There is that number again, I notice as I pick up my travel clock to set the alarm. Since this is a reoccurring number in my orbit, I look it up to see what it means in numerology circles and find the below explanation.

“Spiritual and Numerology Meanings”

  • Divine Timing: A reminder to stop rushing or forcing outcomes and trust that things are working out.
  • Partnership: Highlights the energy of cooperation, teamwork, and building healthy relationships.
  • Inner Peace:Serves as a prompt to take a deep breath and let go of stress or overthinking.” 


I definitely am wanting to force outcomes. They require cooperation and teamwork. I’m tired of taking a deep breath, but here I am. What do I really believe? Does numerology have a mystical message for me? Or, do we just take away what resonates with us in that moment?

I’m one of those Doubting Thomas types of Biblical acclaim. I envy those who see auras, confidently speak to their dearly departed, and pull meaning from repeated number sequences. I want to discover meaning, yet cling to what I can see and touch, like Thomas. Is there more?

Culture and religion breed a mixture of our childhood beliefs. Our most trusted beloveds perpetuate Santa, tooth fairies and leprechauns, requiring a rearrangement of philosophies moving along life’s trajectory. According to Don Miguel Ruiz, Toltec shaman, life is what we dream, an illusion.


As a kid, I sang, “Row, row, row your boat.” Later I learned new words, replacing “life is but a dream” with “life is but an illusion – a slight shift in meaning. Sing along?

“Propel, propel, propel your craft, placidly down the liquid solution.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but an illusion.”


“Life is but an illusion” might be the answer to today’s meandering musings. Regardless, please grab a life preserver, find your favorite “craft” and float along this stream of conscience with me.

Incoming thoughts:

Humanity has looked at the stars and grouped them into constellations with backstories. We notice repeating behaviors and formulate beliefs covering pre-existence on earth, present life and what happens after we leave our bodies. Many cultures add reincarnation, dream divination, vision quests, personal missions and journeys induced by sacred plants.

If compared to the Bible, many ancient and present-day practices are deemed sacrilege. Believers are pagan, at least and headed to Hell, at most – if you believe in that. Tarot cards and any sort of fortune-telling are strongly shunned. Angel readings are common in my circles. If a feather falls in your path, it might be a message from a departed love one. If someone shows up, just when you need, then they are an angel, literally or figuratively. Your call.

As we float down my stream of conscience, I steer my craft around rocks labeled 222, 333, and this morning, 555, pondering their potential messages. When paddling down a stream, you learn to read the signs. Rocks create rapids, usually speeding up the current or hiding underwater dangers. The “V” indicates a submerged object. Ripples indicate shallow waters. Knowledge and belief systems emerge from experiences. Apply this to the supernatural, which could also simply be: natural!

“Strata” by Olga Ziemska at the Ortenstone Gardens & Sculpture Park in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, exhibiting two sides: light and dark perspectives

I ponder the earlier travelers along this passage, sharing their knowledge and insights with us.  

They can teach us how to hold our paddles in a rapids, but what of the eagle above and the monarch resting on a milkweed along the shore? Are they good omens? Is the owl a harbinger of death or, on the flip side, a spirit animal of curanderas?

Back to Bible stories, parables and tales of prophets, astronomers, symbolic gifts, angels and visions. Angels came to Mary and Joseph. Messages came in dreams. Jesus raised his cup at the Last Supper and (symbolically) said, “This is my blood, shed for you. Drink it in remembrance of me.” How is that different from angel cards and owls?

I recall Ixchime, a Guatemalan Maya sacred space close to Guatemala City. I participated in a healing ritual. (page 185, Northern Shores/Southern Borders). It wasn’t my place to question the aguardiente, fire water, being tossed into the circle of burning coals, flames leaping up to accept the offerings of colored candles. As the shaman handed them out, she explained that red was for blood and life, yellow for corn and sustenance, white for purity and spirituality, red for passion and energy, and black for protection and strength. I’ve adopted parts of her ritual for my bonfires, tossing candles into the flames, melding our mutual rituals into one that holds meaning for me.

It’s October. The month my culture fills its store shelves with ghosts, bone-clanking skeletons, gravestones, witches with long fingernails and enough sugar to kill anyone. The Celtic festival of Samhain is credited with being the source of Halloween, a time when the veil between the living and the deceased thins, requiring costumes and fires to scare away the returning dead.

Thanks to other cultures, I have choices. Do I want the Grim Reaper, a guy in a hoodie with a scythe or La Catrina, a dancing skeleton decked out in a long flowing gown and a gaudy flower laden sunhat prancing joyfully back to earth for a party in her honor?

This mix combines Día de los Muertos, a tradition passed along from Aztec and Spain’s Catholic origins. Instead of silencing the existence of my loved ones, I lift them up, remember their foibles and gifts, thank them for the foundations they built for my existence. I continue to choose what feeds me, gathering what speaks to me as I navigate the waters.

Other cultures multiply and heighten my awareness. Instead of sleep-floating down stream, these little sun sparkles scatter over the current, carrying me along. They sprinkle symbolism.

A dragonfly lands on my cap. I receive a heart emoji. The clock reads, 222. I smile.

Next time you see “222” perhaps you’ll pause. Smile. What will you believe?

If nothing else, you noticed.

   “Merrily merrily merrily merrily,
     Life is but an illusion.”

"Ona," another work by Ziemska, features mirrored eyes reflecting the viewer and the surroundings. Illusions?

Questions:

  • What are some symbols in your life?
  • What do you consider a good sign?
  • Tell of a time you saw something and knew it just had to be a message?