| On November 4, 2008 at approximately 11:00pm | | | | brotherhood. ... Now is the time to make justice a |
| Central time, Barack Obama was elected the 44th | | | | reality for all ..." And, of course, the famous words, "... |
| President of the United States of America. Obama | | | | I have a dream that one day ... the sons of former |
| and his beautiful wife, Michelle, bring grace and belief | | | | slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be |
| in the future of possibilities that has not been seen or | | | | able to sit down together at the table of |
| felt in the White House since John and Jackie | | | | brotherhood." In that moment, Lincoln and King forge |
| Kennedy, our 35th President and First Lady from | | | | the bonds of a dream moving forward on the bridge |
| 1961 to1963. In the hope-filled, decisive, yes-we-can | | | | to somewhere, forming steps of closure and |
| victory of the Obama campaign, the spirits of every | | | | fulfillment. |
| person and every event that came before him | | | | A mere five years after Martin Luther King, Jr's |
| exploded in continuity, clarity and an evolution of | | | | speech and 80 years after Frederick Douglass' vote |
| history, within a specific time and space. | | | | for President, enter the "Unbossed and Unbought," |
| Was the coming of Obama written in the stars long | | | | Shirley Chisholm carving history into play for blacks |
| before he arrived? Perhaps the Astrologers and | | | | and for women. Shirley, an educator and childcare |
| Numerologists, the Astronomers and Scientists will | | | | manager, was the first African-American elected to |
| each have their own opinions on the coinciding and | | | | Congress. She served as Congresswoman from New |
| clashing of events and people in 2008. The historians, | | | | York's 12th District for 7 terms from 1969 to 1983. |
| politicians, journalists, laymen and women have all | | | | Then, in 1972 she became the first major party |
| shared their thoughts and opinions. The scientific and | | | | African-American candidate for President of the |
| mystical aspects may be ignored or underestimated | | | | United States. Shirley received 152 first ballot votes |
| as insignificant, irrelevant, or outright foolish alongside | | | | at the 1972 Democratic Convention. A quote from |
| cold hard facts of a brilliant person running a brilliant | | | | Shirley that may echo our current sentiments is, "The |
| and efficient campaign. A campaign that gathered | | | | United States was said not to be ready to elect a |
| young, old, rich, poor, black, white, Hispanic, | | | | Catholic to the Presidency when Al Smith ran in the |
| Democratic, Republican, believers and non-believers | | | | 1920's. But Smith's nomination may have helped pave |
| across all lines. | | | | the way for the successful campaign John F. |
| Aren't we also capable of embracing the mystical or | | | | Kennedy waged in 1960. Who can tell? What I hope |
| spiritual; the wonder of it all as facts evidenced by | | | | most is that now there will be others who will feel |
| the years and numbers, the people and events that | | | | themselves as capable of running for high political |
| helped pave the road and build the steps Obama | | | | office as any wealthy, good-looking white male." So |
| followed even as he chiseled new more braver, | | | | the cycle is unbroken, the steps expanding, growing, |
| bolder steps? The knowledge of Obama's campaign | | | | the path clearer. Whether these are considered |
| moving forward as his opponent's, John McCain's, | | | | alignments or parallels they nonetheless continued to |
| campaign suffered from poor planning and execution, | | | | carry the promise along. All seemingly innocuous yet |
| the downward approval rating of George W. Bush | | | | forming binding ties. |
| and McCain's ties to Bush that would not be | | | | Just as Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his speech on |
| unbroken, Wall Street and big business fall-out, and | | | | August 28, 1963, forty-five years later on August 28, |
| the phenomena of Sarah Pallin that proved to be a | | | | 2008 Barack Obama gave forth his acceptance |
| shot in the dark and not a guiding light through a | | | | speech for President of the United States. Obama |
| storm as originally hoped, are all proven, evidenced | | | | may have planned his speech to coincide with the |
| facts. We have witnessed how the combination of | | | | anniversary of King's speech, that fact in no way |
| people and events gave Obama the momentum to | | | | subtracts the evidence or erases the mystery of the |
| rise; and, how through intelligent and insightful planning | | | | unseen interconnectedness gathering force. |
| he seized the moment and brought it to victory. | | | | In, 1984 and 1988, 100 years after Frederick |
| Because we know these to be facts of actuality, we | | | | Douglass and 20 years after Shirley Chisholm, Jesse |
| call them forth as proof of victory. As reasons both | | | | Jackson's name was entered as the Democratic |
| how and why. And, yet, what if the forces of the | | | | candidate for President. |
| Universe - the natural laws of spirit and form; the | | | | Seven significant dates from 1863 to 2008, spanning |
| stars and galaxies, the heavens, God/Allah/Jehovah | | | | 145 years, involving six known individuals and |
| Buddha - shaped and formed these events, placed | | | | thousands unknown, culminating in the 44th |
| these very specific people, to collide at very specific | | | | presidency being fulfilled by the first African-American. |
| moments? What if when Obama was born to his | | | | Can we honestly and fairly ignore the years, the |
| 18-year-old white mother, his star aligned to shape his | | | | dates, the people, the battles, the loses and wins as |
| destiny and point his way? And, finally, what if every | | | | not being by some divine choice or guiding star or a |
| battle against slavery, cruelty, injustice, racism, and | | | | fluid movement of continuity between conductors |
| every African-American person who audaciously | | | | before a great orchestra? |
| hoped and ran for president, congressman/woman, | | | | Douglass -- 1888 -- each person who ran for |
| senator; who marched on behalf of Black people's | | | | President or Congress |
| civil rights, who stood after being beaten, hosed, | | | | Chisholm -- 1968 -- did so in a year ending in #8. |
| jailed for the right to vote - what if the spirit and | | | | Jackson -- 1988 -- In Numerology as number |
| actions of each of these brave known and unknown | | | | definitions, the #8 means |
| martyrs entered Obama's spirit as ancestors, as wise | | | | Obama -- 2008 -- power and sacrifice. |
| men and women, guiding his star, laying his path to | | | | We have four 8's. The number four means Creation. |
| make the current events and this man come | | | | Obama will be the 44th President. Double fours |
| together in this time - Now - to carry his message of | | | | totaling eight: Creation, power, sacrifice. |
| unity and hope to us all? | | | | Lincoln -- 1863 -- These years of Lincoln and King end |
| How can we choose one set of facts simply because | | | | in #3. |
| they are evident, logical and follow a specific pattern, | | | | King -- 1963 -- three is the number for |
| without regard or understanding of the other set of | | | | communication, interaction, andneutrality. |
| facts that may involve the spiritual, the mystical, the | | | | Weren't King and Lincoln both communicators who |
| unknown, but also follow a logical and specific pattern | | | | acted upon their beliefs? King's message of |
| if one cares to see: | | | | non-violence can be viewed as neutral. |
| In 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation | | | | Twilight -- 1836 -- In Numerology's number definitions |
| Proclamation. Lincoln our 16th President was first an | | | | Obama -- 1996 -- six equates to reaction, flux, and |
| Illinois State Legislator and member of the U.S. House | | | | responsibility. |
| of Representatives. He defeated the secession of | | | | Douglas -- 1872 -- Unknown vote for VP |
| the Confederate States aiding the abolition of | | | | Chisholm -- 1972 -- two is the number for balance, |
| slavery. Lincoln was the first Republican elected | | | | union, receptive, yin. |
| President. He brought members of both political | | | | Are these facts or myths? Coincidence or ordained? |
| parties into his cabinet and forced them to | | | | Relevant or merely interesting? |
| cooperate. On November 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, | | | | From African-American's first entry into the political |
| Pennsylvania, Lincoln delivered what has come to be | | | | arena, to Abraham Lincoln's signing of the |
| known as one of the greatest speeches in American | | | | Emancipation Proclamation, through the years to |
| history. This speech contains famous and oft quoted | | | | Barack Obama being elected to the presidency in |
| phrases such as, "...all men are created equal," and | | | | 2008, there are ten dates spanning 172 years. In |
| "...this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of | | | | number definitions ten means rebirth. The necessary |
| freedom - and that government of the people, by | | | | events to bring about the impossible have come full |
| the people, for the people, shall not perish from the | | | | circle. The number 172 equals 10 or one, which |
| earth." In these words lies the spirit of what Black | | | | indicates individual, aggressor, and yang. Do we all not |
| people claim as our right to be, to vote, to aspire and | | | | believe this year, this presidency, this campaign, this |
| inspire. | | | | democratic victory, this falling of Wall Street and the |
| Frederick Douglass born in 1818 to a slave woman | | | | rise of a man black bringing hope to all is not a |
| and an unknown white man in Maryland, escaped to | | | | rebirth? |
| New York City and freedom on September 3, 1838. | | | | The relationship between numbers, patterns, people's |
| He became a leading advocate for abolition of | | | | lives and events and the physical objects of living |
| slavery and for racial equality. As Lincoln signed the | | | | things may be debated with or without proof. It can |
| Emancipation Proclamation, Douglass describes the | | | | be like the sighting of a UFO or the belief in things |
| spirit of those awaiting the announcement of the | | | | unseen known simply as Faith. |
| signing in a way that could also describe Grant Park in | | | | It has taken us 172 years from 1836 to get here. |
| Chicago, IL the night voters awaited the results of | | | | The years 1836/1863 adds up to the number nine |
| the 2008 Presidential campaign: "We were waiting and | | | | which means completion. When we began was the |
| listening as for a bolt from the sky...we were | | | | end already decided? Had one cycle of history been |
| watching...by the dim light of the stars for the dawn | | | | completed so another could begin? It was the ending |
| of a new day...we were longing for the answer to | | | | of civil war between the states and the shaping of |
| the agonizing prayers of centuries." | | | | America, which prompted Lincoln to sign the |
| In 1872, without his knowledge, Frederick Douglass | | | | Proclamation. |
| became the first African-American nominated for | | | | We all understand that Obama inherits a difficult and |
| Vice President of the United States as Victoria | | | | monumental task. You could say his plight comes with |
| Woodhull's (first woman to run for President) running | | | | baggage attached. We know he needs and has |
| mate on the Equal Rights Party ticket. At the 1888 | | | | asked for all our help. If we dare to look at the |
| Republican National Convention, Douglass became the | | | | numbers for a small glimpse of what could be if we |
| first African-American to receive a vote for President | | | | work hard and believe, we would see that the year |
| in a major party's role call. Here we have our first | | | | 2009 equals the number two which means balance, |
| star aligning in position, preparing for the future. Here | | | | union, receptive, and yin. Which to me means hope |
| we take our first step. Every great person in History, | | | | and posibility... |
| in Folk Lore and Fairytales, in Biblical and other | | | | We are simple men and women believing in |
| religious references, had someone or some many | | | | something larger than ourselves. If we add the |
| who came before, who paved the way usually | | | | number for each year we hope Obama will be in the |
| fighting against great odds in great battles: So, too, | | | | White House, namely two terms, we might find: |
| Barack Obama. | | | | 2009 -- (2) -- balance, union (state of, perhaps), |
| Our history as Blacks in politics and service begins | | | | receptive, yin. |
| long before Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. | | | | 2010 -- (3) -- communication, interaction, neutrality. |
| In 1836, Alexander Lucius Twilight became the first | | | | 2011 -- (4) -- creation |
| African-American elected to public office and serving | | | | 2012 -- (5) -- action, restlessness (time to reelect?) |
| in state's legislature as Vermont's House of | | | | 2013 -- (6) -- reaction, flux, responsibility |
| Representative. Twilight is also credited with being | | | | 2014 -- (7) -- thought, consciousness |
| the first African-American to receive a college degree | | | | 2015 -- (8) -- power, sacrifice |
| as he graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont | | | | 2016 -- (9) -- completion. (the end of his 2nd term. |
| with a B.A. in 1823. | | | | Time for a new regime) |
| One hundred years after Lincoln signed the | | | | 2017 -- (10) -- rebirth. (we begin, again) |
| Emancipation Proclamation, on August 28, 1963, | | | | Barack Obama's ascendance to the presidency of the |
| before an unwavering sea of people, Martin Luther | | | | U.S. was watched and celebrated worldwide. The rise |
| King, Jr. gave his immortal "I Have A Dream" speech | | | | of America and Americans, the black experience and |
| before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Within | | | | Democracy is currently global issues. The eyes of the |
| King's speech lie these prophetic words: | | | | world are upon us and our eyes are definitely on the |
| "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose | | | | prize. |
| symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation | | | | Be it through the stars, numerology, science, |
| Proclamation. ... But one hundred years later, the | | | | mystically or factually with eloquence and intelligence, |
| Negro still is not free. We have come to this hallowed | | | | the proof of man's current and historical |
| spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of | | | | interconnectedness and our oneness with the |
| Now. Now is the time to make real the promises of | | | | universe, is written and being lived each day by each |
| Democracy. ... Now is the time to lift our Nation from | | | | and every one of us. |
| the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of | | | | |