Elmer Green tells of his 1941 vision dream shortly after his marriage to Alyce. In the dream he opens a zipper bag and pulls out two gold sweaters, one for each of them, each with the purple colored number 47 sewn into them.
When he asks his Teacher the meaning of 47, he is told that 4 means squaring with 7, the number of Divine Law. To square with Divine Law is to become akarmic, where the personality “no longer generates effects in the world for its own personal reasons” ( From The Ozawkie Book of the Dead, by Elmer Green, p. 233.)
Jan reminds me that Jeanne died at 47. She indeed squared with her karma. Her guidance to this world is pure, reflecting the highest intent of SOUL.
The monk, Tsung Tsai, stares unblinkingly at the sorcerer, Mr. Lei, who in trance rings three bells for three non-stop hours. In the end, Mr. Lei stops, soaked in perspiration, and exits.
“Mr. Lei is finished” states Tsung Tsai. “He tries to chant me. Take my power… I am too strong for him. Simple monk have freedom. Freedom has power.” (From Bones of the Master, George Crane, p. 290.)
Simple monk has mastered detachment from the lower chakras, squaring with karma attached to the material world. Sorcerers are masters of control of the material world. They conjure, control, and delight in their ability to manipulate sentient life and the physical world.
The key to Tsung Tsai’s power is, like the Buddha, to stare unflinching at the delightful and fearful offings of Maya, refusing to gasp, grasp, or attach. In calm emptiness of desire, sorcery has no hook, one is freed to square with karma.
Have love and respect for the sorcerer. The sorcerer sacrifices its soul to challenge the warrior. Only through such challenges will warriors find their way on their path of heart.
The sorcerers in the temple challenged Christ to face his rage. Darth Vader challenged his son, Luke, to move beyond the dark side of the force through reaching the place of no pity: pure non-attachment. In non-attachment there is only allegiance to the truth and right action. In getting to non-attachment, the personal has been fully squared with.
We are living in a time of great sorcery, as spirits from all sides prepare for encounter. As the Gita counsels, all sides are necessary players in this cosmic war, this day, the day of the solstice, the longest day of the year.
The opportunity to square with Divine Law, to stare unflinchingly without gasping, grasping, or attaching is Tsung Tsai’s guidance. 47 is Jeanne’s guidance, who incidentally was born on June 21st.
What could those numbers possibly mean? – Photo by Jan Ketchel
Shortly after his marriage to Alyce in 1941, Elmer Green had a “vision” dream in which he and Alyce were given golden sweaters, each with a maroon number 47 sewn onto it. Elmer came to understand that these numbers foretold that through their relationship they were each challenged to square their individual karmas with Divine Law, to be freed to end their cycles of reincarnation in this life and move on to new adventures in infinity.
The number 4 refers to the work of the ego in this life, which inherits its karma from past lives and works through, releases, or accumulates more karma in this life. Jung identified the number 4 as the 4-sided square of the mandala, the symbol of individuation and wholeness.
7 is the number of infinity, heaven, higher power—ultimate truth and reality. Jung identified the number 7 as the circle within the mandala. Squaring the circle —47— is thus reconciling our karma with Divine Law, which then frees us to move deeper into enlightenment.
Interestingly, Jeanne died at age 47. And, after a very brief return to complete her karma with her reincarnated birth mother, she was able to release herself from the cycles of reincarnation and assume the role of bodhisattva, or teacher, for spiritual seekers of 47 in this world.
When Jan and I read Elmer’s dream, I reflected on the dreams I’d encountered that day containing the numbers 4 and 7. In one dream, there was a state of isolated waiting for between 4 and 7 hours. In another, there was taking charge of an area identified as district 7. When these numbers appear they reflect the work of squaring core karma with Divine Law, that is, facing and resolving our deepest truths.
The next morning, I contemplated the significance of 47 for our greater Planetary Being, planet Earth. I was drawn to the history of Palestine. As I researched, I discovered that it was in 1947 that the United Nations officially partitioned Palestine, clearing the way for the establishment of the State of Israel.
Not having discussed this process with anyone, I was surprised that the first person I spoke to that morning introduced me to the documentary film The Edge of Dreaming, which chronicles the journey of a 47 year old woman who was told in a dream that she would die at the age of 48. I took this synchronicity as an acknowledgment from infinity that my research was on course.
Who would argue that the world’s survival hinges on the resolution of conflict in the Middle East? The assigning of 47 to the Middle East as the place where the Planetary Being, Earth, must square its karma with Divine Law is completely apropos. At that level the stakes are highest.
Of which we are all a part… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
This past week, on his way to victory, Netanyahu clearly stated his position—no two state solution on his watch. I see this remarkable honesty as an advance, regardless of his subsequent backtracking. The perennial failed peace negotiations have no possible outcome in establishment of a Palestinian state. This position has been fully acknowledged.
On the flip side, I had a visitor this week from the Arab world, who shared with me that no globe or map in the Arab world is allowed to have the State of Israel on it. There we have it: the Arabs refuse the State of Israel, the Israelis refuse a State of Palestine. The mist has cleared! We see the truth: total stalemate.
However, this stalemate has resulted in the great amassing of military might by the Israelis and the equally powerful rise of terrorism in militant Islam. The increasing power and threat of these opposing forces holds the world in constant vigilance, with clear and present threats to survival. Where is the resolution?
The greater Planetary Being must resolve this paradox to survive and evolve. As a therapist, my focus has always been on the cells of the Planetary Being, that is, each and every one of us, each individual human being who, like a hologram, contains the same forces within as the overall Planetary Being reflects without. Yes, that Planetary Being reflects all of us; we are all that Planetary Being; we are all the Middle East, the Arabs and Israelis, the militants and terrorists alike.
The 47 within all of us is the squaring with all the parts within the self. No part of the self may be left behind, just as no citizen or people can be left out of the world. Resolution must include all. Extinction was attempted in the Holocaust, which greatly contributed to the karma of now. It must be resolved, and that can only happen if everyone is willing to reveal their true cards, as Netanyahu has recently done.
How do we integrate opposing parts? How do we each deal with the shadow within ourselves? It begins with honestly revealing and facing the truth of the shadow: all cards revealed. But what will advance it from there?
I think the hint comes from infinity and its teachers, who have returned with their guidance throughout the millennia. Their constant reminder is always the same: Love. Only in revealing ourselves in our honest humanness, can we move to loving compassion. As infinity loves and accepts all its parts, all its children, so are we too guided to love even those we feel we must hate.
Are we really ready to 47? – by Jan Ketchel
To be able to love, we must release all karmic grudges and shortcomings; we must merge the 4 and the 7. Every time we, as individual Planetary Beings, love our neighbor and our own shadow as ourselves, we make room for all in loving kindness. Begin with the self; begin a cellular revolution of Planetary change within, that is our charge. Our greater Planetary Being is counting on us to release it from its karma, to move it forward into enlightened life!
If you protest that the opposing forces in the Middle East will never be able to love each other, I counter: Will you ever be able to fully love yourself, the full unadulterated truth of yourself, no parts excluded? The challenge is equally the same for all parts of this Planetary Being that we all are, as we seek to truly square 4 and 7.
Forty-sevening, Chuck
Reference to Dr. Elmer Green’s vision dream comes from his book, The Ozawkie Book of the Dead.
