... from the intrinsic evidence of his creation, the Great Architect of the
Universe now begins to appear as a pure mathematician.
~ Sir James Jeans
Number crunching, rate calculations and percentiles stealthily followed me from my office desk to my bed. (No, I’m not dating an accountant.) I’m referring to my daily dealings with numbers recently popping up my dreams. Uninvited; how rude!
Not only calculations but even aircraft engine serial numbers were haunting me. One of my better habits is to write down my dreams as soon as I wake up in the morning. This makes for wicked and entertaining reading a week later but there really is not much to say for numbers. It’s mundane, right?
After a couple of days passed with zero entries in my dream journal I decided to remedy the situation by exploring the topic more. The thought of potentially succumbing to number overdose did cross my mind so note to friends: if you don’t hear from me over the next week, do call my dad. Thanks.
Ok but back to numbers. The first number related field that sprung to mind was Numerology.
It did help of course that I was reading Dan Millman’s book “The life you were born to Live” based on his approach to numerology. A polished book providing practical information while daring you to push the envelope a bit i.e. it makes you think and re-think. Have a look at the website for more info. Once you’ve opened the page, scroll down for the birth number calculator.
Dan Millman led to Dan Brown (once again proving the interconnectivity of Life) and before I knew it I was exploring pop culture and The Da Vinci Code concerning the Fibonacci sequence (1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144,...).
The sequence is derived from adding the first two numbers to arrive at the third. If I’ve lost you by now, hold on…we are nearly there.
Let’s look at Nature. In nature it’s easy to spot the numbers in the number of flower petals and the arrangement of seeds in flower heads, think of a sunflower. Pinecones and seashell spirals also follow the sequence.
Speaking of Pinecones. That reminds me of Mario Merz, a member of the “Arte Povera” Italian artistic movement. Mario was so enamored by the geometry of nature and with the Fibonacci sequence he regularly featured the sequence in performance art and installations. The Italians liked him so much that they even allowed him to install neon lights in the Roman forum. Do keep in mind that it takes more than a fair amount of talent to impress the Italians when it comes to art; especially in light of masters the likes of Leonardo de Vinci, Raphael and more recently, Mariani. In the early 90’s Mario used the sequence yet again to determine the shape of a 24-metre spiral in Prato, Florence. He used sticks, paper and iron as materials. I’m digressing though. Back to the pinecone. Shortly before his death he was filmed in Turin by British filmmaker Tacita Dean. For the interview Mario chose to sit under a tree all the while holding a pinecone in his lap. Most fitting.
Suffice to say, since I’m a tad more number savvy after all these explorations of mine my dreams are rich in detail again. I’ll dream of seashell spirals, sunflower heads, pinecones and igloos any day…or night for that matter.
