11-11-11: The Beginning of the End?

The day is finally upon us. This is the date that many believe will be the catalyst for a major shift in Earth consciousness, a day that marks the beginning of the end, the final segment of time between now and December 21, 2012 – a date many consider to signal the end of the world. Many have been counting down the days and hours with great anticipation, but does extraordinary phenomenon really occur simply because a date has all of the same numbers in sequence, like 10-10-10 or 11-11-11? Or is it just that some mystical property of the number eleven itself gives this particular day a rare significance?

As the sixth prime number, eleven does indeed hold some interesting peculiarities in mathematics. For example, multiply the number eleven by itself  and the answer creates a palindrome (a word, phrase, or sentence that reads the same backward or forward – or in this case, a number):

     11 x 11 = 121
     111 x 111 = 12321
     111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
     111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

If you consider the cycles we as human beings live through, rising from the depths of Dark Ages to the peaks of Golden Ages and back again, it makes sense to think of 11-11-11 as a pivotal point in which we begin our ascent from the abyss of war and corruption to another dawn of love and enlightenment. Like the midpoint of the third palindrome in the above examples, this day marks the turning point of our trek through time. The significance of these sequences of like numbers then becomes a metaphor for the patterns of that journey, patterns of time that are continually repeated.

Whether or not this date is the beginning of the countdown to the end of days remains to be seen. In some ways, I hope that the day passes as any other day without consequence. However, while I expect that there will undoubtedly be some cult groups that resort to extreme displays of faith and devotion, possibly opting to exit this world on their own terms rather than awaiting a dreaded apocalypse, I fear that such measures will be taken irrationally and unnecessarily as chaos and panic ensues. It’s sadly reminiscent of the mass suicides that occurred before the end of the last millennium. Instead, I choose to remain hopeful that the momentum of awareness about attaining enlightenment will reach enough people that nations will lovingly turn their attention to creating a beautiful way of life for future generations to enjoy on a planet that will eventually recover from our abuse and neglect.

It is true that we are not physical beings in search of spirituality, but that we are spiritual beings who have chosen to live in a physical existence. We should not be searching for enlightenment; we should be remembering it. We all have it without ourselves to lead an enlightened life, transcending our desires, rising above greed, surpassing a need to conquer and dominate. We have lived in a progressive, free-thinking, and tolerant world before in our distant past, during the last Golden Age and all the Golden Ages before that. Certainly, we can do it again.

Deepak Chopra said, “We are part of nature. We are not outside of nature. So if the collective mind is turbulent, nature is turbulent. We tend to separate ourselves from nature, but we’re not.” If this statement holds true for collective negativity, fueling the strength and abundance of natural disasters, etc., then it also holds true for collective optimism – positive energy shared worldwide, bringing prosperity and health to the Earth and all of its inhabitants.

For the last few months, I have been encouraging meditation in groups as a means of tapping into the healing energy of global consciousness that promotes worldwide peace. I have also been sharing video clips with stirring messages for the coming era. By far one of the most inspirational is 2012: A Message of Hope. If you have not yet viewed this thought-provoking 25-minute video, I urge you to do so now. Then be moved to act upon it. Share it with others. Live an enlightened life.

We can’t allow mass hysteria to dictate our fears. The alleged apocalypse may not happen on the date that the infamous Mayan calendar ends. Think of that day as a turning point – the day we end life as we know it and move into a more forgiving society. Use November 11, 2011, as the day you vow to transform your world with kindness and strive to bring about change. Start by changing yourself. Change how you think. Change how you feel. Those around you will take notice of that change and absorb it, and it will be passed on to others exponentially.