Eight and Nine

Eight

Eight is the number of regeneration and rebirth. The baptismal font is eight-sided, as the basin in which the young are reborn free of sin. There are eight beatitudes, eight Auspicious Symbols in Buddhism, eight trigrams of the Taoist Ba’gua (and eight immortals who have mastered the Way), and eight divisions in Islam. In several mystical doctrines, personal transformation can be obtained on the eighth day, after seven days of fasting and meditation. Eight is also the number of corners on a cube, and as such as also seen as representing solidity, physical perfection and the scope of reality. The Chinese consider the number to be lucky, because their word for it sounds like the word for ‘prosper’.

The London Eye by Sweenpole

Nine

If seven is the number of mystical connection, nine is the number of magical power. As three times three, it is the ultimate expression of creative power fulfilled, of energy directed and divine will channelled. Its potential is highlighted in the Magic Square, a square divided into three by three cells in which each line, column and diagonal add up to the same number – fifteen in the case of the 3×3 square that uses each digit once.

8          1          6

3          5          7

4          9          2

Many cultures around the world have considered the number nine to be representative of spiritual and divine power. In European myth, it was associated with the Nine Worthies, three sets of three mighty heroes and defenders of truth from pagan, early Christian and later Christian times. In Buddhism, nine is the celestial number of supreme spirituality. In China, it is the most auspicious of all numbers, as it represents the eight directions plus the Hall of the Heavenly Emperor. In Hindu legend, it is number of fire that leads to the square that encloses the universe.