numerology

Numerology is a belief in a mystical relationship between numbers and events or character. Proponents contend that numeric values associated with letters and dates can reveal personality traits, life paths, and potential outcomes. The practice typically converts letters to numbers, sums them, and reduces to a single digit, with some numbers (often 11, 22, and sometimes 33) treated as special master numbers.

Two widely cited systems are the Pythagorean (Western) and the Chaldean. The Pythagorean system assigns numbers 1 through 9 to letters in order and reduces sums to a digit. The Chaldean system uses a different assignation and weighting and may yield different results for the same name. In practice, practitioners identify a variety of core numbers from names and birth dates, sometimes incorporating calendar cycles and personal associations.

Key calculations include the life path number from the birth date; the expression or destiny number from the full birth name; the soul urge or heart’s desire number from the vowels of the birth name; and the personality number from the consonants. The birthday number is the day of birth. Interpretations typically describe personality tendencies, opportunities, and compatibilities, with a focus on guidance rather than prediction.

Historically claimed to trace to Pythagoras and various ancient traditions, numerology has many regional forms and remains popular in self-help and esoteric contexts. It is distinct from mathematics and science but has a broad cultural presence. Critics note the lack of empirical support, methodological bias, and reliance on subjective interpretation, and generally regard numerology as pseudoscience or a belief system rather than a rigorous discipline.