42

I was having a discussion with someone about what can basically be summed up as life, the universe and everything. At one point in our conversation, she asked the meaning of it all, to which I, of course, responded “42”. She was a bit confused and asked me what is the significance of that was.

For those of you not familiar with Douglas Adams, he was the brilliant author who penned The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. His writing is what I would best describe as surrealistic science fiction comedy. In the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, a race of pan-dimensional beings posed the question to the biggest and most powerful super computer known in the galaxy, Deep Thought, “What is the meaning of life, the universe and everything?” After spending 7.5 million years on the question, the computer finally blurted out the answer…… “42” leaving everyone more baffled than before!

Having worked with numerology and being asked the significance of 42 as the answer to life, the universe and everything, I started to process it. What possible sense could I make from this supposed comical and nonsensical answer? In my occult practice I have learned that everything happens for a reason. For instance, the discovery and naming of the planets do not occur out of the blue. The naming of Uranus, which in an astrological sense represents rebellion, freedom and brotherhood, came at a time between the French and American Revolutions.

So let us delve deeper in Mr. Adams humorous answer….42. 4 and 2. What does a 4 represent in a numerological sense? Well, 4 is the number of limitations, structure and discipline. Without limits we have chaos. Through the study of chaos theory, however, we are discovering there is order to the chaos and that in random patterns there is an order set out despite the “random” creation of patterns such as in object like snowflakes.

So structure and limits set the patterns of life in motion and seem to corral our existence from diving into anarchy. Discipline is what makes us work to a common goal. It is what keeps us on track. Even the wildest of rock stars has a discipline that makes them strive to be the best at what he or she does. The universe and life has a sense of order. Structure is law. Structure is the various laws of science: from gravity to Bohr’s law to the laws of thermodynamics. The 4 is the box. The box is a 4 sided figure which holds things together. All things fit in the box which is our universe as we understand it.

This brings us to the 2. The 2 energy is of harmony, balance, love and agreements. It brings things together to deal with a situation. The 2 is a number of relating and cooperation. There are 2 things that work together in our universe: energy and matter. The two come together to create everything we are, touch, feel and see.

It takes 2 to tango! It takes to make things go right. There is the power of attraction. 2 like poles of a magnet make a force of repulsion which causes the electric motor to work. 2 people are what comes together to make a child. Two sticks rub together to make a fire. The working together and cooperation of any two things is what helps us create.

In numerology, all numbers are reduced to a number from 1 to 9. 42 = 4+2 = 6. The number 6 is about service, balance, love and responsibility. It is through this responsibility that we as a society grow. It is through the cooperation of the 2, within the limits of the 4 do we have love, which makes all things work for the betterment of all. 6 is the love that makes us work and move forward. It is the responsibility that holds things to a task.

I think of the penguins, in the movie “March of the Penguins” as a 6. Why don’t they just say “screw this….starving and freezing to take care of a lousy egg”? They do it out of a sense of duty and survival and through love. How many times do parents get frustrated with a screaming 3 year old, only to be made proud upon graduating from university several years later? Love and perseverance is what keeps us going. In dealing with that child (2), we set guidelines (4) through love (6) in order that we raise a decent human being (6).

So, what seemed to be a nonsense answer created by Douglas Adams, by unwittingly following the laws of chaos theory, actually came up with a very succinct answer to a difficult philosophical question. And I find it interesting that I repeated that answer at a point when I am immersed in this occult study that I can find and make a rational interpretation there in.

Thanks for all the fish!

Franco
February 2007