Turning 60 can be a clue to Self-realization

Last November, my body turned 60.

When you reach the milestone of 60 years of age, it can be rather daunting. However, it’s important to remember that age is merely a number, and its significance is determined by the thoughts, feelings, and intentions we associate with it.

As a numerologist, I understand this better than most people.

Numbers are the basis of everything we understand in this world. Without numbers, you can not create, build, analyze, or understand anything.

And so it is: numbers rule our lives.

We need numbers to pay the bills, score a game, time an event, know our age, and measure our progress, failures, and successes.

When we think of the number 1, the most prominent correlating phenomenon that comes to mind is the Sun, the central and most important celestial body in our universe. Sunday is the first day of the week. In terms of elements, gold and golden colors correspond to the number 1, and so does the element of fire. Fire corresponds to masculinity, leadership, and keen intelligence. Once again, this is because of 1's connection to the Sun. The number 1 also represents independence, a pioneering spirit, birth, the best and brightest, but also loneliness. Every number has both positive and negative correlating qualities.

Numbers form the basis of every predictive esoteric science known to man, including astrology, tarot, iChing, etc.

Now that I have gotten used to the big 60, it doesn't minimize the natural changes taking place in my physical body and mind. I act and think differently, and I have more wrinkles, am losing more hair, have lower energy, and sometimes get brain fog — those “senior moments” we all dread.

Initially, I was dismissive. “How is this possible?” “I do not feel 60.” Some people tell me I do not look 60, although I beg to differ. Time really does seem to fly by like a soft breeze, hardly being noticed. Alas, as Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita, “Time I am, destroyer of the worlds.”

In any case, life moves on because life is energy, and energy, by definition, is always moving. Energy can never be destroyed. It only changes form. Water becomes steam or ice. Earth becomes a tree. This same tree can become ash and then the carbon for another life form.

At our core, we are innately energetic beings having a physical experience, animating this meat bag by the power of spirit. It is this innate sense of permanence of spirit that makes us so confused by the temporary nature of material existence. Our soul nature is not restricted by the limits of time. However, due to falsely identifying with physical form we come under the control of time.

When we look in the mirror, we see a physical form that has dramatically changed over time. Yet, looking through those physical eyes, we, the soul and seat of consciousness, know without doubt that we have always been the same person, observing these changes.

This deeper understanding of the nature of life has consumed me since I first learned of reincarnation as a teenager. It has become my rudder to navigate the turbulent waters of the human experience.

According to ancient records, people lived much longer lives than we do today. While various myths and legends exist about individuals with extraordinary lifespans, none have been scientifically verified.

1. Li Ching-Yuen — According to legend, Li Ching-Yuen, a Chinese herbalist, was claimed to have lived for 256 years. However, this has not been substantiated by verifiable records [3].
2. Zuo Ci — Another figure from Chinese legend, Zuo Ci, was said to have lived for 300 years during the Three Kingdoms Period [1].

According to the Bible, Adam lived for 930 years. Methuselah — 969 years, Noah — 950 years, and Abraham — 175 years.

These long lifespans may seem outrageous, but once you understand the controlling nature of time and how these are all just units of measure, they are not so fantastic. Another way to look at it is to compare it to the eternity of the soul; this one human life is like one frame of a very long movie or one paragraph on a page of a very large book. In other words, you cannot possibly understand the full story of someone’s life with that limited bit of information. And yet, that is exactly what most of us do every day when we judge another person based on one interaction with them. We do not know the entire story of that soul, so we do not fully understand or know anyone in full.

I see this milestone of 60 and the signs of aging it brings as a clue—a clue to the truth of my ever-youthful nature as a spirit soul coursing through this human experience. I am not this body. I will live beyond this current physical identity. Therefore, I celebrate each day I get to experience these invaluable human lessons as I get closer and closer to God and the answers to life.

The human form is such a blessing. Only in human form do we have the capacity to ask the big questions about life. No other species has such capacity, each representing a level of awareness for the soul within. Therefore, I see this human body as my temple.

To see your body as your temple means to keep it purified. You should not allow impure things to enter, like impure foods or foods that are not in a natural state (over-processed), or food filled with negative emotions, like the remains of dead animals, or impure fluids like alcohol. You should also be careful to protect the other awareness gateways, like the eyes, ears, and nostrils. Each one of these knowledge portals of our sacred temple needs to be protected. This was the kind of training I got when I was a monk from the age of 19–33 years old. Although I am not as strict as I was back then, these teachings still guide me as I continue to honor and respect this blessing of a human form.

If you are over 60 now, what lessons have you learned?

Do you still identify as a physical body, or are you gradually coming to the understanding that you are more than a body? That grandchild you hold in your arms will one day become old and frail like you, and yet, they will remain the same “person” within.

It is never too late to start the process of self-realization. 60 is as good a time as any because death lurks in the shadows, and we never know when we will take our last breath in this life. So treasure it and cultivate higher consciousness now.