Perfect 10

 

Alas, we arrive at last to the perfect number 10. Indeed, the 10 is representative of an amalgamation of meanings, one of which is certainly the theme of endings, finality and completion. Yet, there is more to the picture here, as it is not merely just a portrait of completions of cycles, but rather, it may even symbolize the theme of perfection in its highest and total degree. Next, as I have hinted at already, the 10 can serve as a model for the idea of circular motion, and not just a simple linear endpoint or end-goal to a process of point A to point B; naturally then, here we would see a physical revolution of 360 degrees where paradoxically, despite our progress, we end up at the exact location as our starting point for the same journey. Of course, the difference here would be that we completed a long arduous journey and garnered much experience, knowledge and skills through it. Lastly, the 10 definitely holds a spiritual quality as, since it contains the digits of the 1 and the 0, it may be presenting to us the process of going from the “something-ness” of the ego in the 1, to utter and complete nothingness of the 0, where the ego has been totally and finally dissolved. 

It should come as no shock that the 10 represents final and complete endings of things. Remember how I mentioned the 4 as amongst the first significators of the final and mature phases of simple processes, and that the following 5 would follow suit with the actual transformation (and therefore endings are implied through such transformation) and that the 5 itself can portray (in a sense) the final and mature phases of catastrophic natural disasters? Well, now we’ve reached the kingpin of significators when it comes to themes of maturity, finality and endings. Here, though the changes are not of the initial and particular variety as visualized in the 4 and the 5, but rather on a deep, profound, all-inclusive, wide-sweeping and total level; in fact, exactly like the 9 as already mentioned; however, there is a key difference here from the 9: with the 10, we finally reach that change with full and thorough success, whereas the 9 embodied the process of that change occurring, but without the expected completion. As an interesting aside, if it wasn’t for ancient Indians conceiving the the concept of the 0, we wouldn’t even have numbers like 0, 10, 20, 30..100..1000 etc., we would just flow on from 1–9, and go straight to 11-19, and then 21 and so on, but with the conception and invention of the 0, we have these complete and final numbers; however, many numerologists still prefer to reduce numbers like 10, or 20 or 300 back to 1, 2 and 3 respectively, by ignoring the 0; however, though it remains an elusive number, 0 is vitally needed for us to put the stamp of conclusions of numerical cycles by including it next to another digit. Really then, in a way, we could talk about the 4 and the 5 together (the 4–5 couple) as an initial entity symbolizing change, and the 9 and the 10 together portraying complete change (the 9-10) on a broader level, but let’s not get overly subjective here. Anyways, wherever you have endings and completion, you’re bound to have reached some degree of maturity and be at least nearer to perfection than before, if not actually perfect, wouldn’t you agree? And this brings us to the next point.

The 10 can be regarded as the principal sign of perfection in a series of the 1st ten numbers. This is because it’s the last and final achievement after the quiet, invisible 0 gave rise to the raucous, unmistakable presence of the 1, which commenced its journey of development onwards through to the 10; of course, through this quest, it experienced step-ups in complexity as it evolved through all the numbers, reaching dead-locked limitations in even numbers, which were then broken through by the successive newly imbalanced odd numbers to serve as an impetus for further growth to reach a higher harmony in the next respective even number. Then, by reaching the 9, that ultimate odd number containing the unified, harmonized and integrated qualities of all the preceding numbers, we were able to allow the mature, but still unfinished 9 to finally conclude its mission in total and unquestioned entirety in the 10. The idea of perfection then is realized here by simple virtue of the fact that the goal has now been conclusively reached and a cycle of activity closed. Additionally, we could also state, much like the 9 integrating the qualities of all its preceding numbers, the 10 does the same, only one step further with the inclusion of the 9, and so it truly does justice to the idea of being whole and complete, as after the 10, there are simply no new numbers left to end off of to complete this cycle of numbers. For example,  the “11” would simply be an off-shoot of a newly commenced higher order cycle leading to conclusion in the upcoming “20.” Now, of course, this subject is subjective (how’s that for word play?) and some people could argue that since there are 12 months, 12 numbers on an analog clock or even 12 zodiac signs, that the 12 is the ultimate number of finality in a cycle of activity; while that is certainly true in these examples and while I am open to the possibility of it being an ultimate ending number in particular situations, on a purely mathematical and numerical basis alone, the 10 should be the logical ending number of the first cycle of numbers according to the last point of the preceding sentence, but I will touch on this topic later on. Anyways, since the 10 is the last, final and most mature number in the first cycle of numbers, it should be considered to be the pinnacle of achievement and therefore, perfection in such a set of numbers. You can then use common sense to figure out that the “20” would be the last and perfect number in the next particular set of numbers of 10-20. In fact, it’s interesting to note that the 10 is like a “higher order zero,” if that makes any sense. Allow me to break it down for you: we began with the 0, and have reached 10 as the “next zero” because the 10 is, in functionality, a zero, just of the next highest order, because again we go from “10-11-12-13-” and so on onto “20,” and so in my mind, all of these numbers are just “graduates” with the first “one” digit depicting a sideways fresh graduate’s academic cap: the 10 is a graduated 0, the 11 a graduated 1, the 12 a graduated 2, and so forth. In fact, we earlier spoke about the 5 as also having this quality of “maxing out,” but the 5’s maxing-out is incomplete as it’s still an odd, unbalanced number; so , the 10 shares this similar maximum quality but with the clear difference being that it is an even number and the last one in the set, so it’s the final maximum number, whereas the the 5 is like an initial maximum number; but, let’s get this train back on track here. 

The 10 represents cycles. This should not come entirely as a surprise because even if we analyze the digits of the 10: the elusive “0” is a component of it, which, as aforementioned, is a symbol of circular motion, and therefore of cycles. But, there’s more to it: the fact that the 10 is achieved after a “relatively” long and arduous process beginning from the 0, this implies that there has been a “relatively” profound passage of time, as how is any worthwhile achievement in life possible without spending a lot of time? So, this large passage of time implies that a cycle of time has been completed, because we measure time in terms of the physical revolutions of electrons around atomic nuclei, and hence, the cyclical movement of the atoms themselves for atomic clocks; then, we measure a day as the revolution of the Earth on its axis, a month as the circle of the moon around the Earth and of course a year as our tour around the Sun; the point being that the 10 is an indicator of a completion of a large cycle of time. But, there’s still yet another explanation of why the 10 is a metaphor for cycles: the fact that in one sense we, perplexingly, arrive at the same point at the end of the cycle as where we started. In fact, to further elaborate on this theme of cycles, it’s interesting to breakdown the digits of the 10: the 1 and the 0. These digits are quite fitting as the 1 shows the starting point, which eventually leads us onwards to the eventual 0 as the completion; but wait, why and how is 0 the completion since we started with the 0? Allow me to explain: though we gather maturity, wisdom and experience throughout life, still we realize that in the grand scheme of the universe, there is still an enormous amount we don’t know about a lot of things, and that the process of learning can, effectively, persist eternally, even though our mortal lives cannot. So this conundrum is very nicely mirrored to us by comparing the 0 (the baby) to the senior/expert/saint (the 10) by the strange phenomenon that the 10, whilst mature, is still just, as aforementioned, nothing but a higher order 0, and therefore just a higher-order baby, as we realize that our journey of life has not been, as we thought, a straight, linear line from point A to point B, but rather in one sense, a cycle ending at the same damn point we began! And so even mathematics and numbers here echo this fact to us that no matter how far along we keep going in achievement and maturity, we will always remain as infants in a sense because the universe is seemingly infinite, and at least mathematically, this is correct, because there is no limit to the maximum number that can be reached by counting; in fact, there is no maximum number!; you can always beat the highest number that you can think of, or that know to exist, by simply adding another digit to it, and this can go on infinitely! So then, from the point of view of infinity, even these “perfect” maximum numbers of “10,” “20,” “100” etc., though perfect in their own right, are handicaps at the same time, because if we remain limited to them, we hinder our growth, which is, even mathematically speaking, a never-ending process, which makes these perfect numbers as conundrums in themselves! It’s kinda like a black belt master or a UFC champion erroneously believing that they reached the ultimate pinnacle of achievement in their respective martial arts for all of humanity, beyond which no further improvement is possible, which, as we know, is a fallacy, as the 5’s wisdom had also imparted upon us the knowledge that evolution and improvement are eternal processes. The problem is that when we’re dealing with infinity, our minds are blown because our limited logic and defined comparisons will not allow our tiny human brains to comprehend the vastness of even the concept of infinity, as that’s how we are taught to relate to the world from a young age: through the simple and limited contrasting of opposites, definition, boundaries, and the relativity of things in comparison to other things. So anyways, in comparison to infinity, any level of achievement, accumulation and maturity we will ever reach will always be minuscule because infinity will always be endlessly larger in magnitude; of course, this doesn’t mean we should consider our growth, achievements and successes as useless because they are still significant and positive points of our development in their own right, and in fact, these things bring us closer to our own infinite centre of existence, which is part of the Universe’s infinite existence, as spiritualists would say, though atheists of course would disagree with this, but to each their own. 

Indeed, the 10 is a strange mystery to solve. This is because though it is an even number reflecting its stabilizing, balancing and smoothing-out influence, which is only further enhanced by the presence of the “0” digit with it’s circular, perpetual and nearly-infinite energy, still we also see the presence of the “1” digit at the same time, and this adds to the number 10 the most unbalanced and principle odd number of all: the 1. This is true because being the “firestarter”, forever being that influence which embodies the beginnings of journeys, adventures and quests, and that implies that there is some goal to be achieved, which further implies that something is yet incomplete, and the greater the incompletion, the greater the desire, drive and energy to reach such a goal, hence the 1 being the furthest from the goal compensates for this by having a surplus of all these qualities to achieve its goals. It’s like holding a metal nail the furthest possible distance where the magnetic field will still act: at this maximal distance, the nail will fly with faster speed to the magnet, or the higher height from which an object is dropped to the ground, the faster it will fall, or again with the pendulum: the further you swing it in one direction, the more swiftly (and with more force and momentum) will it swing in the opposite direction due to the greater potential difference and imbalance in all of these examples. So, with the 1’s presence, the 10 simultaneously embodies the ultimate balanced and complete energy in our first set of numbers from 1-10 of the 10; yet, at the same time, it also contains the unbalanced, hungry and zestful 1’s ultimately odd number energy. Additionally, it contains the “0” digit of sleeping potentiality, cyclical infinity, emptiness, “the void,” and rest. So, the comparison of the 0, the 1 and the 10 in relation to each other is quite paradoxical. Now, though these paradoxes may seem like unsolvable puzzles, in my mind it all makes perfect sense. This is because though the 10 is certainly the final goal-post in our 1-10 set, it is simultaneously our launchpad into the next number set of 10-20, a point I alluded to in the last paragraph. This is why numerologists likely like to break down the 10 into: 1 + 0 to get the sum of the simple 1, but this isn’t incorrect either, as the 10 is both the ending and the beginning, and this is a fact of nature: that every ending to a process is at the same time a beginning of a new one. So that explains the natural flow of the 0 to the 10 as, as previously mentioned, the 10 is a 0, only a graduated, higher order and distinguished 0. It also explains why the 10 is also simultaneously a 1 as well, because the breakdown of 10 to 1 + 0 reinforces the idea of the “end as the beginning” (though to be perfectly accurate, we could say both the 0 and the 1 are the starting numbers, and this is why though I was prejudiced with the 1 as being the fire-starter, I began the blog with the 0 ).      

We could say in a sense that the 10 signifies enlightenment and ultimate spiritual liberation. Firstly, it is the natural culmination and endpoint of the spiritual warrior’s passion, ideology and mission in the preceding 9, which implies that since that spiritual goal has been reached, enlightenment has occurred. Secondly, if we read the 10 like a short story book of digits left-to-right from the 1 to the 10, we can see that it’s almost akin to the Egyptian image-hieroglyphics in that there is a process or story being told; here, the story in my mind is: the undeveloped, inexperienced, raw, unrefined and survival-based ego in the 1 concludes its journey by ablation and abstraction of the ego to reveal the soul/self as a reflection and part of the universe, and therefore, merges with the universal consciousness, portrayed by the 0, a shape which is considered to represent wholeness, perfection and infinity. Remember my reference to the “1” digit of the “10” as being akin to an academic hat? Well here, the academic hat of the 1 undergoes the highest degree of graduation which in this case is spiritual enlightenment, and so the academic hat transforms into the spiritual halo symbolized by the perfect ring of the 0. Of course, to simply write the number 10 is insanely simple, but to actually go through the difficult spiritual journey denoted by it, is not as easy. Yet, I feel obligated to provide a sort of unofficial disclaimer here: we must keep one thing in mind that we cannot always sharply define numbers as “more evolved” vs “less evolved,” because it depends on the situation. For instance, though I have repeatedly portrayed the 1 as being some kind of unrefined, egoistic cave person who doesn’t know any better, and the 10 as a pinnacle of perfection, at the same time, the 1 is also representative of utter, simple unity and one-ness (and these are precisely very spiritual qualities,” while the 10, though it indeed contains the 0, we could also say that its fully developed complexity compared to the 1, is at the same time a spiritual distraction with a lack (the 0) of spirituality if we view this step up in complexity purely from a materialistic, world-focused outlook on life, where all we care about it being the world’s next richest person with zero interest in spirituality, so it depends on how you look at it. 

What can we say then about the recurrent appearance of the 10 in your life? For starters, if the 9 signalled impending endings and conclusions to something in our life, for example, a divorce application in progress, then the 10 here would be the indication that the conclusion or ending to an issue, situation or relationship has already arrived, which would be portrayed by the arrival of the court’s finalized divorce decree, so it’s a done deal at this point. Logically then, when we think of completions of things, a similar idea that can come to mind is that of perfection, so witnessing a 10 here may be telling you something like “Congratulations! Your life at the moment, or at least something in it, has reached a state of perfection! Celebrate!” or “You’ve reached your goal or achievement, or passed your exam with flying colours and a perfect score! Let’s party!” Alternately, if there is something in your life currently stuck in a “9” moment where it’s almost there but won’t proceed past this point like a computer application that installs to 99% and then leaves you hanging, then the 10 here is like a hopeful encouragement to not give up as completion is guaranteed but that some patience may be required.  Thirdly, perhaps something in your life, much akin to the 0, is coming full-circle , and that you’ve reached some milestone of time or achievement only to be reset again with the same innocence a child, but this time with the experiential wisdom of a senior, saint or master to begin a new venture or adventure. Also, as aforementioned, since we measure time by the repetitive physical cyclical movement of things, the appearance of 10 here may be advising you that since a complete cycle of activity or event in your life have occurred, that a significant amount of time has passed for you, so you better get up and live and do the things you want as your life here on Earth is not unlimited. Now, the next significance is kinda hard to explain, but maybe the 10 here is informing us that though there are many strange “2” energy contradictions, anomalies and paradoxes in a situation, that we just need to analyze it more mindfully, carefully, patiently and through unique, unusual perspectives to unearth the hidden connection between such seeming enigmas and anomalies.  Of course, the last importance only applies to those of a more spiritual bend of mind: if you find the 10 stalking you through your phone, harassing you through the alarm clock, or creeping up on you through your microwave timer or the clock then: 1) You’re lucky and 2) It’s possible that you are on your way to achieving a complete revelation of your spiritual nature, or that at least you are 100% on the correct path and will surely reach spiritual enlightenment one day.