Numbers are Numbers...Or are They?

Numbers surround you for a reason. By reducing your perceptions into numbers they become manageable. You can calculate relationships numerically. But when you use numerology, some confusion may exist about the effect of the numbers.

Many people shy away from numerology because they are not good at math. They are put off by the rigidity of the mathematical structure. They may prefer a bit of leeway. Must 2+2 always equal 4? Their creative minds want to explore beyond that structure.
Other people are attracted to numerology because it is based upon numbers, and to them numbers don't lie. They want assurance that the universe is knowable and that it can be logically explained.

Both camps come to numerology with a misconception, or at least with a limitation in their thinking. The universe can be mathematically defined, but it is much grander than our finite minds can comprehend. The danger of reducing the universe to a mathematical concept is that we then assume that we have defined it. In reaching this level our understanding is good, but still limited. Anything that does not fit within our understanding then remains outside our thinking.

In like manner, with numerology, it is easy to set up a construct that explains life. Someone who has a limited knowledge may feel that they have captured the key, and will then close his or her mind to greater understanding. It has been my experience that the more I learn of the numbers, the more I realize my limitations. Thus, for me, numerology has become an intense lifetime study. My knowledge is constantly expanding, which keeps the study fresh and exciting.

We use numbers as numbers to do the simple calculations required in a numerology chart. This is the mathematical side. Those who hesitate to become involved with numerology from a perceived mathematical deficit will be happy to know that the extent of the use of mathematical functions is simple addition and subtraction. If you need to, you can even use a calculator. Don't let the mathematics scare you away from the richness that numerology can bring to your life. This side of numerology is rigid and precise.
The other side of the numbers is the use of numbers as symbols of energies. We use numbers because it is convenient and understandable. Pythagoras is considered to be the father of modern numerology. Since he was a mathematician, he used numbers as the symbol. He could have chosen any symbols, but numbers have the advantage of a logical progression and a readily recognizable form.

It is in the interpretation of the symbolic side of the numbers and the interaction of these numbers in a chart that the art of numerology becomes evident. In this interpretation we have gone beyond numbers as numbers. When I say that 1 is the number of independence, I am interpreting the symbol of 1. Had we chosen to call that symbol apple instead of 1, if all numerologists accepted apple by convention to designate that energy it would work as well.

Because numbers are so strong a factor in our society it is perhaps fortuitous that Pythagoras chose numbers to define the energies. In many ways the confusion between numbers as numbers and numbers as symbols is less confusing than setting up a system of unrelated symbols.

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© 2003 Daniel R. Hardt
President. Life Path Numerology Center, Inc.
http://www.lifepathnum.com
dhardt@lifepathnum.com
800-442-2589
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