A Trivia on the Number Thirteen (13)

But, I Don't Want to Enter a Subtitle...

These notes are from an invocation I did long ago…

Fear of the number 13 is known as Triskaidekaphobia.

There are no bad numbers but 13 has such a reputation because it is a number of power and mystery... its power is partly derived from the fact that it begins the sacred circle 12 again on a higher plain.

The number 13 was purposely vilified by the priests of patriarchal religions because it represented femininity.

13 was revered in prehistoric goddess-worshipping cultures because it corresponded to the number of lunar (menstrual) cycles in a year (13 x 28 = 364 days).

The Druidic solar year consisted of 13 months with one intercalary day - that is, a day that existed outside of the year and was not counted. Several other early calendar systems were similarly designed.

The “Earth Mother of Laussel,” a 27,000-year-old carving near the Lascaux caves in France, depicts a female figure holding a crescent-shaped horn bearing 13 notches.

The number 13 represents both the wholeness, or unity of 1, and the trinity of 3, or mind, body spirt.

I was the 13th juror on a murder trial - can you say reasonable doubt?

The 13th sign of the zodiac is called OPHIUCHUS - The Serpent Holder.

The Mayan's used two calendars: a Vague calendar of 365 days which was used for such things as planting crops and a Sacred calendar of 260 days, divided into 13 months of 20 days, which was used for... sacred things.

(According to Maya cosmogony, the Milky Way Galaxy is made up of thirteen layers.)

George Eastman, the founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, felt that the fluctuations of the calendar cost business and industry tremendous sums of money. He supported the change to a 364-day calendar with 13 months of 28 days each. The 365th day, “Year Day” was to be outside the calendar, and thus would not be part of the week or year. The 13th month, to be inserted between June and July, would have been called “Sol". Eastman would finance the 13-Month calendar's reform campaign throughout his life.

Speaking of calendars - 52 weeks of 7 days equals 364 days in a year so why do we have 365?

Apollo 13 was the origination of the phrase, “Houston, we've got a problem.”

The 13th hexagram of the I Ching is T’ung Jen / Fellowship: It is the nature of fire to flame up to heaven. Clarity is within and strength without—the character of peaceful union. Fellowship must be based on a concern that is universal.

The 13th card in tarot is DEATH which represents transition and change.

The dollar bill is loaded with 13 symbology:
The bald eagle's shield has 13 stripes;
The eagle holds 13 arrows in its right talon and an olive branch in the left;
There are 13 stars above the eagle's head.

A woman's body has 13 orifices (mostly).

The 13th letter of the alphabet is M.

A deck of cards consists of 4 suits with 13 cards each.

The weight of the human soul is 13 ounces.

I was married on Friday the 13th.

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This post is admittedly filler because I have not finished writing the thing I was planning on sending this week. Before I could finish, I deleted it because it was dumb. You’re welcome.

I promised links, though, so here’s one:

I’m on a podcast! It’s called Silenced by Stigma. The first episode is an interview with me. Michael and I hit off so well that he asked me to interview him so I am also on one of the Bonus Episiodes. I will be in yet another episode in the upcoming second season. Curiously, three of the men interviewed mentioned acting and theatre as being integral to their story so we all got together and had a chat about that. There are some very interesting parallels between being an actor and living with a secret.

Look, I know it’s not a fun subject, but Michael is a great interviewer and it’s an important topic. I hope you’ll give it a listen. You may be surprised to find the interviews with the male survivors include a lot of humor and laughing. One of the most important things I hope this podcast achieves is to show other men who may be holding a dark secret that coming out as a survivor is not just important for healing, but also liberating. I wish I had met the now me when I was younger!

Seriously, Silenced by Stigma is not just informative. You’ll meet some really great men.