1 and 7

 

At first glance, these digits look pretty similar, with the 7 looking like a 1 tipped forward to the right with a longer hook on the top. In fact, both numbers have additional things in common. For example, 1-7 can represent the maturation of the 1’s towards the 7’s flame representing conceptual or spiritual clarity and illumination. Next, this pairing could outline the concepts of attack, offence, initiative and protection. Thirdly, we can see indications of victory, luck and success, particularly with 17. Lastly, the 1-7 or 7-1 combos tie in to themes of self-investigation, self-analysis, research and problem solving.    

For starters, the bigger hook on the 7’s head resembles the “olympic torch” we talked about in Seventh Heaven, and is depicted in the sketch I made there. So, the progression of the firestarter’s initial spark to the large flame of the 7 to me is symbolic of illumination and clarity. At the most mundane level, this can mean the illumination of an innovative, ground breaking idea or epiphany, and at the highest level, it could symbolize illumination of the spiritual kind, since light and lamp, wick or candle flames are commonly associated with spirituality in many different traditions of the world. In this way then, we could say number 17 is like a visual comic strip of the egotistic 1 finally “coming alight” or getting “lit up” into the self-realized 7 in this sense, as the small “fire starter” spark or flame, represented by the 1’s small, downward trailing hook at the top, is replaced by the large and enhanced trailing flame of the 7, represented by its prominent horizontal line at the top. Essentially, the fire-starting 1 is the like the match or lighter which “ignites” the active spiritual flame of the 7, with the 1’s drive is conjoined with the 7’s mysticism. So, this combination, with the 1 preceding the 7, may be nudging us onward to such an introspective path of spiritual self-discovery, or  the discovery of the gem of a revolutionary idea or grand insight, which is gained only after entering the cave or mine of quiet self introspection, contemplation or meditation. The mad scientist only truly becomes “mad” after entering the requisite period of isolated contemplation and analysis to come through with that special mad idea (just so there’s no mistake, what I’m not talking about here is said scientist being institutionalized).

Then, although the 1 can already be considered a number of offence, since it likes to start things, I see the addition of the 7 as an enhancement of these qualities of offence and attack; why?, simply because as discussed the 7’s hook is larger and angled forward, resembling a spear, sword or even roughly a MAC-10 or Uzi with a long handle. In any case, this can mean chasing goals or solving problems proactively. Additionally, we could see it as form of protection since the 7 can act as a bodyguard, weapon or firearm attacking anyone coming near the 1, which can likewise then also be a visual metaphor for spiritual protection. 

Thirdly, I personally associate 1-7 , and particularly 17, with the idea of victory, luck and success as difficult, long-standing situations seemed to finally break through towards a resolution when this number was involved. Many times in life, impossible problems seemed to work themselves out for me on the 17th of a month or somehow the number 17 was involved when this happened, and this has nothing to do with superstition (which I don’t believe in; can’t tell you how many times black cats crossing me led to some excellent times in life) but just a simple fact of what I’ve seen happen right in front of me. To extrapolate, 17 can be seen as a flag flying forwards, with the 1 repping the pole with flag attached, and the 7 being the obvious triangular end flapping in the wind; and, this aptly supports the idea of victory. Perhaps then this number could indicate the same in your life; but, since I came to this idea through personal experience instead of some sudden revelation, I suggest this is for you to figure out for yourself, and it’s precisely this need for self-research and personal testing of an idea’s validity which flows into the next section.  

Fourthly, I think of the themes of triangulation as well as the convergence of three different things together. Specifically, the 1 followed by the 7 in that order, as in 17, depicts a triangle. So triangulation is, among other things, a research technique which increases the validity of research results by using a variety of different methods, data and investigators. This suggests a process of or a need to investigate something further for ourselves, an example of which is the end of the last paragraph. But enough of all this harping on triangulation and the number 17; let’s look at the opposite: the 7 followed by the 1 as in 71. Now, you easily see here the form of a mouse cursor arrow pointing up and to the right, and it’s basically three lines flowing towards a common point at the top right like a flowing comet with its tail, or like an arrow pointing us in the right direction. In practical terms, we need to combine three or more different things, entities, ideas, views, processes or people together to uncover the truth/solution to a problem. In either case, whether 7 follows the 1 or vice versa, there seems to be a common theme of having to search for and investigate things and eliminate the false as false in order to arrive at the truth or solution to something. In this way, this number pairing can be indicative of scientific and detective methods of investigation, which again are aspects seen in the 7 going solo well. But, let me briefly return to this whole 71-as-lambda issue again. Since the lower case lambda represents the concept of wavelength in physics, it follows that this particular order and combination of 71 may represent the concept of periodic, predictable motion as a tool for understanding the physical universe at large, so that 71 encapsulates and predicts in our lives the processes of investigation and research to understand the world around us, and not in purely a physics-mathematics-engineering based way, but also just applied to anything relevant in our daily lives that we need to investigate and research; for example, a new company that you’re joining for the first time. Again this nicely agrees with the research-based, studious and knowledge hungry nature of the 7. Lastly, we could also say that the periodic, predictable motion described by lambda could simply be a pointer for us to study carefully the concept of cycles in our lives, much like The Elusive Zero, and that maybe there’s some behaviour, habit, way of thinking or acting that we are doing repetitively in endless cycles, spinning ourselves into a rut instead of rising above them like an ascending spiral. In relation to this then, it could outline the idea of return: that something is on its way back to us, whether that be a person, the results of our good and back actions, or a way of living and thinking that we either miss or regret from the past.