the number 108 in my life
Have you ever seen or been aware of the number 108? If so, is it just a random occurrence? A mere coincidence? A one-off curiosity? What if it keeps happening, again and again, over and over, in an inexplicable pattern of synchronous repetition? Then what?
We’ve all experienced the phenomenon of “synchronous repetition” — when a certain word you just learned or a number that previously held no special significance begins to show itself with uncanny regularity, showing up everywhere you look. Think 11:11 on the clock. Or take a preposterous word like absquatulate. You see it one time, become aware of it, and suddenly 11:11 and absquatulate start popping up every which way you turn. Mostly, though, such experiences of synchronous repetition are temporary and random, and are probably “mere” coincidences.
Psychologists attribute our affinity to synchronous repetition and the tendency to see patterns and causal connections where none exist as a result of how our brains operate and are structured to perceive reality. Humans evidently have a predisposed need to create order out of chaos, and subconsciously — or consciously —we find ourselves employing such subterfuge as post-hoc and motivated reasoning, heightened expectations and awareness, and four kinds of biases: cognitive, egocentric, hindsight, and availability. Along with a host of other neuro-psychological explanations and factors, these mechanisms may well account for what the experts call apophenia — the tendency to see patterns and causal / correlative connections where none exist.
That’s all fine and good in 99.9% of cases. But it cannot explain or account for the synchronous repetition of the number 108 manifesting an inordinate number of times over the course of days turning into weeks extending into months and stretching out through the years.
the number 108 in my life
It’s not like I’m gullible or easy prey for the “woo woo” belief systems that mark someone as a New Age wacko. I believe in science, the scientific method, and scientific explanations as the best way to arrive at coherency and understanding of the world and universe. I pride myself on being a rational thinking kind of person. I understand the efficacy of data-driven approaches and the power of evidence-based solutions to explaining natural phenomena and such.
But I also believe that some things simply cannot be explained by scientific models and are not adequately accounted for by logic and rationality.
Consider the mysterious, cryptic, spiritual, non-logical, anti-rational synchronous repetition of the number 108 in my life. What does the number 108 mean when it continually manifests in a way that is definitely not random, not coincidental, not haphazard, and not indiscriminate; but rather is purposeful, persistent, existential and pregnant with meaning and portent?
Three years ago, the number 108 suddenly began popping up here, there and everywhere in my sphere of consciousness, in the most unlikely of places and circumstances, and not merely a few times, but over and over, week after week, now year after year. Given the frequency, regularity and persistence of multiple 108 manifestations, only one conclusion can be drawn — there must be a reason and a purpose that has nothing to do with neuroscience, brain patterning, anchoring, biases, and the like; and everything to do with mystical messages from a paranormal and perhaps unknowable source.
The number 108 began appearing a few months before I officially retired in 2019 from my twenty-eight-year career at UC Berkeley. I must have been aware of 108 on some level, because I was instantly struck by the first of many back-to-back-to-back manifestations. So when my boss asked me to return on a limited ten-month contract to help shepherd through some time-sensitive projects, I agreed to sign a contract at 43% of my former salary. When I added the 43% amount to the 65% amount I would be earning from my retirement pension . . . I was gobsmacked at the result!
Sure, sure — just a “coincidence” that my ten-month percentage earnings totaled 108%!
That spoke to me on a deep or next level. It was an offer I couldn’t turn down, and for whatever reason, instead of immediately retiring, I stayed on for those extra ten months, despite learning later on, as I dug deeper into the mystery, that “the meaning of number 108 is also urging you to leave the past behind and just march on towards the future. This is the time to release yourself from the binds that are keeping you from achieving your goals.”
Well, maybe so, but it was a great way to end my career, the pressure was off, and I saved a lot of money while we planned and prepared for the next phase of our lives. By the way, I tried to stay on an additional eight days, but I was not consciously able to invoke the magic of 108. (Ten months & eight days would have been 10 + 8).
108 has to manifest of its own. All we can do is be aware of it and interpret it in the context of what is happening in our lives.
Over the course of the past three years, the majority of 108 manifestations are quotidian, pedestrian, unremarkable. Except for the fact that each manifestation is a 108 event that has happened, and continues to happen, more than once.
To wit:
Checking the clock at 1:08 pm; friends getting married on 10/8 or a niece born on 10/8; news reports about 108 degree weather, a 108 year old barber, or someone dying at age 108; a wreck on Highway 108; a basketball game tied at 108 when I turn on the game; the ridiculous number of sports-related 108 stats I read; grocery and restaurant bills tallying to $108; credit card and cell phone balances of $108; being the 108th person to like a post; a quick-pick Daily 3 lottery ticket winner with the lucky three numbers being 1-0-8; pausing a movie at 1:08 hours; a $108 utility bill due; a hotel room numbered 108 . . .
So tell me. What rational explanation can account for this? I am not consciously seeking out or hoping to spot 108, but the hits just keep on coming. Here are some examples of not so quotidian, pedestrian and unremarkable manifestations of the number 108 popping up during the past three years:
- One day I might suddenly look up and see that I have 108 unread e-mails in my inbox.
- Or I could be driving down the road and pass a sign that says, “Exit 108 now! Biggest jackpots ever!”
- Or — possibly my very favorite 108 manifestation since it goes back over fifty years ago to my childhood — digging through musty files and unearthing a Little League achievement award for most strikeouts in the 1968 season with 108.
- Or hiking in New Mexico and coming upon an informational sign reading “After 108 years, the Santa Fe River is returned to its historic channel.”
- Or that sign I saw miles away and joked it would be what it turned out to be: BIG BEND: 108 miles.
- Or viewing at the museum a Georgia O’Keeffe monograph with 108 paintings.
- Or a calculation using a web-based algorithm of estimated mileage and cost of gas on a proposed trip: “gas on your road trip will cost $108.”
- Or a calculation using a web-based algorithm to figure out how many US dollars equals 2026 Mexican pesos: $108.76.
- Or the time I typed my ten-digit phone number into a series of fields on my cell phone and it went haywire and inserted the number 108 in the first field (108 is not part of my cell phone number).
- Or the time I did a search on YouTube for IQ tests and a 108 second video popped up on the subject.
- Or the time with my niece at the Botanical Garden when we sat down on a bench next to a garden sculpture labeled #108.
- Or after two years of being on the road, the first rental we looked at was 110 Houghton Street. We met the landlord at his doorstep, and he informed us it was actually the unit in the back: #108.
- Or on the last leg of a hike, dead tired, discouraged to see a sign saying there was still 1.08 miles to the parking lot.
Okay, I sense you are beginning to get the picture! Mere coincidence? Sheer randomness? Or is something deeper, subtler, more meaningful at play?You don’t have to be Einstein to know that “Something deeply hidden had to be behind things.”
Let’s assume, rightfully so, that our subconscious mind indeed seeks out patterns and coincidences to try to make sense out of randomness and chaos. We so want to believe in some kind of mystical higher purpose or deeper connection, so of course we then begin to notice that weird word over and over or see that certain magical number appearing on the clock or computer or grocery store. And then we naturally strive to connect the metaphysical dots to arrive at a profound conclusion of our place and importance in the universe.
Trust me, I am not looking for the number 108! But I have come to believe that the number 108 is looking for me!
In fact, over the past three years, the instances of the number 108 manifesting in my life have become so absurdly frequent that I have taken to photographing and documenting them in a spreadsheet! (My list quickly began piling up - soon I had 108 photographs! Today, my Flickr album contains over 200 photographs of various 108 manifestations!)
A quick Wikipedia search reveals the number 108 has deep and esoteric meaning across various religions, cosmologies and symbolic and mystical traditions. It also repeatedly shows up in literature, science, math, the arts and sports. It is a universal constant, a perfect number. Who knows why 108, and not, say, 107, or 109.
Struggling to understand the decidedly mystical nature of these repeated occurrences of the number 108 in my life, I was finally compelled to look up the meaning of the number 108 on two websites (trustedpsychicmediums and angelnumber108).
What did I have to lose? Especially with everything to gain!
The authors provide us with wonderful explanations and positively affirming interpretations of the meaning of the number 108. Why wouldn’t I believe in and place my faith in their insightful narratives that 108 is all about transitioning; having a Guardian Angel looking after me; protecting me; guiding me along on life’s spiritual journey. It resonates so deeply and is so very reassuring. Many comments are from people who also have an affinity to the number 108, so I know I am not alone in this regard, but I have come to believe that the sheer number and frequency of new and repetitive instances of 108 showing up in my life is nonpareil.
Here are some highlights from the authors that resonate with me and help to process the mystery behind the synchronous repetition of the number 108 in my life:
“It means that your prayers and requests have been heard by the divine realm, and they will be made manifest in your life soon.”
“It is a message of support and encouragement from your angels. They ask that you think only positive thoughts to do with your wealth, prosperity and abundance. Angel Number 108 is a message that you are to keep your focus on attaining positive results and fulfillment, rather than worrying about lack or loss.”
“Angel Number 108 may be suggesting that you are nearing the end of a phase or cycle in your life, and the angels want you to realize that new opportunities will appear for you in due course.”
“The angel number 108 is very special indeed. It is a sign that your hard work is finally about to bear fruit and that you will soon be rewarded!”
“The angel number 108 also encompasses joy, prosperity, and abundance. This is a good sign indeed, for it signals that you will fare well in life without facing the lack of any financial and material assets.”
These words of wisdom, or whatever you choose to call them, resonated deeply with the unfolding turmoil and uncertainty, combined with an intense excitement and awakening, at the time of my retirement. I was coming out from under a long period of burdensome financial strain and creative blockage. I was struggling with the idea of letting go, retiring, getting on with my (our) new life and a 108 other things, no doubt, to stew, fret and worry over.
Since then, the messages continue to resonate as they relate to certain aspects of post-retirement life, moving forward into uncertainty and dealing with ambiguity, and generally trying to figure out what to do, where to settle down, now that our “bucket list” road trip, riding out the Covid pandemic, and a near year-long house/dog sitting gig have all run their course.
I must continue to be aware of and listen carefully to the messages, because they are the embodiment of vibrational energy translated into words that create action and the desired effects of right livelihood.
“If you keep seeing 108, it means that your life will undergo a dramatic change. You have gone through so much in the past, so the challenges that you will be facing now will be a lot easier.”
“The meaning of number 108 will turn your life around. As long as you know what to expect and you know who you can turn to for help, everything will work out alright, and you will be okay!”
Finally, a real clincher, given my financial woes up until my retirement — all self-imposed, stupidly, over the past thirty+ years:
“When the angel number 108 shows up in your life, it means that you will be entering a prosperous and abundant phase, which you have been waiting to happen for quite some time now. Your guardian angels are urging you to make use of your many gifts and blessings to create the life that you have always dreamed of.”
Hallelujah!
And there is one final spot-on clue / hint / insight into the continual manifestations and appearances of the number 108 in my life:
“Try not to stress yourself too much when you don’t spot it immediately, because you guardian angels will not stop sending it until you understand its importance and what role it plays in your life.”
I suppose this means the number 108 continues to manifest to this very day, after three years, because I am still too thick-skulled and resistant to grok the importance and role 108 plays in my life!
And yet things have improved noticeably on the financial, creative, spiritual and freedom front.
I would like to think.
There is still a long row to hoe, though. Everything in my future, my destiny, remains to be seen and become manifest.
Of course, I am the master of my manifest destiny!
So, what does 108 mean in my life, after all? Are there lessons? Goals? Morals? Truths? Most definitely, at least 108 of each.
Let’s assume, rightfully so, that our subconscious mind indeed seeks out patterns and coincidences to try to make sense out of randomness and chaos. We so want to believe in some kind of mystical higher purpose or deeper connection, so of course we then begin to notice that weird word over and over or see that certain magical number appearing on the clock or computer or grocery store. And then we naturally strive to connect the metaphysical dots to arrive at a profound conclusion of our place and importance in the universe.
Trust me, I am not looking for the number 108! But I have come to believe that the number 108 is looking for me!
In fact, over the past three years, the instances of the number 108 manifesting in my life have become so absurdly frequent that I have taken to photographing and documenting them in a spreadsheet! (My list quickly began piling up - soon I had 108 photographs! Today, my Flickr album contains over 200 photographs of various 108 manifestations!)
A quick Wikipedia search reveals the number 108 has deep and esoteric meaning across various religions, cosmologies and symbolic and mystical traditions. It also repeatedly shows up in literature, science, math, the arts and sports. It is a universal constant, a perfect number. Who knows why 108, and not, say, 107, or 109.
Struggling to understand the decidedly mystical nature of these repeated occurrences of the number 108 in my life, I was finally compelled to look up the meaning of the number 108 on two websites (trustedpsychicmediums and angelnumber108).
What did I have to lose? Especially with everything to gain!
The authors provide us with wonderful explanations and positively affirming interpretations of the meaning of the number 108. Why wouldn’t I believe in and place my faith in their insightful narratives that 108 is all about transitioning; having a Guardian Angel looking after me; protecting me; guiding me along on life’s spiritual journey. It resonates so deeply and is so very reassuring. Many comments are from people who also have an affinity to the number 108, so I know I am not alone in this regard, but I have come to believe that the sheer number and frequency of new and repetitive instances of 108 showing up in my life is nonpareil.
Here are some highlights from the authors that resonate with me and help to process the mystery behind the synchronous repetition of the number 108 in my life:
“It means that your prayers and requests have been heard by the divine realm, and they will be made manifest in your life soon.”
“It is a message of support and encouragement from your angels. They ask that you think only positive thoughts to do with your wealth, prosperity and abundance. Angel Number 108 is a message that you are to keep your focus on attaining positive results and fulfillment, rather than worrying about lack or loss.”
“Angel Number 108 may be suggesting that you are nearing the end of a phase or cycle in your life, and the angels want you to realize that new opportunities will appear for you in due course.”
“The angel number 108 is very special indeed. It is a sign that your hard work is finally about to bear fruit and that you will soon be rewarded!”
“The angel number 108 also encompasses joy, prosperity, and abundance. This is a good sign indeed, for it signals that you will fare well in life without facing the lack of any financial and material assets.”
These words of wisdom, or whatever you choose to call them, resonated deeply with the unfolding turmoil and uncertainty, combined with an intense excitement and awakening, at the time of my retirement. I was coming out from under a long period of burdensome financial strain and creative blockage. I was struggling with the idea of letting go, retiring, getting on with my (our) new life and a 108 other things, no doubt, to stew, fret and worry over.
Since then, the messages continue to resonate as they relate to certain aspects of post-retirement life, moving forward into uncertainty and dealing with ambiguity, and generally trying to figure out what to do, where to settle down, now that our “bucket list” road trip, riding out the Covid pandemic, and a near year-long house/dog sitting gig have all run their course.
I must continue to be aware of and listen carefully to the messages, because they are the embodiment of vibrational energy translated into words that create action and the desired effects of right livelihood.
“If you keep seeing 108, it means that your life will undergo a dramatic change. You have gone through so much in the past, so the challenges that you will be facing now will be a lot easier.”
“The meaning of number 108 will turn your life around. As long as you know what to expect and you know who you can turn to for help, everything will work out alright, and you will be okay!”
Finally, a real clincher, given my financial woes up until my retirement — all self-imposed, stupidly, over the past thirty+ years:
“When the angel number 108 shows up in your life, it means that you will be entering a prosperous and abundant phase, which you have been waiting to happen for quite some time now. Your guardian angels are urging you to make use of your many gifts and blessings to create the life that you have always dreamed of.”
Hallelujah!
And there is one final spot-on clue / hint / insight into the continual manifestations and appearances of the number 108 in my life:
“Try not to stress yourself too much when you don’t spot it immediately, because you guardian angels will not stop sending it until you understand its importance and what role it plays in your life.”
I suppose this means the number 108 continues to manifest to this very day, after three years, because I am still too thick-skulled and resistant to grok the importance and role 108 plays in my life!
And yet things have improved noticeably on the financial, creative, spiritual and freedom front.
I would like to think.
There is still a long row to hoe, though. Everything in my future, my destiny, remains to be seen and become manifest.
Of course, I am the master of my manifest destiny!
So, what does 108 mean in my life, after all? Are there lessons? Goals? Morals? Truths? Most definitely, at least 108 of each.
Here are just a few:
I will endeavor to perform (at least) 108 karmic good deeds per year.
If I strike out 108 times, I will redouble my efforts to succeed (at least) 108 times.
I will walk 108 miles in someone’s shoes before I judge them.
I will never give up the faith that I will win (at least) $108,000 in the lottery before I turn (at least) 108 years old.
I will do my best to save (at least) $10,800 yearly.
And I will be on high alert for when my guardian angels stop sending me all the 108 signs that will finally, once and for all, mark my passage into a gracious new chapter of existence and heightened awareness.
I’m getting there.
The deeper message and intent of 108 manifestations is that I must never lose focus of the simple, important, down-to-earth aspects of living a good life: being creative and generous; being loving and kind, happy and unstressed; being open-hearted, open-minded and freedom-loving; and paying more attention to my thoughts, concentrating on that which I desire to achieve and accomplish.
To be a better person.
Focus, attract, manifest.
Repeat 108 times.
If I strike out 108 times, I will redouble my efforts to succeed (at least) 108 times.
I will walk 108 miles in someone’s shoes before I judge them.
I will never give up the faith that I will win (at least) $108,000 in the lottery before I turn (at least) 108 years old.
I will do my best to save (at least) $10,800 yearly.
And I will be on high alert for when my guardian angels stop sending me all the 108 signs that will finally, once and for all, mark my passage into a gracious new chapter of existence and heightened awareness.
I’m getting there.
The deeper message and intent of 108 manifestations is that I must never lose focus of the simple, important, down-to-earth aspects of living a good life: being creative and generous; being loving and kind, happy and unstressed; being open-hearted, open-minded and freedom-loving; and paying more attention to my thoughts, concentrating on that which I desire to achieve and accomplish.
To be a better person.
Focus, attract, manifest.
Repeat 108 times.
posted by Gambolin' Man @ 11:14 AM
0 Comments
