The Significance of 09/09/09 – What Will You Do?

2009 has been hailed as the ‘Year of the Enneagram’, or the year of the nine. According to ancient Sufi typology, there are nine personality types and nine primary roles within each type. To discover them all within oneself is tantamount to a spiritual awakening.

Since 09/09/09 only comes around once a century, we figured it would be fun to take a look at the significance of not just today, but the number nine in general. It turns out, the number nine pops up in the coolest, and most unexpected, places. Below are nine facts and superstitions about the number nine:

1. It takes exactly nine minutes for light from the sun to reach the earth.

2. After traveling to the nine corners of the earth, it took Odysseus nine years to get back to Greece.

3. Nine multiplied by any one-digit number always yields a two-digit result. The sum of those two digits is always nine ((for example, 9 × 9 = 81. 8 + 1 = 9). The exception to this rule is 9 × 1, which results in a one-digit answer: 9.

4. Many superstitious people and psychics believe that if you dream about the number nine, a child will soon be brought into your home.

5. According to the Christian angelic hierarchy, there are nine choirs of angels.

6. In Norse Mythololgy, Odin hung himself on an ash tree for nine days, in order to learn the runes.

7. Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and prayer, is the ninth month of the calendar.

8. A nine-pointed star is used to symbolize the Bahá’í Faith, which symbolizes completeness in the religion.

9. Nine monks are involved in almost every important Buddhist ritual.

The good news about the number nine is that nobody considers it to be unlucky. In fact, most superstitious people think it can bring good fortune…making today one of the luckiest days we’ll ever live to see! Here are nine ways that you can take advantage of it:

1. Read Dante’s Divine Comedy, which details the nine circles of hell. Viewed by many as one of the greatest works of world literature, it’s a surprisingly entertaining read (especially considering it was written in the early 1300s).

2. Throw a party of nines. Invite nine friends over and have everyone bring a drink and a dish to try. Nine different cheeses paired with nine different wines? Sounds like a celebration worthy of 09/09/09!

3. Write down nine goals that you want to accomplish in the next nine months (or nine years, or nine weeks, whatever works for you). It’s been proven that people are more likely to accomplish their goals when they write them down. It’s not a very time consuming process, and you’ve got nothing to lose by giving it a shot!

4. When you’ve finished writing down your nine goals, write down nine places that you want to see before you die. Even if you write down each of the Seven Wonders of the World, there are still two spots left. Where will you go?

5. Donate $9 to your favorite charity. Even though times are tough, almost everyone can spare an extra nine bucks for a good cause. If you’re too strapped for cash to make a monetary donation, consider cleaning out your closet and donating what you no longer wear. The good feeling you’ll have will be well worth the money spent. (Just make sure to check out where the organization ranks on Charity Navigator first!)

6. Email, call or write nine loved ones and tell them that you’re thinking of them. Sometimes when you’re having a bad day, a simple phone call from a friend or family member can turn things around. If each of them follow suit, you’ll have started a good karma phone tree that can touch hundreds of lives!

7. Take a photo of yourself. What will you be doing at 9:09 on 09/09/09? Post it online for everyone to see.

8. Book a vacation! Lots of places are having 09/09/09 travel deals that you can take advantage of. Traditionally, September is a slow month for travel, and resorts, hotels and cruise lines are pulling out all the stops to get as many vacationers to their destinations as possible. Why not take advantage of some of the greatest deals of the year?

9. Catch up on your numerology. If you’ve never been to a psychic, today is the day. Nine is the number of sympathy, love, sacrifice, selflessness and morality, as well as completion and finality. There are a lot of things going on today, numerology-wise, so there’s no time like the present to tap into the mystic possibilities that await you in the future.

Did we miss something? Do you plan on doing something different today? Tell us all about it in the comments section!