How the cycle works
Each year of your life, from one birthday to the next, is given one of seven planets. They always run in the same order, and the cycle starts again every seven years:
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
The planet names are labels for themes. They aren’t based on where the real planets are in the sky.
How to find your planet year
Divide your current age by 7 and look at the remainder:
| Remainder | Planet year | Example ages |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Mercury | 0, 7, 14, 21, 28 |
| 1 | Venus | 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 |
| 2 | Mars | 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 |
| 3 | Jupiter | 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 |
| 4 | Saturn | 4, 11, 18, 25, 32 |
| 5 | Uranus | 5, 12, 19, 26, 33 |
| 6 | Neptune | 6, 13, 20, 27, 34 |
For example, someone aged 25 has a remainder of 4 (25 = 3 × 7 + 4), so they’re in a Saturn year until their next birthday.
What each planet year means
- Mercury year: a fresh start
- The first year of each seven-year cycle, linked with ideas, learning, communication and quick movement. A year for planting seeds.
- Venus year: love and connection
- A year focused on relationships, friends, family and home, and on what you value, including how you value yourself.
- Mars year: drive and courage
- An energetic, ambitious year with the push to go after what you want, and a warning about impatience and conflict.
- Jupiter year: blessings and growth
- Seen as the most fortunate year of the cycle, linked with growth in work and money, generosity and opportunity.
- Saturn year: lessons and foundations
- Often the most demanding year: responsibility, limits, health and hard lessons. Effort now builds foundations that last.
- Uranus year: change and new directions
- A year of change, surprises and independence, when plans may shift and new directions open up.
- Neptune year: dreams and endings
- The last year of the cycle, linked with dreams, imagination, travel and reflection. A year to let go before a new cycle begins.
Planet years and 52-day periods
The same seven planets also divide each single year into seven shorter periods. So you can be in a Saturn year overall while passing through a Jupiter period within it. Read more in our guide to the seven 52-day periods, or use the free calculator to see both for your birthday.
See your own Cardology year. Enter your birthday to find your card, your planet year and the seven 52-day periods of your year, with a printable PDF.
Find your birth card