The 23 Enigma
Posted: 25 May 2017 12:58
This numerological theory claims that the number 23 recurs in many different and surprising places. Supposedly, 23
can be connected to any significant event or phenomenon good or bad. For instance, people have 23 pairs of
chromosomes, Aleister Crowley ( who started studying magic at the age of 23) defined 23 as "the number of life' and
the Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5. The 23 Enigma (which, by the way, is unrelated to the old slang expression
'23, skidoo!') has inspired two films, 23 and The Number 23, a widely panned Jim Carrey effort about a man who
becomes obsessed with the 23 Enigma. Carrey even named his production company J23, not that that did the film any
good.
The idea that 23 could somehow have mystic power because it can be linked coincidentally to certain events, is of
course, deeply irrational and entirely unconvincing. In this case, however, that's pretty much the point. The 23 Enigma
originates not in any ancient text, but in a series of novels published in 1975 called the 'Illuminatus' trilogy, by Robert
Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. The trilogy is a complex satirical conspiracy story, and numerology, including the
significance of the number 23, is one of it's major themes. Wilson appears to have been inspired by a story heard from the author William S. Burroughs. While in Tangier in 1960, Birroughs made the acquaintance of a sailor Captain Clark
who boasted to Burroughs that he had run his ferry service for 23 years with not a single accident. That same day, the
ship sank, killing Clark and all the passengers. Burroughs was ruminating on the news that evening when he heard a
report on the radio of a plane crash in Florida. The plane was Flight 23, piloted by a Captain Clark.
It's not funny....
Wilson and the Illuminatus! trilogy are strongly linked to Discordianism, a postmodern 'joke' religion,which celebrates
confusion and chaos and claims to worship Eris, the Ancient Greek goddess of discord. The 23 Enigma seems intended
as a joke about the self-fulfilling nature of numerology and the ease which human pattern recognition can be fooled.
The numbers 17 and 5 are similarly revered by Discordians, and can be said to be related to 23 because the digits of
17 add up to 8, or 2 square, and of course 2 + 3 = 5.
It wasn't so funny, however for a German hacker named Karl Koch. Koch and his associates hacked into a number of
American military systems from Hanovee and Berlin and sold the data to the KGB. Koch was obsessed with the Illuminatus trilogy, using the name of the book's protagonist,Hagbard Celine as a pseudonym for his activities. He was
severely paranoid and addicted to cocaine, and was fighting against a vast Illuminati conspiracy. Koch was captured,
along with those he was working with, in March 1989, provoking an international spy scandal. He eventually killed
himself on 23 May 1989-at the age of 23. The 1998 film 23 is based on his life.
Wilson and the Illuminatus trilogy are strongly linked to Discordianism, a post modern 'joke' religion, which celebrates
confusion and chaos and claims to worship Eris, the Ancient Greek Goddess of discord. The 23 Enigma seems intended
as a joke about the self-fulfilling nature of numerology and the ease with which human pattern recognition can be
fooled. The numbers 17 and 5 are similarly revered by Discordians and can be said to be related to 23 because the
digits add up to 8 or 2sq, and of course 2 + 4=5.
http://themysteryandscience.blogspot.co ... t.html?m=1
can be connected to any significant event or phenomenon good or bad. For instance, people have 23 pairs of
chromosomes, Aleister Crowley ( who started studying magic at the age of 23) defined 23 as "the number of life' and
the Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5. The 23 Enigma (which, by the way, is unrelated to the old slang expression
'23, skidoo!') has inspired two films, 23 and The Number 23, a widely panned Jim Carrey effort about a man who
becomes obsessed with the 23 Enigma. Carrey even named his production company J23, not that that did the film any
good.
The idea that 23 could somehow have mystic power because it can be linked coincidentally to certain events, is of
course, deeply irrational and entirely unconvincing. In this case, however, that's pretty much the point. The 23 Enigma
originates not in any ancient text, but in a series of novels published in 1975 called the 'Illuminatus' trilogy, by Robert
Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. The trilogy is a complex satirical conspiracy story, and numerology, including the
significance of the number 23, is one of it's major themes. Wilson appears to have been inspired by a story heard from the author William S. Burroughs. While in Tangier in 1960, Birroughs made the acquaintance of a sailor Captain Clark
who boasted to Burroughs that he had run his ferry service for 23 years with not a single accident. That same day, the
ship sank, killing Clark and all the passengers. Burroughs was ruminating on the news that evening when he heard a
report on the radio of a plane crash in Florida. The plane was Flight 23, piloted by a Captain Clark.
It's not funny....
Wilson and the Illuminatus! trilogy are strongly linked to Discordianism, a postmodern 'joke' religion,which celebrates
confusion and chaos and claims to worship Eris, the Ancient Greek goddess of discord. The 23 Enigma seems intended
as a joke about the self-fulfilling nature of numerology and the ease which human pattern recognition can be fooled.
The numbers 17 and 5 are similarly revered by Discordians, and can be said to be related to 23 because the digits of
17 add up to 8, or 2 square, and of course 2 + 3 = 5.
It wasn't so funny, however for a German hacker named Karl Koch. Koch and his associates hacked into a number of
American military systems from Hanovee and Berlin and sold the data to the KGB. Koch was obsessed with the Illuminatus trilogy, using the name of the book's protagonist,Hagbard Celine as a pseudonym for his activities. He was
severely paranoid and addicted to cocaine, and was fighting against a vast Illuminati conspiracy. Koch was captured,
along with those he was working with, in March 1989, provoking an international spy scandal. He eventually killed
himself on 23 May 1989-at the age of 23. The 1998 film 23 is based on his life.
Wilson and the Illuminatus trilogy are strongly linked to Discordianism, a post modern 'joke' religion, which celebrates
confusion and chaos and claims to worship Eris, the Ancient Greek Goddess of discord. The 23 Enigma seems intended
as a joke about the self-fulfilling nature of numerology and the ease with which human pattern recognition can be
fooled. The numbers 17 and 5 are similarly revered by Discordians and can be said to be related to 23 because the
digits add up to 8 or 2sq, and of course 2 + 4=5.
http://themysteryandscience.blogspot.co ... t.html?m=1