Neil Killion puts forward the hypothesis that our lives run in 12 year cycles, and in his book gives examples as diverse as Napoleon, Michael Jackson and Princess Diana, as having particularly important events occurring in their lives at around ages 24, 36, 48 etc. He began to notice patterns occurring in people's lives when working as an outplacement manager some years ago, particularly with so many people seeming to be made redundant at around the age of 48. He began to research the lives of famous people to find patterns. His theory is nothing to do with astrology, religion or sociology and has not been scientifically tested. I wonder if there are any scientists out there who could put it to the test, and find out how credible it actually is.

I remember reading somewhere that a life crisis or upheaval will occur on average about every 5-7 years, and found this more or less true. The "Lifecycles" concept has not been independently scientifically tested, but the author himself researched over 40 peoples' lives to formulate his theory. Perhaps the most useful part of the book is how he summarises the lives of the people he analyses, in a "Life Script" - a few words which sum up how they lived their lives. For example Pope John Paul II's is "personal sacrifice for the liberation from oppression", George Bush "a determined and controversial leader". Whether or not you buy into the author's idea of life running in a 12 year cycle, it is no doubt useful to consider what your "life script" is. I also found it an interesting book, perhaps good holiday reading. I felt that the 12 year cycle diagram would have been better placed before the life stories of the famous people, not after, as it would have helped make sense of them.

You can also read Neil Killion's blog at: http://lifecycles-by-neil-killion.blogspot.com/. The book is much fuller, with its own terminology, and methods of prediction. ( )