Balance | Michelle Cromer

I have had a life long love affair with numbers. One of my first memories is learning how to count by holding up my fingers. I remember squealing in delight with each correct answer. When it was time to figure out what to do with my life, I knew whatever I did, it would involve numbers. So one of my majors is in finance and I went on to study finance at New York University.

Numbers or symbols used for counting have existed since man learned to count. Archaeologists and historians estimate that numbers were first used around 32,000 years ago! Archaeological findings have discovered bones and rocks with marks on them, most likely counting to keep track of food quantities.

Numerology is the practice of interpreting the deeper energy of a number and utilizing that vibe for optimal understanding and alignment. Numbers in Feng Shui are divided up into Yin or Yang. Yin are all even and yang are all odd. Both maintain the much needed balance we all seek.

While studying Feng Shui in China I quickly learned of the superstitions they have surrounding numbers and choosing telephone numbers, house numbers and business numbers are done so very carefully. Nothing can end in the number “4” for example because it sounds like death, (Sel) and is considered the worst of all numbers. There are no fourth floors on any of the buildings or hotels for this reason.

Numbers immediately reveal to me the overall Chi of the home or office. I use a process called the reduction in that I determine the prime root number of your home address. Here’s how you do it: Take your street address and add all the numbers together. For example, 3015 would be 3+0+1+5= 9 so 9 is the single-digit prime root number. If your address is 4745 then you add up 4+7+4+6=21. In the case of a double digit you add those two numbers together so 2+1=3, so the prime number is 3.

Below is a guide to what your address means:

The number one is about new beginnings. Since this is a solitary number, incorporating pairs in your home will be important for balance. So two candles on the table or two photos hung together etc. The number one is masculine so incorporating yin energy will balance out the home – add a water feature or make sure the home has fresh flowers.
The number two encourages balance and partnerships of all kinds. It is a yin number or energy so hang a silver wind chime to balance the chi.
The number three rules creation and creativity. It’s a good number for manifestation, so be careful what you wish for in a three home. Add a green plant to attract wealth and luck and make sure to change the water when needed so it is always clear, bringing clarity to the space.
The number four is about structure. Think of four pillars in a house. The downside of this number is that you may get a sense of rigidity under your roof. Add a symbol of a dragon to introduce spontaneity in this space.
The number five is change, always seeking to balance itself. Find a sun and moon symbol and hang it up. The union between these two energies will offer balance and stability. The sun is Yang – male and the moon is Yin –female. These are ancient archetypes for perfect harmony.
The number six is the number of service, and it’s a nurturing number. The flip side to this number is an overacting energy. To balance this space, hang a crystal to boost the chi and eradicate the overacting energy.
The number seven is the number of higher education and serious study of oneself. This is a wonderful space to learn new things and explore new topics. Also the perfect number for introspective and meditation. If the Chi is not balanced it can produce a hermit type quality. A photo or painting of mountains will help balance the Chi. Also lighting candles will serve to energetically illuminate you.
The number eight represents the realm of the infinite and is considered a great number for the emotional flow of the space. The flip side of this number is stagnation, anxiety and lack of motivation. Add a photo or a statue of a lotus. This will represent enlightenment, progress and perfection.
The number nine represents happy returns and completion. It’s symbolic of attainment, wealth, abundance and full potential. The flip side can produce egotism, greed, lust and envy. Consider adding a turtle, which is symbolic for the number nine energy. They stand for accomplishment and long life.

Numbers are truly a universal language and with these added tips and few simple additions your home you can reach optimal levels of love, luck and prosperity.

“The hero, whether god or goddess, man or woman, the figure in a myth or the dreamer of a dream discovers and assimilates his opposite either by swallowing it or by being swallowed.” Joseph Campbell

May, our fifth month. Named after the Goddess Maia the eldest and loveliest of the famous Pleiades constellation known as the “seven sisters.” According to mythology Maia was the goddess of spring, causing plants to grow, symbolizing youth, life, rebirth, balance, love and sexuality. She is responsible for our word majesty.

I remember first learning about the Goddesses when I was an undergraduate student taking courses for a theology degree. Goddesses in mythology predated Christianity by thousands and thousands of years. The great Goddess, before she was split into many different forms, is one of the most ancient symbols historians and archaeologist have discovered, dating as far back as 30,000 B.C. when the first sculptures of bone, ivory or stone appeared.

The Goddess. The divine feminine. Her energy has been represented through out time in goddesses such as the courageous and fierce Egyptian Isis, the outstanding Greek athlete and huntress Artemis, or the brainy politician and warrior Athena. She has been the sensual lover like Oshun from West Africa, or a promoter of prosperity like the Hindu deity Lakshmi.

What’s important is to cultivate a connection, not necessarily to a particular female icon or ancient deity, but to the divine feminine energy and that mystical consciousness. Divine feminine energy does not have to take on a particular shape of a goddess. It can be found deep within most world religions, alternative spiritual traditions, current events, and most importantly in your own life. The divine feminine resides in each of us.

The meeting with the goddess energy represents the point in our lives when we experience a love that has tremendous power; it’s all encompassing and unconditional. It’s the union of opposites, and may take place entirely within the person. In other words, the person begins to see him or herself in a non-dualistic way. This is a very important step in the process of finding a life of balance, and it often occurs when we find another person that we love completely represented in the yin and yang symbol.

A return to the Goddess is not about an association with a biological gender; rather it’s about embracing the tension of opposites in a healthy, conscious and balanced way. Our individual wholeness is dependent on balancing each within each of us.

Our western culture’s over-identification with the masculine has lead to a neurotic drive for power. We see obvious manifestations of this in civil and international wars and in a culture that emphasizes competition and materialism over family nurturing and family connection. We see it in our dominance over the other life forms and in the systematic destruction of the environment.

There are no models for anything that is going on today. The old models are not working, and the new have not yet appeared. This is our present challenge. It is up to us to shape the new existence. Perhaps we all can strike a balance by embracing the Goddess energy and bring much needed balance to our fractured world.

The Goddess Maia embodies the remembrance and possibility of a beneficent universe and a reawakening of our hearts. She helps me to imagine a world full of abundance and the possibility of living in harmony with one another and with our planet. She reminds me that there are places that run deep enough that all the conflicts at the surface of life become mute. There are currents of empathy that surpass even the most intense disagreements. There are depths of understanding that open when we get to the very bottom and deep center of ourselves.

For the Love of Numbers

Embracing The Goddess in All of Us

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