Numerology, the study of the symbolism of numbers, is quite ancient, and goes back to at least to the Pythagoreans in ancient Greece, and even further, when we study ancient cultures and their rituals. In the Christian tradition, there has been somewhat of a dilemma: although its obvious that scripture makes symbolic use of numbers, so did the ancients, whose philosophy was corrupted by idolatry. Wikipedia sums it up:
"The Fathers repeatedly condemned the magical use of numbers which had descended from Babylonian sources to the Pythagoreans and Gnostics of their times. They denounced any system of philosophy which rested upon an exclusively numerical basis. Even so, they almost unanimously regarded the numbers of Holy Writ as full of mystical meaning, and they considered the interpretation of these mystical meanings as an important branch of exegesis. There was reluctance in the Christian teachers of the early centuries to push this recognition of the significance of numbers to extremes."
Nevertheless, St. Augustine wrote:
"Numbers are the Universal language offered by the deity to humans as confirmation of the truth."
If we look at the symbolism of numbers in the Christian tradition, there has been almost a complete ignorance of it. As far as I know, the most extensive study of numbers from a Biblical scriptural viewpoint was summed up in a book by E.W Bullinger in the 19th century, Number in Scripture. But some of it is his own guesswork, containing hits and misses. The subject begs for further study.
The symbolism of numbers, for the most part, has been lost to the modern world. Wikipedia states: "There are no set definitions for the meaning of specific digits." And different systems of numerology will no doubt disagree with each other. Where to start? How to set up a rational foundation?
Enter Emanuel Swedenborg. A great scientist of the 18th century, his vision was opened around the age of 55 to be exposed to the symbolic language of heaven, which was recorded in the Bible. He explained the spiritual significance of each and every word, verse by verse. And many verses contain numbers. I will quote from him directly:
"What the "years" and the "numbers of years" which occur in this chapter, signify in the internal sense, has hitherto been unknown. Those who abide in the literal sense suppose them to be secular years, whereas from this to the twelfth chapter there is nothing historical according to its appearance in the literal sense, but all things in general and every single thing in particular contain other matters. And this is the case not only with the names, but also with the numbers. In the Word frequent mention is made of the number three, and also of the number seven, and wheresoever they occur they signify something holy or most sacred in regard to the states which the times or other things involve or represent; and they have the same signification in the least intervals of time as in the greatest, for as the parts belong to the whole, so the least things belong to the greatest, for there must be a likeness in order that the whole may properly come forth from the parts, or the greatest from its leasts." (Arcana Coelestia, 482).
The above passage, where the smallest part is contained in the whole, is an overall principle followed by Swedenborg, where order in the smallest part of creation can reveal the order in the entire universe. In modern science, scientist are intrigued with holograms and the human brain: for the smallest part seems to be a reflection of the whole. The same is true for numbers. Numbers form the foundation of mathematics, and breakthroughs in mathematics has led to discoveries in science. Yes, numbers are the means by which the Divine reveals truth to humans.
When it comes to numerology, or the spiritual significance of numbers, most will relegate this to the realm of superstition. But sometimes, certain superstitions have a basis in fact, and are based on ancient traditions, where the meaning has been lost. Rather than write a blog on all the numbers, lets concentrate on the most unluckiest of numbers that has survived in Western superstition: the unlucky number 13.
Why is thirteen so unlucky? Superstition, most will say. As I write this, I am on the 22nd floor of a hotel on a business trip. And when I went up the elevator, floor number thirteen (13) was completely missing. I just came back from Starbucks, where I picked up a newspaper, and the front page described the killings in Fort Hood Texas, where an army soldier had killed thirteen people. And earlier, I read about a case before the Supreme court about considering whether or not life imprisonment was cruel and unusual punishment for juveniles. One case before them was a juvenile who committed a horrible crime at the age of thirteen. And earlier this year, O.J. Simpson was convicted in Nevada, thirteen years to the day after he was declared not guilty for the murder of his ex-wife. And we all know about Friday the 13th, right? And the movie? Ok, good number to start with for a generic blog introducing numerology. I dont believe in coincidences, since the number 13 has popped up a lot recently I decided to start with this number.
So, lets take a look at the number 13, is it just us, or do other cultures regard 13 as unlucky? Consider the following examples, which I randomly pulled from Wikipedia:
"The number of Norse gods (there were 12) at a banquet that was crashed by the evil god Loki (making 13) who killed Baldr with an arrow/spear made out of mistletoe using Hodr, thus marking the beginning of Ragnarok."
"In Italy, 13 is also considered to be a lucky number, although in Campania the expression 'tredici' (meaning 13) is said when one considers their luck to have turned for the worse."
"In Mesoamerican divination, 13 is the number of important cycles of fortune/misfortune"
"There are traditionally thirteen steps leading up to a gallows."
"Before the plot was foiled, there were thirteen plotters in the Gunpowder Plot."
"Apollo 13 was the only unsuccessful mission by the United States of America intended to land humans on the moon."
"The number 13 is associated with bad luck in some countries, and even has a specifically recognized phobia, Triskaidekaphobia, a word which was coined in 1911."
"In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve hours of the clock, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, twelve gods of Olympus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners."
As for the origin of the superstition of Friday the 13th, its not documented as an unlucky day until the 19th century. But most believe it goes back much earlier, perhaps to Norse mythology. Some apply it to the date of the mass arrest of the Knights Templars, October 13, 1307 - Friday the 13th. Or to the decision to go into the Battle of Hastings, on October 13, 1066.
Some consider that human growth passes through stages, every seven years, which at the beginning of the article, represented a holy and sacred number. It is at the age of thirteen we all became a teenager, which is most often associated with a period of rebellion, as independence is asserted. And so we come across the first statement of the number thirteen in the Bible:
Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. (Gen. 14:4)
So what did Swedenborg say when he came across this verse? It can be closely associated with the 13th year of human development:
"Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer," signifies that the evils and falsities did not appear in childhood, but that they served the apparent goods and truths; "and in the thirteenth year they rebelled," signifies the beginning of temptations in childhood. (Arcana Coelestia, 1666).
"And in the thirteenth year they rebelled. That this signified the beginning of temptations in childhood, is evident from the signification of "the thirteenth year," and from the signification of "rebelling." The thirteenth year is intermediate between the twelfth and the fourteenth. What is signified by "twelve" has been stated; and what by "fourteen" will be stated presently. The intermediate between no temptation and temptation is "thirteen." What "rebelling" signifies may be seen when it is predicated of the evils in a man, or of evil spirits, when they have been in subjection or are serving, and begin to rise up and infest." (Arcana Coelestia, 1668).
So "unlucky thirteen" seems to be grounded in some scientific fact: it is the age of our adolescent development. But why is thirteen the age of adolescent development? We as humans, are created in God's Image. And numbers are revelations of truth. And these numbers manifest themselves in infinite ways.
Swedenborg would often explore the nature of numbers by decomposing them: the nature of bigger numbers can be discovered if they are a multiple of smaller numbers, or by adding up two other numbers. In this case, the nature of the number 13 is revealed by decomposing it into 7 + 6, or by considering its sequence, after 12 but before 14: the nature of the number can change according to context. When 13 is decomposed into 10 + 3, it actually signifies something good, thus in some cultures 13 is lucky rather than unlucky - thus the number 13 has a positive significance when considered in the passage where Ishmael is circumcised in his thirteenth year.
That thirteen can have a positive significance, as a positive number of human growth, is when it is considered to be a number as part of the Fibonacci series: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21...etc, where each subsequent number contains in it the previous two numbers, in this case, thirteen is 5 + 8. In this case, it represents the next stage of human growth, bases on the symbolism of the preceding numbers, five and eight. Here is an interesting video which explores the appearance of the Fibonacci series in nature, especially in mathematical spirals (you need to stop my music playlist in the upper left of this blog):
So to take a simple number, and state that it always means one thing, is a bit too simplistic: you have to consider the context in which the number is mentioned. Numbers are just one aspect of the symbolic language of heaven: you can not study numerology in isolation, without a broader understanding of the symbolic language of heaven, which manifests itself in creation. As this has been lost, so numerology at this day is no more than a superstition. The visions of Swedenborg, however, is the first step to restoring to humanity the lost language of symbols, preserved in ancient myths and in the waking dreams of our lives.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Spiritual Symbolism of Psalm 95
Biblical scripture has a deeper meaning than the surface, much more so than we think: Swedenborg would enter trance like states while reading the Bible, and there was such symbolism in the words that it would allow his mind to enter into conjunction with the angelic realm of heaven. The Heavenly Language is symbolic: all communication there is thru thought, and often pictures and symbols are used for higher level truths, which can not be expressed in language.
However, Swedenborg did attempt to express some of these concepts in our own language. Id like to share some of it, I am in a hotel and opened the Bible at random, it came to Psalm 95. Here it is, I removed the artificial verses (which were added much later), and I show letters showing the repeating pattern of the Psalm (a Hebrew form of poetry):
a) Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
__ Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
a) Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
__ Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
__ b) For the LORD is the great God,
____ And the great King above all gods.
____ c) In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
______ The heights of the hills are His also.
____ c) The sea is His, for He made it;
______ And His hands formed the dry land.
a) Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
__ Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
__ b) For He is our God,
____ c) And we are the people of His pasture,
______ And the sheep of His hand.
________ d) Today, if you will hear His voice:
__________ e) “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
____________ As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
______________ f) When your fathers tested Me;
______________ They tried Me, though they saw My work.
______________ For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
__________ e) And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
___________ And they do not know My ways.’
________ d) So I swore in My wrath,
____ c)‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
Its unfortunate Bibles do not show this parallel structure: notice how similar thoughts repeat themselves, and commonly the same statement is said twice. Why is this? Because, states Swedenborg, all things have two aspects: one regarding Love, and the other regarding Truth. The two together from a unity, a marriage. So lets take a look at this closer:
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
The LORD here is Jehovah - and the name Jehovah is always used when God's Divine Love is spoken of. In the second line God is called a Rock - because his Divine Truth forms a strong foundation like a rock - and it is knowledge of the truth which saves. Jesus is LORD, and Jesus is the Rock - He is the one spoken of in this Psalm.
This statement is then repeated again, a second time:
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
The act of approaching God is always in the first line: it takes an act of the will (the will is our love). Its accompanied with a shout of joy - happiness from knowing the truth, of entering into a personal relationship with God.
This statement is then repeated again, a third and final time:
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
God must be approached with humility. We have to let go of our own pride. Three times we are invited to come and approach God: three is the number of completeness, for everything has a beginning state, a middle, and an end. The reason we should approach Him?
For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
Again, the word LORD (Jehovah) refers to God's Divine Love, and the word King is always used in regards to truth (the King enforces the Law- which in this case, is the Divine Truth). And knowledge of God is the truth that is more powerful than any other kinds of truths (gods).
In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
He of course is the creator of all things. The human race is the crown of his creation. Water refers to knowledge, and the earth is our body - the deep places of the the earth is our own subconscious. The heights of the hills are our desires. Not only did he physically make us, he continually makes us who we are, through continual development. That these verses are refering to aspects of our humanity, and not to the physical land and sea, is shown by the parallel verses:
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
Its our destiny to become a part of the heavenly community. The people of the pasture refers to how we receive his truth, to be the sheep under his hand means how we submit to his will. Fields always refer to truth, the hand is a symbol of power, thus the will. And in the ancient world, heavenly paradise was often depicted as a garden or a beautiful field.
Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
Every word here has a specific meaning, but I will keep it simple. The heart refers to one's will: to harden our hearts is to turn away from love. As field or pastures represent truth, a wilderness represents a state where truth is obscure and unknown. In this state, we can suffer trials by thinking false thoughts that lead us astray:
When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they saw My work.
A father represents love (as in God our Father), and the mother represents truth (our mother is the Church). When we commit acts of sin we test God: every action is destined to have a consequence. The second line repeats: God was tried with their false thoughts, even though miracles were performed they still doubted.
For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’
God does not grieve. When we fall our astray from Him, it is us who grieve: a departure from God's will will lead to sadness and depression. To go astray in ones heart means to follow one's own will without any thought of God, thus the latter statement: they do not know my Ways (false thoughts). False thoughts lead us astray to commit bad things. It is through repentence - acknowledging one's shortfalling - which causes us to come back to God. But we have to swallow our pride and admit we are wrong.
So I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest.
Again, God does not get angry. He has the appearance of being wrathful and angry to those who turn away from Him - it is our own conscience and guilt which creates this state of mind. God is Divine Love itself. To enter into God's rest is to enter his heavenly kingdom, where we can rest from our worries and enter a heavenly peace.
So this is somewhat of a sampling of how the Bible can bring communion with heaven, and how Swedenborg approached it: when our thoughts start to focus on these matters, a channel is opened with heaven. The Bible keeps this channel open. That this is so, was seen by Swedenborg in his visions: the Bible is truly inspired, for within it there is a spiritual sense that has the keys to open us to thoughts from heaven.
However, Swedenborg did attempt to express some of these concepts in our own language. Id like to share some of it, I am in a hotel and opened the Bible at random, it came to Psalm 95. Here it is, I removed the artificial verses (which were added much later), and I show letters showing the repeating pattern of the Psalm (a Hebrew form of poetry):
a) Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
__ Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
a) Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
__ Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
__ b) For the LORD is the great God,
____ And the great King above all gods.
____ c) In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
______ The heights of the hills are His also.
____ c) The sea is His, for He made it;
______ And His hands formed the dry land.
a) Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
__ Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
__ b) For He is our God,
____ c) And we are the people of His pasture,
______ And the sheep of His hand.
________ d) Today, if you will hear His voice:
__________ e) “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
____________ As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
______________ f) When your fathers tested Me;
______________ They tried Me, though they saw My work.
______________ For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
__________ e) And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
___________ And they do not know My ways.’
________ d) So I swore in My wrath,
____ c)‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
Its unfortunate Bibles do not show this parallel structure: notice how similar thoughts repeat themselves, and commonly the same statement is said twice. Why is this? Because, states Swedenborg, all things have two aspects: one regarding Love, and the other regarding Truth. The two together from a unity, a marriage. So lets take a look at this closer:
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
The LORD here is Jehovah - and the name Jehovah is always used when God's Divine Love is spoken of. In the second line God is called a Rock - because his Divine Truth forms a strong foundation like a rock - and it is knowledge of the truth which saves. Jesus is LORD, and Jesus is the Rock - He is the one spoken of in this Psalm.
This statement is then repeated again, a second time:
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
The act of approaching God is always in the first line: it takes an act of the will (the will is our love). Its accompanied with a shout of joy - happiness from knowing the truth, of entering into a personal relationship with God.
This statement is then repeated again, a third and final time:
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
God must be approached with humility. We have to let go of our own pride. Three times we are invited to come and approach God: three is the number of completeness, for everything has a beginning state, a middle, and an end. The reason we should approach Him?
For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
Again, the word LORD (Jehovah) refers to God's Divine Love, and the word King is always used in regards to truth (the King enforces the Law- which in this case, is the Divine Truth). And knowledge of God is the truth that is more powerful than any other kinds of truths (gods).
In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
He of course is the creator of all things. The human race is the crown of his creation. Water refers to knowledge, and the earth is our body - the deep places of the the earth is our own subconscious. The heights of the hills are our desires. Not only did he physically make us, he continually makes us who we are, through continual development. That these verses are refering to aspects of our humanity, and not to the physical land and sea, is shown by the parallel verses:
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
Its our destiny to become a part of the heavenly community. The people of the pasture refers to how we receive his truth, to be the sheep under his hand means how we submit to his will. Fields always refer to truth, the hand is a symbol of power, thus the will. And in the ancient world, heavenly paradise was often depicted as a garden or a beautiful field.
Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
Every word here has a specific meaning, but I will keep it simple. The heart refers to one's will: to harden our hearts is to turn away from love. As field or pastures represent truth, a wilderness represents a state where truth is obscure and unknown. In this state, we can suffer trials by thinking false thoughts that lead us astray:
When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they saw My work.
A father represents love (as in God our Father), and the mother represents truth (our mother is the Church). When we commit acts of sin we test God: every action is destined to have a consequence. The second line repeats: God was tried with their false thoughts, even though miracles were performed they still doubted.
For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’
God does not grieve. When we fall our astray from Him, it is us who grieve: a departure from God's will will lead to sadness and depression. To go astray in ones heart means to follow one's own will without any thought of God, thus the latter statement: they do not know my Ways (false thoughts). False thoughts lead us astray to commit bad things. It is through repentence - acknowledging one's shortfalling - which causes us to come back to God. But we have to swallow our pride and admit we are wrong.
So I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest.
Again, God does not get angry. He has the appearance of being wrathful and angry to those who turn away from Him - it is our own conscience and guilt which creates this state of mind. God is Divine Love itself. To enter into God's rest is to enter his heavenly kingdom, where we can rest from our worries and enter a heavenly peace.
So this is somewhat of a sampling of how the Bible can bring communion with heaven, and how Swedenborg approached it: when our thoughts start to focus on these matters, a channel is opened with heaven. The Bible keeps this channel open. That this is so, was seen by Swedenborg in his visions: the Bible is truly inspired, for within it there is a spiritual sense that has the keys to open us to thoughts from heaven.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Royksupp, What Else is There? A symbolic music video...
I recently discovered this haunting ethereal video by a band called "Royksopp" called "What Else is There" - below is the video, with the lyrics below it. See if you can understand the meaning of this one, it is somewhat like a symbolic dream. The likely symbolism in this video I discuss at the bottom of the blog, but see if you can formulate your own opinion before you do so. This video drew me in for a while, and after a while realized there was something more to it...make sure you turn off my music player before watching this:
LYRICS:
It was me on that road
But you couldn't see me
Too many lights out, but nowhere near here
It was me on that road
Still you couldn't see me
And then flashlights and explosions
Roads end getting nearer
We cover distance but not together
I am the storm I am the wonder
And the flashlights nightmares
And sudden explosions
I don't know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish
It's about you and the sun
A morning run
The story of my maker
What I have and what I ache for
I've got a golden ear
I cut and I spear
And what else is there
Roads and getting nearer
We cover distance still not together
If I am the storm if I am the wonder
Will I have a flashlights nightmares
And sudden explosions
There's no room where I can go and
You've got secrets too
I don't know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish
INTERPRETATION:
One part of the video thats a bit obscure: there is a tree with two holes in it, containing mushrooms with smoke coming out. The band name "Royksupp" is Norwegian for "smoking mushroom", which is a duet. The key to this one is the following phrase in the lyrics:
It was me on that road
Still you couldn't see me
And then flashlights and explosions
Roads end getting nearer
We cover distance but not together
The woman, hovering just above the surface of the road, is dead: she has been killed quickly in a car accident, and may not even realize she is dead. All she remembers is "flashlights and explosions" from the car that hit her accidentally, because of there was not enough light.
I don't know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish
It's about you and the sun
A morning run
The story of my maker
What I have and what I ache for
She is given just one wish, before she must leave this earth: to meet the woman who accidentally killed her in a car accident, and is feeling guilt. Thus she comes into the room, her feet touches the ground, and they stare at each other, and the other woman has a bit of fear in her face. She wants to comfort her, not to feel guilty for her accidental death.
Its possible her last wish is to see her mother, but I dont think so. We see a decaying apple, and this other woman (who is actually the singer) is eating one. A life has been brought to an unexpected end, and she is eating the apple of her sin, feeling guilt.
So other things fall in place: as she floats over the road, we initially see feathers floating everywhere. We next see her wrapped in a down comforter, which of course is full of feathers. And then later at the table, its curious that there are two dead birds hanging over the table. Two lives have been destroyed: the one who was killed, and the one who accidentally killed her. As the wind blows the feather, so she will now be caught up and taken from this earth. But she desires to come back, and can barely do it. But she is granted that one wish.
At one point, we see white liquid dripping from her foot, and falling on the road behind her. Some have presumed this is milk, representing a lost chance to bear a child. I think its blood that has been "whitened" out - many Japanese anime films will whiten violent blood scenese in order to air them on tv. She has blocked out the memory of her death, thus we never see it.
The woman says "I am the storm, I am the wonder". Like the woman, there are houses blown by the wind, hovering just above the ground, with their foundations falling off beneath them. After death, we have to learn how to let go - how to depart from our earthly attachments. But this woman still has one wish, so she remains attached to this earthly plane, and can not progress further yet. The houses represent the memories of our life, our attachments: which we must let go before we can ascend higher.
LYRICS:
It was me on that road
But you couldn't see me
Too many lights out, but nowhere near here
It was me on that road
Still you couldn't see me
And then flashlights and explosions
Roads end getting nearer
We cover distance but not together
I am the storm I am the wonder
And the flashlights nightmares
And sudden explosions
I don't know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish
It's about you and the sun
A morning run
The story of my maker
What I have and what I ache for
I've got a golden ear
I cut and I spear
And what else is there
Roads and getting nearer
We cover distance still not together
If I am the storm if I am the wonder
Will I have a flashlights nightmares
And sudden explosions
There's no room where I can go and
You've got secrets too
I don't know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish
INTERPRETATION:
One part of the video thats a bit obscure: there is a tree with two holes in it, containing mushrooms with smoke coming out. The band name "Royksupp" is Norwegian for "smoking mushroom", which is a duet. The key to this one is the following phrase in the lyrics:
It was me on that road
Still you couldn't see me
And then flashlights and explosions
Roads end getting nearer
We cover distance but not together
The woman, hovering just above the surface of the road, is dead: she has been killed quickly in a car accident, and may not even realize she is dead. All she remembers is "flashlights and explosions" from the car that hit her accidentally, because of there was not enough light.
I don't know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish
It's about you and the sun
A morning run
The story of my maker
What I have and what I ache for
She is given just one wish, before she must leave this earth: to meet the woman who accidentally killed her in a car accident, and is feeling guilt. Thus she comes into the room, her feet touches the ground, and they stare at each other, and the other woman has a bit of fear in her face. She wants to comfort her, not to feel guilty for her accidental death.
Its possible her last wish is to see her mother, but I dont think so. We see a decaying apple, and this other woman (who is actually the singer) is eating one. A life has been brought to an unexpected end, and she is eating the apple of her sin, feeling guilt.
So other things fall in place: as she floats over the road, we initially see feathers floating everywhere. We next see her wrapped in a down comforter, which of course is full of feathers. And then later at the table, its curious that there are two dead birds hanging over the table. Two lives have been destroyed: the one who was killed, and the one who accidentally killed her. As the wind blows the feather, so she will now be caught up and taken from this earth. But she desires to come back, and can barely do it. But she is granted that one wish.
At one point, we see white liquid dripping from her foot, and falling on the road behind her. Some have presumed this is milk, representing a lost chance to bear a child. I think its blood that has been "whitened" out - many Japanese anime films will whiten violent blood scenese in order to air them on tv. She has blocked out the memory of her death, thus we never see it.
The woman says "I am the storm, I am the wonder". Like the woman, there are houses blown by the wind, hovering just above the ground, with their foundations falling off beneath them. After death, we have to learn how to let go - how to depart from our earthly attachments. But this woman still has one wish, so she remains attached to this earthly plane, and can not progress further yet. The houses represent the memories of our life, our attachments: which we must let go before we can ascend higher.
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