A Quarter-Worth

“A system is in equilibrium when the forces constituting it are arranged in such a way as to compensate each other, like the two weights pulling at the arms of a pair of scales.” ~ Rudolf Arnheim


About a year ago, I bought a pair of scales at the flea market, and placed them on the table in my prayer and meditation corner. For a while, each time something unpleasant occurred I would place a small weight on one of the plates, and when something good happened, I’d put a weight on the other one. For small things I would add a penny, for medium events a nickel and for real breakthroughs a quarter.

I continued adding weights each day to see what would happen, and I noticed something quite interesting – the “good” and “bad” weights alternated each other in a fairly regular pattern. If some days I had a sequence of bad penny-worth situations, the next one to come up would be a nickel or quarter worth of their opposite.

I watched that pattern for several days, mesmerized by the random precision of it, and I wondered if this concept applies to natural phenomena as well. I began to observe weather patterns more closely and indeed noticed that in average, nature was also able to balance itself, contrary to what many people believed.

The day before yesterday I had a quarter-worth of annoying situations crossing my path, but just one day later things began to balance again – I woke up yesterday morning to cheerful birthday wishes from many friends, I received wonderful news from my publisher, and when we went out to dinner, the restaurant manager surprised me in two ways – he brought me a slice of cake with a candle – since he heard from my very vocal daughter that it was mom’s birthday - and he only charged us for half the bill. After dinner we walked into a bookstore and I found a great book to read for the next few days.

Needless to say, my scales were by now tipping on the positive side. Will the weight change again tomorrow, or the next day? Maybe so – in fact it probably will, at least for a short while, just to bring the scales back into balance.

One of the most interesting things I have learned from “weighing” events has been that a lack of balance in either direction is not necessarily a good thing. If things go always wrong, one’s spirit gets crushed and numb, but if things go always right, we tend to become too complacent and blind to the circumstances of others, in addition to losing the satisfaction that comes from overcoming obstacles. Sunshine would get pretty boring if an occasional storm didn’t break the monotony.

Obstacles allow us the opportunity to notice the blessings, and at times they are the only mean for us to slow down and appreciate the beauty surrounding us. Even when they are a quarter-worth.

A Frustrating Nothing

“It can’t be Christmas every day”- I cannot count the times I repeated that one little sentence to myself, yesterday, as I tried to make sense of a very irritating day. The day started as a pleasant one, as I indulged in familiar routines and safely delivered all the kids to school. Thirty minutes later, however, the music changed when I headed to the DMV to renew my driver’s license.

I suppose I need to back up a little – after my wallet was stolen from my house, almost a year ago, I looked around to see if anything else was missing, but didn’t think to check documents. During a routine check to ensure that everything was current, just a month or so ago, I realized that they were not there. I turned my house upside down with no luck, so I began to call the respective agencies to find out what I needed to do. I was told to file a police report for lost or stolen items and then file for replacement of the documents. Knowing that my driver’s license was due for renewal in September, I called DMV as soon as I found out that my documents were missing, and I asked if that would create a problem. “Of course not, Ma’am,” they said, “as long as you have your valid license with you, that’s all you need.”

Yesterday I walked into DMV, got my number, waited for about thirty minutes and then I was finally called. The lady at the counter asked me if I was born in the US and I said no; to that, she asked me to show her my residence card, which I couldn’t of course produce. I showed her instead the official document that came with the card and the police report, and she informed me that she couldn’t renew my license because I didn’t have the necessary paperwork. I explained to her what happened, and told her that sometimes it takes up to six months to receive a replacement, and she suggested I should call the USCIS to see how they could help. I did that as soon as I got home. I actually placed three calls – all three of them were answered by agents who barely spoke English and struggled to understand what I was trying to explain. I asked if there was anything they could send me or the DMV and they said they couldn’t because they are not familiar with the requirements of each state. I finally requested an appointment with an officer, which was granted for next week. What took the cake is that one of the documents needed during the meeting is a valid driver’s license.

Last night, I finally sat back and mentally went over all the events of the day. As overwhelming as they had seemed at the moment, my day could have certainly been worse. Someone in my family could have been hurt, or something else irreversible could have happened. All that had truly manifested instead was a choking tangle of bureaucracy, annoying in the least but definitely not life scarring. When things happen, it is easy to become completely sucked into the momentary drama and cloud our perspective. If someone had asked me how my day was at about one in the afternoon, I would have probably given them an evil look, but as I look at it now, after some of the steam has blown out, nothing important has really changed in my life.

So, I decided to just let go of the frustration. I had done all I possibly could. The downside of this is that I will have to ask my husband to drive me around more, until this mess is resolved. And the silver lining, you might ask? I finally have an excuse to take a break from being a taxi mom.

09-09-09 ~ Ancient and Modern Beliefs

“9/9/9 - Cower in its path, only weeks away, no hiding from its wrath. Magic in this number reverts upon itself.” ~ Peter Schlosser (excerpt from his poem “Nine Nine Nine)


Since ancient times, the number nine has been the object of reverence and mystical speculation. Although the meanings associated with it vary slightly from one belief system to the next, the general consensus is that number nine symbolizes completion, finality and judgment.

Within the Bible, the number nine is quite prominent: Nine persons stoned, nine widows, nine people affected with blindness, nine more afflicted with leprosy. Furthermore, it is a factor of 666, which is 9 times 74. The number 999 is a mirrored image of 666, the number associated to the beast, thus representing the powers above and the divine judgment after the earthly illusion. The gematria of the word "Dan," which means a judge, is 54 (9x6). "" (tee orgee mou), my wrath = 999 (Hebrews 3:11). The solemn  (ameen), amen, or "verily," of our Lord, amounts also to 99, summing up and ending His words.

As one ponders on the meaning of ‘as above so below’, something else strikes the mind: if we add the digits of the diameter of the earth, moon and sun, they each add to 9. The sun - 864,000: 8+6+4+0+0+0=18=1+8=9. The moon - 2,160: 2+1+6=9. The earth - 7,920: 7+9+2+0=18=1+8=9.

Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared in architecture and royal attire, often in the form of nine dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have 9,999 rooms.

It is also quite interesting that on modern business recordings the number nine is used to end calls, and that September 9, 2009 is the 252nd day of the year (2+5+2=9), and even more mind boggling is the fact that no matter what number 9 is multiplied by, if one adds the digits of the result, the final number obtained by the addition is always 9.

Being raised in an eclectic spiritual home, the number 9 has always had great significance for me, as it represents the end of human judgment and the advent of divine law. A new beginning naturally follows the completion of a cycle, and it is meaningful that in Latin-derived languages, the words ‘nine and ‘new’ are extremely similar.

A date predominantly dominated by the number nine indicates a time when one can let go and let God; a time of renewal and hope; a moment to put unresolved issues to rest and finally reach closure. As the ninth day of the ninth month of the ninth year, today is the perfect opportunity to release unneeded baggage. And when our hands will finally be free from the weight we carry, maybe it will be easier to reach out to our fellow humans and lay a lasting foundation for new beginnings ahead.