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CHAPTER 1

A BEGINNING

Numerology is the study of the occult significance of numbers. It's probably the simplest of the occult fields to learn and master. Using numerology, you can discover a person's strengths and weaknesses, deep inner needs, emotional reactions, ways of dealing with others, talents. You can help yourself by becoming aware of your own character and learning to understand and deal with others — family, friends, lovers, employers, employees. You can find out what kind of potential energy and what type of stress are currently existing in your life and in the lives of those about you. You can determine the best times to marry, change jobs, move, speculate, take a trip.

How is all this information derived? In all the occult fields, observers have found correlations between certain clearly observable physical phenomena and the inner workings of people. In other words, the universe seems to have provided many keys which, when understood, provide superb tools for the understanding of human nature. In astrology, the key relates the planets' positions at a person's birth with the person's traits; in palm reading, the key relates the lines and bumps of the hand with a person's characteristics; and, in numerology, the key relates a person's name and birthdate with that person's nature. Significantly, all the readings are consistent with each other — the different readings often have similar information or cover different, but related, aspects of a person's traits.

Why does numerology work? There are many explanations in the literature — discussions of psychic energy, the God force, the vibratory effect of numbers. These explanations have not clarified anything for me. Frankly, I don't know why numerology works. I don't know whether the numbers are merely a descriptive code or representative of a force determining people's behavior. Numerology, like the other occult fields, does not, at this time, allow for scientific explanation. I can only attest to the fact, confirmed by other numerologists and their clients, of the consistent congruence between a person's numbers and that person's characteristics and life experiences.

Some numerologists feel that the field can be traced back over 10,000 years. The centuries-old Hebrew Kabbala, for instance, deals with the subject. Pythagoras in Greece some 2600 years ago is even credited with giving this field new life, along with his other mathematical studies. It is delightful to be carrying on a tradition with such a long history. Although some people are comforted in the knowledge that numerology has so many thousands of years of study behind it, the link between modern numerology and the ancients is a somewhat tenuous connection.

The modern phase of numerology was started by L. Dow Balliett, an American woman in Atlantic City, N. J., who published several books on the subject at the turn of the century. Later, Dr. Julia Seton helped publicize the field. Since then, the work of these two women has been extended by Florence Campbell, Juno Jordan and others, so that there now exists a small literature on the subject. Unfortunately, much of the literature is abstruse, archaic or fragmented.

This book is a presentation of the entire field of numerology in a manner which will allow a beginner to easily assimilate the material and an advanced student to quickly master the craft. The individual elements making up a reading are fully defined and analyzed and many examples are included showing how the elements are combined into a delineation. Throughout, the emphasis is on clarity and completeness.

Each section of the book forms a complete unit of the subject. When you've finished Part II, for instance, you'll be capable of giving simple character readings which will be correct as far as they go. Completion of Part III will add considerable depth to the readings and Part IV will develop your advanced delineation skills. Part V covers progressed delineations — determining the potential energies and events for any time in a person's entire life.

Much of the reference material required by a numerologist is presented in a unique format at the end of each volume: chartsspecially designed for easy cross-reference. The charts are available for reference in giving readings after the subject has been mastered.

I hope you'll find numerology as exciting and satisfying as I have. I expect that if you study the field at all, you'll be fascinated by your new understanding of yourself and others. In addition, you'll probably be surprised to find your awareness of the universe and its structure significantly broadened.

THE BASICS

THE BASIC NUMBERS

The study of numerology is the study of the symbolism of numbers. Each number represents one large area of human awareness and experience; all the numbers together cover all possible awarenesses, experiences, talents and characteristics. Only the single digits — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 — and the Master Numbers 11 and 22 are used. The Master Numbers, the only numbers not reduced to a single digit, represent a special higher level of potential than the other numbers.

As a beginning step, think of each number as a lesson to be learned. We'll list each number along with its "keywords," the simplest expression of the number's lesson, and then describe the lesson more completely in an accompanying paragraph or two. Think of the lesson as the heart of each number, the essence to which all the experiences and characteristics relate.

In this introductory chapter, each number is described briefly. As your study advances, additional aspects of each number will be discussed. Your own observation and experience will broaden your understanding. Later on, in the advanced Chapter 22 in Volume 2, we'll summarize the myriad characteristics of all the numbers.

1 INDIVIDUATION INDEPENDENCE ATTAINMENT

The lessons of the numbers

A person must distinguish himself from other people and acknowledge his own INDIVIDUATION. The individual has to develop the capability of standing on his own and going from dependence to INDEPENDENCE. Once independent, the person becomes aware of his potential for ATTAINMENT as an individual — for creating and pioneering when working alone, for leading and managing when working with others.

2 RELATION COOPERATION

Independence is important but has its limitations. There are other people all about, and another lesson involves being a meaningful part of a group — a small group like family or friends, a larger group like a business or community. The person must learn adaptability, service, consideration for others, i.e., the meaning of a RELATION with others, the idea of COOPERATION.

3 EXPRESSION JOY OF LIVING

A person must discover, both as an individual and as a group member, his capability of EXPRESSION: (1) artistic expression — writing, painting, sculpting, singing or any of the many other means of expressing inner thoughts and emotions, and (2) expression of feelings toward others — friendship, affection, love. The JOY OF LIVING can be expressed with optimism and enthusiasm. There can be a purity, even a naiveté here. (This is, perhaps, the most enjoyable lesson of all the numbers.)

4 LIMITATION ORDER SERVICE

Life doesn't always present opportunities for singing and laughing. Life doesn't always appear expansive or yours for the taking. Often, it feels just the opposite. The individual must learn the difficult law of LIMITATION. Everyone has limitations — limitations presented by the environment, by the physical body, by the restrictions of the individual's viewpoints. Rather than struggle against these limits, it is necessary to learn to live with them, to accept them and to make a meaningful existence, not in spite of the limitations, but because of the limitations. It is a difficult lesson. The individual embarking on this course must learn system and organization, ORDER on a practical level. He must be prepared to be of SERVICE to others.

5 CONSTRUCTIVE FREEDOM

There is a time for expansion, for dealing with change, unexpected happenings, adventure. This lesson usually gives a person an abundance of talents in every direction, the capability of accomplishing almost anything for which an opportunity is presented — and many opportunities are presented. With the freedom that this abundance of talent and opportunity brings, life can be exciting. But the lesson is more difficult: the individual must learn the CONSTRUCTIVE use of FREEDOM. The individual must not waste his many talents or misuse his ongoing opportunities; he must not get lost in solely physical desires — food, sex, alcohol, drugs. He must not scatter his potential and end up with frustration. He must make a meaningful existence by using freedom productively.

6 BALANCE RESPONSIBILITY LOVE

A person must learn to give the beauty of love and harmony, sympathy and understanding, protection and BALANCE. Along with the balancing, the lesson of RESPONSIBILITY can be a meaningful one. The individual may find himself responsible for more than what rightly seems his share. Others will recognize his strength, and he may be expected to help them if they are in need and cannot help themselves. He will probably be the one who holds the family together, who harmonizes and adjusts difficult situations. He may choose to limit himself to his family, his friends, possibly the close community. The friendship and LOVE the individual expresses to others will come back to him from those he helps. He can bask in the glory of a job well done and the quiet reward of friendship and love returned.

The individual's capability at harmony and balance may also be expressed creatively — there is the possibility of artistic achievement.

7 ANALYSIS UNDERSTANDING

There's a time for introspection, a time to subject all an individual knows to mental ANALYSIS, so that eventually a person possesses much of knowledge and UNDERSTANDING. Spiritual awareness is employed, and emphasis on material matters avoided. Desire for material accumulation will probably lead the individual off the track, for this is a time for study and meditation, a time to know oneself — in the deepest way.

There will be much time spent alone — the person must learn to be alone and not feel isolated. Often, the individual will appear "different" to others — his way of thinking or doing may be very much his own and may seem inexplicable to his fellow man. He must accept that he is on a different wavelength and find satisfaction in that. In a world where materialism rates so highly, the road for the counselor, the professor, the pure researcher may be a difficult one.

8 MATERIAL SATISFACTION

The individual must learn to deal with the material things of life, the practical matters. He will find himself at home in the business world — with much capability as an efficient administrator or executive. He will learn how to handle money — how to accumulate it, how to spend it wisely. The individual will work for MATERIAL SATISFACTION. This may mean emphasis on money to buy the best in houses, cars, furnishings, trips. (Perhaps, if he can reach the highest level of this lesson, he will see that material freedom can mean relying very little on money or material matters. Few ever gain this insight.)

The individual will be very conscious of status in relation to material things and will work to satisfy his need for status to prove his superiority. He may appear single-minded, rigid or stubborn to others. Striving for power and high material goals may make him aware of the limitations of his ability or the restrictions of his circumstances.

9 SELFLESSNESS HUMANITARIANISM

There's a time to learn the satisfaction of giving to his fellow man. This is a difficult lesson. The satisfaction comes from the giving. There is little reward — the love and friendship are sometimes returned, the obligation often not repaid. The person must place all others before himself, must give for the sheer pleasure of giving, because he has learned the ultimate satisfaction of SELFLESSNESS and HUMANITARIANISM. The individual gives (1) by helping others or (2) by giving of himself in some form of creative expression.

11 ILLUMINATION

The master numbers exist on a higher spiritual plane than the single digits. The first master number, the 11, must work to develop intuition, to tune into psychic forces not available to those with lower numbers. He must stand ready to be a channel with a message from above. In his life, he must inspire by his own example, living in the way revealed to him, spreading his ILLUMINATION for others to absorb and benefit. This number is as difficult as it is rewarding.

Often, particularly at an early age, the individual is aware of his special powers yet unable to synthesize them for his own use or for the good of his fellow man. He is often a relatively impractical idealist, far more a dreamer than a doer. There is an undercurrent of nervous tension always present from the high power sources to which the individual is attuned. He has to learn to live with his special powers, to set himself aside from the world of material accumulation in order to better understand the powerful forces which can reveal a higher guidance.

22 MASTER BUILDER

The second master number, the 22, is potentially capable of combining the idealism of the first master number, the 11, with the ability to put these ideals into a concrete form. Enormous power is available to him to produce on a significant scale, for the benefit of humanity. When this potential can be realized, the individual becomes a MASTER BUILDER, capable of feats well beyond all others.

Few with this number can marshal their forces to reach anywhere near the ultimate potential. The individual is aware of the forces within him, aware also of the nervous tension that accompanies these forces. He spends his time grappling with powers that are difficult to comprehend and use. Often, he is seen by his fellow men as a person with enormous potential who has not, for some unexplained reason, been able to fully use his capabilities. The highest potential is also the most difficult to reach.

Odd/even numbers

The numbers are related to each other in many different ways. The odd numbers, for example, have somewhat different qualities than the even.

ODD NUMBERS EVEN NUMBERS

1 INDIVIDUATION INDEPENDENCE ATTAINMENT 2 RELATION COOPERATION
3 EXPESSION JOY OF LIVING 4 LIMITATION ORDER SERVICE
5 CONSTRUCTIVE FREEDOM 6 BALANCE RESPONSIBILITY LOVE
7 ANALYSIS UNDERSTANDING 8 MATERIAL SATISFACTION
9 SELFLESSNESS HUMANITARIANISM
11 ILLUMINATION 22 MASTER BUILDER

The odd numbers can be thought of as dealing with the individual alone — the individuation of the 1 or the selflessness of the 9; the even numbers, on the other hand, involve the relation of the individual to the group — the cooperation of the 2, the love of the 6.

The odd numbers relate to relatively abstract concepts — the joy of living of the 3, the illumination of the 11, while the even numbers are concerned with more practical matters — the service of the 4, the material satisfaction of the 8.

The odd numbers involve more idealistic endeavors — the constructive freedom of the 5 or the understanding of the 7; the even numbers relate to more mundane affairs — the responsibility of the 6 or the order of the 4.

Other number relations

There are other relations besides the odd and even.

Each number can be viewed as the next logical development following the stage represented by the previous number. The independence of the 1, for instance, is followed by the cooperation with others of the 2; the constructive freedom of the 5 is followed by the balance and responsibility of the 6.

From a different perspective, each number represents the opposite of the previous number: the limitation of the 4 is followed by the constructive freedom of the 5, the material satisfaction of the 8 is followed by the selflessness of the 9.

Number groups

Although it's not obvious from the brief descriptions, some numbers seem to group naturally with other numbers because of the similarity of the characteristics expressed.

For instance, 2, 6 and 9 all deal with different aspects of how people get along with each other. The number 2 represents the less personal relation of people in a business or some other group situation associating and cooperating with each other. The number 6 represents the relation of people in a family or other small community group — 6 deals with friendship, affection and love. The number 9 represents the giving quality of a humanitarian or philanthropist — a person who gives feelings, time or money to others with little concern with return.

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Excerpted from "Numerology: The Complete Guide"
by .
Copyright © 1981 Matthew Oliver Goodwin.
Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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