True teaching is not an accumulation of knowledge; it is an awakening of consciousness that goes through successive stages. 
 
—Ancient Egyptian quote
 
My first recollection of a passion for numbers was when I was three years old and my parents would take me to the Old Mission Santa Barbara for Catholic Sunday Mass. The stone-clad building was ancient, with cracked walls painted in beautiful designs of flowers, petals, leaves, and Celtic symbols. I never understood the sermon, but every now and then, the priest would speak in English and mumble in Latin. My father would methodically jab me with his elbow every time I leaned over to fall asleep on his shoulder. The only way I could promise to stay awake was if I counted all the details displayed on the cathedral walls. That was when I first noticed numerical patterns. There they were, everywhere around me, numbers repeating themselves in the form of symbols. I got excited about the patterns and wondered what the meanings were behind the repetition. I began my counting again on the following Sunday morning, hoping my exploration would lead me to answers. When I was a young teen, astrology grasped my attention. I suppose this was the beginning of my search for a deeper meaning of life outside of me. I used to conduct personal studies with acquaintances once I learned of their sun signs. I studied people and sun signs for many years, until I eventually became bored. It was not uncommon for me to remember people’s birthdays but not their names. I studied astrology so closely that I was able to match people to their birthdays just by reading their energy. Birthdates resonated with me before I could identify a person by name. I think the reason I became bored with astrology is that I found it to be limiting and a lot like religion. It had a way of categorizing people into moulds with positive and negative descriptions, and when people would look at someone’s sun sign, they would see the mould before the person. This did not sit right with me because it didn’t give people the freedom to express themselves organically. I thought it was somewhat dangerous and impersonal. I believe there is a lot of truth in astrology, especially when it is used to encourage people and motivate them toward their highest abilities.