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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.


Keywords for the Number Five

Freedom, slavery, change, shifting, detachment, movement, motion, uncertainty, intemperance, liberation, adventure, exploration, experimentation, the five senses, indulgence, wild, unrestrained, diverse, multi-faceted, flamboyant, dashing, energetic, exuberant, unpredictable, animated, volatile.

For a full list of keywords for the Number 5, see  keywords.



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