As I write this on December 11, 2019, there is a gorgeous full moon rising. Experts say it will hit its brilliance peak at 12:12 am EST on 12/12. Now that’s a lot of twelves and my curiosity was piqued.
Wiki says, “The number twelve has carried religious, mythological and magical symbolism, generally representing perfection, entirety, or cosmic order in traditions since antiquity.”
It seems the number 12 shows up a lot, especially in our Western culture and most likely stems from the historical influence of Judeo-Christian traditions.
There are 12 apostles in the New Testament of the Bible and each one represents the 12 tribes of Israel. The ancient Greeks worshiped the 12 gods of Olympus. There are 12 eggs in a dozen, 12 Days of Christmas, 12 inches in a foot, 12 ribs on the average human, 12 months in a year, 12 animal signs in the Chinese Zodiac and exactly 12 people have walked on the surface of the moon. You get the idea.
Mathematicians claim 12 is a sublime number because it has a perfect number of divisors, and the sum of its divisors is also a perfect number. That’s way too complicated for my remedial math brain!
And what about the full moon? Does the moon’s gravitational pull affect anything other than tides? Is there any significance to claims about higher rates of crime, emergency room admissions and surgical mistakes, during a full moon? Even though researchers don’t agree, my medical provider and law enforcement friends sure think there’s a correlation.
At the end of the day, the thing that resonated the most with me is in numerology, the number 12 signifies completion.
So, regardless of what you believe, how superstitious or dismissive of the 12-12 on 12-12 phenomena you are, it’s fun to learn about ancient cultures and their traditions.
I for one, am settling on the completion concept. It’s the end of the year, the end of another decade, and time to be grateful for everything I’ve experienced so far as I look forward to new adventures. Hope you take the opportunity to do the same!
