by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Since the day I was born, eight has ruled my world. How would I know if I was just a baby? Well, I was born on the 8th day of my birth month, for starters. Perhaps that’s where it began and perhaps it actually began much before then. Every time I turn around, the number 8 is popping up in some way.

One of the most important representations of 8 in my life involves my children. All of my girls have an 8 in their birth dates as well. This is significant, considering that none of my children were delivered “on time” and yet the girls all ended up with the 8s. One of my best friends (San over at Informed Sharing) also happens to be connected to the number 8, which doesn’t surprise me.

I’m a studier of many things, a believer in few where religions are concerned, and a seeker of truth above all. I don’t belong to any religion and often say love is my religion. However, I do like to study many of them. One of my favorite Goddesses to study is Durga, who has 108 names and is often depicted as having anywhere from 8 – 18 arms. She’s known as real, a protector, victorious, invincible, powerful, intelligent, gorgeous, mother of all, fierce, and many other things I can relate to.

The number 8 also holds strong meaning within the law of Karma, which is another study interest of mine. In numerology, the number 8 represents strength in business and finance. However, it also represents balance, wisdom, organization, leadership, efficiency, and practicality. This number is an equalizer, which makes a great deal of sense as it pertains to me. I am very strongly involved in advocating for equality.

Egyptian mythology is another interest area of mine. Ancient Egyptians considered the number 8 to represent balance and cosmic order. I’m not sure if I contain the power to balance the entire universe. Perhaps, in some way, we all do. But I am often a middleman in many situations. For Yogis, the lotus flower has 8 petals and the center of the lotus represents the axis of the Earth.

I have literally spent days on end looking up symbolism behind the number 8. Some of it I relate to and some I don’t, as many are representative of religions I don’t subscribe to. However, it is certainly interesting to research and see what does relate to me.

The main point is that 8 surrounds me and rules my world. What number, if any, rules your world?

*I originally published this on Bubblews.com

I’ve always been quite the daredevil, even when I was a small child, so one would think that a story about a rollercoaster wouldn’t be so “different” for me. It’s not the rollercoaster itself which makes this particular childhood memory different than most that you hear.

When I was very young (maybe three or four), I was riding in the car with my parents.  I was in the back seat and they in the front. My mom had talked about a rollercoaster and I pictured it in my head and said “Mommy, that looks like a cool ride! I want to go on it!”

I didn’t understand at the time why my mom seemed a little bewildered when she informed me that it didn’t exist so she’d have to find me another cool one. And my poor dad was the most confused of all.

As I got older, my mom retold the events of that day and I finally understood. She had never actually discussed this ride out loud. She was thinking about it and inventing it in her head at the moment that I told her I wanted to go on it. She never said a word about it out loud. I only thought she did.

*Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi (two of my kids playing)

**I originally published this on Bubblews.com (no longer published there)