Dates and Numbers (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Dates and Numbers

9:57am Friday 4th November 2011

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Numerologists are out in force this week. We’re sandwiched between two interesting dates, 1/11/11 and 11/11/11. I’ve no idea if this has any significance whatsoever. The rational mind dismisses such things a pure coincidence, rationalists being equally dismissive of any talk of God or the supernatural. But what is clear is that numbers have always played an important part in religion.

The Judeo-Christian tradition, for example, makes much of the number 40. Jesus, like Elijah and Moses before him, fasted for forty days and nights while alone in the wilderness. Similarly, the 12 apostles of the biblical New Testament evoke the 12 tribes of Israel in the Old, while the period from the Nativity to the Epiphany spans 12 days. The numbers 3 and 7 also appear over and again in different contexts.

This suggests that numbers are an important reference point against which to understand the rhythm of life, which is also why anniversaries are a useful numerical opportunity to reflect on change and the passing of time. Our individual birth and death locates us in a specific moment in the span of universal existence as we interconnect with the events we experience and the myriad of relationships we encounter. Each interconnecting pattern is unique – no two people have the exact same life course. It is our uniqueness that makes each of us special as we strive to fulfil our human potential. It’s up to us to ensure that what we achieve is measured in quality rather simply by the number of days that elapse between the hour we are born and the moment we die.

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