Jefferson, the Number 13, and the Return of the Feminine

(Painting of Thomas Jefferson by Charles Willson Peale.)

(This is a revised version of Matriotic Musings on Jefferson, Kucinich, and The Divine Feminine, first published on OEN in April, 2004.)

On the anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s death on July 4th, 1826, and upon the sullying of his hallowed Monticello by the visit, today, of the very kind of monarch that Jefferson encouraged us to overthrow, two of his quotes invite reflection:

A little rebellion now and then is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.
 
I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.

Jefferson, America’s third president, was born April thirteenth, 1743. The number thirteen[1], associated with the divine feminine, has figured prominently in American symbolism.

In the original flag, the colonies were represented by thirteen stars, forming a circle.  Our flag also has thirteen stripes, seven red and six white.

The number thirteen figures prominently on both the obverse and reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, which can be seen on the back of a one dollar bill.

There are thirteen courses of stone in the pyramid, thirteen letters in Annuit Coeptis, thirteen stars in the crest, thirteen stripes in the shield, and thirteen letters in E Pluribus Unum.

The eagle holds an olive branch with thirteen leaves and thirteen olives in its right talon (representing peace, and the feminine), and thirteen arrows in the left (representing war, and the masculine). The gaze of the eagle, however, is firmly upon the olive branches, indicating America’s focus and destiny toward peace.

Thirteen is the number traditionally associated with the Divine Feminine[2]. In ancient times there were thirteen “moonths” in a year, since there are thirteen full moons, and therefore thirteen menstrual cycles, annually. In England, a calendar of thirteen months of 28 days each, plus one extra day, was known as "a year and a day," and made up the lunar year. It was still in use in Tudor times[3].

The thirteenth letter of the alphabet is “M,” a letter associated with many things feminine, including mother, mom, mama, mammary glands, menstruation and one of the most powerful feminine archetypes in the world, the Virgin Mary.

In its purest sense, American democracy is a reclamation of the balance in the masculine/feminine dance, a waltz which has suffered from the imbalance of patriarchy for the past 5,000 years.

 1  |  2  |  3  |  4