Numerology 101

• Everything you wanted to know but were too shy to ask

The title I originally had in mind was, ‘Numerology for idiots’, but I decided against it because of the far-too-real risk of it being read by somebody in a hurry as, ‘Numerology’s for idiots’. While there are many numerology enthusiasts in our midst, there are others who are not at all benefiting from the many fruits it has to offer. Some of them are too shy to ask, while others are under the impression that it must be very complicated, which is not at all the case, as the author will try and demonstrate in what follows:

Numerology, as the name suggests, is all about numbers. (The author has had the misfortune of hearing some people calling it number-ology.) The best thing about it is that to unlock all the secrets that numbers hold for an individual, all one needs to know is his date of birth and complete name. It doesn’t matter what sort of parents he was born to, how he was raised up, what kind of education and training he received, etc. This simplicity is one of numerology’s more disarming charms.

There’s the lifepath number, which is based on the date of birth; there’s the psychic number, which focuses on the date (and ignores the month and year); there’s the expression (or destiny) number, which is based on the complete name; there’s the soul-urge or heart-desire number, which is based on the vowels in the name; there’s the inner-dreams (or personality) number, which is based on the consonants in the name; and there’s the birthday number, which is based on the month of birth. Among them, these numbers tell everything about an individual. See, it’s is as easy as ABC!

All these numbers are calculated by adding together the relevant numbers till one gets number 9 or less. There are two master numbers too (11 and 22) but they are best left to the masters. Take a man born on Feb 28, 1995. This yields 2 for the month, 10 (that is, 2+8) for the day, and 24 (1+9+9+5) for the year. Since 10 and 24 are again more than 9, 10 gives 1 (1+0) and 24 gives 6 (2+4). So, the lifepath number comes out to be 9 (2+1+6). Nine, then, is the lucky number for the gentleman. Things such as proposing marriage, friendships, business partnerships, starting a family, and signing a film should be done keeping it in mind. I will leave the reader to verify that the psychic number for this gentleman is 1.

Arguably the most significant utility of numerology is the marriage compatibility prediction. Although marriage as an institution is as old as humanity itself, the ordinary man is still struggling with it as if it was invented yesterday

Our next important number is the expression number. Each letter of your name corresponds to a number: Numbers 1-9 in sequence correspond to A–I and then to J–R. Numbers 1-8 correspond to S–Z (it’s a pity there’s no 27^th letter in English or it would have rounded off rather nicely). The expression number, like all other numbers, is obtained using the same numerology algebra explained above.

Arguably the most significant utility of numerology is the marriage compatibility prediction. Although marriage as an institution is as old as humanity itself, the ordinary man is still struggling with it as if it was invented yesterday (ladies are doing somewhat better in this department). Way too many marriages fail or end up making life all but unbearable for one or both the parties. Numerology, by providing you with useful information regarding your behaviour with other people, can come to your rescue here. More importantly it provides you with personality traits of your prospective better-half, which are invaluable for ascertaining compatibility. Since there are innumerable combinations and permutations involved, the volume of data can be a handful. Thankfully, there’s a wealth of painstakingly collected and meticulously compiled information provided on the internet free of cost, which the beginner can consult. Consider this sample taken from one such source describing a prospective match between two persons with destiny numbers 1 and 2: ‘Two very different people who do well if they remember their roles. The 1 is best equipped to be the breadwinner, and the 2 will be the one to feather the nest and keep the warmth of romance alive and well.’ The writer of these immortal lines obviously takes his literary writing at least as seriously as he does his numerology.

I am aware of what you have been wondering all along: What if it’s clear, numerologically, that the chances of your making it big in say, showbiz are on the lower side of the non-existent line? Or that you are not exactly going to hit it off with your prospective bride (or bridegroom)? You need not worry, for numerology doesn’t just offer a diagnosis; it suggests effective remedies as well. Intelligently altering how you spell your name is sure to work wonders in terms of changing the future for the better. Changing Husain to Hosain (for example), or Hosane, or Hocane, till more favourable numbers are achieved. Of course, the same (or even bigger) benefits can be had by strategically tinkering with or recalling your ‘correct’ date of birth, by changing the betrothed, or by putting off marriage altogether.