SPOOKY: Last post = DCLXVI (666) August 13, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Magick & Mystery, Music & Dance, People.comments closed
After posting Superstition and Wonder: Friday the 13th, I discovered to my surprise, delight, and amazement (with a bit of fascination and satisfaction thrown in to the mix) that Superstition & Wonder is my 666th post!
Aah . . . more magical superstition and mystical intrigue to ponder.
Like Friday the 13th, Six Hundred Sixty Six has a fan base (and a fear base):
* 666 is a triangular number (like 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21)
* 666 = the sum of the first 36 natural numbers (1+2+3+…+34+35+36)
* 666 = the sum of all the numbers on a roulette wheel
* 666 enjoys the company of 111, 222, 333, 444, 555, 777, 888, and 999
* 666 = 18 x 37 (18 sets of the sum 37 . . . 1+36, 2+35, 3+34 . . . 18+19)
* 666 = D (500)+C (100)+L (50)+X (10)+V(5)+I (1) in Roman numerals
* DCLXVI includes one each of all symbols under the value M (1000)
Like Friday the 13th, the number 666 scares some people:
Some people take the satanic associations of 666 so seriously that they actively avoid things related to 666 or the digits 6-6-6. [Source: Wikipedia]
Like fear of Friday the 13th, there’s a name for it:
Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (hexa-koseeo-ee-hexe-konta-hexaphobia) is a phobia of the number six hundred sixty-six.
But, like Friday the 13th, the much maligned number 666 also has its fans and supporters:
In Kabbalistic Judaism the number 666 represents the creation and perfection of the world. The world was created in 6 days, and there are 6 cardinal directions (North, South, East, West, Up, Down). 6 is also the numerical value of one of the letters of God’s name. [Source=Wikipedia]
And, while we’re talking about numbers . . . what are the odds of posting a piece called Superstition & Wonder: Friday the 13th and having it be the 666th post on a blog called Spirit Lights The Way?
Coincidence?
Or Synchronicity?
Happenstance?
Or magical mystery?
Here’s what I think:
The Universe just gave us a *wink* . . . S~P~O~O~K~Y:
For more information: Wikipedia, 666 (number)
To SLEEP, Perchance to DREAM August 13, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Poetry, Word Play.comments closed
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
~ Wm Shakespeare
This excerpt, part of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, which begins “To be or not to be,” reveals thoughts of suicide.
His father’s death, by his uncle’s hand, has driven Hamlet to the brink of madness. He seeks both revenge and the escape of death. He contemplates suicide, but is tortured with the fear that he might not find peace even in death.
Fortunately, we need not answer (or even ponder) that question at this time.
In FUN with WORDS, I tossed out a few doublet challenges for you from the Guinness Book of Words.
Here’s a solution to #11: from SLEEP to DREAM:
SLEEP ~ SHEEP ~ CHEEP ~ CREEP ~ CREEK ~ CREAK ~ CREAM ~ DREAM
Did you have this solution?
A different one?
A shorter one?
Please share your solution below.
More challenges to contemplate on the way!
Aphorisms from Aa to Zz: Tt August 13, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Humor.comments closed
Teach
On the Spiritual Path, people who annoy us are our “teachers.” In time, people who can upset us become harder and harder to find.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
To learn, teach. ~ Adage
The way will teach you the way.
Think for Yourself
Don’t believe everything you think. ~ Bumper Sticker
An open mind learns more in an hour than a closed mind learns in a year.
You must empty yourself of the past, in order to receive the present. ~ Zen Parable
Chase away idle thoughts, and see the world as it is.
Everything you read in the newspaper is absolutely true . . . except for the rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge. ~ Erwin Knoll
The biggest liar in the world is They Say. ~ Douglas Malloch
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics. ~ Benjamin Disraeli
The problem isn’t that people spew lies ~ it’s that some people absorb those lies as if they were the gospel truth.
Why accept the flavor of the month, just because it’s what everyone else is ordering? Think for yourself.
Independent thinking is not easy, especially if you choose to swim against the stream of societal expectations, but . . . it’s worth it. After all, your freedom is at stake.
Time
Time mastery is life mastery.
Time is our most valuable and irreplaceable commodity ~ a bank account which mandates daily withdrawals, prohibits deposits, and pays dividends when we spend it wisely.
To everything, there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1
Life is stirred with a slow spoon. Be patient. Let the future unfold.
Make the most of this moment . . . you’ll never pass this way again.
Tolerance
Touch not a cat bot a glove. ~ Clan McKintosh (Translation: Cats scratch ~ wear gloves.)
Trust yourself and tolerate others.
Abolish negative self-talk, and chronic self-criticism.
You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.
We do much damage by not being patient with our own evolution.
I am patient with stupidity, but not with those who are proud of it. ~ Edith Sitwell
Tranquility
A happy life consists in tranquility of mind. ~ Cicero
Keep your perspective and you won’t trip over every bump in the road.
Letting go is the path to freedom. ~ Lama Surya Das
Get comfortable not knowing.
This too shall pass. ~ King Solomon
True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment. ~ William Penn
Transformation
Claim what isn’t, as if it were, until it becomes.
The past is the haunting, addictive refrain of a familiar song; a security blanket, shrunken with time, tattered and torn; stale memories piled high on a dusty shelf; a pale, pallid shadow of its former self.
Don’t be the prisoner of your past ~ be the architect of your future.
Be more than you know yourself to be.
You must do the thing you think you cannot do. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Renew your commitment. Keep coming back to the task.
Want to feel younger, happier, and healthier??? Change Your Attitude.
Trouble
The trouble with trouble is that it starts out as fun. ~ Unknown
The butterfly, emerging from its cocoon, strengthens its fragile wings, then soars.
Think of your troubles as potential teachers.
Rebel against the stranglehold of negative thinking.
When you focus on the positives, the negatives start to fade away. Soon, you’ll find yourself ignoring minor set-backs that used to throw you into a downward spiral, and your glass will never be half-empty again.
Spirit Lights The Way 