THE CHEROKEE WAY: MEANINGS OF NUMBERS

 

 1. One is the number of the Sun, Spirit of Creation and RE-Creation. It is the pulsation ray of unity with self and with the universe: Light of the world, rainbow of diversity; magnetic force that brings cosmic vibrations into harmony; chalice of the infinite. Mother of invention, beginnings, awakenings, individual expression, artistic urges. Initiator, opener of The Way

2. Two is the number of the pulsation ray of Dual Polarity, the two opposites that also complement each other. The essence of the universe is to balance these sacred twins: Good and Evil, Night and Day, Master and Slave, Black and White, Yin and Yang--Male and Female. Spirits maintain a perfect balance and are therefore neither male nor female. Cherokee dance to Balance and Earth, you have an invitation to the dance. 

3. Three is a triangle, universal sign of the female principle. It is the heartbeat of the Cosmos, the rippling river of life, the flight of the birds and the bees, the Moon of de-flowering--the geese of the lords and ladies of the land. It tells of creativity, crystals, charms, caprice; all in the name of growth and generation. A nature lover who celebrates the beauty of the Earth and the bounty thereof.  

4. Four is the number of the vines at the four corners of Turtle Island that suspend it from the Sky Vault. This is the most sacred number, which embraces the cycle of the seasons, circles of the sun, phases of the moon: the four elements that are the foundation of all life on Earth. It represents the four-partite world of land and sea and sky and nether regions. A basic fundamental, spiritual, grounded personality, anchored to the sacred mountain. 

5. Five is the number of Venus, stellar spirit of Love and War. This is a very young and feisty feminist, somewhat recently thrust from the arms of Jupiter; she dashed about as a Comet, clashed with Mars, and threatened planet Earth for half a millennium before settling down to the orderly life as a planet; a veritable diamond in the night sky. Here shines a sparkling, bubbling personality--who boils over at friction overload. 

6. Six is the number of the Moon, called sixkiller, the Great Hunter. He is also the King of Hearts, for myth has it that he is the site of all Cherokee babies, and the Man in the Moon is a 'Coon Raccoon, that is--the Love Bandit. He is the Man of many phases; also known as Une' hlanun' hi, The Apportioner, for he measures out the months of the Lunar Calendar. This is an incurable romantic, in pursuit of the rue, the good, and the beautiful. 

7. Seven is the number of the two sets of six steps:up one side of a pyramid and down the other, adding up to twelve;plus the landing in between--a total of thirteen. The top level is the ritual Seventh Heaven, Platform of the Sky. Seven is the sacred balance of the Dual Polarities; Seven times Seven is the most Holy of Holies: Foundation of the Earth Ritual. This is the Potential Keeper of the Eternal Flame of The People, a shamanistic type.  

8. Eight is the number of Earth and it's harmonic resonances. It embraces the female-male duality of the fourfold nature of divinity: the four corners, seasons, elements, winds, primal rivers, and mountains. It is the act of starting over from the beginning, of repeating the octave--the frequency level at which all organic matter vibrates. And crystals of course. This is a partnership person who understands human relationships: like The Seven Clan Plan. 

9. Nine is the number of the World Tree at the end of the Sacred Path, on the edge of the abyss. It is the portal to the magical and mystical land of the ennead wanderers of the nightland: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, and Chiron. Part of the woof and warp of the tapestry of time and tide. Metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. And Individualist who marches to a different drummer; tuned in to parapsychology. 

10. Ten is the number of the flow of manna between Heaven and Earth, the equal sign of "as above, so below" concept that every Star in the Sky has a mirror image here on Earth. Two bars = counts ten-- half of the duality of twenty, which is the base of the Cherokee vigesimal number system. In the beginning was the computer with ten fingers and ten toes.... A person who guides others along the way; who can braid tangled threads into a lifetime.

11. Eleven is the number of the crossroads on the Astral Trail, that Maze of Migration of the Human Soul: from birth through the Return Journey to the Stars. The place to stop and confirm a Guiding Star. The action of peeling off outworn husks and freeing the kernel within. From here on out it is neccessary to move onward and upward like an arrow in flight. Here is a mind like a steel trap: it knows to hold tight-- and to let go; each in it's own time.

12. Twelve is the number of Ulunsu' ti, the Magic Crystal, the six sided stone that is half of the dual polarity of Twelve. It amplifies electrical current-- and prayers and wishes, and sensitivity; it heals by bringing the body's natural vibrations into sync; it starts a fire by concentrating the rays of the Sun, or energizing the heart and mind. One who spiritually turns on the light, turns up the heat, and starts the motor running. 

13. Thirteen is the number of the Universe: all there is, was, or ever shall be. There is an umbilical cord that stretches from the North Star to the Navel of the Earth, the union of Father Sky and Mother Earth. The Quadrinity of Spirit, Nature, Fellow Man, and Self comes around full circle to The Place of The Beginning-- 

World without End! 

 eeyah'! 

This is: 

THE SUN PRIESTESS. 

THE BELOVED WOMAN. 

THE VOICE OF THE GREAT SPIRIT.  

Wado. U'we'hno