a masterful year ahead

though i do not necessarily subscribe to numerology, it does however provide encouraging wisdom about the coming year. 2007 apparently embodies the number 9, which through some numeromagic, symbolism or whatever it's called, sets the stage for mastery. great news obviously; for that means the year shall be a time of mastering—of harnessing one's capabilities to excel in life.

self-mastery and mastery of the world
if such is the case, then this year shall be a perfect time for pursuing one's physical, mental, spiritual, professional, social and personal goals. lucky then is the friend who's planning on biking some 10 hours without a map to find his way south to his hometown. fortunate too are some friends who are flying from manila to new york, from amsterdam to belgium, from new york to toronto to pursue further studies or career paths in foreign territory. great for me as well, i guess, for i do have my own laundry list of personal development wishes id want to be able to check off this year.

the other side of the coin
there is however a flipside to mastery. its own yang, so to speak—mystery. as one excels in mastering himself and the world, he realizes the mystery of his limits. as one pushes his physical bounderies, he faces the reality of the work that needs to be done. as one immerses herself in a new world, she is met by the Difference of being in some place new. with mastery comes the mystery and discomfort of being in new territory. with new knowledge, a certain mystery of not knowing enough and a drive to know more. in the process of moving from one success to another, we are greeted by the mystery of our work-in-progress nature.

a happy new year to all
my wish for all then is a year immersed in the exciting tug-of-war between mastery and mystery. that in the process of being "masters of our fates" and "captains of our souls", we become captive to the opportunities of our limitations, the joy of others, and the invisible hand of god. did i just say the three letter word?! on that note, before i grow queasy, all the best in 2007!