Year 9, the Year of the Snake
Why rest and reflection matter now
Gentle guidance as a cycle comes to completion
Year 9 in numerology is a time of completion, release, and integration, often aligning with winter’s natural invitation to rest, reflect, and prepare for new beginnings.
You may have heard people say that 2025 is a “Year 9,” or the Year of the Snake, and you might be wondering:
What does that actually mean?
How does it apply to me?
And… is this just a bunch of mysticism?
Those are wise questions. I ask them too.
I don’t share frameworks like this as something you’re meant to believe in. I share them as context—a way of understanding why certain seasons of life feel quieter, heavier, or more clarifying than others.
And before we go any further, I want to say this gently and clearly:
Rest and reflection are not a pause from the work.
They are the work of a Year 9.
No force.
No pushing.
Just allowing.
Two traditions, one shared message
Right now, you’ll often hear numerology and Chinese astrology mentioned together.
They come from different cultures and histories, but they’re pointing toward the same truth:
This is a season of completion, shedding, and integration.
Numerology (Year 9) looks at cycles of time
Chinese astrology (Year of the Snake) looks at archetypes of change
Neither system is meant to predict your future. Both are ways of recognizing patterns—much like noticing winter by the way the light changes, not because someone announced it on a calendar.
What a Year 9 actually means
Numerology works in cycles of 1 through 9.
1 begins
9 completes
A Year 9 is the final year of the cycle.
It’s associated with:
completion and closure
emotional honesty
letting go without drama
integrating what you’ve already lived
A Year 9 doesn’t ask you to reinvent yourself or rush ahead.
It gently asks you to finish well.
This often shows up as:
relationships or roles naturally shifting
a desire to simplify
less tolerance for what feels performative or draining
grief and gratitude existing side by side
If things feel slower or quieter right now, that isn’t a problem to fix.
It’s a sign that something meaningful is completing.
Why 2025 is a Universal Year 9
The math is simple:
2025 → 2 + 0 + 2 + 5 = 9
That’s all a Universal Year means—the collective tone of the year.
It doesn’t override your free will.
It doesn’t dictate outcomes.
Think of it like a season:
it shapes the atmosphere
but everyone experiences it differently
You still get to choose how you move within it.
How this applies to you personally
Alongside the Universal Year, each person also moves through their own Personal Year, which may or may not match the collective energy.
This can help explain why:
some people feel ready to begin something new
while others feel called to rest, close, or release
Neither is better. It’s simply timing.
(If you’re curious, I’ve included instructions for calculating your Personal Year elsewhere in the Learning Library—useful for reflection, never as a rule.)
Where numerology comes from (and why this isn’t fortune-telling)
Numerology isn’t modern, and it isn’t owned by one culture. Versions of it developed independently as humans tried to understand patterns in time, nature, and human life.
It appears in:
ancient Mesopotamian (Chaldean) systems
Egyptian cosmology and architecture
Greek philosophy, especially through Pythagoras, who taught that “all is number”
Jewish mysticism (Gematria)
Eastern traditions that track rhythm, balance, and cycles
Historically, numerology wasn’t about predicting events.
It was about naming the quality of a moment.
Think:
weather, not destiny
seasons, not sentences
Used ethically, numerology offers reflection, not instruction.
The Year of the Snake
In Chinese astrology, 2025 is the Year of the Snake.
The Snake symbolizes:
shedding old skins
wisdom gained through experience
quiet, internal transformation
change that happens with awareness rather than force
The Snake doesn’t rush.
It waits until release is necessary.
That mirrors the energy of a Year 9 beautifully:
letting go without spectacle
truth without theatrics
endings that happen because they’re ready
Different traditions. Same message.
A yogic & Vedic lens
Yoga and Vedic philosophy don’t teach numerology as a system.
But they do teach something deeply aligned with it:
Life moves in cycles. Completion is sacred. Renewal requires release.
One clear example is Navaratri, which literally means “nine nights.”
Navaratri is observed twice a year, most commonly:
Spring (March–April)
Autumn (September–October)
Across nine nights, different expressions of inner strength, clarity, and wisdom are honored—followed by renewal on the tenth day.
In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, freedom doesn’t come from adding more.
It comes from discernment and letting go.
This aligns closely with the invitation of a Year 9:
svādhyāya — gentle self-study
viveka — clear seeing
vairāgya — non-clinging
Not as rules.
As orientation.
Year 9, January, and the wisdom of the seasons
There’s an important piece that often gets missed in conversations about “new years” and fresh starts:
January in the Northern Hemisphere is winter.
The ground is cold.
The days are short.
Light is limited.
In nature, this is not a time of visible growth.
It is a time of rest, conservation, and quiet integration.
So if January feels heavy…
If motivation feels low…
If you don’t feel ready to leap forward…
That doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means you’re responding appropriately to the season you’re actually in.
From a seasonal perspective, March—not January—is the true beginning. That’s when daylight increases in a meaningful way. That’s when temperatures rise. That’s when seeds begin to stir beneath the soil.
And this aligns perfectly with a Year 9.
Just as winter completes the growing cycle before spring begins, Year 9 completes an inner cycle before new momentum becomes possible.
Rest and reflection are not avoidance.
They are alignment—with nature, with time, and with your nervous system.
Gentle reflections as the year closes
You don’t need to answer all of these. One is enough.
What feels complete, even if it hasn’t been formally “ended”?
Where am I being asked to rest instead of push?
What am I still carrying out of habit rather than truth?
A simple journaling prompt
“As this cycle closes, I give myself permission to release…”
Write until the page feels finished. Then stop.
Looking ahead—without rushing
After a Year 9 comes a Year 1.
2026 is a Universal Year 1, and in Chinese astrology, the Year of the Horse—a year associated with movement, momentum, and forward direction.
But beginnings land very differently depending on how endings were honored.
In the next article, we’ll explore Year 1 and the Year of the Horse, and how forward movement feels when it grows out of rest rather than pressure.
For now, it’s enough to remember this:
Nature is still unwinding.
It’s okay if you are, too.
A gentle disclaimer
This article is offered as educational and reflective content only.
Numerology, seasonal frameworks, and philosophical perspectives shared here are intended as tools for self-inquiry and context, not prediction, diagnosis, or directive advice. They are not a substitute for medical, psychological, financial, or legal care.
Please take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and always trust your own discernment and lived experience.
An invitation to work with me
If this way of understanding cycles, rest, and forward movement resonates with you, you’re warmly invited to work with me more closely.
I support people through:
gentle, trauma-informed yoga and movement
prenatal and postpartum care
1:1 support for grounding, regulation, and life transitions
classes and offerings rooted in yoga philosophy, functional movement, and real life
My work is not about pushing, fixing, or performing wellness.
It’s about listening, integrating, and moving at a pace that honors your nervous system and your season of life.
You can explore current offerings or reach out to work with me here:
👉 Send me a Message
Whether you join me in practice, reflection, or simply return to this writing when you need it — you’re welcome here.
Gratefully,
Anne
