Mysteries and Secrets of Numerology. Patricia Fanthorpe
the 2 shorter sides. Plutarch incorporated the Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris, and their son, Horus, into his 90-degree triangle thinking. Isis was the horizontal base of the triangle, Osiris was its upright. Their great son, Horus, the hypotenuse, avenged his noble father’s death by destroying the evil god, Set.
One famous old Egyptian numerological papyrus, dating from nearly 4,000 years ago, declares that it contains methods for inquiring into “everything that exists: all mysteries and all secrets.” This passage sums up the amount of faith the ancient Egyptians had in the power of numbers. The Leiden Papyrus was procured by the Leiden Museum of Antiquities in 1829 from J. d’Anastasy. It confirms the major importance of numbers and numerology for the Egyptians of its time. The 27 stanzas within this papyrus are numbered from 1–9 as units, then from 10–90, and finally from 100–900. The 3 groups of 9 thus cover all 27 stanzas.
The Norse Valknut symbol
The designs of Egyptian temples and pyramids were all dependent on the Egyptian numbering system and, most importantly to the ancient Egyptians, on the numbers “3,” “9,” and “27.” In accordance with the numerological elements of the early Egyptian belief systems, each number had a magical power or mystical significance.
Just as “3,” “9,” and “27” were milestones in the history of numerology as far the ancient Egyptians were concerned, “7” was of more significance to the ancient peoples of the Middle East. “Seven” is frequently encountered in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was the fifth king of Uruk, which is modern-day Iraq, and according to some of the ancient chronicles such as the Sumerian King List, he reigned there for more than a century. His father was a semi-deified king named Lugalbanda; his mother was the goddess Rimat Ninsun. Such ancestry gave Gilgamesh tremendous physical strength and qualified him as a demigod. In Gilgamesh’s story there is a gate with 7 bolts, and 7 mountains have to be climbed on the way to the Cedar Forest. Gilgamesh then cuts down 7 of the great cedars to reach the lair of their guardian, the fearsome giant Humbaba, whom he tricks with 7 gifts (including his sisters, as wife and concubine) before decapitating the giant. Gilgamesh also meets the wise old sage, Utnapishtim, the Babylonian equivalent of Noah, and stays with him for 7 nights. In the account of the flood that Utnapishtim survived, the waters subsided on the seventh day.
There are scholars who would argue that the ancient Chaldean systems of numerology are, in fact, the oldest of all. Its extreme is disguised to some extent by the comparative secrecy in which it was kept for millennia. Chaldean numerology assigned meanings to the various numbers, beginning with “0.” To them, the “0” represented nothing and everything because in their mystical thinking everything began from nothing. It is the symbol of all potential things.
Ancient Middle Eastern winged figure
For the Chaldean experts, the number “1” was masculine. It stood for independence, individuality, aggression, and dominance. There were also aspects of creativity and originality associated with “1.” “Two” represents the female aspect: cooperation, adaptability, understanding, tact, gentleness, and caution. “Three” represents expansion and development. It is the number of communication and diversification. The number “4” in the Chaldean system represents the 4 seasons and the virtues of control and self-discipline. “Four” is stable and enduring. “Five,” by complete contrast, stands for adventure, travel, freedom, and versatility. “Five” means change. “Six” is an excellent number. It is associated with teaching, counselling, healing, and loving. The number “7” is philosophical and metaphysical. It looks for the deep eternal answers to the great questions of the universe. “Eight” is an authoritarian symbol: it quests for power and control over the environment and other people. In the Chaldean system, “9” is regarded as the ruler of all the other numbers except for the originating “0.” “Nine” is the symbol of patience, tolerance, universality, and compassion. The number “11” was of great importance in the old Chaldean system of numerology. Does that mean that the Basques, who also have the highest regard for “11,” may have come from the ancient Chaldean peoples? In the Chaldean system, “11” was thought of as the number of light. It is the number of wisdom and the wise. “Eleven” represents altruism, inventiveness, and tremendous strength of both mind and body.
There are also very interesting historical connections between the old Chaldean system outlined above and the ancient African system, which could very well be of similar age. Brought to America in the days of the slave trade, and carefully researched by academic African Americans in our own time, this African numerology resembles its Chaldean counterpart in some aspects, but differs from it significantly in others. In the old African system, “0” is thought of as the origin of everything else. It is considered a representation of God. The “1” is, again, male, and the “2” is female, just as in the Chaldean system. “Three” is also the number of creativity and growth. In the African system, “4” symbolizes the entire universe, having 4 corners or quadrants. It also represents the 4 stages of human life: conception, birth, existence, and death. Whereas the Chaldean “5” stood for change and resourcefulness, in the African system, “5” symbolizes religion and groups of the faithful. It also represents a combination of femininity (“2”) and creation (“3”), as well as family and tribal life. “Six” symbolizes something very similar in the African system, so “5” and “6” can almost be taken together in terms of meaning. If they are, of course, they create the all-powerful and highly desirable “11.” In the African system, “7” symbolizes deep thought, spirituality, and philosophy. This is closely comparable to the Chaldean meaning of “7” as the symbol of truth-seeking. In the Chaldean system, “8” stood for power and control. In the African system, it represents balance, poise, and equilibrium. For the ancient African numerologist, “9” is the symbol of nature, whereas in the Chaldean code it ruled over all the other numbers except for the “0.” The Chaldean “9” meant patience, tolerance, and compassion. In the ancient African system of numerology, “10” is the perfect number. It brings together the “1” of man and the “0” of God. It unites humanity and divinity.
The ancient Japanese numerology was especially focused on “3,” “5,” and “7.” Children younger than 3 had their heads shaved or had very short haircuts. At age 3 they were allowed to grow hair. Five-year-old boys were permitted to wear a hakama for the first time. When girls reached the age of 7 they were allowed to fasten their kimonos with an obi. At ages 3, 5, and 7 children were taken to a shrine to pray for long life, good health, and to be protected against evil spirits.
Chinese numerology differed from most other systems because it was a homophonic system, meaning the sound of the number, when spoken aloud, gave it its significance. In Chinese symbolism, “2” was a good, helpful, and lucky number because the sound of “2” in Cantonese was a homophone for the word easy. The favoured number “2,” therefore, made difficult tasks easy to perform. “Three,” in Chinese, sounds like the word for birth, so “3” is also considered a good, positive symbol in the old Chinese system. “Six” represented liquid, or fluidity, because of its homophonic partner in Mandarin. This meant it was a good number for business. In Cantonese, the same sound meant a blessing, so that also brought good luck. “Seven” is favoured among many systems of numerology, and the Chinese system, at this juncture, falls in with the majority. “Seven” symbolizes togetherness, friendship, and a happy community. “Eight” represents wealth and great prosperity. It is particularly interesting to note that a famous international banker has a string of “8”s as a telephone number. This seems to work well and bring prosperity. Chinese and Asian clients are especially keen to use this bank’s services. In the ancient Chinese system, the number “9” was always associated with the Emperor. His robes were decorated with 9 dragons, and in the old mythology, the dragon had 9 children. “Nine,” in the Chinese system, also symbolizes endurance and length of time, so it is conventionally used at weddings. As well as all these good and positive numerical homophonic associations, there are some negative ones. “Four”