~first~, when you read the chapters describing your Essence and Personal Year cycles, it may have felt like you were reading the same text twice. However, although their numbers carry the same attributes, they will affect you in different ways due to their positions in your chart.

Your Essence influences your state of mind and the approach you take toward situations you encounter. An 8 Essence enhances your perseverance, vision, drive, confidence, and leadership skills, which can help you become more self-assured and ambitious.

Your Personal Year impacts you externally; it affects the events and circumstances you will face this year. The 8 focuses on practical goals, career, and material gain. Combined, these cycles have the potential to make great progress and financial gain, but it will take determined effort and focus to realize this potential. There are also challenges inherent in this Duality.

The 8 represents balance, as its shape so perfectly symbolizes. Although the 8 can be "rocked" off balance it almost always, inevitably, reestablishes equilibrium. The 8 delivers reward or loss depending on what needs rectifying. There is usually some of both ("˜you reap what you sow' is a fitting analogy for this number). During this period, you could gain or lose money, respect, status, success - whatever is fitting to right a situation. This is strongly connected to your history of choices, decisions, actions and thoughts, sacrifice and egotism. Like everyone, you have earned credits and incurred debts.    

This combination is a double-edged sword that will likely produce a roller coaster year. Fortunately, you can do a good deal to minimize its negative and maximize its positive effects. Your best approach will be to keep a close eye on your affairs. Stay as focused as possible, double-check information that could affect your finances and career, and carefully research and consider all options before acting. The ambitious, results-oriented, risk-taking qualities of this number can make you overly confident and unwisely encourage you take chances or make impulsive decisions.

At the same time, some opportunities may appear out of nowhere, requiring a quick response. At such times your ability to act swiftly and courageously could be crucial to your success. In this situation, it could be challenging to know whether or not to act. Do your best to investigate before making important decisions, but also know when to trust your judgment when a quick reply is required.

This is a period focused primarily on practical concerns. With so much of your attention focused elsewhere, people close to you may feel neglected. This Duality can make you a little selfish and insensitive to the needs of others, so you may need to make a conscious effort to nurture your relationships this year.