As I get ready to celebrate Passover with my family this evening, I am reminded of the sacred number four and the symbolism it represents in many spiritual practices.  The number four symbolizes wholeness and completeness in Native American thought, astrology, Jewish thought and many other spiritual traditions.  The four elements in physics are considered to be the basic form of energy or consciousness.  Every human being contains all four elements, but some are more consciously aware than others.

In Native American literature, the four represents the four directions, the four winds, and the four realms (invisible, animal, plant, mineral), as well as the four seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter).

In Judaism, the four represents a symbol of wholeness, especially with the Passover Seder, where the Jewish people observe the ancestral healing journey from slavery to freedom, which is played out in the service prior to dinner or what is known as a Seder.

The number four comes up over and over again with the traditional blessing of four cups of wine or grape juice, asking the four questions, and recounting the story of the four sons.    It also is revealed in God’s instructions to the Jewish people on how God will help the Israelites.  In Exodus 6:6-7, God tells Moses to “tell the children of Israel, I am YHVH (the four letter name of God), and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you out of their bondage and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. And I will take you to me for a people and I will be to you a God and you will know that I am YHH, the Infinite one, who brings you out from under the burdens of Egypt.”

In essence, Passover is a welcoming of wholeness and embodiment.  In other words, in order for our own healing to begin, we must be able to embrace and embody all the different parts of our being.  One way we do this is through Torah study, prayer, or meditation, which in essence, is an example of embodiment in action.  This is similar to what the “Law of Sobriety” tells us.  Once the seven steps are put into place from “The Law of Sobriety” not only do you have the opportunity for tremendous inner wholeness and healing to take place, but those actions then become embodiment in action. The purpose and passion that eluded you, once and for all becomes a reality.  Your life is transformed into what God, Source, Buddha, or whatever your higher power is, intended you to be all along from the very beginning.

Sherry Gaba, LCSW, is a Licensed Psychotherapist and Life Coach in private practice and Celebrity Rehab.  Sherry is the author of “The Law of Sobriety: Attracting Positive Energy for a Powerful Recovery”, a book that incorporates the principals from The Law of Attraction into eliminating any hard or soft addiction from your life. Contact Sherry at sherry@sgabatherapy.com to learn more about her life coaching packages, psychotherapy practice, speaking engagements, workshops, and teleseminars.