Seven Truly Is A Remarkable Number

 Seven, I think you'll agree, truly is a remarkable number. I certainly think so, and so do many people and cultures around the world. My brand, Lucky 7 Prayer Beads, is no accident, although my coming upon it was, happily so. But why so many references to the number 7 across time and cultural boundaries? I will use this opportunity to share a series of blog posts on the power of the number 7 and its reference, and reverence, past and present.

 As a start, let's explore a well known theme...

Seven Wonders of the World: Why Seven Has Become Synonymous with Excellence

The number seven has long held a mystical and symbolic place in human culture. From ancient traditions to modern beliefs, seven is often associated with completeness, perfection, good fortune, and divinity. One of the most famous examples of this association is the "Seven Wonders of the World," a list of extraordinary human-made and natural structures that have captured the imagination of people for centuries. But why has the number seven become synonymous with excellence? To understand this connection, we need to explore the origins of the Seven Wonders, the significance of seven in cultural and spiritual contexts, and how these two elements combine to elevate the concept of wonder to an iconic status.

The Origins of the Seven Wonders

The term "Seven Wonders of the World" originally referred to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, a list compiled by ancient Greek travelers and scholars. This list celebrated the most impressive structures of the known world during the Hellenistic period, around the 2nd century BCE. These wonders, which included the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, were all architectural and artistic feats that embodied human achievement, skill, and creativity. Only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains intact today, but the legacy of these ancient wonders continues to captivate us.

In more recent times, there have been attempts to create new lists of "Seven Wonders," including the New Seven Wonders of the World, announced in 2007 after a global poll organized by the New7WondersFoundation. This list includes modern marvels like the Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, and Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. Despite the variations in these lists, the number seven continues to be the constant, suggesting that the symbolic power of seven resonates across centuries and cultures.

The Symbolism of Seven

The prominence of seven as a symbol of excellence and perfection is not limited to the Seven Wonders. The number appears across various cultural, religious, and natural contexts, contributing to its esteemed status. In many ancient cultures, seven was considered a sacred number that represented balance and harmony. For example, in Christianity, the creation story in the Book of Genesis is completed in seven days, symbolizing the perfection of God's work. The number seven also appears in the Bible in references like the Seven Seals, Seven Virtues, and Seven Sacraments.

In addition to its religious significance, seven has been a recurring theme in ancient mythologies. For instance, in Greek mythology, the Seven Against Thebes is a famous tragedy that centers around seven champions. Similarly, the ancient Egyptians believed in seven sacred oils and the seven steps of the afterlife. This repeated appearance of seven in human history underlines its association with completeness, wisdom, and celestial order.

Why Seven Represents Excellence

The number seven’s connection to excellence can be traced to its symbolism as a perfect and complete unit. In numerology, seven is often described as a number that embodies both spiritual and intellectual power. Its association with perfection is partly due to its frequent occurrence across the world. There are seven days in a week, seven continents, seven colors in the rainbow, and seven notes in the musical scale. These natural phenomena not only reinforce the idea of seven as an essential and complete unit but also help explain why the ancient world viewed it as a powerful, even seemingly divine number.

When applied to the Seven Wonders, seven signifies the ultimate in human achievement. These wonders were all monumental in their construction and purpose, showcasing the pinnacle of art, mathematics, engineering, and creativity. To place these extraordinary creations under the banner of "seven" is to elevate them beyond mere buildings or landmarks—they become symbols of human excellence, ingenuity, and ambition.

The Enduring Legacy of the Seven Wonders

Today, the Seven Wonders of the World, both ancient and modern, continue to inspire awe and admiration. They represent the human desire to create something lasting, beautiful, and meaningful. The number seven, in this context, acts as a marker of extraordinary achievement—whether in the form of ancient temples, towering statues, or intricate architectural masterpieces.

In essence, seven is a number that captures the imagination and elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary. It symbolizes the highest ideals of human potential and creativity. The Seven Wonders of the World, whether ancient or modern, serve as a reminder of our capacity to dream big, push boundaries, and achieve greatness. It is this enduring legacy of excellence, perfectly encapsulated by the number seven, that continues to make the Seven Wonders a lasting symbol of what humanity can accomplish.

The next time you look at the Great Wall of China or the Colosseum, remember that these wonders are more than just physical structures—they are the embodiment of a long-held belief that the number seven represents the very best of what the world has to offer.

Santa Muerte: A New-Age Rosary

Santísima Muerte

Santísima Muerte is enjoying one of the fastest growing spiritual movements today. At one time, the only books available about her were in Spanish. Now, books in English are popping up, even from mainstream book sellers like Weiser and Llewellyn Publications.

My name is Ignacio Ceja. I was introduced to Santísima Muerte (her name, I was told, during that introduction) while on a business trip in San Antonio in 2006. She held a special place on my altar, but I didn’t start to work with her in earnest until 2014, when a friend came to me in dire need. I took my friend’s petition to Santa Muerte, and told the divine Lady that if she came through, that she could ride on my left shoulder forever in the form of a tattoo. Three months later, I was in the tattoo studio, and Santa Muerte and I became inseparable.

A New-Age Rosary?

This rosary to Santísima Muerte will come as a shock to some, and as a refreshing change to others. I didn’t write this rosary to change the world, or to change the way La Madrina is worshipped. I wrote it because although I have studied the Catholic rosary, and I respect it, I cannot use it. It feels foreign to me. Even though I was christened Catholic after I was born, that connection is not enough to make it feel comfortable. So, I needed another way to approach La Hermana Blanca, and to work with her. I have used this rosary successfully in my own worship. And so, knowing that I can’t be the only one who feels this way, I have decided to make it available to the public.

What You Will Find

This rosary was designed to reflect my connection to the Universe as a Pantheist who is also a Santa Muertero. The Rosary is a beautiful practice that affirms faith and devotion, and connects us to the Divine. If you have tried to connect with Santa Muerte using the Catholic rosary, but were left feeling disconnected, this rosary will open a new door for you. Click here to find out.

Meme Time

Meme Time

Making gratitude a way of life can be a rewarding experience.

Meme Time

Meme Time

It's meme time! I love quotes by Dr. Seuss, and this one speaks to me today:

You make today better than yesterday by becoming better than you were yesterday. Click here to find more inspiration and personal & professional development for today.

Words of Wisdom

Carry words of wisdom with you, to lift you up throughout your day.

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Finding Peace

Finding peace is a journey. It’s easy to be a cynic. It’s easy to be negative. The worthwhile things take work. It takes effort to wake up with a smile. It takes effort to rise with gratitude. It takes effort to greet the day with a positive attitude. It takes effort to see everyone you meet, not just the people you know but everyone, as a child of the universe and a vessel of the creative spirit. It takes effort to forgive yourself and others.

People ask me how I became so calm and peaceful. It is the result of a number of small steps over a long period of time. The first step was to wake up with a smile. I can hear someone saying, “That’s easy for you to do.” You might think so, but when I began this practice, waking up was to the sound of revile onboard Naval Training Center, Great Lakes. It’s a practice that I’ve kept up for twenty-six years.

The next thing was a realization that the attitude I carried with me into the day determined what I would experience throughout the day. This is common knowledge now, but it was something I stumbled on twenty-five years ago by accident. When I was in a bad mood in the morning, the entire day would be filled with frustration and disappointment. When I shifted into a good mood, events and situations would lift.

Another thing that has made me peaceful was the realization that I don’t have to force my way through life. People are always in a rush to get to one place or another, cutting each other off in traffic, cutting in lines, pushing, biting, etc. Sounds like I live in a rough neighborhood, huh? But I see it on the roads all the time. And I used to be the same way. But then I realized that if I pictured myself doing what I wanted to do, I could do it. If I was driving in the center lane, and there was a lot of traffic, but I had to make a turn, instead of being frustrated and trying to force my way over, I could instead see myself making that turn just where I wanted to turn, and a space to merge would open up. If it didn’t happen just where I wanted it to, then it would be the next turn, and I could simply navigate another way to my destination. In doing this, I leaned not to let circumstances dictate my mood. Whenever I’m in a hurry, but I hit a red traffic light, it becomes a see or be seen moment. I take an opportunity to look around and see something special. If nothing in particular catches my eye, then I am there to be seen by someone else. If I’m in a long line, I take the same attitude, see/be seen. And I almost always see something special, or talk to someone who I wouldn’t have gotten to meet otherwise.

One of the biggest realizations that helped me was that I could treat my personal energy as a precious resource. This means that if something happens that might make me angry, I don’t have to jump into that reaction. I can take a moment and ask if this is a good use of my energy. Now sometimes I will lose my cool. It’s not often, and in retrospect I can always think of a better way that I could have handled the situation. The person who I chose to be angry at is never changed by my anger. After I cool off, he is still the same person, so who did I help? There’s always a better use for my energy. Letting it get away from me in a destructive manner only hurts me.

This isn’t everything, but I’d say these are the four biggest things that have gotten me where I am. I’m not sharing this as a practice for anyone else, but just to say this is what has worked for me. I hope you find a set of practices that helps you in your journey to finding peace.

Blessing

Blessing

I have been working with The Crystal Grid Oracle Cards by Ashley Leavy. It’s a beautiful set of cards that depicts a word and a set of crystals and stones arranged on a mandala-like grid. The card lists the stones and crystals arranged in the arrangement. It’s a nice deck to use when asking for a positive quality for contemplation or meditation. It can even be used by those who are working with synchronicity. By pulling a card in the morning, they then actively go about manifesting the quality of the card in the world around them. Today’s card is “Blessing.”

I consider a blessing to be a gift that I have received or have given myself, that benefits me or someone close to me, which if you think about it, also benefits me. I am happy and blessed when someone else is blessed. A blessing may not only be physical. It can be spiritual or emotional. But we most often think of the physical blessings of our lives.

I feel blessed to have a home and an income. I am happy to have the comfort of a cool home in the summer and a warm home in the winter. I am grateful for these things. One cannot usually contemplate a blessing without also feeling gratitude. We are taught to count our blessings at the Thanksgiving holiday. Blessing and gratitude are good friends, sharing a deep connection. Of course, there are challenges to this blessing/gratitude connection.

A difficult experience always has a blessing tied up in it. Napoleon Hill called this “the seed of an equivalent benefit.” This is usually overlooked, because these experiences also tend to have a heavy dose of sadness, fear, and miseries of various sorts attached to them. An illness or a death, a job loss, a bad decision that includes legal intervention, these and others are experiences that break us somewhat; but in each there is a blessing. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the bad feelings and thoughts that accompany such experience and forget to search for the blessing, however small, which is also present. Some might even think it silly, evil, or even sacrilegious to search for such a blessing. But not searching for it is a shame, because in those moments, we can forget that God/Goddess/Spirit/Universe loves us.

The tarot card that represents these negative experiences is The Tower. I think The Tower card should depict something of value, a diamond or a rose, within the fractured walls of the crumbling structure to represent the seed of equivalent benefit hidden within.

Crystals and stones associated with blessings vary. The stones of spiritual blessing include amethyst, chevron amethyst, and rose quartz. But just as a stranger is a friend without an introduction, all things can be a blessing in their own circumstance.

Essential oils associated with blessings include lavender, holy basil, frankincense, and myrrh. You can use essential oils in aromatherapy to spread their fragrance and essence throughout a room, or you can use a properly prepared mixture as a personal fragrance. Don’t use essential oils if you are allergic to them, and be sure to consult a professional before applying an essential oil directly to the skin.

I am carrying the Blessing card with me today, and contemplating the blessings in my life, including family and friends, and all of you wonderful people reading this now. May you also be blessed.