I forgot to mention....

...that "2" is often assoicated with astrology's double-bodied signs: Gemini (5/21-6/20), Sagittarius (11/22-12/21) and Pisces (2/19-3/20). Each of these signs is faced with the challenge of integrating opposing forces or dissimilars. More about this later.

February 24th

According to the numerologists, February 24th is a "2". I love "2s". Perhaps that's because I'm a Libra (September 27th) and both "2s" and Libras share many of the same attributes. To begin with, they both symbolize the feminine. Libra, of course is associated with Aphrodite and "2" represents Yin energy. When one thinks of a Libra or a "2" personality one thinks of diplomacy, balance, mediation, peace maker and harmony. "2" is a good luck number in Chinese culture.  I think most of us our familiar with the saying, "good things come in pairs" which originates from China. In fact, it's very common for the Chinese to use double symbols in their businesses, e.g. Double Happiness, Double Tiger. There is something intriguing about pairs and twins. They are an aberration of Nature and stand out from the norm. We take a "double take" ,so to speak!  "2" reflects the duality of human nature. We are kind but can be cruel, we are generous but can be greedy and so on. All "2s" are about two worlds, the spiritual and the concrete, the conscious and the unconscious, the hidden and the transperent. We think in twos. We understand and grasp relationships in terms of the "opposite". That is where the difference lies.There are two sides to every story. We inhabit a world of what the great British antropologist coined as "double description". Nothing is "either/or";we require two ways of looking at something. In my work with couples (another "2"), partners invariably end up stuck because they each insist that the other is wrong. I always try to suggest to them that they're both right! Unless they can incorporate the other's perspective into the greater gestalt of their relationship, there is very little or no advancement. In the Major Arcana of theTarot, the number 2 corresponds to the The High Priestess.  As an archetype she symbolizes the unconscious and secret knowledge. She reveals and makes sense of what Rachel Pollack calls "the irrational wisdom of the unconscious". For Jung, who was an avid student of the Tarot, she represents that part of ourselves which is mysterious and unknown, "The Shadow". In today's culture, the High Priestess has metamorphasized into psychologists and occultists. They are the mediums through which we access our hidden selves.

February 23, 2010

Numerologically, today's date computes to a "1". You arrive at "1" by adding together the month (February is the second month of the year and, hence, a 2 month), the day (23) and the year (2010) and reducing the sum to a single digit. So 2 + 23+2010= 10, or 1.  To find out what kind of year you can expect to have, you add your birth month plus your birth day to the current year or to an upcoming year. So if you were born on April 16 you would add 4 (April is the 4th month) +16 + 2010 which equals 23 which is reduced to a 5. Remember that 2010 is only a "1"year for those of you born with a birthday when added to 2010 adds up to a "1". All of this can be a bit eye crossing, so I hope I've been clear.So what's a 1 about? Well, at their most obivious because of their ordinal rank, they constitute new beginnings. Renewal. Rebirth. Fresh starts.Forward propulsion.It's an opportunity to change your life. 1s belong to the Yang and vibrate to a masculine energy. They're the pioneers and ground breakers. Oft times they're loners ( didn't a popular song lament that "one is the lonliest number"), but that's often the case with risk takers. The number one corresponds to The Magician in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. He is the Tarot's alchemist and wizard. He is the embodiment of transformational prowess. He acts as a conduit, or lightning rod, between heaven and earth channeling their respecitve flows of energy into a recursive loop. The point at which they meet is where the magic happens. That is, a conjoining of imagination and spirit with the physical world.This is big medicine. So if 2010 is going to be a 1 year for you the message is clear, there will be golden opportunities for you in the ensuing months to switch it up, so to speak, and embrace the unknown.

I also want to mention that A, J and S are "1" letters, so if you're name begins with one of those letters you may possess some of those personality traits I mentioned i.e., leader, pioneer and so on. In a realtionship (this is where numerology gets really interesting!), having both parties with names beginning with a "1" letter can really be tough. For example, my sister and I both have first names that begin with a "1" letter. I'm an "A" and she's a "J".  Many of our disputes derive from one of us wanting to be in the one-up position. And as a couple's therapist, I've seen this same dynamic with partners and spouses who jocky for dominance. This kind of struggle never leads to a happy resolution. For instance, I saw a couple some years ago in which both first names begian with "J" and there was a constant fight as to whom would have the final word. What they didn't understand was that backing down and yielding was not capitulation, but an expression of strength. What they needed to learn was that by toning down their reactivity to one another they would be one step closer towards creating possibility and change. As things were, there was no space or opening for them to get to a higher and more meaningful level. Their constant back and forth and parrying kept them imprisoned, so to speak, in a transformational cul de sac. There was simply no way out. Next time I check in, I'll talk about a "way out".

Friend's comments on Feb. 22 post

Mitch, my friend and colleague and mathematician extraordinaire had this to say about numerology in his phenomenal website adler-n-substract.com. "My guess is that-like acupuncture-numerology is something that has been taken very seriously in the East (by this I basically mean Asia), and has only recenlty started to be taken seriously in the Western Hemisphere. I suspect it is only a matter of time before it takes on as much respect here as elsewhere-even if it is integrated as only one ingredient to consider among many, like when a patient goes for a second or third opinion, and then weighs very different options for procedures before deciding which route to take. Finally, I'd like to point out that numerology has VERY close relatives, so to speak, in cultures as different from the Asian ones as one can imagine. The Hassidic Jewish community, which is one of the most ultra-orthodox sects of that releigion (and can be found in virtually every major city throughout the world, distinguished by their long black coats, black hats and full beards), have long integrated a form of nuerology into their own belief system, and plays a vital role in the Kabbalah, which is their ancient book of mysticism."

For Those of You Born on February 22...

If  today is your birthday, 2010 is a 9 year. 9s symbolize endings so be prepared to say adieu to a romance or a job or to that nasty cigarette habit. 9s are also associated with teachers and with teachings, so don't be surprized if you are the recipient of an important Life Lesson these next 12 months. In ancient China, the number 9 was associated with the Emperor as 9 is the greatest single-digit, hence the grandest befitting his status. In Christianity, 9 is the number most assoicated with mysticism (after 3) as it is the Trinity squared. With respect to the alphabet, I and R are your 9 letters.  If your name computes to 9 you are the altruists and the humanitarians of the Universe. As my wise mentor, Lucy, told me 9s give more than they get and it is their faith which carries through hardship and ordeal. They emit a compassionate and empathetic frequency. The number 9 corresponds to the Hermit of the Major Arcana in the Tarot. He symbolizes introspection and solitude. He often serves as a guide or teacher to initiates.He reminds us that unconscious revelation can only occur after contraction and self-examination.