Guiding Growth Cycles

What if you were a different person every seven years and had an instruction manual for life? This is what Howick-based author Robert Howes explores in his debut non-fiction book, Sevens: An Exploration of Human Psychological Development and Growth and how we, as humans, are conditioned to evolve every seven years.

Howes’s own self-healing journey and the work of Jungian author Robert Johnson, who wrote about seven-year transformations, inspired him to delve deeper into this topic. It was also after Howes became certified as a Master Coach in 2006 – and a practitioner in various healing modalities – that he observed and learnt about repeated patterns in his clients. These especially inspired him to put pen to paper, which is how Sevens grew over 20 years. “My clients’ issues demonstrated quite clearly the accuracy of the ancient wisdom: I could quickly identify at which stage the root cause lay, and work from there. The book now offers readers the same ability. Humans are designed to transform every seven years, but if nobody explains this (and what we need to do), we simply become frustrated by life,” shared Robert.

A Common Sense Approach to Life
Sevens is a book more about life than psychology, taking a common-sense approach to life and life’s lessons. Howes describes it as a “‘How-to’ instruction manual for human life” because it offers easy-to-understand wisdom for solving our human problems. It is structured to appeal to people from all walks of life and ages, from teenagers to parents and grandparents. By exploring the different stages of human life, beginning with the first seven years to seventy, the book offers a deeper understanding of human development and growth. “Generally, you can solve your own problems, which we are so very much encouraged to do in today’s self-centred world, and Sevens provides a pretty comprehensive map of how life hangs together. So, yes, you can sort out your problems,” explained Robert. While Sevens was only published mid-year in 2025, it has already received positive feedback, notably from international readers. Many have shared how much they relate to the book, and one of the most frequent comments has been, “Wish I knew this when...” This is at the heart of Sevens; it offers a guiding hand, so to speak, for those who wish to learn more about themselves so that they can make better choices in life and become who they wish to be.

Sevens is available directly from the publishers, The KREST House, in eBook, paperback, and hardcover formats. It can also be found on Amazon and outlets like Makoti Down Products in Howick.

PHOTO: Penny Carolan Photography
WORDS: Alicia Du Plessis