Numerology is the study of the symbolism of numbers. It is used to determine a person’s personality, strengths and talents, obstacles to be overcome, inner needs, emotional reactions and ways of dealing with others.
A Little History
The roots of numerology can be traced back some 10.000 years or more to Egypt and Babylonia. Pythagoras, who developed many of the basic theorems that form the foundation of modern mathematics (including the right triangle theorem taught in math classes today) is credited with formally organizing the field about 2.600 years ago in ancient Greece. At the turn of the twentieth century, an American woman, L. Dow Balliet, and several of her contemporaries published a few books and started the modern phase of numerology. The field grew slowly through several decades. Now, in the last half of the century, increased research and publishing along with a marked resurgence of interest in numerology is taking place.
How Numerology Works
Everything in the universe vibrates at its own particular frequency. By finding the vibration rate of any object, you can establish the qualities and energies associated with it. By applying the principles of numerology – and using only the name and birth date as the basic data – you can determine the major frequencies of different people. A numerological analysis of the calculated frequencies provides significant information on these people’s personalities and character.
The Basics Of Numerology
The Basic Numerology Calculation
In the basic mathematical operation used in numerology, the numbers are reduced by simple addition. The number 15, for instance, is reduced by adding 1 + 5 to get 6. Similarly, the number 1974 can be reduced by adding 1 + 9 + 7 + 4 to get 21. The 21 can be further reduced by adding 2 + 1 to get 3.
In numerology, all numbers are reduced to the single digits 1 through 9 except the special Master (Charismatic) numbers 11, 22 and 33 (there are also additional Master numbers 44, 55, 66, 77, 88 and 99). 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 22 and 33 represent the major vibration rates associated with people’s characteristics.
Also there are the Destiny Numbers (compound numbers or double-digit numbers). They are numbers from 10 to 100 (except the Master or Charismatic numbers 11, 22 and 33).
Letters in individuals’ names are converted to numbers and then added together. These numbers, in turn, are also reduced. The letter A, for instance, is 1; the letter B is 2; the letter C is 3, and so forth. The following table shows the numbers assigned to all 26 letters in the English alphabet.
By applying simple mathematical formulas to the numbers representing a person’s name and birth date, a numerologist can derive four major core elements and some twenty or thirty modifiers. A symbolic evaluation of these elements and modifiers provides a remarkably complete and accurate character analysis. (About half the information in the analysis, incidentally, comes from the birth date and half from the name.)
The Symbolism Of Numbers
The symbolic analysis of the single digits and master numbers is the essence of a numerology report or any other numerological character analysis. Since so many numbers are present and modify each other, the analysis is, as you might expect, a considerably complex operation. When you understand the basic symbolism of the numbers outlined below, though, you’ll have a useful grasp which should make it easier for you to interpret the various parts of the report.
1 – independence, individuality, attainment; leadership, pioneering, administrating.
2 – cooperation, closeness, sensitivity; balance and harmony, supportive.
3 – expressing self, joy of living; enthusiasm, optimism, creativity, sociability.
4 – system and order, service, sense of limitation; managing, working hard, practical, down–to–earth.
5 – constructive use of freedom; variety, excitement, progressive, creative.
6 – balance, responsibility, love; supportive, comforting, serving, helping.
7 – analysis, understanding, introspective; search for truth, spiritual understanding.
8 – material satisfaction, accomplishment; desire for success, power, recognition.
9 – selflessness, humanitarianism; giving without thought of return, compassionate.
11 – illumination, nervous tension; spiritual channel and teacher.
22 – master builder, latent power, nervous tension; spiritual understanding of material world, high ideals.
33 – healer, compassionate, blessing, teacher of teachers, martyr, inspiration, honest, monk.
Significant Parts Of A Numerology Report
Of Primary Significance: The Core And The Core Elements
The Core is the heart of any numerology analysis involving the personality portion of the reading. Much of the most important information in a numerology report is derived from the four elements making up the Core. These four elements are the Life Path, Expression, Soul Urge and Birthday.
Life Path
The Life Path is the most important number in the Core – and certainly the most important number in a numerology report, too. If you could only use one number to describe a person, that number would, undoubtedly, be the Life Path.
The Life Path describes the major lessons to be learned in a person’s life. These lessons often determine the central focus of the life. The Life Path also clarifies the environment which is most conducive to learning the lessons involved and describes, as well, some of the major characteristics likely to be present in the individual’s makeup. Most people have little trouble relating to their Life Path. Some people, though, for their own reasons, have little interest in pursuing that particular direction.
The Life Path is derived by calculating the sum of the month, day and year of birth.
Expression
The Expression is the second most important number in the Core. It describes a person’s potential talents – the natural abilities as well as the related character traits. For most of us, these talents and skills are there at birth, although they are usually further developed as an individual grows and matures. Very often – but not always – these particular abilities are of primary importance in a person’s work and career. Frequently, the talents described by the Expression form the central feature of an individual’s career.
The Expression is derived by calculating the sum of the number values of all the letters in the name –– for example, the letters in the full name appearing on the birth certificate.
Soul Urge
The Soul Urge is the third most important number in the Core. It describes a person’s inner motivation – what a person wants to be, to have and to do – and the potential abilities and obstacles which accompany that motivation. The Soul Urge is influential in determining a person’s point of view and the principles on which he acts. Although the Life Path and Expression are generally easy to see in a person, the inner motivation is often a very private matter – unless revealed through the use of numerology.
The Soul Urge is derived by calculating the sum of the number values of all the vowels in the full name.
Birthday
The Birthday describes some important personality characteristics but it’s the least important of the Core elements. It’s simply the reduced form of the number of the day on which a person is born.
Repeated Numbers In The Core
Difficulties are generally encountered in a life when a particular energy isn’t used in a balanced manner. Repeated numbers point to this kind of difficulty. They occur when a number appears more than once in the four Core elements or in the sub–elements used to calculate those Core elements. Repeated numbers occur in about half the numerology reports.
When repeated numbers are present, the energy connected with those numbers causes obstacles because it’s either overemphasized or virtually ignored. For instance, with a balanced number 1 energy, a person would be working, among other things, to be as independent as possible. With repeated 1’s, a person is likely to be experiencing difficulties because he or she is being dominating (overemphasizing the 1 energy) or dependent (almost ignoring the 1 energy).
Of Secundary Significance: The Modifiers
Besides the Core elements, there are many additional numbers which describe specific features of a person’s character. Since the traits described by these numbers modify the Core elements, the numbers are called modifiers.
Karmic Debts
A Karmic Debt describes significant difficulties encountered – often for a good part of the life – while an individual learns to use an energy which feels somewhat foreign to his nature and particularly arduous to understand and apply. Karmic Debts occur in many, but not all, numerology reports.
Karmic Debts are defined when the number 13 is reduced to form a 4 Core element – or when the number 16 are reduced, respectively, to 7 Core element. The Karmic Debts are referred to as 13/4 (read as 13:4) and 16/7 (read as 16:7).
Intensity Points
Intensity points describe particular strengths or weaknesses in the personality although they are of much less significance than the difficulties indicated by the Karmic Debts. Sometimes, an Intensity Point also describes inner feelings which aren’t consistent with the characteristics which are outwardly manifested. Many, but not all, numerology reports contain Intensity Points.
All the letters in any name, as we mentioned previously, can be converted to numbers. When you check how many 1’s are in a particular name, how many 2’s, etc., there are often an average amount of a particular number. This is just what a numerologist would expect. An Intensity Point occurs when there are more – or less – of a specific number than the average expected.
Karmic Lessons
A Karmic Lesson is a character weakness similar to an Intensity Point, but more strongly emphasized. A Karmic Lesson occurs when there are no letters representing a specific number in a name and no Core elements with that number, either. Most, but not all, numerology reports contain Karmic Lessons.
Modified Karmic Lesson
A Modified Karmic Lesson is a character weakness similar to a Karmic Lesson but a bit easier to handle. A Modified Karmic Lesson occurs when there are no letters representing a specific number in a name but there is at least one Core element which does contain the number. Modified Karmic Lessons appear in some numerology reports.
Personal Year
The Personal Year does not actually predict what will happen to a person, but instead describes the energies that they will be working with during that year. It also indicates the potential opportunities available during this time. This important influence changes each year until its nine year cycle finishes. The first year in the cycle is a one year, the second year a two year, etc. until the last year in the cycle occurs which is a nine year. After the ninth year, a new one year starts the cycle all over again.
The Personal Year is derived by calculating the sum of the month and day of birth with the current year. This sum is reduced to a single digit or master number.