Montreal Theosophy Project: The Great American Eclipse, Baseball's World Series, and the number 9

On August 21, 2017, the first total solar eclipse visible across the united states since 1918 will occur, being dubbed the Great American eclipse. The lapse of time between the eclipses is roughly 99 years. Indeed, the number 9 seems to be significant factor when considering the two eclipses.

Eclipses in general occur in cycles called the Saros cycle, which is roughly 18 years between eclipses on a given Saros, 18 being a multiple of 9. The eclipse of 1918 was part of Saros 145 and the eclipse of 2017 is part of Saros 126 (doing a kabbalistic reduction, that is, adding all the individual numerals until a single-digit number is reached: 1+ 2 + 6 = 9). What is interesting to note is that these two cycles are spaced roughly nine years apart and what’s more, the first eclipse of the century for either Saros occurred in 1909, the last two digits being nine, and so these eclipse’s occupy all the years in the twentieth century ending with a multiple of nine (1909, 1918, 1927, etc…), including 1999, which has three 9’s. Moreover, the number 9 has the unique characteristic that all factors of 9, when the sum of the individual digits are added, always reduce to 9; therefore any multiple of 9 has a kabbalistic reduction equivalent to 9.

Looking at American events from 1918, one notices that in Baseball’s World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs. What is striking about that event is that neither team would win a World Series for the remaining of the century, making it a key date in the droughts that were later named the “Curse of the Bambino” for the Red Sox and the “Curse of the Billy Goat” for the Cubs, with the Cubs ending their drought just one year prior to the 2017 Great American Eclipse. The game of baseball itself lasts 9 innings and is comprised of 9 players per team. There somehow emerged a very unproven rumour that Abner Doubleday, a prominent early American Theosophist, was the inventor of the the game; which is why Helena Blavatsky's name appears in an inscription in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

A dark cloud seems to have hovered over that 1918 World Series. It is one of only three Fall Classics where neither team hit a home run, the others being in 1906 and 1907, both of which the Cubs also played in. It remains the only World Series to be played entirely in September because of restrictions due to World War I. There were players threatening to strike due to low revenues and allegations have surfaced that the Cubs were involved in game fixing tactics due to pay disputes with their owner.[1]

For the Chicago Cubs, the number 9 turns up as a significant number in other ways as well. Their drought actually lasted between 1908-2016, a period of 108 years, a multiple of 9. Both 1908 and 2016 are reducible to 9. Also, The World Series where the curse of the Billy Goat supposedly originated occurred in 1945, one of the eclipse years ending in a multiple of 9. The Cubs were also strangely involved in the Mets’ famous miracle year. On September (the 9^th month) 9, 1969, (at date full of 9’s) in a critical Cubs/Mets pennant race game, a black cat walked between Cubs captain Ron Santo, and the Cubs dugout, after which the Mets won the series and began their remarkable run to the World Series.[2]

Now it would seem that the 1918 eclipse is more significant for the losers than the winners, the Boston Red Sox, who ended their drought of 86 years in 2004. However, if one looks at a famous Red Sox player who wore the number 9, Ted Williams, some interesting observations emerge. Williams was born in 1918, just twelve days before the Red Sox clinched the American League pennant. His number was retired in 1986, a year which the Red Sox lost in the World Series against the New York Mets and also the year where the “Curse of the Bambino” was first coined. It was the last time they played in the World Series before ending their drought 18 years later, a multiple of 9.

Moreover, the 1986 World Series was marked one the most famous baseball errors of all time. With just one out away from winning the World Series, Boston’s Bill Buckner, coincidently a former Chicago Cub, allowed a ball to pass between his legs at first base, allowing the Mets to mount an amazing comeback World Series victory. Apparently Buckner was wearing a Cubs batting glove under his glove when he committed his error.[3]

In the year the Red Sox finally ended their drought, on August 31, 2004, Boston’s Manny Ramirez hit a foul ball into Section 9, Box 95, Row AA and struck a 16-old boy, knocking two of his teeth out. Coincidently, the boy apparently lived on a Sudbury farm once owned by Babe Ruth, the protagonist behind the “Curse of the Bambino”.[4] Moreover, on Wednesday, October 27, 2004, the Red Sox recorded the final out of their World Series victory during a total lunar eclipse.[5] Let us hope that the teams in this year’s World Series will have better luck.

Post Script

Did anything significant happen in the 2017 World Series? I think so. The Houston Astros finally broke their 56-year World Series drought with their first win ever, over the Los Angeles Dodgers. They defeated both the Yankees and the Red Sox in the playoff season. It was their 18th year at Minute Maid Park. Astro Jose Altuve was the AL season MVP. He wears number 27, a multiple of 9. George Springer was the World Series MVP. He was born September 19, 1989. However, the Astros' victory was marred in 2019 after a league investigation revealed that they had illegally utilized a system to steal signs from opposing teams during their championship season [6].

The 1918 American eclipse saw the start of long droughts, the 2017 eclipse saw the ending of a long drought. I think that bookends these two events with a poetic sense of closure. In 2018, the Red Sox won their 9th World Series.

Blavatsky on the esoteric significance of the number 18

Commenting on the numerical signifiance of the year 1881, Helena Blavatsky gives some relevant indications regarding the number 18 (from Stars and Numbers, [The Theosophist, Vol. II, No. 9, June, 1881, pp. 199-201] Collected Writings, Vol. 3, p. 192-201): The Hebrew letters as stated have all their numerical value or correspondence in arithmetical figures. The number 18 in the Hebrew Alphabet is represented by the letters—“HETH” = 8, and “YOD” = 10, i.e., 18. United together Heth and Yod form the word “khaî,” or “haî,” which literally translated means the imperative—live and alive. Every orthodox Jew during his fast and holy days is bound to donate for some pious purpose a sum of money consisting of, and containing the number 18 in it. So, for instance, he will give 18 copecks, or 18 ten-copeck bits, 18 rubles or 18 times 18 copecks or rubles—according to his means and degree of religious fervour. Hence, the year 1818—that of the Emperor’s birth—meant, if read in Hebrew—“khaï, khaï” or live, live—pronounced emphatically twice; while the year 1881—that of his death read in the same way, yields the fatal words “Khai-tze” rendered in English, “thou living one depart”; or in other words, “life is ended.” . . . (203)

H. H. Aga Khan was one of the most remarkable men of the century. Of all the Mussulmans, Shiahs or Soonis, who rejoice in the green turban, the Aga’s claims to a direct descent from Mahomet through Ali rested on undeniable proofs. He again represented the historical “Assassins” of the Old Man of the Mountain. He had married a daughter of the late Shah of Persia; but political broils forced him to leave his native land and seek refuge with the British Government in India. In Bombay he had a numerous religious following. He was a high-spirited, generous man and a hero. The most noticeable feature of his life was that he was born in 1800—and died in 1881, at the age of 81. In his case too the occult influence of the year 1881 has asserted itself. (198)

The year 1881, then, of which we have lived but one-third, promises, as predicted by astrologers and astronomers, a long and gloomy list of disasters on land, as on the seas. We have shown elsewhere (Bombay Gazette, March 30, 1881) how strange in every respect was the grouping of the figures of our present year, adding that another such combination will not happen in the Christian chronology before the year 11811, just 9930 years hence, when—there will be no more a “Christian” chronology we are afraid, but something else. We said: “Our year 1881 offers that strange fact, that from whichever of four sides you look at its figures—from right or left, from top or bottom, from the back, by holding the paper up to the light—or even upside down, you will always have before you the same mysterious and kabalistic numbers of 1881. It is the correct number of the three figures which have most perplexed mystics for over eighteen centuries. The year 1881, in short, is the number of the Great Beast of the Revelation, the number 666 of St. John’s Apocalypsis [xiii, 17-18]—that Kabalistic Book par excellence. See for yourselves: 1 + 8 + 8 + 1 make eighteen; eighteen divided thrice gives three times six, or placed in a row, 666, ‘the number of man.’”* (200)

An interesting new combination, meanwhile, of the year 1881, in reference to the life of the murdered Czar, may be found in the following dates, every one of which marks a more or less important period in his life. It proves at all events what important and mysterious a part, the figures 1 and 8 played in his life. 1 and 8 make 18; and the Emperor was born April 17th (1 + 7 = 8) in 1818. He died in 1881—the figures of the years of his birth and death being identical, and coinciding, moreover, with the date of his birth 17 (1+ 7 = 8). The figures of the years of the birth and death being thus the same, as four times 18 can be formed out of them, and the sum total of each year’s numerals is 18. (201)

[1] "Cubs threw 1918 World Series?". ESPN. April 20, 2011.

[2] Cohen, Rich (2014-07-07). "Where are They Now: Catching up with Mr. Cub Ernie BanksWhere are They Now: Catching up with Mr. Cub Ernie Banks". Sports Illustrated.

[3] http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/curses-of-the-cubs/11/

[4] http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/09/02/taking_teeth_out_of_curse/