numerology

Numerology refers to any of several systems, traditions or beliefs in a mystical or esoteric relationship between numbers and the character or action of physical objects and living things.

Numerology and numerological divination were popular among early mathematicians such as Pythagoras, but are no longer considered part of mathematics, and are now regarded as pseudomathematics by most scientists. This is similar to the historical development of astronomy out of astrology, and chemistry from alchemy.

Today numerology is associated with the occult, alongside astrology and similar divinatory arts.

Most numerological systems are formed from a base-10, or decimal system. There is also a school of modern numerology - Chaldean numerology - that uses base-9, i.e., the numbers 0 through 8.

Digit summing

Numerologists often reduce a number or word by a process known as digit summing, then reach conclusions based on the single digit that is produced.

Digit summing, as the name implies, involves taking the sum of all of the digits in a number, and repeating the process as necesary until a single-digit answer is produced. For a word, the values corresponding to each letter's place in the alphabet (e.g., A=1, B=2, etc.) are summed.

Examples:

• 3,489 -> 3 + 4 + 8 + 9 = 24 -> 2 + 4 = 6
• Hello -> 8 + 5 + 12 + 12 + 15 = 52 -> 5 + 2 = 7

Four numbers greater than 9 are considered exempt from digit summing by some numerologists. They are called master numbers, and their values are 11, 22, 33 and 44. They are considered higher vibrations of their digit-summed counterparts and very highly charged. They each have a specific meaning.

An alternative way to arrive at a single-digit "summation" is simply to take the value modulo 9, substituting a possible result of 0 with 9 itself.

Methods of Calculation

In Numerology, different methods of calculation are popular, including:

• Chaldean Method,
• Pythagorean Method,
• Hebraic Method,
• Helyn Hitchcock's method
• Phonetic Method
• Japanese method
• Indian Vedic method

Numerological divination

See also Arithmancy

In a type of numerological divination, a student of the field will use the name and birthdate of an individual to analyze and define something of the personality and propensities of that individual. Specific numbers are also assigned to the letters of the alphabet. Pythagorean numerological system (for the English alphabet) is represented here: A, J, S=1 B, K, T=2 C, L, U=3 D, M, V=4 E, N, W=5 F, O, X=6 G, P, Y=7 H, Q, Z=8 I, R=9

There is no scientific verification for the validity of claimed numerological principles.

Historians believe that modern numerology is an integration of the teachings from Ancient Babylonia, Pythagoras and his followers, (6 th. Century B.C. Greece) Astrological philosophy from Hellenistic Alexandria, early Christian mysticism, the occultism of the early Gnostics and the Hebrew system of the Kabbalah. The Indian Vedas, the Chinese "Circle of the Dead",and the Egyptian "Book of the Master of the Secret House", (Ritual of the Dead) are records giving strong evidence that Numerology dates back thousands of years.

Pythagoras and other philosophers of the time believed that because mathematical concepts were more "practical" (easier to regulate and classify) than physical ones, they had greater actuality. This is an idea in harmony with philosophical pragmatism and a choice for permanent concepts over changeable physicality.

St. Augustine of Hippo in A.D. 354 - 430 wrote " Numbers are the Universal language offered by the deity to humans as confirmation of the truth." Similar to Pythagoras, he too believed that everything had numerical relationships and it was up to the mind to seek and investigate the secrets of these relationships or have them revealed by divine grace.

In 325 A.D., following the First Council of Nicaea, departures from the beliefs of the state Church were classified as civil violations within the Roman Empire. Numerology had not found favor with the Christian authority of the day. It was assigned to the field of unapproved beliefs along with astrology and other forms of divination and "magic." Through this religious purging, the spiritual significance assigned to the heretofore "sacred" numbers began to disappear. In spite of this suppression there were still many devout believers, who kept the secret knowledge locked away.

An example of the influence of numerology in English literature is Sir Thomas Browne's 1658 Discourse The Garden of Cyrus. In it the author illustrates that the number five and related Quincunx pattern throughout art, nature and mysticism. The Discourse is a late example of the influence of Pythagorean thought in English philosophy.

Definition of the Numbers

The ten digits are usually assigned distinct definitions.

The New Age definitions

0. The All

1. Individual. Aggressor (positive enforcer as opposed to negative receptive). Yang.

2. Balance. Union. Receptive. Yin.

3. Communication/interaction. Neutrality.

4. Creation.

5. Action.

6. Reaction/flux. Responsibility.

7. Thought/consciousness.

8. Power/sacrifice.

9. Completion.

However, Cheiro, and ancient numerological systems such as the Chaldean, do not necessarily agree with this system, leaning toward the either astrological, or the psychic/symbolic. Under these systems, the numbers 0-9 possess the following associations and colours:

0. - Nullify, Void, Space - Astrology: sometimes, space/infinity - Colour: Black

1. - Activation, New Beginnings, Consciousness - Astrology: Sun - Colour: Brown

2. - Duality, Duality of Physical/Non-Physical, Duality of Male/Female - Astrology: Moon - Colour: Red

3. - Creative, Perfection in Creation - Astrology: Jupiter - Colour: Orange

4. - Earth-based, Ego, Physical Solidity - Astrology: Uranus - Colour: Yellow

5. - Healing, Growth, Christic - Astrology: Mercury - Colour: Green

6. - New Ideas, Vision - Astrology: Venus - Colour: Blue

7. - Perfection, Creation, Completion, Physicality - Astrology: Neptune - Colour: Violet

8. - Infinity, Eternity, Non-Physical/Angelic - Astrology: Saturn - Colour: Silver

9. - End of a Cycle - Astrology: Mars and Pluto - Colour: Gold

The numbers following the cycle of 9 in base-10 are also assigned colours and associations such as the following examples:

10. - God, Universal Mind, the Intelligence of Space, the Wheel of Fortune - Colour: White

11. - New Cycle, New Beginnings, Courage - Colour: Maroon

12. - All Lineages, All Frequencies, Number of Total Variant Rays in Creation -

13. - Maturity, Totality, Completion -

18. - Good Luck. Long Life, Portent -

22. - Transition, Between Past and Future - Colour: Turquoise

33. - End of a Series of Cycles - Colour: Clear

144. - All Possibilities -

Chinese numerology

The chinese assign a different set of meanings to the numbers and certain number combinations are considered luckier then others. In countries with a large chinese speaking population, lucky number combinations are much sought after for use in both business and personal life. In general, even numbers are considered lucky since it is believed that good luck comes in pairs.

Chinese number definitions

1 - 一

2 - 二 easy

3 - 三 live

4 - 四 - considered unlucky since 4 in chinese (sì} sounds like the chinese word for death (死).

5 - 五 - the self, me, myself, nothing

6 - 六 - easy and smooth

7 - 七 - together

8 - 八 - sudden fortune, prosperity

9 - 九 - long in time

Some lucky number combinations include:

168 - road of prosperity or to be prosperous together - many charged telephone service numbers in China begin with this number. Many businesses also prefer to have this number as part of their names.

518 - I will prosper, other variations include: 5189 (I will prosper for a long time), 516289 (I will get on a long, smooth prosperous road) and 5918 (I will soon prosper)

888 - prosperity x3.

Numerology and astrology

Main article: astrology and numerology

Some astrologers believe that each number from 0 to 9 is ruled by a celestial body in our solar system.

"Numerology" in science

Scientific theories are sometimes labelled 'numerology' if their primary inspiration appears to be mathematical rather than scientific. This colloquial use of the word 'numerology' is quite common within the scientific community and it is mostly used to dismiss a theory as questionable science. ^{citation needed]}

The best known example of 'numerology' in science involves the co-incidental resemblance of certain large numbers that intrigued such eminent mathematical physicists as Dirac, Weyl and Eddington. These numerical co-incidences refer to such quantities as the ratio of the age of the universe to the atomic unit of time, the number of electrons in the universe, and the difference in strengths between gravity and the electric force for the electron and proton. As one author has observed however, we are bound to find co-incidences if we look long enough at any sample of numbers and therefore the kind of study that Dirac, Weyl and Eddington pursued 'seems like numerology' to many physicists ('Is the Universe Fine Tuned for Us?', Stenger V.J., page 3[1]).

Large number co-incidences still continue to fascinate many mathematical physicists even at the risk of being labelled 'numerologists'. Thus, for instance, James G. Gilson has constructed a 'Quantum Theory of Gravity' based loosely on Dirac's large number hypothesis [2].

In popular culture

In the movie π, the protagonist meets a numerologist searching for hidden numerical patterns in the Torah. Each Hebrew letter corresponds to a number. The true name of God is said to correspond to a 216-digit number.

See also

• Cognitive science of mathematics
• Number of the Beast
• Gematria
• Isopsephy
• Pythagoras
• Pythagoreanism
• Numbers & Professions
• Dr. Matrix
• Gnostic circle
• Lexigram
• Aleister Crowley
• Golden Ratio
• Theomatics

References

• The Mystery of Numbers, by Annemarie Schimmel (1993) ISBN 0-19-506303-1 — A scholarly compendium of the connotations and associations of numbers in historical cultures.
• Numerology : the number game, by Aaadietya Pandey (2006) .

External links

• Word Calculator Calculator of a basic form of numerology
• Comparative Numerology The Numbers One to Ten: Fundamental Powers