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Soul Cleaning with the Help of Numerology
"...to keep clutter from immediately reaccumulating, I discover, I have to
slow down -- I have to take the time to close a cabinet door, screw the cap on
a toothpaste tube, put away coats and backpacks and lunchbox and mail when I
walk in the door without galloping headlong toward some future goal I view
as more important." --Anne Cushman, article: Clearing Clutter - Tricycle (spring 2005)
This quarter's column will be looking at 'Spring Cleaning for the Soul', which I'll
simply call 'Soul Cleaning'. For me, this is about looking inside myself and
working with inner obstacles, especially those that hinder us from living
fully in our community. Intention is an important part of this process. You
can benefit greatly, by setting an intention to be open, and willing to work
with, what you find. Hopefully, as part of this process you'll be better
about to pay attention to daily life and to be aware of your impact on the
world around you.
As part of your 'soul cleaning', you may want to set an intention to live in
a more aware manner. When our minds are not clear and are full of 'old junk'
like self-doubt, worry and fear we may not function effectively. It's okay
to have these emotions, but we don't want them to control every moment of
our lives. Often, we are oblivious to the changes and influence that our
actions create in the outside world. We may end up hurting ourselves and we
may unknowingly hurt others, by not being aware of ourselves. It also
important to know that you do not necessarily need to strip away everything
that you find, but being more aware does help.
Many of us have set our sights on finding ways to be more conscious. I've
been looking for authors who provide simple ways to do just that. One
author, Jon Kabat-Zinn (Coming to Our Senses), stresses that the practice of
cultivating consciousness, leads to the knowledge of our full selves, and we
then can begin to appreciate that we don't only live within our own senses
but within the world at large. In other words, our actions influence others.
He says that our lack of awareness of our impact on the rest of the world
amounts to "a kind of auto-immune disease of the earth."
Those powerful thoughts led me to author, Kat Duff (The Alchemy of Illness),
who says this about awareness and seeing: " 'Why could I not see before?'
Then some sure voice from the depths of my illness replies 'You could not
see before' " In other words, it may take a crisis, possibly ill health, for
us to truly see our impact on others. We would all like to avoid a crisis,
which makes undertaking, a 'soul cleaning' all the more important.
I believe any 'soul cleaning' can work best, when it involves utilizing your
personal experiences, adopting healthy behaviors, being aware of your
thoughts, self-reflection, healing and compassion for yourself and those you
care about. We all need to have compassion for where we are in life, and
what you find when you begin to 'clean'. Some of us may uncover things that
we will need a long time to work with and understand. Some of us may need
outside support. We all have different needs and goals, but if your
intention is to utilize what you learn about yourself for growth, then you
are on the right path.
Now, we'll look at how Numerology can help with 'soul cleaning'. Within
Numerology, we'll begin by looking at the universal theme of the year. This
year, 2005, is a 7 year (2 + 0 + 0 +5 = 7). In Numerology the number 7 is a
symbol of spirituality, time for rest, thought and planning for the future.
This year can indeed be a good time to look within. Certain, situations or
life events may cause you to feel more introspective and reflective, which
could prompt you to seek out more downtime than usual. You may have reached
a point in your life where you want to reevaluate your goals. If you play
your cards right, this year could turn out to be a powerfully transformative
time for you, but you may need to learn to practice patience and be willing
to let things come to you.
The number 7 has significance within many cultures. In Hebrew, the number
seven (shevah) comes from the root word savah, which means "to be full or
satisfied". Within the Catholic religion the seventh day was originally the
Sabbath, and a time for rest. Shabbat is the 7th day, Passover and Sukkot
are seven days long. The menorah has 7 branches. African cultures consider 7
a symbol of perfection shown by the union of the masculine (3) and feminine
(4) elements.
The number 7 is also associated with the classical, or cretan, labyrinth
which has 7 turns. Labyrinths have been used as meditation and prayer tools
by many cultures. When walking the labyrinth and you reach the center, you
can relax and meditate on a question. Walking labyrinths is becoming very
common today, and you might walk one to balance or center yourself.
Upon entering the labyrinth, on a inner level, you begin the symbolic
process of releasing and letting go, or in our case 'soul cleaning'. The
seven turns of the labyrinth have also been associated with the seven
primary chakras of the body. Each chakra also gives us the opportunity to
work with, and satisfy the deep pull of your Soul Number. You may wish to do
some sort of inner work revolving around what your Soul Number means to you.
As this number deals with your dreams and longings, you may wish to meditate
on those dreams which are currently unfulfilled, while you are in the
labyrinth.
You can utilize the power of the myth and the labyrinth, as part of your
'soul cleaning', to meditate and look deeply into your soul. Remember that
the walk to the center of a labyrinth represents moving to your own center.
It can a powerful tool that enables you to transform, while you are looking
inside yourself. You may even use it to work with your important
relationships. Ask yourself, about how often you walk with members of your
family? Your children? How about friends and neighbors?
A walk can be a great time to connect with family members. Now imagine
adding the power of the labyrinth to that walk! Labyrinth expert, Tricia
Kibbe, might suggest just that. She says: "...On the labyrinth someone may
be walking ahead of us at a pace we find difficult to follow. Our choice
then becomes to stay behind and walk at another's pace or go around them and
honor our own body's rhythm. There are times when we may come face to with a
fellow journeyer. Will we greet them with a smile or even a hug or will we
remain within ourselves and continue on the path? There is no right or wrong
way, the choice is ours to make."
Now consider, your Soul Number and its potential benefit to you in the
labyrinth. if your Soul Number is #1, then you inwardly call out for
experiences which let you be creative, dynamic and an individual. You want
to be recognized in some way. Your work in the labyrinth, could be to look
at those 'inner obstacles' which prevent you from stepping up and taking on
leadership roles.
Once I started to do research on labyrinths, I was intrigued by their
connection with myth and I have been looking into the stories and figures
that are related to them. I gradually began to see similarities between the
messages I got from my meditation within the labyrinth and my dreams. You
may also wish to read more about labyrinths. There are many good authors, to
help you on your way in understanding labyrinths and myths. Authors such as
Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung and James Hillman, and Marie Louise-Von Franz,
all have inspired me to look at where I can apply what I've learned from
myth and labyrinths into my life.
The words of Janis Miglaus, illustrate the power of myth: (magazine: "Light
of Consciousness", "The Mything Link" Spring/Summer 2005)
"Myths are the cultural stories and dreams are personal stories. Myths are
the stories that have been given by those who have already traveled through
life and the universe and who are telling us through these myths how to
carry out that journey or path to take through life."
"We can broaden our own humanness by seeing how others have answered the big
questions of life. "
In other words, the myths help us to look at ways in which others have dealt
with difficult problems in life. Today, not enough people utilize the myths
for learning about other peoples. Instead, we often relentlessly argue about
recent events, with no true outcome. Often, we don't even bother to wonder
what is beneath the headlines. We let polls direct our way of thought. We
may be led, in the wrong direction, by outside forces. We may ask erroneous
questions, and may feel like we are powerless to do anything. However, we
are not powerless. When you incorporate the power of symbolism and myth into
your life, you are opening up to the basic meaning in the story within the
myth and you will gradually come to see the underlying stories that are
intertwined with, and hidden, in some modern day events. We can then slowly
wake up to our true selves and recognize our own personal power in the
world.
Look at your Soul Number, and relate it to some mythic figure, or just
choose one at random. How does it make you like that character? How are you
not like that particular character? What personal characteristics do you
think you need? Maybe you think that you are too structured? If you have a
Soul Number of 4 this may be the case. You may try to put too much on your
shoulders, and insight from a good story may help you to better see that you
don't need to single-handedly solve all the problems in the world; you can
ask for help. You might want to keep an eye out for those myths that relate
to your inner need for family and structure. Perhaps you may want to read
those stories that deal with cooperation, such as a story where the hero
must cooperate with others to overcome obstacles.
I've chosen to work with the myth surrounding the "Red Knight" and Parcival
or Parsifal. For me, this myth relates to my different sides. The stories
surrounding Parsifal vary, but the core part of this myth relates to
Parsifal leaving home, and going on a quest. As part of the myth, he
overtakes the Red Knight and wins his armor. With the help of my personal
Numbers, including my Soul Number and guided imagery, I've come to better
see those parts of myself that are hasty, and those parts that are
persistent. In the myth, Parsifal learns about will, hope and faith. As part
of my 'soul cleaning' I am trying to be aware of where in my life I want to
be hasty and take the quick solution.
I believe that if we bring this mythic work, and soul work, out into the
community then we can help each other, and especially our children, to learn
about healthy ways to enter into adulthood and meet challenges. This process
is not about "your way" or "my way". Incorporating any soul work, especially
as part of a 'soul cleaning', into your life is about being a healthy and
contributing member of your community. It's about finding "our way". It's
about humility, and courage, and looking into your soul to see how good you
can be to yourself and to see what you can offer to your family, community
and the world at large.
Now, in addition to your Soul Number, your Personal Aspects (Planes of
Expression) readinng can help you to better see your general behavioral
tendencies. The Aspects can be used to illustrate areas of your personality
where you may excel and areas where you may not, as they show all of the
energies of your personality as they relate to one of four types of energy:
Physical (Body), Mental (Mind), Emotional (Soul) and Intuitive (Spirit)
energy. With them, you can find ways to balance the different parts of your
personality.
For instance, if your Personal Apsect reading shows an under balanced
Physical Aspect, this can indicate tendencies toward being based in your
mind and emotions. You may then need to ask yourself whether or not your
'soul cleaning' has helped you to identify any related obstacles. Now an
overbalanced Physical Aspect can indicate strength, but also a propensity
toward being stubborn. Again, you really need to look inside and evaluate
whether you feel any of the aspects overshadow the others, and determine if
you need to focus your awareness on any particular one.
The Aspect reading is a guiding tool that helps me to be more aware of my
comfort zone. Used in conjunction with your Soul Number, you may get a
clearer picture of a way to play to your strengths and work toward actually
achieving the longings of your soul. As an example, consider an individual
with a strong emotional aspect. Because they have a strong emotional makeup,
they can have a deep desire to serve others. They may also be highly
idealistic, spiritual, charitable and have a hard time being practical. For
them, a challenge is to stay connected with the practical and "down to
earth" part of their personality. They may want to do inner work around
finding ways to be more personal, responsible and grounded while still
heeding the call of their inner spirituality, which is probably addressed in
some way by their Soul Number.
For me, the subjects mentioned here, can be powerful tools especially when I
am 'soul cleaning'. They help me, in uncovering many things that I did not
know about myself. This process is about looking deep into my soul, and I
may not always enjoy the things that I see there, but James Hillman, in "The
Dream and the Underworld", says: "...To know the psyche at its basic depths,
for a true depth psychology, one must go to the underworld." However, he
warns us, not to go overboard, but wants us to understand that we need to
explore the depths of our soul. Moving into, and staying with soul work is
not always easy, and shouldn't be taken lightly. It works best, when you are
clear about your intentions and you are open to the powerful potential of
your efforts. As you pull your attention inward, remember the powerful words
of Henry Miller: "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a
blade a grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent
world unto itself."
Good luck on your journey into Soulful living and Numerology.
Copyright © 2005 Rob Ragozzine. All
Rights Reserved.
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