A long time ago I started a piece about the number seven (7). I didn't get very far into it before becoming busy with my two youngest grandchildren. I said it was "to be continued". I decided I'd make another attempt at this. Upon observation, if you are like most people, you might find that seven has a way of turning up in your own life. I know it has in mine. In doing a little research, as well as looking back over my life, I've come up with a few interesting facts. If you have anything to add to these, I would welcome your additions. Particularly, your own life experiences with what some call "lucky seven". I'm not so certain that "lucky" is always the case. At least it doesn't always appear to be lucky -- at first.
************************
SEVEN: THE SACRED NUMBER
From: The Most Amazing Prophecies by Doug Batchelor
"Seven (7) – represents perfection, and is the sign of God, divine worship, completions, obedience, and rest. The 'prince' of Bible numbers, it is used 562 times, including its derivatives (e.g., seventh, sevens). (See Genesis 2:1–4, Psalm 119:164, and Exodus 20:8–11 for just a few of the examples.)
The number seven is also the most common in biblical prophecy, occurring 42 times in Daniel and Revelation alone. In Revelation there are seven churches, seven spirits, seven golden candlesticks, seven stars, seven lamps, seven seals, seven horns, seven eyes, seven angels, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven thousand slain in a great earthquake, seven heads, seven crowns, seven last plagues, seven golden vials, seven mountains, and seven kings."
************************
IN NATURE:
-those of the canary in 14 days;
-those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;
-The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;
-those of the mallard in 35 days;
-The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.
************************
"After sending his wife and son to Maine to escape the sweltering summer heat of New York City, 38-year old Richard Sherman meets a 22-year-old blonde television commercial spokesmodel, who is renting the apartment directly above him. Despite recent paranoia about becoming unfaithful (he is reading a book his company is going to publish about a '7-Year Itch'; which claims a significant proportion of men have extra-marital affairs after seven years of marriage) Richard invites the girl for a drink after she accidentally knocks over a tomato plant from the balcony above and almost hits him."
A little trivia: the famous subway scene frock worn by Marilyn (seen above) sold at a Profiles in History auction for a record $4.6 million, around $5.5 million with fees!
************************
"THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH"
Nothing "sacred" about this! The movie of the same name came out in 1955. Even though the theme was supposedly about marital infidelity, the movie was a comedy in which the only infidelity was in the Tom Ewell character's imagination. As I was a young teenager at the time, the message of the movie went over my head. I did, however, remember the saying in later years. A brief synopsis of the movie goes like this:
"After sending his wife and son to Maine to escape the sweltering summer heat of New York City, 38-year old Richard Sherman meets a 22-year-old blonde television commercial spokesmodel, who is renting the apartment directly above him. Despite recent paranoia about becoming unfaithful (he is reading a book his company is going to publish about a '7-Year Itch'; which claims a significant proportion of men have extra-marital affairs after seven years of marriage) Richard invites the girl for a drink after she accidentally knocks over a tomato plant from the balcony above and almost hits him." A little trivia: the famous subway scene frock worn by Marilyn (seen above) sold at a Profiles in History auction for a record $4.6 million, around $5.5 million with fees!
************************
PASSAGES
In 1974, after having gone through another divorce, I began to seek counseling and perusing the self-help books for answers as to why I kept failing at relationships. That year Gail Sheehy published the book "PASSAGES" Predictable Crises of Adult Life. The word "predictable" is what grabbed my attention! Is there a way to understand, indeed, predict a crisis?
One exercise that will surprise you is to write down every seventh year of your life, and note any significant changes -- or crises that occur during that seventh year. A move, a death of a loved one, a marriage, a birth, a divorce, or the loss of a job.. any of these can upset the balance of your life. (Medically speaking, they can also be precursors to a heart attack or mental breakdown!) Recognizing the events that occurred in each seventh year period of my own life was eye-opening, but I cannot say that reading the book stopped me from having other seventh year crises! Breaking or predicting patterns of behavior is not simple or found in books. However, seeing that you are not the only one subjected to a 7-year crisis helps. You can then be on guard for what can possibly take place in your seventh or seventieth year, and make changes to avoid what you might not wish to happen. Of course, there are some things one cannot predict or change, but many you will be able to steer clear of.
"The title of the Brotherhood is derived from "Rosa-Crux", a red rose affixed to a cross, presumably of gold. To the Rosicrucians of the age of Elizabeth, it hardly seems questionable that the rose was the symbol of silence, as among the ancients it was originally derived from the pagan tradition that the God of Love made the first rose, which he presented to the God of Silence. ... under it, whatever was spoken or done was not to be divulged; hence our term sub rosa used to indicate secrecy. The Cross, of course, signified salvation, to which the Society of the Rose-Cross devoted itself by teaching mankind the love of God and the beauty of brotherhood, with all that they implied." ..from Quest of the Ages - Sir Francis Bacon
The three main cycles covered by this book relate to Life Cycles, Business Cycles, and Health Cycles. Starting on one's birthdate, each cycle consists of 52 days - seven cycles in a year. Not surprisingly, the last cycle before your birthday is one of de-volution.. an ending, a completion. Strangely enough, I had two divorces finalized during this cycle - both on the same day - seven years apart. Those who follow the Rosicrucian philosophy plan their activities according to the descriptions of each cycle. In fact, there are many more cycles not covered in this book.. cycles of the week, day, and I presume even the hour. Pretty complicated if you ask me. I must admit though, as my birthday approaches each year, I do a thorough examination of what's going on in my life that might be coming to an end! Hmmm.. I wonder if my life itself might end on a seven-year cycle? Just kidding.
One exercise that will surprise you is to write down every seventh year of your life, and note any significant changes -- or crises that occur during that seventh year. A move, a death of a loved one, a marriage, a birth, a divorce, or the loss of a job.. any of these can upset the balance of your life. (Medically speaking, they can also be precursors to a heart attack or mental breakdown!) Recognizing the events that occurred in each seventh year period of my own life was eye-opening, but I cannot say that reading the book stopped me from having other seventh year crises! Breaking or predicting patterns of behavior is not simple or found in books. However, seeing that you are not the only one subjected to a 7-year crisis helps. You can then be on guard for what can possibly take place in your seventh or seventieth year, and make changes to avoid what you might not wish to happen. Of course, there are some things one cannot predict or change, but many you will be able to steer clear of.
********************************************
 |
| Rosy Cross |
I think the most interesting thing I discovered about seven-year-cycles is in a little book I picked up years ago at a garage sale titled "Wisdom of the Mystic Masters". It contains a brief explanation of the cycles we experience in our daily lives as taught by the ancient order of Rosicrucians. Rosicrucianism is a movement which incorporates the ancient Hermetic philosophy.. another interesting topic of mysticism.
"The title of the Brotherhood is derived from "Rosa-Crux", a red rose affixed to a cross, presumably of gold. To the Rosicrucians of the age of Elizabeth, it hardly seems questionable that the rose was the symbol of silence, as among the ancients it was originally derived from the pagan tradition that the God of Love made the first rose, which he presented to the God of Silence. ... under it, whatever was spoken or done was not to be divulged; hence our term sub rosa used to indicate secrecy. The Cross, of course, signified salvation, to which the Society of the Rose-Cross devoted itself by teaching mankind the love of God and the beauty of brotherhood, with all that they implied." ..from Quest of the Ages - Sir Francis Bacon
The three main cycles covered by this book relate to Life Cycles, Business Cycles, and Health Cycles. Starting on one's birthdate, each cycle consists of 52 days - seven cycles in a year. Not surprisingly, the last cycle before your birthday is one of de-volution.. an ending, a completion. Strangely enough, I had two divorces finalized during this cycle - both on the same day - seven years apart. Those who follow the Rosicrucian philosophy plan their activities according to the descriptions of each cycle. In fact, there are many more cycles not covered in this book.. cycles of the week, day, and I presume even the hour. Pretty complicated if you ask me. I must admit though, as my birthday approaches each year, I do a thorough examination of what's going on in my life that might be coming to an end! Hmmm.. I wonder if my life itself might end on a seven-year cycle? Just kidding.
***********************************
Love, peace, and new beginnings,
Marilyn
No comments:
Post a Comment