Lesa Sawahata
Wissel 225 11 november 2005
'Mysterious 8'
I have what has become a nervous tic: I see 8's everywhere. It's a great example of synchronicity, an apparently meaningless coincidence that has taken on meaning.
In the short form: The number 8, and anything that can be reduced to it, has become a personal symbol - a sign that tells me I'm on the right track, not to worry. It's very weird. It's been happening since I decided to move to The Netherlands, and accelerating since my arrival. My address is 35B - 3 plus 5 equals 8. I will glance up and see a kid coming towards me wearing a football jersey that says '8' or '17' or '71'. Constantly, cars stop for me - always with a 98 or a 44 or a 26 in their license plate. I will walk in the door of a Metro car, and discover I've come through door #8 - which is, by the way, across from door #5. The numbers of the opposite doors in any Metro car I've ever been in, in Rotterdam, add up to 13. No kidding. Test this out.
Anyway, I find myself constantly staring at a number that can be reduced to 8 and so I've begun to wonder what it's all about: is it the infinity symbol, actually? Does it relate to the 8th planet, Mercury? In feng shui, 8 represents 'eternal prosperity,' and that's what I'm hoping for.
Curator: Frank Taal