ecosophia | Numerology: Minor Numbers

Hermes Trismegistus The birth number, name number, and time number are the foundations of practical Pythagorean numerology, and you will find them repeated under various labels and forms in nearly all books on numerology. If you know how to create and interpret them, you can do everything necessary to give competent numerological readings.

Some books on numerology, however, include other numbers that can be used by numerologists in their readings. I don’t use any of these, but some numerologists find one or another of them useful. Experiment with them and see whether they work for you.

All the minor numbers below are based on the name you normally use—in other words, the name from which your name number derives. They can be changed by changing your name, or simply by changing the spelling of your name.

The vowel number. This is found by adding up the values of the vowels in a name. For example, in the name John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith—assuming for the moment that Mr. Smith likes to use his whole name—the vowels are o, a, o, i, e, e, i, e, and i; 6 + 1 + 6 + 9 + 5 + 5 + 9 + 5 + 9 = 55, 5 + 5 = 10, 1 + 0 = 1, so the vowel number of this name is 1. The vowel number shows you how you appear to yourself, irrespective of what other people think. Thus Mr. Smith sees himself as a simple, straightforward man with equally simple and straightforward goals, even though others might disagree with this assessment!

The consonant number. This is found by adding up the value of the consonants in a name. For example, in the name John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith, the consonants are j, h, n, j, c, b, j, n, g, l, h, m, r, s, m, t, and h; 1 + 8 + 5 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 5 + 7 + 3 + 8 + 4 + 9 + 1 + 4 + 2 + 8 = 72, 7 + 2 = 9, so the consonant number is 9. The consonant number shows you how you appear to other people, irrespective of how you think of yourself. Thus other people think of Mr. Smith as colorful and flamboyant, even a bit of an actor—a fact which baffles him. (As it happens, he’s right and they’re wrong—his name number is 1, the same as his vowel number. Other people, perhaps taken aback by his complicated and overblown name, see him as far more flamboyant than he actually is.)

If you're wondering whether Y is a vowel or a consonant, by the way, there's a simple rule. If Y is next to at least one vowel, it's a consonant; if it's next to consonants only, it's a vowel. Thus it's a consonant in the names Yolanda and Roy and a vowel in the names Mary and Yvonne.

The initial number. This is found by adding up the value of your initials, in the way that you would normally write them. For example, if John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith usually writes his initials JJJS, his initial number is 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4. The initial number shows you your modus operandi—that is, how you habitually approach the world, for good or ill. Thus Mr. Smith tends to habitually approach problems in a patient, methodical way, and fairly often feels overwhelmed by the burdens facing him.

The keynote number. This is found by taking the first vowel of the name, together with every letter that comes before it in the name, and adding them up. For example, in John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith’s name, the first vowel is o and the only letter that comes before it is j. O equals 6 and J equals 1, and so Mr. Smith’s keynote number is 7. The keynote number shows you your most common interests, and thus tells you what hobbies or avocations you will find most satisfying. Thus Mr. Smith, when he can take time away from other pursuits, will enjoy some solitary activity that puts his mind to work.

The mentality number. This is found by adding up the number of letters in the name you use for your name number—not the numerical value of the letters, but simply how many of them there are. For example, there are 26 letters in the name John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith, and 2 + 6 = 8, so 8 is his mentality number. The mentality number shows you your habitual thoughts, the lines upon which your mind naturally works. Thus Mr. Smith, in any situation, will find that he habitually thinks of ways in which he can turn it to practical advantage.

The frequency number. This is also based on the name number, but not everyone has one of these. A frequency number exists if, when you set out the digits of the letters, one number appears at least half again as often as any other number. For example, if the name you normally use is is Osborne F. Fox, this works out in numbers as 6, 1, 2, 6, 9, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6. Since 6 appears six times in the name and no other number appears more than 4 times—in fact, of course, no other number appears more than twice—6 is your frequency number. The frequency number represents an additional influence that comes into play from unexpected sources, for good or ill. Thus Mr. Fox will very often find himself in comfortable circumstances by what seems like sheer chance, and will repeatedly end up in positions where he receives generosity and kindliness—as well as those where he will be expected to provide these.

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So there you have it. Numerology is a simple form of divination, well suited to provide a quick overview of individual personality and of fortunate and unfortunate days and years—the main purposes for which people have consulted oracles since the beginning of history, and doubtless long beforehand as well.

There are quite a few books available on Pythagorean numerology, if you want to expand your knowledge of the system, and there are also helpful chapters in old volumes on divination and the psychic arts and sciences. Many of the books add further levels of complexity, which after all is necessary if you want to turn this relatively simple system into enough material for a book! I have found the following resources particularly useful; some are in print, others are readily available from online archives of out-of-copyright books.

Coffman, C.J., Manual of the Enumeration (Los Angeles: The Enumeration, 1927). Quirky but interesting.

Gibson, Walter B., and Litzka R. Gibson, The Complete Illustrated Book of the Psychic Sciences (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966). A classic old-fashioned guide to divination, with a chapter on numerology that remains the best introduction I know of.

Goodwin, Matthew Oliver, Numerology: The Complete Guide (2 vols.; Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page, 1981). The Encyclopedia Brittanica of numerology books. The tables in back are worth the price of both volumes.

Javane, Faith, and Dusty Bunker, Numerology and the Divine Triangle (Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1979). A classic volume, highly recommended by many readers.

Taylor, Ariel Yvon, Numerology Made Plain (Chicago: Laird & Lee, 1926). A good basic introduction.

Wilson, Ernest C., You and the Universe: A Book of Numbers (San Diego: Harmonial, 1922). Another good introduction, though a little more occult-themed than others.

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Aside from whatever entertainment value these five papers on numerology may have, they fill another role: they are among the instructional papers for the first five grades of the Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose. This is what I’ve decided to call my relaunch and revision of John Gilbert’s Magickal Order of the Golden Dawn, which was John’s relaunch and revision of Juliet Ashley’s Holy Order of the Golden Dawn, which was her—well, you get the idea.

I considered keeping the Golden Dawn label, but the changes made by Ashley and Gilbert were extensive enough that I think a new moniker is necessary to avoid confusion. This end of the tradition dropped the whole hardware of pentagram and hexagram rituals in favor of the Sphere of Protection, completely restructured the symbolism of the Tree of Life, and followed Waite’s refocusing the whole kit and caboodle away from ceremonial magic toward meditation, and occult study, but with a big extra serving of divination that Waite would have found appalling—and that’s just for starters. It’s a different tradition, for all practical purposes, and I wouldn’t want to have people straying into it who think that it’s standard Golden Dawn.

FHR emblem I inherited much more material from John’s MOGD than I did from the Order of Spiritual Alchemy, and it’s going to take correspondingly longer to get it organized, revised, and posted. In the meantime, those of my readers who want to get a head start can study the material as it appears, and be ready to take the examination for the outer grades once the whole kit and caboodle’s available. The examination for numerology will require you to calculate and interpret the birth number, name number, time number, and minor numbers for two names and then work out and interpret the relationship numbers from those same names. Now you know, and—well, practice makes perfect, right?

(The Hermetic Rose, btw, is a white rose, which symbolizes silence in the old alphabet of flowers, in a golden triangle, representing the principle of the triad. The drawing above is a first rough sketch using free clip art.)

Current Mood: accomplished

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From: (Anonymous)

Back in the first post, I came out to 3, which didn’t fit me at all, but 8 did. What’s the cause of that?

—Princess Cutekitten

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Numerology: Minor Numbers

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