Numerology is defined in my dictionary as the branch of knowledge that deals with the occult significance of numbers. But “occult” is one of those words which carries a lot of baggage with it. It comes from a word meaning hidden, or secret, which doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything evil or supernatural about it. So let’s try this definition:

“Numerology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the hidden significance of numbers.”

I think that’s a better definition. But again, what does it really mean?

It means the numbers that make up your life — your birthdate, the house or street numbers where you grew up, numbers that seem to hold a special significance in your life — those numbers, when placed into a pattern called the Lo Shu Magic Square, can reveal things about your life.

  • Where you started in life.
  • How you’ve changed on your life’s journey.
  • The personality traits you have now.

While some people say you can use Lo Shu to tell the future, my religious beliefs say not to mess with fortune telling, so there’s no future/fortune telling in this Lo Shu version of numerology. Besides, even if you don’t have a belief system like that, YOU have free will and make your own futureStill, where you are now can give us a good clue as to where you’re headed unless you make needed changes. (Not seeing the future, just using common sense!)

I’ve programmed computers for decades, which means I’ve dealt with numbers on a daily basis. I’ve seen patterns and concepts with numbers that are interesting and beautiful and now I’ve seen how they can be used to answer questions about our lives.

But how does it work? Let’s take a look…

Science or Supernatural?
My Personal Take on Numerology

I don’t know of any scientific studies that show the validity of numerology as a way to tell us about ourselves, and I don’t believe truly supernatural occurrences can really be measured, so where does that leave us with numerology?

While there are some people who lean far on the science side and discount numerology completely, others feel like there’s a supernatural element where numbers really can speak to who we are.

I embrace both sides — in a way.

I don’t personally believe in the supernatural aspects of numerology — but I do believe the numbers in our lives can have meaning.

How do I justify those seemingly opposite takes?

I look at it like this — in therapy situations the client talks about a problem and is often asked, “How does that make you feel?” or similar questions. The therapist doesn’t solve the problem; he or she gets an idea on what the base problem may be and encourages the client to explore it.

So, too, can numerology get us to focus on a certain area of our lives. It’s easy to ignore facets of our personalities — sometimes we need to stop glossing over things and really drill down on them.

  • Process those things.
  • Discover how they hurt or help us.

That’s where numerology comes into play. By placing numbers (that are an integral part of our lives) into a system we can generate a list of personality traits that may be in abundance in our lives — or may be missing altogether.

Looking at the list of traits gives us something on which to focus. Is there really a lack of communication in your life? What does the abundance of will or passion in your life signify?

Example: “Thinking things through is a pattern of mine; I wonder what would happen if I try to be more spontaneous in some areas of my life?”

It’s much easier to discover what’s really going on in our lives when we can narrow the scope down to just a few things to explore. And that’s what numerology can do for us — distill the many traits we have down to the most important ones for us to focus on right now.

Example: “This says I’m lacking in cooperation — I can see where that’s been an issue, so I’m going to work on that.”

My numbers don’t force me to act a certain way and they don’t control my life. Instead, I use numerology to act as a focal point for areas in my life I might want to work on.

Whether you lean toward the scientific side of things or lean toward the supernatural, I think both sides can agree that working on becoming a better person is always a worthwhile endeavor.