My Secret Trick to Learning Numerology
Numerology is the study of numbers--in a magical sense.
There are plenty of people out there who have been studying and expanding upon our knowledge of numbers in a logical sense for millennia but, believe it or not, the magickal side of numbers has actually been pondered for just as long!
Pythagoras is often touted as the grandfather of numerology since he ran a mystery school in his time which focused both on the practical and magickal aspects of numbers. He was a student of math and science as much as he was one of the metaphysical and esoteric realms. He believed that math was about more than just computing, but that it could divulge some key secrets of the universe as well.
Still, the thought of math hardly causes an individual to think of divine forces, making the study of numerology the often overlooked sibling to popular modalities such as astrology and tarot.
But what if I told you that all of these practices were interconnected?
The 9 Base Numbers
Before we get into my number one secret trick for learning numerology and how it relates to tarot, let’s familiarize ourselves better with the foundations of numerology: the base numbers
What is a Base Number?
The term base number is used to describe the single digit numbers 1-9. These single digits make up the nine main archetypes used in numerology.
Whether you work with the numbers in a numerology chart, personal year or month numbers, or are simply taking note of the numbers that exist all around you, these 9 base numbers work both solo and in tandem with one another to help explain the natural energy of the universe.
Learn more about your life path number, soul desire number, cultivated personality number, destiny number, or personal year number here
Numerology and Astrology
Learning a few key words for each of the 9 base numbers can be a great jumping off point to start your numerology journey, but it’s not enough to get a clear understanding of what the numbers truly represent and how they are experienced in action.
The parallels between numerology and astrology are fairly easy to find, especially if we start with the house system.
In astrology each chart (whether its a birth chart, synastry chart, composite chart, transit chart, etc) has 12 houses in it. The chart begins at the ascendant line, which is where we get the rising sign from. This ascendant line marks the beginning of the 1st house and is found on the center left hand side of the chart. From there the houses are divided counter-clockwise around the chart from 1-12.
Each astrological house represents an area of life:
From here we can see the similarities as well as the differences between the two systems of numbers. In numerology 7 is the number of truth seeking and asking questions, but in astrology it is the house of long term partners. Does either astrology or numerology have it wrong, or is there something to be learned and gained from taking in both definitions?
We can even look at the astrological year, which begins on the Vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, for more numerological insight.
If you’ve ever wondered why astrology posts always start with Aries and end with Pisces it’s because Aries is the 1st sign of the zodiacal new year and Pisces is the last if we follow the calendar from the start of Spring through to the end of Winter as is traditional with astrology.
Examining the number that each of the signs falls in as we follow the astrological calendar can help to give you more clarity about the base numbers of numerology.
Something interesting to take note of is that the base archetypes of astrology work in segments of 12, whereas numerology focuses on the 9 single digit numbers. Looking into the similarities of the first house and the 10th house, as well as Aries and Capricorn, can shed some light on the number 1 and the varied way in which that energy can show up in nature.
In astrology we are also introduced to the number 11 as a base archetype. This is called a master number in numerology, and 11 is the number of elder wisdom gained through life experience. Though 1+1=2, we do not consider 11 a detail number of the base number 2. Master numbers are in a category all of their own… much like Aquarius!
As you can see, if you have a solid handle on astrology, you’re already about halfway towards having a good understanding of numerology! There are some discrepancies between the numbers in each modality, but I think there’s something to learn from both tools when we look at the big picture.
Numerology and Tarot
The relationship between numerology and tarot is deep, from the 22 numbered cards of the major arcana, to the numbered suits of the minor arcana. Numbers are found everywhere in this tool, which is why it is often suggested to begin learning numerology when you endeavor to be a practitioner of tarot. But is it possible that tarot has as much to give to the study of numerology as well? Let’s find out!
The Major Arcana
When studying tarot it’s imperative to first understand the difference between the major arcana and the minor arcana.
A standard tarot deck has 78 cards with 22 being in the major arcana and 56 making up the minor arcana.
The major arcana is where we find the famous cards like Death, Wheel of Fortune and Hanged Man--the ones they like to use in TV shows. In practice these cards speak to larger themes of life which require a longer amount of time to work with.
When studying numerology these are good cards to work with since they contain deeply concentrated amounts of energy which align to the number associated with them.
*0 is not a base number in numerology since the basis of all numerology calculations are addition sequences. 0 is associated with the concept of God, Spirit, Universe, etc.
When looking into the major arcana we can begin to see how numbers can work in unison to create a similar yet different energy than the base number. For example, card 21 the World is a card of growing out of an old chapter and into a new one, relating to its base number 3 (because 2+1=3) which is a number of growth. We also see a different kind of growth in the number 12 (1+2=3), relating to the card the Hanged Man which is about the deeper understanding of our past from self reflection.
These numbers 21 and 12 are detail numbers which help to give further information about how the number 3 will show up. Each of the base numbers 1-9 carry a vast amount of knowledge within them, and looking at the themes of the major arcana can help us to look deeper into each of these base numbers. We begin to see how the number 6 can relate to love and healing in the Lovers card, but it takes on a different kind of vibe when it presents itself in card 15/6 the Devil.
So now if you already have a good grasp on tarot, then you’re even closer to fully understanding numerology!
The Minor Arcana
The minor arcana also deals heavily with numbers, so let’s take a look at how these archetypes show up in this area of the tarot.
The minor arcana is split into two segments: pips and court cards. The pips are the cards 1-10, with the 1 cards being referred to as aces. Each tarot deck has 4 suits and each suit has a card for each of the numbers 1-10, so that’s 40 cards of the 78 deck right there. Regardless of the suit they are in (Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles) each numbered card shares a base energy which comes from the number associated with it.
Of course here we see some commonality between all the other number systems we’ve looked at thus far, as well as a number of differences between them. The differences aren’t proof that numerology, astrology or tarot got it wrong, it’s actually an indication that in order to understand these numbers we need to be able to view them as large concepts. Each tool discussed in this article lends important information which can help us better understand and work with the numbers in our spiritual and magickal practices.
7, for instance, is a number that tends to vary the most. It means truth seeking and questioning in numerology, serious partnerships and balance in astrology, and long journeys and uncertainty in tarot. How can these themes all play a part in the larger story of this number? It is perhaps the reminder that truth can be found both on our own and in partnership, that questioning our purpose in life can help create more balance as well as uncertainty, and that life is a long journey of asking questions and finding unlikely answers. 7 is the long, complicated road to truth.
The other 16 cards of the minor arcana, the court cards, are the only cards in a tarot deck which feature no numbers. Instead they are labeled as the Page, Knight, Queen and King of each suit (most commonly). So you might assume that these court cards have nothing to teach us about numerology… well, you would be wrong!
Detail Numbers and Tarot
I mentioned before that 21 and 12 were both detail numbers for the number 3, meaning that the double digit number (21 and 12 in the example) which adds up to create the single digit base number (3) can give us more information about how exactly that base number will show up.
This can be a challenging concept to work with, since any modality which throws a bunch of archetypes at you all at once can take hours of studying, honing your intuition and a lot of practice until you feel confident in how to read them as a whole. However, I have a system which can help you to better understand both this numerology concept, as well as deepen your understanding of the tarot!
This is my secret trick to learning numerology and being able to read any set of numbers like a pro! Below is a list of each tarot card and the detail and base number associated with it. It starts off pretty easy with the numbered cards of the major arcana, then it moves through the minors starting with the court cards of the Wands suit and ending with the 10 of Pentacles as card 78/6. Sounds confusing? Why don’t you give it a look and see if it makes more sense!
*The Fool is a card that can be placed at the beginning or the end of the major arcana, so here we place it at the end so that it represents the master number 22.
Looking at these numbers you can see the depth that numerology gives to tarot and that tarot gives to numerology in return! For instance, the brutal force of the Tower card makes more sense when we realize it is about 7--truth seeking and the long uncertain journey of life. The detail number 16--1 being the number of the self and 6 being the number of caregiving--is a reminder that the energy of this card may hurt like hell, but it’s an act of tough self love that you need to undertake. In the end, the Tower card is never meant to cause irrevocable damage, it’s more like a demolition team that is there to break up the faulty foundations you’ve been building your life on.
The Knight of Cups being aligned to the energy of 38/11 helps to expand our definition of this card, which often gets labeled as Romeo or player type of personality in love and relationships. 11 is the number of the master teacher or inspirational leader. It means that there are huge life lessons to learn in this card, and by looking at the detail number of 38 we can assume that these life lessons have to do with growing (3) out of your patterns (8). This is a card which embodies the lessons of relationship habits, patterns and growth!
Lastly let’s look at the number associated with the 5 of Pentacles, a card that hardly elicits a pleasant reaction since it has to do with financial and physical loss. The number 73/1 shows us that this loss is a hidden new beginning (1). It also holds the harsh truth that sometimes when our sense of truth (7) is growing (3) it requires a certain amount of loss. Not all lessons in life have to be hard earned, but unless we are conditioned to live a life that is 100% truthful and authentic, then those tough lessons will come when we’ve been avoiding doing the work that needs to be done in order to live a life of truth and honesty. The 5 of Pentacles is merely an invitation and a gentle reminder that with every loss there can also be a new beginning.
So, now explore this list and the numbers associated with each card! Which ones make the most sense? Which ones are harder to understand? Which cards share similar numbers, and what does that say about the relationship between those cards?
And believe it or not, it doesn’t end there! In your numerology calculations you are often going to find that the numbers add up to a detail number larger than 78, so the loop begins again with Magician also being aligned to the number 79/7 all the way through to the 10 of Pentacles also being aligned to the number 156/3.