Birthday cake and candles, four-leaf clover, first star at night, turkey wishbone and Harry Potter’s magic spells are just some of the ways in which we have learned to cast our wishes and hope that magic brings them into reality.  People wish for all sorts of things – for themselves and others. Some wishes are for good things, some for not-so-good things.  And some are for downright nasty things to come to fruition! What is it about  the “wish” that has sustained it all these millenium?

Perhaps the wish is something that helps us connect to our deepest truths and longings. Walt Disney was famous for saying, “A dream is a wish that your heart makes.”  If our heart makes  a wish, then it must be important to us!  A wish directs our attention and thoughts towards something that we want, believe in, and hope for.  In terms of energy theory, we could describe this as a focused intention. As with all intentions, the feelings connected to this intention will add power to the wish. Is this focused intention or wish about peace, love, acceptance or forgiveness – basically for the highest good for all?  Or is  it about revenge, restitution, anger or hurtfulness?  If the intention is for harm to others, then what is this really saying about our deepest truths and longings?  At our core, are we really harbouring negativity and spite?  If so, why?

The image that comes to mind is that of someone who feels broken or beaten.  Life has dealt them a difficult hand to play;  the deck feels like it is stacked against them. From this place of personal misery may come feelings of resentment, hurt and jealousy.  These feelings have a negative energy surrounding them – and if used when casting wishes, they will send those wishes out to the universe with this energy attached.   The idea of energy dynamics and our focused intentions or wishes reminds us that we need to be mindful of the feelings, language and imagery we use. These get projected out into our future energy field, which will then come back to us later to become our present.  Is this the wish, we truly want for ourselves and others?

There is a saying, “Careful what you wish for, because it may come true.”   Some have wished for fame and fortune for themselves, only to discover that these have their own sets of difficulties to overcome.  Some people have wished for accidents, death and destruction towards others, only to find the judgements they’ve used are later used against them.  This is sometimes referred to as, ” It comes back to bite you in the a _ _”.  Or put another way, “What goes around, comes around.”

Humans have been casting wishes forever – just remember that your intentions, thoughts and feelings are all part of the package. Wishes can, and do, come true.  Be sure you wish for the best for all and watch the magic unfold.

Did you know ……
We can find pearls of wisdom in the strangest places.

• Consider this quote from a recent “superhero” movie:  “Darkness is not the absence of Light.  It is the belief that the Light will never return.”
• In an interview with comedian and actor Bill Murray:  “Social Media is training us to compare our lives, instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder everyone is depressed!”
• Not sure who this is attributed to:  “Life isn’t about how you survive the storm, but how you dance in the rain.”

As the warmth of summer begins to wane, and the daylight hours get shorter,we are reminded that the Equinox is not far away. A day of equal day and equal night. Being curious, I looked at how several traditions viewed this time of year. Let me share some of these with you.

In the Greek tradition, this Equinox is the sign of Autumn. It is when the Goddess Persephone leaves our world and her mother Demeter, to return to the Underworld and her husband, Hades. Persephone is both the Maiden and the Queen, depending who she is with: her mother or husband. Her lessons relate to personal power, birth, death and rebirth. This is a good time to enact rituals for protection and security. It is also a good time to reflect upon successes and failures from the previous months.

The Buddhist celebration of Higan (or Higan-e) celebrates the spiritual move from the world of suffering to the world of enlightenment. The word “Higan” means “other shore” and refers to spirits of the dead reaching Nirvana after crossing the River of Existence. It is a time of year to remember and honor the dead.

Pagans celebrate Mabon, one of eight Sabbats. It celebrates the second harvest and beginning of winter preparations. It is considered a time to respect the impending dark while giving thanks to the sunlight.

Over time, Christians replaced the Pagan Equinox with more Christianized observances. Michaelmas, which is the Festival of Michael and All Angels, falls on September 29th. This was thought close enough to the Equinox to be the chosen celebration. Another name for this celebration is “Festival of Strong Wills”. It makes you wonder who or what they really meant by this name!

Although not held on the Equinox, but rather on the Full Moon, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the abundance of summer’s harvest. The main food is called Moon Cake, which is filled with lotus, sesame seeds, duck egg or dried fruit. This food originated from the tradition of making offerings to the Sun in the Spring and the Moon in the Autumn.

These are but a few of the ways the end of summer has been celebrated. Create your own tradition to honor the changing of the seasons.

The subject of numerology can be quite intriguing.  There are those who maintain that numbers do have meaning and influence in our lives. There are others who are not convinced of any relationship with numbers. The generally “superstitious” numbers, such as thirteen and triple six are given an ominous meaning, while numbers such as three, seven and eight are considered quite lucky.  It is all in the interpretation and the context – or is it?

Much of our spiritual and scientific understanding of numbers comes from Pythagoras (582-495 BC.), the Father of Mathematics.  Although quoted mostly for his scientific work on numbers and their relationships,  he was primarily a mystic and philosopher. His fascination and understanding of numbers led him to discover that the numbers 1 through 9  on a macro level stand for universal principles.  On a micro level, they stand for characteristics, abilities and events.  Pythagoras saw in number patterns and geometrical ratios the explanations of all natural phenomena, musical harmony and tonal qualities.  He knew that the stars and planets as vibrating bodies produced sound which became known as the “music of the spheres”.  

As an aside, Dr. Jeffrey Thompson of the Center for Neuroacoustic Research in California, was given permission by NASA to have special recording equipment placed on-board some of its space missions to record these sounds.  They do indeed exist!  Just like Pythagoras stated.  ( BTW: You can get downloads of the different planetary and lunar sounds from Dr. Thompson’s website).  The idea of planetary music also was the inspiration behind Mike Oldfield’s 2007 release, “Music of the Spheres”.  But what would you expect from the musician who, in 1973, gave us “Tubular Bells“?

Pythagoras established a school of the mysteries in southern Italy. One of his most famous students was Plato. Prerequisites for his students included sound foundational knowledge of the four sciences:  arithmetic, music, astronomy and geometry.  From this foundation, he taught that numbers represented qualities, while figures represented quantities.  Numbers operated on the spiritual plane while figures were for measuring things on the material plane. He believed that everything in the universe was subject to predictable progressive cycles;  his means of measuring these cycles were the numbers one through nine.

The term esoteric numerology is attributed to his teachings. Esoteric numerology is the art and science of understanding the spiritual significance and orderly progression of all manifestation.  Every word or name vibrates to a number and every number has an inner meaning.  The letter and the number code, when rightly understood and applied,bring us in direct and close relationship with the underlying intelligence of the universe.

There are many books available on the subject of numerology.  Most will show you how to do basic calculations for determining your Birth Number, Life Path Number, Career Number and Soul Number.  Different schools of thought offer similar but slightly different interpretations as to what these numbers mean.  One phenomenon that is not always discussed is the significance of double numbers, also known as Master Numbers.  These are 11, 22, 33, and so on.  For example,  in some schools, they are listed as 11/2  which is the Master Number 11 reduced to its one digit number 2. In other schools, the Master Number is always left intact. There are differences between the Master number and its reduction – it is up to the individual to decide which form resonates with them.

The psychic medium, Colette Baron-Reid explains attributes to the Master Numbers this way:

Number 11 – is sometimes known as the Master Psychic.  It generally denotes someone who is here for a greater spiritual purpose or who will be concerned with spiritual or theological pursuits. It also relates to someone involved in music.

Number 22 – is known as the Master Builder. These people are highly sensitive to their physical and emotional surroundings. They are masters of detail and capable of bringing the inspiration of the 11 vibration into the material world.

Number 33 – is known as the Master Giver.  Selfless humanitarians, these are the people on the forefront of caring for others.  They are motivated by compassion and fairness. They have a capacity for deep spiritual wisdom.

Number 44 – is known as the Master Healer.  This number is about the commitment to heal and help solve problems for others.  It is about leadership, strength of conviction and inner strength.

Colette states that these four Master Numbers are the most common for birth dates and names.

From Pythagoras to Mike Oldfield’s music, accounting to construction,  planetary movement to garden’s new growth,  there springs forth a sense of wonderment.  And because of Pythagoras and his followers, there is a number, mathematical ratio or geometrical design just waiting to explain it!