Chronic & sequential appearances of [sfr] numbers

Juno 2021

40 / 28 / 14

4 / 1 [X] / 5

Mercy/The Crown [Kingdom]/Strength

connections: 4-5 19 Serpent / 1-10 [via 6 & 9] 13 Camel

4 ♃ Zeus — 5 ♂ Ares

 1The Crown  —  6 ☉ Sun - 9 ☽ Moon — X ⨁ Terra

Sĕfirōt

Sefirat HaOmer is the 49-day cycle between the holidays of Passover (when the Jewish people find freedom) and the holiday of Shavuot (the day the Torah was received on Mount Sinai). Counting of the Omer סְפִירַת הָעוֹמֶר‎, Sefirat HaOmer, sometimes abbreviated as Sefira or the Omer is an important verbal counting of each of the forty-nine days starting with the Wave Offering of a sheaf of ripe grain with a sacrifice immediately following the commencement (רֵאשִׁית‎, reishit) of the grain harvest, and the First Fruits festival celebrating the end of the grain harvest, known as Feast of Weeks/Shavuot/Pentecost in Mosaic Law (Hebrew Bible: Deuteronomy 16:9–12, Leviticus 23:10–16); or in the varying current Jewish holidays traditions, the period between the Passover or Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Shavuot. This is the second of the three annual Mosaic Law feast periods.

Baruch Zvi Ring-Memorial Table & Omer Calendar

There is deep meaning in every aspect of this ritual. The word Sefirat comes from the Hebrew root SFR which means to count or to tell, and HaOmer means “the sheaf אֲלוּמָה.” There are agricultural and historical reasons for this marking of time, as well as spiritual meanings marking our journey from slavery to freedom: 

Agricultural Cycle

Passover represents the beginning of the harvest season. In the times of the Temple, Jews would bring a measure of the spring barley harvest to the Temple as a form of gratitude and prayer for a successful harvest. 

There was a ceremony conducted by priests, waving the offerings in the 6 directions which acknowledged the role of G-d in the harvest. Once this ceremony was completed, people could enjoy the harvest. Sefirat HaOmer counts 49 the days between the initial harvest of the simple grains, to the more luxurious grain, wheat. 

Spiritual Rhythms of Hebrew Calendar

Sefirat HaOmer starts in the evening of the second night of Passover when we celebrate our freedom from Egypt - the ultimate Jewish liberation story. 

Yet, once we are freed from the bondage of slavery, we are not fully prepared to stand up as free people. 

Rather, we need to undergo a transformative process to spiritually and psychologically prepare and cleanse ourselves. Once we have fully come into our liberated state, we are ready to receive the Torah on Shavuot - true wisdom, the divine word, direct experience of revelation. 

Sefirat HaOmer counts the days between Passover and Shavuot as a marking of time to prepare ourselves for our freedom. 

It is not enough to be free, we must do the hard work of introspection and self-examination to truly know our freedom. 

Sefirat HaOmer mirrors the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Sinai - we left as oppressed people and we became liberated through the time we spent in the desert. 

It is a spiritual spring cleaning inviting us into inner transformation. 

What are the Sefirot?

Sefirot can most simply be described as aspects of divine consciousness as laid out in Jewish wisdom; ten manifestations of divine light. 

Sefirot, like Sefirat, come from the root SFR which means to count or to tell. Sefira describes an aspect of God. The Sefirot are often depicted in a diagram called the Tree of Life: 

Jewish wisdom teaches that we are created in the image of the Divine; the body is a physical manifestation of the Divine image. We can connect to the Divine most directly through our connection and relationship to our bodies. The Sefirot are aspects of Divinity in the world that manifest particularly in our bodies. 

The system of Sefirot that we are referencing now comes from 16th century Lurianic Kabbalah. It is a complex system of relationships and aspects between Sefirot. During this time, Kabbalists dedicate each day of the Omer to an opportunity for deeper spiritual connection, developing a system by which each week and every day of the Omer has a unique relationship between two Sefirot. 

Of the 10 Sefirot, three are called “Upper Sefirot,” described as particularly divine and mostly inaccessible to the human experience. Then there are the seven lower Sefirot, understood as the foundational building blocks of humanity. 

The 3 Upper Sefirot

Keter

Crown, G-dhead, point of G-d-contact, unexpressed, above consciousness, uppermost realm, a gesture towards G-d’s perfection, G-d in G-d’s fullest and undifferentiated form, pure, the infinite, divine abundance.

Chochma

Wisdom, rooted in knowledge and experience, an initial point of beginning, the blueprint of creation, a point, exists but does not exist.

Binah

Understanding, ability to perceive and explain the meaning, the process itself, wisdom producing itself in an environment where it can grow and reside, taking on dimension. 

The 7 Lower Sefirot

Chesed 4

Loving-kindness, grace, compassion, divine flow, abundance, river.

Gevurah 5

Strength, discernment, constraint, boundaries, container, judgement, restraint, containment.

Tiferet 6

Beauty, balance, harmony, order, heart space, splendour, trunk, symmetry, the sun.

Netzach

Endurance, victory physical energy, persistence, dedication, Moses-style of leadership.

Hod

Splendour, the glory of physical forms, radiance, diversity, variety, Aaron’s priestly style of leadership.

Yesod 9

Foundation, basis, groundwork, ultimate access and channel that permits communication and transmitting light.

Malchut / Shechina

Indwelling Presence, sovereignty, Divine royalty, manifestation, liminal, does not produce its own light, receiving upper light and delivering. 

The Ritual Itself: How to Count The Omer

After nightfall, but before dawn while standing, some recite this before:

The Ritual Itself: How to Count The Omer

After nightfall, but before dawn while standing, some recite this before:

“Hineni muchan um’zuman l’kayem mitzvat aseh shel s’firat ha’omer k’mo shekatuv baTorah:  טו  וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם, מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת, מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם, אֶת-עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה:  שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת, תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה.

15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete;

טז  עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁבִיעִת, תִּסְפְּרוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם; וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה, לַיהוָה.

16 even unto the morrow after the seventh week shall ye number fifty days, and ye shall present a new meal-offering unto the LORD.

Behold, I am ready and prepared to fulfil the mitzvah of counting the omer, as it says in the Torah:

‘You shall count from the eve of the second day of Pesach when an omer of grain is to be brought as an offering, seven complete weeks. The day after the seventh week of your counting will make fifty days.’”

— (LEVITICUS 23:15-16)

Then, recite the first blessing:

Baruch atah Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam ahser kidshanu b ‘mitzvotav v’tivanu al sefirat haomer. 

Blessed are You, God, Source of all time and space*, You make us holy through Your commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.

Then, the second blessing:

Hayom (number) yamim l’Omer, she’hem shavuah (number) v’yom (number) l’Omer.

Today is the (number) day, which makes (number) weeks and (number) days of the Omer. 

Some people also: 

Recite Psalms 67:1-8

For the leader; with instrumental music. A psalm. A song. May God be gracious to us and bless us; may He show us a favour, selah that Your way be known on earth, Your deliverance among all nations. Peoples will praise You, O God; all peoples will praise You. Nations will exult and shout for joy, for You rule the peoples with equity, You guide the nations of the earth. Selah. The peoples will praise You, O God; all peoples will praise You. May the earth yield its produce; may God, our God, bless us. May God bless us, and be revered to the ends of the earth.

Chant the names of the pair of the Sefirot 112 times 

(6*18 - 6 for 6 directions and 18 for life = 108, and then 4 times for the 4 letters of YHVH, God’s name) *replaced for each week:

Chesed: Source of Lovingkindness

Gevurah: Source of Power

Tiferet: Source of Beauty

Netzach: Source of Endurance

Hod: Source of Splendor

Yesod: Source of Foundation

Malchut: Source of Royalty

40 / 28 / 14

䷧  ䷛  ䷍

When the hand opens to reveal its unbroken line — 

the host rumbles in the belly.

Hexagram 40 is named 解 (xiè), "Taking-Apart" or "deliverance" & "untangled".

• Its inner trigram is ☵ (坎 kǎn, 29) gorge = (水) water.
• Its outer trigram is ☳ (震 zhèn, 51) shake = (雷) thunder.

䷧ Unicode name: Hexagram for DELIVERANCE

LIBERATION

Other titles: Deliverance, The Symbol of Loosening, Release, Eliminating Obstacles, Taking-apart, Untangled, Solution, Dissolution, Relief, Unloose, Release of Tension

Hexagram 28 is named 大過 (dà guò), "Great Exceeding" or "preponderance of the great", "great surpassing" and "critical mass".

• Its inner trigram is ☴ (巽 xùn, 57) ground = (風) wind.
• Its outer trigram is ☱ (兌 duì, 58) open = (澤) swamp.

䷛ Unicode name: Hexagram for GREAT PREPONDERANCE

CRITICAL MASS

Other titles: Preponderance of the Great, The Symbol of Great Passing, Excess, Great Excess, The Passing of Greatness, Great Surpassing, Great Gains, Experience, Greater than Great, Greatness in Excess, Dominance by the Mighty, The Passing of Greatness, Excess of the Great, Law of Karma

Hexagram 14 is named 大有 (dà yǒu), "Great Possessing".  or "possession in great measure" and "the great possession".

• Its inner (lower) trigram is ☰ (乾 qián, 1) force = (天) heaven
• Its outer (upper) trigram is ☲ (離 lí, 30) radiance = (火) fire.

䷍  Unicode name: Hexagram for GREAT POSSESSION

WEALTH

Other titles: Possession in Great Measure, The Symbol of Great Possession, Sovereignty, Great Having, Great Possessing, The Great Possessor, Great Wealth, Abundance, Having What is Great, "Often means things other than material possessions or achievement. Count your blessings for they are many." -- D.F. Hook

Judgment

Legge: Wealth means great progress and success.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Possession in Great Measure. Supreme success.

Blofeld: He who possesses much -- supreme success!

Liu: Great Possessions. Great Success.

Ritsema/Karcher: Great Possessing, Spring Growing. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of your relation to an overriding concern or central idea. It emphasizes that organizing all your efforts around this idea is the adequate way to handle it...]

Shaughnessy: The Great Possession: Prime receipt.

Cleary (1): In great possession are creation and development.

Cleary (2): Great possession is a great success.

Wu: Great Wealth is primordial and pervasive.

The Image

Legge: Fire over Heaven -- the image of Wealth. The superior man represses evil and nurtures virtue in accordance with the benevolent will of heaven.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Fire in heaven above: the image of Possession in Great Measure. Thus the superior man curbs evil and furthers good, and thereby obeys the benevolent will of heaven.

Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes fire in the heavens. [When the trigram for heaven is above, whatever is below may be separated from it; when it is below, it indicates fusion or intermixture with what is above. The significance here is that the splendour of a very great man lights up the heavens.] The Superior Man suppresses those who are evil and upholds the virtuous. Most gladly he accords with heaven and carries out its commands.

Liu: Fire over heaven symbolizes Great Possessions. The superior man suppresses evil and honours virtue, and thus follows the will of heaven and waits upon destiny.

Ritsema/Karcher: Fire located above heaven. Great Possessing. A 君子Jūnzǐ uses terminating hate to display improvement. A 君子Jūnzǐ uses yielding to heaven to relinquish fate.

Cleary (1): Fire is in the sky; great possession. Thus does the superior person stop evil and promote good, obeying heaven and accepting its order.

Cleary (2): … Leaders obey nature and accept its order by stopping the bad and promoting the good.

Wu: Fire above and heaven below form Great Wealth. Thus 君子Jūnzǐ suppresses the evil and promotes the good; he abides by the will of heaven to enrich his life.

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: Wealth shows the magnetic line in the central ruler's place, and honoured by the dynamic lines above and below. The figure is composed of the trigrams of Strength and Clarity. The central line of Clarity responds to the central line of Strength, eventuating in timely action. This indicates great progress and success.

Legge: Wealth means "great havings," and symbolizes a kingdom, family or individual in a state of prosperity. The danger in such a position arises from the pride it is likely to engender. Here, however, everything is against that: the place of honour is occupied by a magnetic line so that the ruler will be humble, and all the dynamic lines will respond to her with sympathetic allegiance. The ruler's seat is in the central position of the trigram of Clarity, and hence her strength is directed by intelligence, and all her actions are timely, like the seasons of heaven.

Fire above the sky shines far -- symbolizing the vastness of the territory of wealth. To develop virtue and repress evil is in accordance with the will of heaven, which has given to all men a nature fitted for goodness.

Cleary (2): All states of being have this essence inherent in them and are indeed made of this essence, but all states other than that of complete enlightenment are out of harmony with this essence in some way. Buddhahood is when you accord with this essence.

Wu: As the sun shines brightly high in the sky, both the good and the bad will be exposed. The responsibility of 君子Jūnzǐ is to discriminate between them. He acts in accordance with the nature of goodness (the will of heaven) to enrich his life.

NOTES & PARAPHRASES

Judgment: The greatest kind of Wealth accrues from furthering the Work.

The Superior Man manages his forces in accordance with the goals of the Work.

Wealth is the inverse of the preceding figure, Union of Forces. If the thirteenth hexagram depicts a process of uniting, the fourteenth might be seen as the completion of that process. To have one's inner forces correctly united is indeed Possession in Great Measure, which is the title that Wilhelm gives to this figure.

It is emphasized in the Image that this Wealth must be administered in accordance with the "benevolent will of heaven,” which is to say: the principles of the Work must always guide one's choices if one is not to lose equilibrium and become pauperized by illusion.

The superior man considers a rich possession of moral principles to be honour, and peace in his person to be wealth.

君子以厚德為尊，以平和為富。

週吞一 Zhōu tūn yī

The changing lines between hexagram 28 and hexagram 14

Changing line #1

"Strengthening the Foundation" — The wise person takes the time to lay a firm base on the ground before they act. This requires sincerity & good intentions. By being humble I will proceed well.

Changing line #5

"Dissolving Hierarchies" — This line is a reminder to embrace all ranks, levels & conditions.

Find equality in those that may seem lower than me. By being humble I will find a joyous connection.

Changing line #6

"Trudging through Water" — With fearlessness & persistence, I will pass whatever test lies ahead. Though it may feel like I am drowning,  I keep myself afloat with pure trust.