Last year, I published a text titled “The Importance of Being 33 Years Old.” 

In it, I wrote an astrological essay about my experiences after the first Saturn return. 

Little did I know it would be one of the most popular entries on this blog. 

Therefore, here I am again, one year later, to tell you what’s going on now that I’m 34. I would also reflect on the events that have occurred since I was 28 years old, when this 7-year cycle began. 

Without further ado, this is the table of contents for today’s post: 

1. Measuring Life in 7-Year Cycles
2. The 5th 7-Year Cycle of Life 
3. A Personal Review of The First Part of This 7-Year Cycle 
4. My Experience of Being 33 Years Old
5. From 33 to 34: Expectation vs Reality  
6. Top 10 Experiences I Lived From 33 to 34
7. From 34 to 35: My Plans and Preferences

Ready? Let’s go!

Measuring Life in 7-Year Cycles

Cycles of seven years have been used since ancient times.

This concept holds a lot of wisdom, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.   

Argentinian astrologer Beatriz Leveratto wrote an incredible book about these 7-year cycles. 

Her book is called Cada siete años. La vida y sus estaciones astrológicas. I believe this book is only available in Spanish. But no worries. I’ll paraphrase it, and you’ll get the most relevant ideas. 

Related: The 5th 7-Year Cycle and the First Saturn Return

Leveratto classified each 7-year life cycle according to the planet ruling it.

In this pretty graphic, you can see the first eight cycles and their specific characteristics: 

As you may have already imagined, I want to focus on the 5th 7-year cycle. This is the cycle associated with the first Saturn return.   

I also want to focus on it because I’m entering the last year of this cycle. This text will serve as a map to guide me through the last year of the 5th 7-year cycle before entering the cycle that spans from 35 to 42. 

The 5th 7-Year Cycle of Life 

Planet Mars rules the 5th 7-year cycle of life, which spans ages 28 to 35. The functions associated with this planet are to activate, burn, risk, conquer, desire, execute, undertake, and drive.

According to Leveratto, this is a period in which you launch yourself into conquering your deepest desires.

Among the most noteworthy characteristics of this period, she mentions the following: 

• Search for independence and self-determination.
• Pursuit of personal projects, such as starting a family or a new profession. 
• High energy devoted to achieving goals. 
• Manifestation of your life’s purpose formed in recent years.
• Desire for accomplishments that confirm your chosen vocation.
• Aspiration to realize love ideals.
• Formation of a new life structure by leaving the family of origin.
• Need to express creative aspects of your personality.
• Birth of children.
• Experimentation with new power dynamics in relationships.
• Heightened sensitivity to the sacred through new dreams.

Does this list resonate with you? It certainly resonates with me.

Last year, I wrote that I hadn’t experienced all of these manifestations yet, but I had experienced most of them. This is still true. 

The 7 years from 28 to 35 (well, to 34 as of now) have been primarily dedicated to my aspirations. Besides, I’m still focused on finding out who I am beyond my place of origin and the family that raised me. 

A Personal Review of The First Part of This 7-Year Cycle 

Leveratto states that the 7-year period that begins at age 28 represents a special opportunity. This is the opportunity to create new ways of existing in the world.

Unprecedented confidence in expressing your unique personality will awaken you at age 28. This confidence will encourage you to try new things or innovate in different areas of your life.  

This has undoubtedly been the case for me. At 28, I decided to take astrology seriously. I enrolled at the Faculty of Astrological Studies and deepened my understanding of the first Saturn return. 

You can read about all that here: Why I’m So Interested in the First Saturn Return (And You Should Too!)

But Leveratto also says that this period is not all sunshine and roses. 

You will feel uncomfortable in the first stage of the 7 years ruled by Mars. This awkward stage extends from ages 28 to 33. Your personality’s old and new facets will confront each other. Extreme tension will be palpable.

During these years, you will build a bridge between the past and the new life you desire. 

A hefty dose of patience will be necessary to respect the time required for this creative beginning to settle. 

This has also been the case for me. 

The first part of the 7-year cycle, from 28 to 30, I had what the Swifties would call champagne problems. I doubted myself and my ability to build something to be proud of. 

But nothing too complicated arose for me. 

It was COVID time, but since I’m an introvert and I worked from home, the lockdowns didn’t have the same impact on me that they did on others. 

Then, when I turned 30, those champagne problems became really concrete problems: my father passed away, and that caused an array of unexpected circumstances. 

From 30 to 33, coinciding with the thick of my first Saturn return and the end of it, I experienced challenge after challenge. 

Many times, I didn’t know if I could resolve all the issues presented to me. 

But I did tackle them. 

And that gave me genuine confidence in myself. 

No more “fake it till you make it”. I knew in my bones that I could make things happen. 

My Experience of Being 33 Years Old

Leveratto mentions that 33 is inscribed in the collective unconscious as “the age of Christ.”

She states that, at 33, you can free yourself from the cross of the past and begin to walk your way.

Your commitment to your mission no longer allows you to return to who you were before the age of 28. 

There’s no option but to move forward. 

Even though safety and success are not guaranteed, going back to your comfort zone is absolutely impossible. That idealized comfort zone doesn’t even exist. 

Now, your mission has more substance, enabling you to leave behind the feeling of constantly swimming upstream. 

You know what you have to do. 

It’s scary, it’s uncertain, it’s weird. 

But you know what you have to do. 

So, where will you put your vital energy now that you have resurrected?

From 33 to 34, I realized I wanted to focus on the long term, on sustainable practices, on nurturing a slow life, and on building my legacy. 

In that regard, I decided I wanted to spend less time online and get off the hamster wheel of “content creation.” 

Sure, I have this blog and a newsletter, and I occasionally post on Tumblr. However, I don’t want to make short-form videos that become obsolete within 24 hours. I won’t be available on TikTok or Instagram. 

I also realized I don’t want to do personal readings. My nervous system can’t handle other people’s deep feelings. I don’t want to sell horoscopes that tell people what they want to read about their love life or the success they are trying to achieve. 

Related: 9 Things I Did To Regulate My Nervous System During My First Saturn Return

I want to write fiction. I want to use astrology as a compass, not a destination. I want to invite everyone to touch grass (quite literally) and focus on quality rather than quantity (in every aspect of their lives). 

I want to double down on the basics: good food, good books, daily movement, writing, and working to live, not living to work. 

Spending money wisely. Stop engaging in mindless consumerism. Having special bonds with special people, rather than superficial ones with everyone. 

I want to stop obsessing about my weight, my style, my hair, my face. I want to use mirrors less and less. I want to volunteer for causes that I care about. I want to care for pets. I want to care less for all the noise and the trends of the outside world. 

I focused on all these “wants” from ages 33 to 34. However, they are a work in progress, so this list serves as both a reflection and a reminder. I will carry it with me for the following year. 

From 33 to 34: Expectation vs Reality  

Last year, I wrote a list of some projects I wanted to focus on from ages 33 to 35. 

I’m copying that list again and writing in brackets what happened from ages 33 to 34 regarding that project and what I want to do from 34 to 35 about it. 

Here it is: 

• Feeding First Saturn Return: Writing here brings me joy, and I’ll want to keep nurturing what brings me joy. [Update: No changes here. I did write on the blog from 33 to 34, and I’ll continue doing it from 34 to 35, but probably not in a weekly cadence]. 
• Traveling: I’m not done with the digital nomad life. NYC, you ready for me?! I think I may be ready for you.  [Update: I have travelled across Europe from 33 to 34, but I haven’t been to NYC yet. That’s still on my bucket list, but I don’t think I’ll go there from 34 to 35. I’m not trying to be negative, but I’m also not actively planning that trip]. 
• Breathing better: My septum is deviated, and I still have my wisdom teeth retained within my skull. I may need to fix my septum via surgery or extract my wisdom teeth. Or probably both proceedings. Fun. [Update: I did get my septum fixed, and it was a life-changing experience! Who could say breathing properly was that important, huh? No need to remove my wisdom teeth, according to my surgeon. I will run and do more intense exercise from 34 to 35 since I can breathe better]. 
• Finding a place to call home: This one may be tricky because I also want to keep traveling. But I think I could have both. Right? …RIGHT!? [Update: This project will be one of my highest priorities from 34 to 35. More than travelling, I want to rent a place I like and feel comfortable in. Fingers crossed]. 
• Completing the succession: My father passed away in the middle of my Saturn return when I was 30 years old. His unexpected death opened a Pandora’s box of legal and financial issues. I have diligently worked on solving them, but I’m not out of the woods yet. My hope is to complete this process by the time I’m 35. A girl can only wish. [Update: The most challenging part of the succession is, thankfully, finalized. Although there are still some lingering issues, some are beyond my control. I think everything will be completed by my next birthday. If that’s not the case, no worries: I did what I could]. 

The year spanning from 33 to 34 was a good year. It was even better than my Saturn return years, that’s for sure. 

Top 10 Experiences I Lived From 33 to 34

Here are some of the most relevant experiences I had this last year: 

1. Taught a workshop about the astrological transits of 2025
2. Got surgery to fix my deviated septum 
3. Attended a literary workshop to polish a novel
4. Received a sweater based on my natal chart
5. Pet and house-sat in the Netherlands, England, and Belgium
6. Worked at the Faculty of Astrological Studies Summer School in Oxford
7. Won a literary contest thanks to one of my short stories
8. Oasis concert !!!
9. Offered work proposals that allowed me to have an abundant year 
10. Felt connected with my partner, even more than in previous years

As I said, it was a good year! More than good, actually. I feel grateful and in peace with all the opportunities I was offered and all the habits that allowed me to get here. 

What’s next for me? Keep reading to find out. 

From 34 to 35: My Plans and Preferences

Life is what happens when we’re busy making plans. I know. Still, I will be focusing on the following projects for this year: 

• Completing the first draft of a novel
• Paying taxes in a new country
• Finding a house that I like
• Considering motherhood more realistically
• Improving the connection with my partner even more 

That’s all I’m saying as of now. I want to keep things simple, and I’ll probably return next year to a debrief of what actually happened from 34 to 35. 

Happy birthday TO ME! 

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On January 9th, I’ll be giving a live workshop about The Astrology of 2026. You’re invited! Get your tickets here. 

Thank you for being here, and until next time!