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Rob

What's Your Number? SM
April-June 2005

Numerology Books

by Rob Ragozzine
of SimplyNumbers.com




Soul Cleaning with the Help of Numerology

"...to keep clutter from immediately reaccumulating, I discover, I have to slow down -- I have to take the time to close a cabinet door, screw the cap on a toothpaste tube, put away coats and backpacks and lunchbox and mail when I walk in the door without galloping headlong toward some future goal I view as more important." --Anne Cushman, article: Clearing Clutter - Tricycle (spring 2005)

This quarter's column will be looking at 'Spring Cleaning for the Soul', which I'll simply call 'Soul Cleaning'. For me, this is about looking inside myself and working with inner obstacles, especially those that hinder us from living fully in our community. Intention is an important part of this process. You can benefit greatly, by setting an intention to be open, and willing to work with, what you find. Hopefully, as part of this process you'll be better about to pay attention to daily life and to be aware of your impact on the world around you.

As part of your 'soul cleaning', you may want to set an intention to live in a more aware manner. When our minds are not clear and are full of 'old junk' like self-doubt, worry and fear we may not function effectively. It's okay to have these emotions, but we don't want them to control every moment of our lives. Often, we are oblivious to the changes and influence that our actions create in the outside world. We may end up hurting ourselves and we may unknowingly hurt others, by not being aware of ourselves. It also important to know that you do not necessarily need to strip away everything that you find, but being more aware does help.

Many of us have set our sights on finding ways to be more conscious. I've been looking for authors who provide simple ways to do just that. One author, Jon Kabat-Zinn (Coming to Our Senses), stresses that the practice of cultivating consciousness, leads to the knowledge of our full selves, and we then can begin to appreciate that we don't only live within our own senses but within the world at large. In other words, our actions influence others. He says that our lack of awareness of our impact on the rest of the world amounts to "a kind of auto-immune disease of the earth."

Those powerful thoughts led me to author, Kat Duff (The Alchemy of Illness), who says this about awareness and seeing: " 'Why could I not see before?' Then some sure voice from the depths of my illness replies 'You could not see before' " In other words, it may take a crisis, possibly ill health, for us to truly see our impact on others. We would all like to avoid a crisis, which makes undertaking, a 'soul cleaning' all the more important.

I believe any 'soul cleaning' can work best, when it involves utilizing your personal experiences, adopting healthy behaviors, being aware of your thoughts, self-reflection, healing and compassion for yourself and those you care about. We all need to have compassion for where we are in life, and what you find when you begin to 'clean'. Some of us may uncover things that we will need a long time to work with and understand. Some of us may need outside support. We all have different needs and goals, but if your intention is to utilize what you learn about yourself for growth, then you are on the right path.

Now, we'll look at how Numerology can help with 'soul cleaning'. Within Numerology, we'll begin by looking at the universal theme of the year. This year, 2005, is a 7 year (2 + 0 + 0 +5 = 7). In Numerology the number 7 is a symbol of spirituality, time for rest, thought and planning for the future. This year can indeed be a good time to look within. Certain, situations or life events may cause you to feel more introspective and reflective, which could prompt you to seek out more downtime than usual. You may have reached a point in your life where you want to reevaluate your goals. If you play your cards right, this year could turn out to be a powerfully transformative time for you, but you may need to learn to practice patience and be willing to let things come to you.

The number 7 has significance within many cultures. In Hebrew, the number seven (shevah) comes from the root word savah, which means "to be full or satisfied". Within the Catholic religion the seventh day was originally the Sabbath, and a time for rest. Shabbat is the 7th day, Passover and Sukkot are seven days long. The menorah has 7 branches. African cultures consider 7 a symbol of perfection shown by the union of the masculine (3) and feminine (4) elements.

The number 7 is also associated with the classical, or cretan, labyrinth which has 7 turns. Labyrinths have been used as meditation and prayer tools by many cultures. When walking the labyrinth and you reach the center, you can relax and meditate on a question. Walking labyrinths is becoming very common today, and you might walk one to balance or center yourself.

Upon entering the labyrinth, on a inner level, you begin the symbolic process of releasing and letting go, or in our case 'soul cleaning'. The seven turns of the labyrinth have also been associated with the seven primary chakras of the body. Each chakra also gives us the opportunity to work with, and satisfy the deep pull of your Soul Number. You may wish to do some sort of inner work revolving around what your Soul Number means to you. As this number deals with your dreams and longings, you may wish to meditate on those dreams which are currently unfulfilled, while you are in the labyrinth.

You can utilize the power of the myth and the labyrinth, as part of your 'soul cleaning', to meditate and look deeply into your soul. Remember that the walk to the center of a labyrinth represents moving to your own center. It can a powerful tool that enables you to transform, while you are looking inside yourself. You may even use it to work with your important relationships. Ask yourself, about how often you walk with members of your family? Your children? How about friends and neighbors?

A walk can be a great time to connect with family members. Now imagine adding the power of the labyrinth to that walk! Labyrinth expert, Tricia Kibbe, might suggest just that. She says: "...On the labyrinth someone may be walking ahead of us at a pace we find difficult to follow. Our choice then becomes to stay behind and walk at another's pace or go around them and honor our own body's rhythm. There are times when we may come face to with a fellow journeyer. Will we greet them with a smile or even a hug or will we remain within ourselves and continue on the path? There is no right or wrong way, the choice is ours to make."

Now consider, your Soul Number and its potential benefit to you in the labyrinth. if your Soul Number is #1, then you inwardly call out for experiences which let you be creative, dynamic and an individual. You want to be recognized in some way. Your work in the labyrinth, could be to look at those 'inner obstacles' which prevent you from stepping up and taking on leadership roles.

Once I started to do research on labyrinths, I was intrigued by their connection with myth and I have been looking into the stories and figures that are related to them. I gradually began to see similarities between the messages I got from my meditation within the labyrinth and my dreams. You may also wish to read more about labyrinths. There are many good authors, to help you on your way in understanding labyrinths and myths. Authors such as Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung and James Hillman, and Marie Louise-Von Franz, all have inspired me to look at where I can apply what I've learned from myth and labyrinths into my life.

The words of Janis Miglaus, illustrate the power of myth: (magazine: "Light of Consciousness", "The Mything Link" Spring/Summer 2005)

"Myths are the cultural stories and dreams are personal stories. Myths are the stories that have been given by those who have already traveled through life and the universe and who are telling us through these myths how to carry out that journey or path to take through life."

"We can broaden our own humanness by seeing how others have answered the big questions of life. "

In other words, the myths help us to look at ways in which others have dealt with difficult problems in life. Today, not enough people utilize the myths for learning about other peoples. Instead, we often relentlessly argue about recent events, with no true outcome. Often, we don't even bother to wonder what is beneath the headlines. We let polls direct our way of thought. We may be led, in the wrong direction, by outside forces. We may ask erroneous questions, and may feel like we are powerless to do anything. However, we are not powerless. When you incorporate the power of symbolism and myth into your life, you are opening up to the basic meaning in the story within the myth and you will gradually come to see the underlying stories that are intertwined with, and hidden, in some modern day events. We can then slowly wake up to our true selves and recognize our own personal power in the world.

Look at your Soul Number, and relate it to some mythic figure, or just choose one at random. How does it make you like that character? How are you not like that particular character? What personal characteristics do you think you need? Maybe you think that you are too structured? If you have a Soul Number of 4 this may be the case. You may try to put too much on your shoulders, and insight from a good story may help you to better see that you don't need to single-handedly solve all the problems in the world; you can ask for help. You might want to keep an eye out for those myths that relate to your inner need for family and structure. Perhaps you may want to read those stories that deal with cooperation, such as a story where the hero must cooperate with others to overcome obstacles.

I've chosen to work with the myth surrounding the "Red Knight" and Parcival or Parsifal. For me, this myth relates to my different sides. The stories surrounding Parsifal vary, but the core part of this myth relates to Parsifal leaving home, and going on a quest. As part of the myth, he overtakes the Red Knight and wins his armor. With the help of my personal Numbers, including my Soul Number and guided imagery, I've come to better see those parts of myself that are hasty, and those parts that are persistent. In the myth, Parsifal learns about will, hope and faith. As part of my 'soul cleaning' I am trying to be aware of where in my life I want to be hasty and take the quick solution.

I believe that if we bring this mythic work, and soul work, out into the community then we can help each other, and especially our children, to learn about healthy ways to enter into adulthood and meet challenges. This process is not about "your way" or "my way". Incorporating any soul work, especially as part of a 'soul cleaning', into your life is about being a healthy and contributing member of your community. It's about finding "our way". It's about humility, and courage, and looking into your soul to see how good you can be to yourself and to see what you can offer to your family, community and the world at large.

Now, in addition to your Soul Number, your Personal Aspects (Planes of Expression) readinng can help you to better see your general behavioral tendencies. The Aspects can be used to illustrate areas of your personality where you may excel and areas where you may not, as they show all of the energies of your personality as they relate to one of four types of energy: Physical (Body), Mental (Mind), Emotional (Soul) and Intuitive (Spirit) energy. With them, you can find ways to balance the different parts of your personality. For instance, if your Personal Apsect reading shows an under balanced Physical Aspect, this can indicate tendencies toward being based in your mind and emotions. You may then need to ask yourself whether or not your 'soul cleaning' has helped you to identify any related obstacles. Now an overbalanced Physical Aspect can indicate strength, but also a propensity toward being stubborn. Again, you really need to look inside and evaluate whether you feel any of the aspects overshadow the others, and determine if you need to focus your awareness on any particular one.

The Aspect reading is a guiding tool that helps me to be more aware of my comfort zone. Used in conjunction with your Soul Number, you may get a clearer picture of a way to play to your strengths and work toward actually achieving the longings of your soul. As an example, consider an individual with a strong emotional aspect. Because they have a strong emotional makeup, they can have a deep desire to serve others. They may also be highly idealistic, spiritual, charitable and have a hard time being practical. For them, a challenge is to stay connected with the practical and "down to earth" part of their personality. They may want to do inner work around finding ways to be more personal, responsible and grounded while still heeding the call of their inner spirituality, which is probably addressed in some way by their Soul Number.

For me, the subjects mentioned here, can be powerful tools especially when I am 'soul cleaning'. They help me, in uncovering many things that I did not know about myself. This process is about looking deep into my soul, and I may not always enjoy the things that I see there, but James Hillman, in "The Dream and the Underworld", says: "...To know the psyche at its basic depths, for a true depth psychology, one must go to the underworld." However, he warns us, not to go overboard, but wants us to understand that we need to explore the depths of our soul. Moving into, and staying with soul work is not always easy, and shouldn't be taken lightly. It works best, when you are clear about your intentions and you are open to the powerful potential of your efforts. As you pull your attention inward, remember the powerful words of Henry Miller: "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade a grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world unto itself."

Good luck on your journey into Soulful living and Numerology.

 
Tools & Resources:

Soul Number Reading:
http://www.soulfulliving.com/yournumberforjune.htm
http://www.simplynumbers.com/html/interactive/sn_int_soul.asp


Planes of Expression:
www.soulfulliving.com/yournumberforoctober.htm


More About Labyrinths:
www.soulfulliving.com/the_labyrinth.htm
www.labyrinthguild.org


More About Myth:
www.mythsdreamssymbols.com/mythanddreams.html
www.mythosandlogos.com/mythandmetaphor.html

Copyright © 2005 Rob Ragozzine. All Rights Reserved. 


Click here to learn more about Rob Ragozzine

Click here to see Rob's Current Column

Click here to Read Rob's Jan-Mar 2005 Column

 

For more Numerology, Visit Rob at:
SimplyNumbers.com

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