Dressed to the Nines

 

Dressed to the Nines

Dressed to the nines is an old expression meaning to the highest degree. As we know from numerology, 9 signifies the completion of a cycle, getting things finished and wrapping things up. Nine is not only the number of completion, it is also the number of wisdom and leadership. That is why people traditionally dress up when going to a symphony, theater performance, a public presentation by a well known speaker, a business event such as an expo or awards ceremony. These kinds of dress up occasions reflect the special vibe of the event, where the participants will all dress up creating an aura of higher energy. Some people joke about having a suit for weddings and funerals, but the other examples named above are times when excellence is awarded and the evening is enveloped in a celebratory aura. This includes getting together with family & friends for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas and Solstice parties, going to New Year's Eve parties. It feels good to be casual for every day, and dress for events. Another way to look at dress is this. We notice that shamans, healers, and spiritual leaders of all kinds don special garments before beginning to lead ceremonies. Why? Because the person getting dressed to lead a ritual of any kind is getting their mind into that altered state. You could say that for the leader, the ritual is beginning from the time they do their ritual cleaning and dressing, then getting their tools ready for use. So they are changing their consciousness as they prepare and they are in an altered state before their performance begins and lasts beyond the night. The energy stays with us for a good while after a ceremony. Changing our appearance is all about changing our attitude and mental state. We are changing our mind as we change our clothes. And this suggests to us excellence, doing the best we can, using our abilities to the nines. Many of us have experienced that feeling of the nines when we have set a goal and accomplished it, whether in our career, a sport, a hobby, overcoming a health challenge, or perhaps as a volunteer with a charity. Even when we are teaching ourselves something new or developing a new habit, and we strive to do our best, we are going for the nines. Notice how you do certain things to shift your consciousness. Is your desk or office set up to facilitate your flow and productivity? Do you wear certain things to get ready? What habits do you cultivate to sharpen your wits and shift your consciousness? When do you dress to the nines? How do you feel about yourself when you do? How does your outer state reflect your inner state? Are you considering some new ideas about this now? I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! If any of you has any idea you would like me to include in my newsletters, I will consider all suggestions.

After the costumes come off

 

After the costumes come off

Dressing in costume is a way of being a different person for a while. We can have fun pretending that we are someone else and we can talk different and act different for a while, and when our costumes and masks are well done, no one knows it is us, we can be outrageous and wild and totally different than our normal way of being. Does some of that stay with us for a while? Do we sometimes like the person in the costume better than our usual self? Do we not sometimes desire a major change in our life so that we are very different from our present self? This may sound a bit far fetched, but stop and think for a moment. Once upon a time, I worked in jobs that required wearing a suit and tie every day, no beard, short haircuts and driving in rush hours to get to office buildings downtown every day. You would never know that by looking at me now. Have you seen anyone at a party who looked absolutely fabulous dressed up, where their every day manner of dress and looks are plain and low key? How did you used to look before I met you? How we look influences how people see us. And now, more than ever, we are free to look however we want. There was a time when certain looks went with certain positions. That has largely changed. For example, it was not that long ago that if you had visible tattoos, a lot of companies would not hire you. Who is the person underneath all the designs, body art and clothing styles? That is the part that really needs to shine through. Does a person's look reveal that? Is the person able to do what needs to be done? Does the way a person looks fit their personality? People are enjoying looking more colorful and why not? If colored hair and body art lifts your spirits, go for it. Employers these days are letting go of those old dress codes as long as you can show up and do the work. Even in medical professions, where we will continue to see those professionals wearing scrubs, how differently do we perceive that person when we see them in their scrubs than when we see them in their street clothes? On the occasions when I encounter someone from my doctor's or dentist's office in another place, I have to do a double take to recognize them, but they don't have the same hesitation recognizing me. How differently do we see ourselves when we are wearing jeans and T shirts and when we are dressed up? Who is the person under those clothes? What kind of energy are we projecting when we dress different ways? How do we want people to perceive us? We put a lot of thought into our costumes. What else do we put a lot of thought into? Do these concepts drive thoughts of change? I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! If any of you has any idea you would like me to include in my newsletters, I will consider all suggestions. Have a wonderful Halloween, Diwali and Samhain this weekend!