11-11-11 unusual date but it’s only apophenia
The rare alignment of digits tomorrow may stir anxiety among the superstitious, but 11-11-11 (November 11, 2011) may well be as flat as the number.
The once-in-a-century synchronicity of 11s will see a rather ordinary day, according to science and geomancy, but not for those who decided to make the day special by setting weddings, project launches and other special events.
“The date just sounds nice but I can’t see any meaning to it,” said Dario de la Cruz, chief of the weather bureau’s Space Sciences and Astronomy Section.
“It’s an ordinary date. I can’t think of anything it might mean, even in superstition,” De la Cruz said.
By Friday, the moon would be rising to its fullest, the stars would be where they should be, and Earth would have counted two days since its closest encounter with an asteroid—the 400-meter-wide 2005 YU55.
But no, the date of three 11s will not spell a special cosmic event, De la Cruz said. The sky may even be cloudy.
“We have not received any calls asking about 11-11-11. The calls we’re getting are about the asteroid,” he said in reference to YU55’s fly-by that would have been seen past 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Attaching meaning
The last decade saw dates with repetitive digits from 01-01-01 to 10-10-10, stirring a search for meaning.
Sociologist Clifford Sorita attributes this to apophenia, a phenomenon in which people attach meaning to random patterns.
“It’s a rare occurrence. It opens, therefore, a wide range of discussions. The problem is, and psychologists will tell you, that when the discussion starts, it creates a situation attributed to apophenia, where people try to find meaning in something random,” Sorita said.
Apophenia results in interpretations largely based on culture and context, he said.
“And here, our tendency is to base our interpretations on the cosmic. For instance, in numerology, they say 11, being between 10 and 12, is an imperfect, odd number that represents evil. But for gamblers, for instance, the date could be lucky, especially for those who play Blackjack,” the sociologist said.
Cultural background
“In other words, the meaning feeds upon the cultural background or what a person is into. The meaning could be spiritual or physical, depending on the subconscious or culture of a person,” Sorita said.
Chat Alejandro, a feng shui consultant, agrees with Sorita’s reading.
“People try to find something to rely on based on their insecurities and uncertainties. They find meaning in patterns,” Alejandro said.
“But there is no alignment of planets… Perhaps there are just some people who take advantage of the date for its commercial value [their services or goods],” he said.
The date may, however, carry good vibes for those born on November 11, Alejandro said. The synchronicity may bring them “vibratory compatibility.”
Positive side
But for the rest, exuding positive energy may be best on Friday or on any other day.
“Let’s look at the positive side. This is a rare occurrence, there is existence of good vibrations everywhere,” Alejandro said.
“Let’s just consider it as a sort of nudge that the world has reached the 11th hour and that we should start to improve. Do good for others, do good for the environment, get real,” he added.
