I dreamed of the number 7 the night before our trip. 7 shouted out like Meg Ryan’s cafe scene in When Harry Met Sally...7! 7! 7! Then in Rome I kept dreaming of the number 8. All week long 8 appeared in my sleep. During the day it’s pattern was spelled out in a continuous swirling loop on the mosaic cathedral floors throughout the eternal city. 8. Notice me. 8. AlexiAndrea always tells me to notice numbers. So I listened.

Now is the time for listening.

Leaving Rome as Lori drove I read to her about Puglia- the region we were driving next and this castle leapt off the page. Castle de Monti. An octagonal 13th-century citadel and castle situated on a hill in Andria in the Alta Murgia National Park. 8. There it is.

It intrigued me so we drove 2 hours out of our way. The fact they wouldn’t let us inside without pre registration due to Covid was infuriating as it wasn’t stated on their website but simply seeing the exterior of Castel del Monti was worth the drive.

There are 8 octagonal towers inserted on each of the eight corners. In the centre is an eight-sided courtyard once fitted with an octagonal fountain. The eight towers contain spiral staircases, and nearly all the 16 rooms have intercommunicating doors. There is just one single entrance and exit. There are no traces of a kitchen, a moat or a drawbridge, and the castle is not located near trade routes or points of strategic importance. The structure does not seem to have been a residence nor to have served a military purposes, and interior decorations were far too valuable for a prison.

It was built during the 1240s by the Emperor Frederick- their guess is it must have been a hunting lodge but its design leaves people perplexed. Why was it built this way? Was it used by the Knights Templar? Perhaps it’s more about astrology? A theory is that the octagon is an intermediate symbol between a square (representing the earth) and a circle (representing the sky).

Before the crusade, Frederick II met the mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci - Fibonacci invented the Arabic numeral system in Europe - the things you learn when you date a physicist. Astronomic, geographic, geometric and mathematical values are carefully integrated throughout the building. Mathematicians have pointed out that shadows in the octagonal courtyard of the castle from the Golden Ratio used in the Fibonacci Sequence.

Further the plot thickens - Frederik dies in the year 1250. Again 8. 1 + 2 + 5+ 0 = 8

Was Fibonacci the reason for the obsessive repetition of the number 8 in the construction of Castel del Monte? Or is more of the divine? Furthermore why do I keep seeing 8?

The number eight is the Christian symbol of the union between God and man. It’s been seen as a symbol of infinity and resurrection.

In Chinese culture, the number 8 is considered the luckiest number of all. And in my own astrological chart- which I had done days before leaving Venice - 8 is important.

My zodiac signs Scorpio and Capricorn (my rising sign) are both connected to the number 8. Scorpio is the eighth sign of the zodiac and holds the same strength. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn and the Number 8 is governed by Saturn. Saturn is perfect for people who dream big.

Of all the numbers in Numerology, the number 8 is the achiever and measures life by the goals it reaches (very Capricorn). It has good business sense, a powerful presence, and a strong drive for success. But the number 8 is also a symbol of balance -- you can see it in its symmetrical shape. For every blessing it receives, it puts one back out to the universe.

When things are balanced, they feel stable, controlled, and supported.

Leaving the castle we drove the 2 hours back to our Trulli in Alberobello. Nearly 2 hours there nearly 2 hours back. Returning home. In time for dinner at 8.

Maybe 8 appears now because I am on more of a journey than this road trip. I’m learning balance. I have Piscean guilt. You’re supposed to hustle. Do more. That’s the message of this past age. But my heart is telling me Do Less. To trust the process. To wait. To be receptive. To allow. I shouldn’t be spending the money to travel now- with business the way it is - it’s not the time to spend money. I should be working. I should be trying to find more work. And yet...The number 8 represents the search for a balance between your physical, mental, and spiritual being. Understanding how to achieve this harmony is an important step in the journey. I see 8. As I post this it’s 8.08am.

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