groups and networks to play more of a focal point in your life. You might have a busier social calendar than usual and not have as much energy for yourself. In saying that, in traditional astrology, the 11th House is considered to be the luckiest house. You might find the road rising up to meet you more this year. Setting some more grand intentions and stretching yourself a bit may actually pan out, especially if it involves support from those people in your life who are always in your corner.
12th House Years
12th House years aren’t easy, but that doesn’t mean they’re negative. While there’s a certain element of loneliness or isolation to a 12th House year, it also becomes much easier to identify what you truly have the energy for and what you no longer want to show up to out of obligation or habit. This is a great year to commit yourself to some kind of spiritual or healing work. The deep and hidden roots of our inner world are easier to dig around in this year. And, if you lean into the process, you’ll be tilling that soil for growth and change in the first house year.
*It’s important to note this technique is derived from Hellenistic Astrology and it is best to use the whole sign house system and traditional planetary rulers when using this technique.