The Negative Square Root of Life

A child stretches their arms at the break of day. Six  am is a wonderful time to play. The world is full of things that are a marvel. But then, a child’s mind is somewhat larval. There are important things to be done. Being told to do chores can cause a huff. Parents shrug their shoulders and say, “What can you do? The time to say farewell will come soon enough.”

The years pass, at first very slowly, then time seems to get faster. During the years between ten and forty skills are acquired from many a master.

The excitement of life changes as  endless hours of play are replaced. By the the age of forty, with luck, there is a feeling of being graced.

During ancient times, 40 was the age that man becomes wise. The number 40 represented Mesopotamian gods who controlled land,water and skies. When the Square of Pegasus, 40 million light years away, was seen above the 40th parallel at autumn equinox, predicted rains would spray.

Forty-year cycles describe shifts in economy and generations, droughts, war and unhealthy contagions.

Rhythms of 40-Hertz pass through neurons from the thalamus into the cerebral cortex, causing conscious awareness, sensory binding and cognitive processing to enter a vortex.

Forty days marked the time of the first flood, Moses' stay on Mount Sinai, and Jesus’ time fasting. It takes forty weeks for a one-celled zygote to gestate into a human life casting.

Israelites  wandered for 40 years. Forty represents a large number in Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Middle Eastern traditional spheres.

Forty is 1 plus the sum of 3 times 3 times 3 ( 1+3+9+27), in mathematical parlance. Four weights this size can be used to calculate any weight up to 40 on a balance.  

The Ars Magna used ghost numbers, the fictitious negative square root, to describe how two numbers can add to 10 and have a product that equals 40, a concept once said to be useless.  These days quantum mechanics, electrical engineering, and computer graphics prove these ideas are not toothless.

Man is driven to succeed and acquire things. But there is no stopping the bell that rings. Important dreams come and go like snuff. We shrug our shoulders and say, “What can you do? The time to say farewell will come soon enough.”

The day began with a refined water clock calibrated to each stage of life. A slight dizziness, headache and foggy brain made thanatophobic fears (of death and dying) rife. Many people cannot face what is certain, but others prepare for the final curtain. They ask "What is it that holds value? What happens when life ends? Can imaginary complex numbers describe the negative square root of a life and the starburst message it sends?"

What once were important ideals, possessions, and dreams dissipate in a puff. You shrug your shoulders and say “What can you do? The time to say farewell will come soon enough.”

Here’s what you can do. Slow down dear reader. Time is already a notorious speeder. Fare well means hello and goodbye mixed with love and compassion, like aloha. It carries the breath of life that contains a sacred energetic panchaloa.

(Panchaloa- five metals fused - said to provide mental peace, energetic balance and healing)