Nine

In many religious traditions, the number 9 is a sacred number. It is often associated with perfection and completeness. In mystic traditions it is a magic number, with many of the same connotations. A brief example: The Christian trinity is composed of 3 beings, and is believed to be perfect (3 is also a sacred number, in part because of its relationship to the number 9). However, multiplying 3 by 3 is the perfection of something already conceived as being sacred and holy, therefore it is still more holy, perfect, sacred, important, etc. The number 9 and its derivatives show up several times in the Bible. One instance is in Galatians 5:22 when Paul explains the fruits of the Spirit, he gives 9 characteristics: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." In Acts 3:1 we learn that the hour of prayer at the temple is the 9th hour. In Matthew 27, Luke 23, and Mark 15 we learn that the 9th hour was when Jesus "gave up the ghost" while on the cross. These are just a few examples from Christianity. If you look for it, you will find references to the number 9 in relation to important events/times in just about every religious/mystic tradition around the world, including Pre-Colombian traditions. I like numerology, I love counting versus in poetry and finding meaning in numbers, I see the number 9 and its derivatives in many sacred traditions of my own faith. However, today the number 9 is sacred and holy to me for another reason, it is the 9th anniversary of my marriage to my best friend and wife, Shaunielle. For me there is very little that is more sacred, complete, magic, and perfect than my time with her. I love you Shaunie, happy anniversary.