[copyright 2000 by Richard
Andrew King - All Rights Reserved]
THE NUMBER FIVE
5
14 23 32 41 50 59 68 77 86 95
Numbers rule the universe.
Everything is arranged according to number and mathematical shape.
Pythagoras
- Greek Philosopher & Mathematician- 580 B.C to 520 B. C.
Five moves and changes. It is unconventional, non-conforming,
adventurous, curious, energetic, experimental, enthusiastic, exuberant,
dashing, possibly indulgent and excessive. Five, rather than be
protected from the wind like its direct opposite, the four, seeks to
play in it, for the wind offers an individual more challenge to explore
and experience. Five is often magnetic and loquacious.
Five loves freedom, action, travel, movement and spontaneity, detests
confinement, and because of its multi-faceted, versatile nature, is
bored easily with one thing. Five must have stimulation and excitement,
and although it lives on the edge of normalcy, it must be ever
cautious, discerning, and disciplined lest it fall into a quagmire of
chains, confusion, and slavery.
Five rules the five senses in the material world and the five melodies
in the spiritual cosmos. In its material consciousness, Five is fond of
sensual pleasures and can get lost in carnal appetites to such an
extent that it may, if not controlled, violate basic principles and
laws of morality, ethics, commitment, and relationship. Five governs
crowds, people in mass, and is considered the 'Number of Man' because
Five is held in common among humans more than any other number: five
fingers on one hand, five toes on one foot, thirty-two teeth (a '5' in
reduction), lives in a 365 day cycle (a reduced '5'), is chained by
five senses--sight, sound, taste, touch and smell--and challenged by
the five hindrances: pride, anger, greed, attachment, lust and is
exalted by their opposing virtues: humility, patience, contentment,
detachment and chastity.
Five is freedom, but freedom is often mistaken as license--the ability
to act without consequence (an impossibility). True freedom is rooted
in extreme discipline, control and restraint and is the direct result
of strict adherence to rules, not their absence. How free, for example,
is the music of the concert pianist as it flows effortlessly and
exquisitely from the ivory keys? Yet, such freedom was exacted at a
great price, the price of long, devoted, persistent hours of dedicated
practice and unrelenting discipline. As the famous pianist Horowitz
said: "If I miss three days of practice, my audience knows it. If I
miss two days of practice, my critics know it, and if I miss one day of
practice, I know it!"
Frankly, true freedom is not action without consequence. Freedom is
action taken in consideration of consequence. Pythagoras said, "No man
is free who cannot control himself." No truer words were ever spoken.
Yet, man often acts blindly, ignorantly, and recklessly, thinking that
freedom means he can do anything he pleases irrespective of spiritual
law. Little does the average man know he's living on divine credit and
will, at death, be held accountable for his spending in life. It is
only then that the enormous debt he has been compiling will be called
due and his impending slavery revealed, slavery which could have been
avoided had he believed in, understood, and lived by the great law of
this world which everyone has heard: "As you sow, you reap." Simple.
Right? The famous American Poet Laureate, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
noted: "Nothing is as it seems." Such is the reality of this reality.
Unfortunately, for the one who refuses to awaken to the spiritual laws
of restraint, discipline, and self-control, it may be too late. For the
one who does awaken to such laws, the harvest will yield release and
liberation from this nether world of pleasure and pain, smiles and
sorrows, life and death, birth and rebirth . . . and rebirth . . . and
rebirth and . . .
One of the unique characteristics of the Five is that it is the
centerpoint or core of the Alpha-Numeric Spectrum, being midway between
the One and the Nine. Thus, Five is the fulcrum of the numeric
spectrum. In effect, all numbers revolve around it, which is why,
as humans, we have Five in common more than any other number. Thus, it
is the 'Number of Man.'
The Number 5: Fulcrum of the Alpha-Numeric Spectrum
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Because of its unique position as the center cipher, the Five can move
with equal ease from one end of the Alpha-Numeric Spectrum to the
other, thus connecting with all numbers with great fluidity. This is
one reason the Five is the vibration of movement and motion. It also
explains its great freedom, range and diversity. Also of interest is
that both four-number sets flanking it (1-2-3-4 and 6-7-8-9) represent
elemental squares, both sets containing fire (1 & 9), earth (4
& 8), water (2 & 6) and air (3 & 7). In effect, this makes
the Five the Fulcrum of the Alpha-Numeric Spectrum as well, i.e., the
balance point. This also explains why the Five must exercise temperance
- it has equal access to the positive and negative aspects of all
numbers. Hence, it can be influenced by all numbers more than any other
number, except perhaps the Nine, which is the Grand Elemental.
The spiritual lesson for the Five: freedom is not license. Spiritual
freedom is achieved through a total detachment from the material world
by strict, devoted and disciplined attachment to God's Word and Law.
Desires, too freely sought and indulged without consideration of
consequence, enslave the individual creating, not liberation, but
incarceration.