"The Number 23" and Synchromysticism

"The Number 23" looks to have an interesting premise. Just in case you have not caught one of the seemingly ubiquitous commercial spots, here is a quick summary from Wikipedia:

"Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) finds a book that seems to be based on his life. While reading the book, he comes across details of a murder that hasn't happened in real life yet; as a consequence, he becomes obsessed with the number twenty-three and its ambiguous involvement with the murder."

Now, I realize that sounds a bit more like an obsessive/compulsive mystery than something in the strange, supernatural or science fiction realm. However, it really is part of a field/movement that is best titled 'Synchromysticism', which is defined as "The art of finding meaningful coincidence in the seemingly mundane with mystical or esoteric significance." In essence, it is a 'six degrees of Kevin Bacon', applied to the world.

For a good example of how this works, check out the post on Ben Fairhall's blog (scroll down to the girl in the red dress from "The Matrix"), in which he connects "The Matrix" movie, Princess Diana and the bloodline of Jesus. I think he's tongue-in-cheek here (if he wasn't...consider me a little scared). But, the point is to examine pop culture and draw connections to other events. It is really an argument for destiny - significant coming events have markers that can be seen prior to the event happening. It is only a matter of recognizing these signs...at least, according to the synchromysticist.

Many of the sites around the internet are very serious about their synchromysticism. The Brave New World Order site is currently running a piece connecting George W. Bush, Alistair Crowley and the pyramids. To be honest, it is a tough read - his connections do not seem to have a purpose and just seem to be random chained thoughts. Still, The Brave New World Order is a good example of this field, even if I don't buy his conclusions.

A more legitimate (my opinion only!) is Goro Adachi's excellent site, "Etemenanki". His site is also very synchromystic in nature, but with one main difference - he actually tries to predict things from his observations! Goro has an ability to translate his observations into the real world and his articles are always thought provoking. I did some searching and found the initial post on crop circles that got me hooked on his site. (Note: it's long...but worth the read).

So, "The Number 23" taps into this symbolistic language of interconnectedness. Is it true? It's hard to say, but the movie debuts on Febuary 23rd, 2007. On the 23rd - sure. But, 2007 ----> 2 + 0 + 0 +7 = 9, which is 3^2, reversed is 23. See?

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