Amos

In the following essay you will find my interpretation of the numbers as we find them on the clock from 1 to 12. They spell out our journey of life "along the road dust of the sun." In this, there are four metaphysical identities involved that actually are the driving force upon the volition of man. The first two are the male and female identity that belong to the "image of God" identity of man and the second two are the male and female identity that belong to the of the human or ego identity. We can also say that the first two belong to the animal man and the later two belong to that which makes man the rational animal.

The number 1 is God, or you and me created in the image of God. It is just a single line and has a beginning and an end to signify that the infinity of God is contingent upon our finite existence (God needs us to make him known, or, as the Buddhist would have it: "without me God could no longer be"). I should add here that at conception we were male AND female, androgyne as such, with the potential to become either male OR female. One reason that God cannot be proven is that God is masculine and since all masculinity is an illusion also God is an illusion. Mother earth is effeminate and so father God and mother earth are perfect opposites such as are needed to make creation possible (the two stands needed in the rout of creation).

Division takes place at the number 2. Notice how the top half of the number two is a half circle and how the bottom half moves away and turns the other way. This is from Gen.3 were man retaliated and wanted to do it 'his way'. The tree of knowledge (conscious mind) is formed here upon which the ego identity of man is to be built (it is actually the 'brushwood' upon which 'The Spire' (Golding) is built). The tree of life now becomes just the other tree in the garden but remains there nonetheless with both male and female identities left behind. In the bible, they are called the "fiery revolving sword" and the "cherub" that guard the way to the tree of life (Gen.3:24). They function well and are the reason why we cannot consciously penetrate the tree of life, which I suggest, is our subconscious mind or soul. Later in life we may be able to recognise these two identities as Christ and Mary.

So then, as a result of this are we divided in our own mind which is made clear with the two half circles that make up the number 3 (as opposed to 8, for example). This means that we are not complete (full circle) in either of our two minds and because of this division can we not have a free will even if some of us think we do. As a side issue, I think it is quite OK to think that we have a free will and that we might even argue over it. In the end, however, the only freeman is he who has consolidated his own mind through the convergeance of the twain mind (see a poem by Thomas Hardy called "The Convergeance of the Twain)."

Beside the number 3 I draw a stick-tree in which the serpent is facing down (so it can be raised later). The serpent is to deceive man, there as male and female called "woman" and "man". In my interpretation the serpent did not deceive Adam and Eve but deceived woman and man after God had placed 'a-dam' before man and woman. The curiosity of woman was the trigger (here called the serpent) and it was between these two that Adam was created. Notice that Adam was 'created' but was never 'formed' wherefore life in limbo, or life along our limbic system, can never be in touch with reality because it does not have an "existence of being" as man but only a personal-ity or "condition of being." In other words, there is nothing real about our persona, wherefore it can rapture for example.

The first three numbers depict the fall (season). The next three numbers will be winter and both fall and winter will make up the yin period of life (I draw the yin yang in the clock and also place Java Geneva, Dionisius and Apollo, involution evolution and other literary concepts in this clock. For example if "WE" by Zamjatin is ever to make sense this clock will do it.

The number 4 itself contains three lines that are interwoven in each other. Each of the 3 lines stand for a 'lesser god' such as power, wealth and beauty or as found in Gen.2:11-12: "gold, bdellium and lapis lazuli." These three lesser gods will take us through life like a winding river that travels the path of least resistance. We do this in pursuit of happiness while trying to avoid pain according to the "Utilitarian Principle." Note, Gen.2:10-14 spells out the plan of salvation before the fall of man occurred and will be used here for illustration purpose.

Since pleasure cannot be conceived to exist without pain (or only rich people would be happy), the second river also winds through that same land but here is called "Gihon" and the land is called "Cush" because this river brings despair, pain and poverty or whatever else you wish to place opposite to power wealth and beauty. This means that our life while in pursuit of happiness along the road dust of the sun will bring pain and melancholy in equal proportion to the pleasures we have enjoyed ("except in the eyes of an Englishman" Dostoevski would add).

So the 3 lines (1's or lesser gods) of the 4 are interwoven to indicate the complicated life we create in our world of finite riches.

By the number 5 we find that the melancholy we endure is more persistent and our pleasures are becoming increasingly less enjoyable and it seems that the faith we once had in our own ego identity is now inverted, hence the number 5 is the inversion of the number 2. This state of mind was at one time called "involutional melancholia" (see a woodcut by Albrecht Duhrer by that name) and today is often treated with hormone therapy. It is the reason for the 'purple' cloak in the Lazarus parable and in protestant theology it will often make a trophy catch hopefully to be retained in the apocalyptic mansion of a preying evangelist (without ever thinking that it might become a "filthy rag").

We go West to the end of our world, yes, much like Jonah, until finally arrive at the clearing in our jungle of life where we involuntary surrender our pursuit of happiness to give rest to "the monkeys that make noises overhead" (from and ancient Buddhist poem translated by Ezra Pound). In Gen.2:13 this "clearing" is the river that "flows" (as opposed to wind) East of Asshur. Having gained sight of this river the catfight ends between Mary (the Woman) and Eve (the serpent) in our own mind (Gen.3:15). The clearing is the advent period of our life and for Joseph it was time to give an account of himself and return to the state of mind he was at birth (returned the Bethlehem while pregant with dispair (from Finnigans Wake)).

The 6 indicates that we have come full circle in the first half of life and are indeed beyond theology (parody by Frye), but a glimmer of hope remains (full circle with the single curve above), wherefore Mary (the woman from the subconscious mind), was enthroned upon, and therefore in charge of, the donkey which is the body of the animal man once called Joseph now on their journey to Bethlehem. During this journey to Bethlehem Joseph is always depicted as following behind the donkey. Opposite this is their triumphant entry into the New Jerusalem where Joseph is always leading and therefore in charge of his own faculty of reason.

The glimmer of hope is depicted in the Catholic advent wreath with the pink candle among three purple candles. The period of advent ends with rebirth at midnight (6) midwinter (6) and midlife (6) to indicate that this was indeed the darkest day in that person's life. The 666 is the number of "that man" (Rev. 13:18c), and "that man" is the identity that was left behind when we decided to follow our conscious mind at the number 2. It is only because at rebirth we are beyond theology that the 666 speaks on behalf of "that man." Opposite "that man" is "that certain man" (Rev.13:18b) who's number will not be 666.

The end of the catfight in our own mind is shown in Catholic theology with the victory of Mary (see the statue called "Mary of Grace") who holds the serpent trampled underfoot (defeated by Michael who is the right-hand angel of Mary).

This ends the involutionary period of life (yin) and next we enter upon the evolutionary period (yang) that begins with purgatory. Like Joseph we now are both man and human (or heavenly and earthly because -hu is from -humi and means earthly to signify that man without the prefix -hu is other then earthly and perhaps heavenly if you allow me to posit heaven opposite to earth).

We are now on the river that flows from the East or from Eden and must also be sustained by that river (learned IN the reign of God as opposed to about the reign of God; Jn. 5:39-40). This means that religion will have served its purpose and has proved itself to be the 'means to the end' and can be no more to us (no churches needed in heaven or midheaven). This also means that we should not have to study the bible to stay afloat but could even write our own gospel because purgatory is what the gospels are all about.

Mary is the second Eve because it was Eve from the previous generation that gave birth to us the first time. She was therefore incarnate upon us and the original cause for the sin and creation of Adam, as we have seen. Hence the Catholic term "original sin."

Purgatory takes us into spring and purgatory between 7 and 9 is for Catholics only. Purgatory between 7 and 12 can be for both Catholics and protestants which is not to say that all Catholics and all protestants 'go' there. In the bible this idea is expressed with "many are called but few are chosen" and I will spare you the details behind this concept because it is 'soul related', yes as in "predestination" and please understand here that we are in charge of God or adaptation could not be possible (nor could "infallibility" for that matter and if infallibility could not be, all of us(?) fallibles would not be. So therefore, in a nutshell, to deny infallibility is to deny evolution, or conversely, infallibility is synonymous with evolution. In other words, infallibility means "in charge of destiny" (without the conviction of the law and thus without the concept sin . . . hence, no 'marriage' in heaven). Sorry I am rambling but should add here that my concept of sin is more like dukkha in Buddhism.

We had rebirth at 6 and if and only if we were reborn from the Immaculate Conception, and thus if our rebirth was incipient from God (my God from number 1), Epiphany is sure to follow. To keep it real I have to add that 'woman' is the "womb of man" (no physical womb) but the mind of man whereinwhich God is created (yes I called her Mary before who is therefore "the seat of wisdom" etc. as found in the Loretta litany. Since woman is the mind of man, man is without a mind and therefore an illusion, which makes man conceivable (as opposed to clone-able, for example). Next the hormones take over and actually 'form(ed)' Lord God who is now reborn here finally to become "one with" or fully God. Hence the dual nature of "son of man" being both man and human (or God and human as the bible puts it). The dual nature is to be removed while in purgatory because it is wrong to be "a child of God for 40 years" and die nonetheless, as did the children of Israel who wandered in the desert for 40 years and died there nonetheless.

Epiphany takes place between 6 and 7 is the first sign of a happy ending to follow. The crisis moment was on the darkest day of our life and thus if this is going to be a comedy, the Magi better come or else it will become a tragedy and we will spend the rest of our days with the burning desire to renew our mind. "New year" between Christmas and Epiphany speaks for this and if the renewal of our mind did take place we will have pacified the Adam and Eve of our ego consciousness (the neutered ox and the neuter mule in the Catholic nativity scene testify on behalf of this wherefore "it was upon seeing this" that the Magi entered the stable (conscious mind). Note here that the presence of the ox and the mule is equal to the absence of Joseph when the Magi looked in. The gifts they brought were faith hope and charity after we had surrendered power wealth and beauty (metanoia takes place).

The number 7 is made up of two 1's. It means both God and Lord God (Father and Son) or conscious and subconscious mind united but not yet in harmony as in the number 11 where they 'walk side by side (yes, much like Enoch).

In the number 8 we are complete in both minds and we can recall from both the "old and the new," yes, very much unlike the number 3 when we first started and could not recall anything and therefore found science an interesting enterprise. We recall the old from our subconscious mind and the new from our conscious mind and thus it can be said that we now live in "the 1000-year reign."

The number 9 means the opposite of the number 6 because through the process of recollection also our conscience that made our days dark at the number 6 is annihilated (knowledge frees). This means that we have entered upon the seventh day of creation on which 'evening did not follow the day' (by inference) which is therefore Sunday (all American calendars have this backwards as if in their effort to place God first in their life they make Sunday the first day of the week).

At the number 9 we enter the fourth river called the Euphrates (Gen.2:14) which means 'bright mind' and only because of this are we able to "raise the serpent" still held in check by "the woman" that created her. The serpent is needed again and will bring healing and good health in the summer time of our life between 10 and 12. Henceforth the serpent will be charmed by the woman and placed subservient to the man which is just opposite to her role during the involutionary period when she led human (Adam) along the road-dust of the sun while in pursuit of happiness. In the bible it is crucial that the ego be crucified and die lest he becomes the "final impostor" (Mt.27:64) and so remain in purgatory (the Gospels take place in purgatory) and while there act like the second beast of Revelation 13.

The concept eternal life is opposite to temporal life. It has nothing to do with 'duration' or 'length of time' but with the "absence of time." Since time as such is only known in our conscious mind the convergence of our subconscious mind with the conscious mind brings about eternal life . . . but only after we allow 'the woman' to be in charge of our destiny (place reason subservient to intuition).

Paradiso is between 9 and 12 but only for those that followed the footsteps of Jesus as Catholic and thus not as 'Christian': "who do you think I am" . . . and in the end "he [Jesus] strictly ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the messiah." This makes me believe that 'the test' of a follower of Jesus (mystic) is how well he can keep it a secret" (this idea is very much part of Buddhism as well) and thus anybody who would tell you that he/she is a Christian is already telling you that he/she is burning with desire to become one.

The number 10 is man as God because the ego is gone; raptured perhaps because the ego did not have an 'existence of being' and can therefore rapture to leave the one "left behind" in the singular state of mind and therefore in heaven. In the bible the ego is crucified but who cares really how it leaves as long as sanity returns to keep things real in life.

So if the oasis (Nietzsche) is between 10 and 12, the desert was between 7 and 9. The reason why born again Christians will never leave the desert is because the bible passages they read must sustain them much like the passages that were handed down by Moses to the children of Israel. Both are second hand and because of this they remain(ed) children and hence died and will die again as children. Tragic really, and worse yet is that civil law allows such spiritual fornication.

Tomas Pychon wrote about the "Crying of Lot 49." The Geeks would call them cowards and Zamjatin ("WE", as in my "I we four") saw a yellow streak through the desert which he called "Transavenue 49" because it ran between the 4 and the 9. Opposite this, Catholics would say: "Through Mary to Jesus" and if we ever want to come full circle we must go past the 6.

The number 11 is harmony after the Assumption and Coronation of Mary. The Blessed Trinity is now become the Happy Trinity and with the rapture of the ego all doubt had been removed wherefore Thomas exclaimed "my Lord AND my God." From here the 'woman'(intuition) is added to be left in charge of destiny and will complete the cycle until the second death at the number 12. Since the woman is timeless (Perpetual Virgin) the second death will not be part of us as such.

Amos

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