Why the Number Nine?

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Nine Muses by Royer

 

Ever wonder why certain numbers appear over and over in sacred texts?  For our ancient ancestors, certain numbers...numbers found in nature...were sacred and carried with them mystical powers.

For instance, the number nine, which is the length of time in a novena, (the word novena comes from the Latin word for nine) was believed by the ancients to represent wisdom, leadership, Universal love, creation, and service to name a few.  These beliefs in the sacred number nine come from many cultures.

There are nine muses in Greek and Roman mythology. There are nine forms of devotion and nine treasures in Hinduism. There are the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as the nine levels of Heaven along with the nine choirs of angels. In the Mayan and Aztec cultures, there were nine levels in the underworld. The significance of the number nine as a sacred number can truly be found worldwide.

Therefore, when we come to our ninth day of reflection in the Novena for Love, Light and Peace, we come to, not only an ending, but a beginning. Just as there are nine gestational months in human birth,  our nine days of reflection will, we believe, give birth to the Hope and Strength to nurture the Love, Light and Peace we have created in our Novena.

May our nine days of reflection bring all a deeper awareness of the Love, Light and Peace we need in the world today.

 

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