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The January 2002 issue is the 13th issue of Cyrilmagazine. The Number 13 has for centuries, signified misfortune and tragedy in many cultures around the world. From Rome and Greece, to early Christianity and even in Nordic mythology exist examples of the fear of the Number 13. It appears that 13 became a representation of "rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, and revolution", (http://philologos.org/bpr/files/n011.htm). Christians saw this in the actions of Judas, the 13th apostle at the Last Supper who would be the one to betray Jesus Christ. The Vikings saw this in the story of the banquet at Valhalla. It seems that 12 demigods were feasting together when a 13th demigod named, Loki entered uninvited. Loki was the god of deceit who killed the god of light and beauty, Balder. The Turks so feared the Number 13 that it was basically erased from their vocabulary. In Tarot, the Number 13 card is the "Death" card. (However, the "Death" card's original meaning was a positive one meaning transition or transformation). |
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The advent of scientific thought and modern progress hasn't done much to change the minds of the superstitious. As a matter of fact, the fear of the number has become an actual, diagnosable phobia called, triskaidekaphobia. Couple this fear with the fear of things that happen on Fridays and you have yourself a major disorder called, paraskevidekatriaphobia. According to Genesis, Eve gave Adam "The Apple" on a Friday. The Great Flood reportedly took place on a Friday. Fridays were the days for crucifixions and executions in ancient Rome and Hangman's Day in Britain. So when the 13th of the month falls on that fateful Friday several times a year...watch out! There are people who actually refuse to go to work, to conduct business, or even to travel on Friday the 13th. There are those however who have chosen to celebrate the Number 13. The ancient Egyptians for example, believed that one worked toward spirituality through 12 stages in life and that the 13th stage was the eternal afterlife. For them the Number 13 signified the transformation into a spiritual life for which they had worked all their lives. In the Jewish tradition, 13 is the age that children go through the bar or bat mitzvah ceremony. The founders of the United States obviously saw the Number 13 as significant as it appears in many of the symbols of this nation, including the Seal of the United States. In the 13th issue of Cyrilmagazine...Cyril throws caution to the wind by leaping into the New Year with a celebration of the Number 13. Besides the usual beautiful and experimental photography that normally graces the pages of Cyrilmagazine, Cyril and photo editor, Sunita Singh and staff sifted through almost 15,000 photo files to compile what they consider to be the highlights of Cyril's last 13 years of work. Most of the photographs in the retrospective are previously unpublished. However, you may recognize some classics from previous issues. This 13 Year Retrospective takes you through Cyril's 13 year photo odyssey. May perusing the files in this retrospective help you see the positive properties of the Number 13. I guess we got lucky that the New Year isn't starting on a Friday.
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