Numerology

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

Numerology and numerological divination were popular among early mathematicians, such as Pythagoras, but are no longer considered part of mathematics and are 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 often associated with the occult, alongside astrology and similar divinatory arts. The term can also be used for those who, in the view of some observers, place excess faith in numerical patterns, even if those people don't practice traditional numerology. For example, Underwood Dudley uses the term to discuss practitioners of the Elliott wave principle of stock market analysis.

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[edit] History

Historians believe that modern numerology is an integration of the teachings from Ancient Babylonia, Pythagoras and his followers, (6th 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 (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.

[edit] Reading numbers

Numerologists apply definitions to numbers. They use these definitions in conjunction with each other, to find the meaning of what ever they may be describing. Upon digit summing, they will combine the definitions within an equation to find their interaction, which in turn defines the base. Such as: the equation 32/5 would be described as the base definition of 5 being created through the interaction of numbers 3 and 2. (This example, in simple definition, would be: action being created by union and communication).

[edit] Number definitions

Definitions of the various digits vary widely among practitioners. Common examples include:

  • 0. Everything and nothing. The All
  • 1. Individual. Aggressor. 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.
  • 10. Rebirth.

[edit] 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 necessary 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, through Z=26) are summed.

Examples:

  • 3,489 -> 3 + 4 + 8 + 9 = 24 -> 2 + 4 = 6
  • Hello -> 8 + 5 + 12 + 12 + 15 = 52 -> 5 + 2 = 7
  • Goodbye -> 7 + 15 + 15 + 4 + 2 + 25 + 5 = 73 -> 7 + 3 = 10 -> 1 + 0 = 1

A quicker 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.

The resulting numbers are usually assigned definitions to provide the desired insight. Definitions for the meaning of each digit vary among cultures and systems. Frequently, 0 is said to correspond to the infinite or to nothingness; 1 to the individual; and 2 to union. Beyond that, definitions vary widely.

Different methods of calculation exist, including Chaldean, Pythagorean, Hebraic, Helyn Hitchcock's method, Phonetic, Japanese and Indian.

In some cases, in a type of numerological divination, the name and birth date of an individual will be used to analyze and define personality and propensities.

[edit] Chinese numerology

Main article: Numbers in Chinese culture

Some Chinese assign a different set of meanings to the numbers and certain number combinations are considered luckier then others. In general, even numbers are considered lucky, since it is believed that good luck comes in pairs.

[edit] Chinese number definitions

Cantonese frequently assign the following definitions, which may differ in other forms of Chinese:

  1. - 一 sure
  2. - 二 easy
  3. - 三 live
  4. - 四 - considered unlucky since the pronunciation of 4 ( sì } sounds like the word for death ( sǐ ).
  5. - 五 - the self, me, myself, nothing, never
  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 premium-pay telephone 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.

[edit] Chaldean Numerology

Linda Goodman gives an overview of what she claims is the ancient Chaldean form of numerology in her book "Star Signs". Both the meanings of the numbers and the techniques used to add numbers (or letters) differs from all other numerological systems currently mentioned. There are no verifiable references in her book as to where she learned her numerological system.

[edit] Other fields

[edit] 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.

[edit] "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. ('Is the Universe Fine Tuned for Us?', Stenger V.J., page 3[1]).

Large number co-incidences continue to fascinate many mathematical physicists. For instance, James G. Gilson has constructed a 'Quantum Theory of Gravity' based loosely on Dirac's large number hypothesis [2].

[edit] 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.
  • The X-Files episode entitled 'Improbable' was based around the concept of numerology and its capability to help solve crimes. Burt Reynolds guest starred as a character implied to be God; he was seemingly capable of perfectly using numerology to predict events.

[edit] Numerology in the Bible

Ivan Panin's numeric patterns that he claimed to be found from Bible are sometimes called bible numerology.

[edit] See also

[edit] 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).
  • 'Numerology: Or, What Pythagoras Wrought by Underwood Dudley; 1997; Mathematical Association of America.

[edit] External links

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