Today carries the energy of 9/9 in a 9-year (2025: 2 + 0 + 2 +5 = 9) . It is a moment of completion, reflection, and quiet closure before stepping into the next cycle.
And I have a simple ritual you can do that will only take a few minutes
Step 1: Take a Look Back
Pull out your phone, open your photo app, and scroll back to 2017 and work your way up to 2025.
Your photos tell the truth. They remind you of who you were, what you were chasing, and how far you have come.
When I did this, I saw pictures of different business ventures I had forgotten about. Drop shipping stores, handmade earrings, even a Cardi B fan site. I saw myself still in the military, nights out with a best friend I no longer speak to. I saw the years when I was drinking and recovering from hangovers.
Looking back, I realized that photos are reminders of growth, endings, and lessons you would otherwise forget. This is why I always advise taking pictures and saving them because they will tell your story later.
Step 2: Revisit Your Journals
If you journal, pull out your old notebooks.
I have kept one since 2013, and I always say that your journal is your Bible. It holds your story in your own words. Sometimes I will flip back to entries from 2017, 2018, and 2019, and I am shocked. The same themes appear again and again. Struggles I thought were new had actually been there for years. Wins I forgot about were waiting to be remembered.
Your journal reminds you of the cycles you have already walked through and the lessons you may need to carry forward or finally let go.
Step 3: Choose Your Path
After looking back at your nine years, you will likely feel one of two ways.
Gratitude
You will see how much progress you have made, the milestones you have reached, and the growth you have earned. In that case, write down nine things you are grateful for. Celebrate them and own them.
Realignment
Or you may notice that in these nine years, nothing has changed. The negative cycles have continued to repeat, or the things you said you were going to do have never manifested in your life.
In that case, write down nine things you want to change before this cycle closes.
Step 4: Celebrate or Commit
If you are in a season of gratitude, celebrate. Take yourself out. Do something joyful. Let your reflection be fuel.
If you are in a season of realignment, commit. Choose your nine commitments and focus on them over the next three months as 2025 winds down.
Time will pass either way.
I was reminded of this when I was reflecting, and I found a video from 2018 where my partner said he would lose his stomach and have abs by next year, in 2019.
Fast forward to 2025, and his stomach is bigger, and there are NO abs in sight.
We laughed, but it was a sober reminder that if you do not reflect and commit, you will be in the same place years later.
Reflection is what keeps us from sleepwalking through cycles.
My Own Nine-Year Reflection
In this cycle, I became sober, transitioned into motherhood, built a six-figure career, and left the military.
I landed a remote job and finally found the thing I want to pour my all into, which is building my brand and helping people create lives they are happy to live.
That is progress I am grateful for.
However, I also realized that I was all over the place during this cycle, and one thing I need to do moving forward is to stay focused and get things done.
So, I will write down things that I am grateful for, as well as things that I am committed to changing.
So if you feel called to do both, then do both.
The Reminder
9/9 in a 9 year, is like a big bang on your door. A reminder that a cycle is closing and a new one is about to begin.
Take today to reflect. Look at your photos and read your journals.
And write down the nine things you are grateful for or nine things you are committed to changing.
Because one way or another, nine years from now, you will look back again.
The only question is whether you will smile with gratitude or wish you had made a change when you had the chance.
Shamonique Mattox helps people bridge the gap between ritual and strategy, transforming manifestation from wishful thinking into intentional action.
Through a blend of structured techniques, AI-driven insights, and time-honored rituals, she provides practical tools to align mindset, habits, and goals for real results.
Sign up for the email list to receive exclusive manifestation strategies and explore how ritual tools like bay leaves can amplify your intentions.