Arithmancy

[eskcindy]

<waynegregory23 at y...> wrote:
> It is another form of fortune telling, but through mathmatics. the 
>alpahbet is divided into 9 columns and given a value. With these 
>you can calculate your name, if the value of ur name comes to a 
>number over 9, you but reduce it by adding the digits together 
>until you get to this number. You can then refer to the legend 
>which describes what kind of person you are. But that is not all! 
>You can consult this to find out which foods are beneficial to you 
>alone, what car you should drive, what street you should live on 
>etc. If these have the same number as yourself, then its good news. 
>Sort of like a mathmatical feng shui!!

That's certainly the more popularized form of Arithmancy--Numerology-
-which in many ways resembles Astrology in the way it focuses on the 
personality traits of the different numbers. There is a deeper 
esoteric aspect of it, though. At a theoretical level the numbers 
represent certain energies which can be tapped into by using the 
numbers themselves. Some are easy to make sense of, such as 1 
representing supreme individualism, and 2 representing duality and a 
degree of dependency. Probably one aspect of arithmancy that you 
might have been exposed to in school (but not aware that it was 
esoteric) are magic squares. Basically they are squares with rows of 
numbers laid out in a square where the numbers added together are 
the same horizontally, vertically and diagonally. I learned in 
school the basic one which was:

4  9  2
3  5  7
8  1  6

Apparently there are particular magic squares that are associated 
with the energies of different celestial bodies (the one I've shown 
is apparently associated with Saturn). The one that represents the 
moon has 9 rows! People dabbling in this sort of thing would 
inscribe them on objects much like sigils or runes in order to have 
a magical effect on the object as an amulet.

The basic idea of all this is that numbers themselves have certain 
energies that affect the people, places or things that are 
associated with them, and that you can change destiny by working the 
numbers around to suit the direction you want things to go.

My knowledge of this doesn't really come from an occultist point of 
view, but from a Jungian perspective of being fascinated with 
archetypes. I don't really believe in numerology, although when I 
facetiously did a numerology workup of myself, many of the results 
were eerily accurate. The idea of changing your name to change your 
destiny or slavishly creating your child's name to suit the 
direction you want their life to go is a bit much.

I did notice, though, that there is some attention to numbers in the 
Harry Potter books. Much has been discussed about the reoccurrence 
of the numbers 12 and 13, but I found that there is a strong 
association with the number 11, which is considered in numerology as 
a master number, associated particularly with illumination. Harry's 
wand is 11 inches (as is his father's), the number of the vault 
where the Philosopher's Stone was kept was #713 which adds up to 11, 
and Harry stays in room #11 at the Leaky Cauldron. More importantly, 
both Harry's name and birthdate reduce to 11 (although for his 
birthdate it depends on which adding method you use as to whether 
you get 11 or 2).

The other characters that seem to have significant numbers 
associated with them are Voldemort and Lily Potter. It isn't an 
accident that "Tom Marvolo Riddle" is an anagram for "I am Lord 
Voldemort", as this keeps the number value the same. Tom's name 
reduces to the number 16, which in numerology is considered a Karmic 
Debt number. This number is particularly associated with the dark 
arts, as the number 7 (which 16 reduces to) is associated with great 
scholarly erudition and intellect, and the Karmic Debt with its 
corruption. The numbers in Voldemort's wand length also add up to 
16. 
Lily's is significant, as when you analyze her full married name you 
get the master number 33. This is sometimes called the Christ 
number, as it is associated with great sacrifice for the good of 
humanity. 
There was one numerology author whose characterizations of different 
number types seemed uncanny, particularly so with the 
interpretations of Harry Potter and Voldemort's name numbers. I've 
quoted verbatim from the website at http://www.decoz.com below.

11 as a Expression (Harry Potter's name) number:
"Yours is the most highly charged Expression number of all. You are 
like a lightning rod, attracting powerful ideas, intuitions, and 
even psychic information like unpredictable bolts. You are a 
powerful presence without any awareness on your part of having 
personal power. You are a channel for higher vibrations. But in 
order to be emotionally and psychologically at peace, you must learn 
to control that flow of energy. You possess a bridge between the 
unconscious and the conscious. The trouble is that the unconscious 
is an infinite resource, while consciousness by definition is a 
limited arena. The two are therefore at odds until they can learn to 
live in harmony with each other. This is where control comes in. 
Until you are able to control the flow of energy from this infinite 
source, you may feel like a victim of its whimsy, thrown about by 
emotional turmoil and nervous tensions. 
You have always sensed that you are different, but it was an 
indefinable feeling. You are enormously sensitive and aware, 
especially as a child. This made you vulnerable to all conflicts and 
painful situations. For most of your upbringing, however, you did 
not realize that other people did not possess the same sensitivity, 
nor did they see the same things you were seeing. This caused a 
great reservoir of emotion that was dammed up behind an inability to 
express your feelings, even to yourself. For this reason, most 11 
Expressions have a difficult childhood. Your extreme sensitivity 
made you very shy as a child. This usually manifests in adulthood as 
hesitation and acute vulnerability. You are very careful about 
sharing your feelings with others and choosing your friends. You 
compensated for your sense of separation in childhood by creating an 
elaborate fantasy world. You daydreamed more than other children. 
You have a lively imagination and even in adulthood have a hard time 
separating reality from fantasy. 
Your challenge is to bring forth your primitive, earthy strength. 
You need to be grounded in order to deal with your lightning bolts. 
The more you are able to call upon your inherent human strength, the 
greater your capacity to take advantage of your extremely sensitive 
awareness. Once this is accomplished, your antagonist becomes your 
benefactor. You are highly emotional and dependent upon 
relationships. Emotionally, you go up and down with the fortunes of 
your love life. You are idealistic, impractical, and at times 
disorderly. You are often unrealistic in your expectations. Your 
reasons for doing things are usually born of a mixture of logic, 
emotion, and intuition, which can rarely be explained satisfactorily 
to your more rational associates. 
The 11 Expression is the number most dependent upon other core 
numbers in your chart for insight into your vocation. The 11 charges 
every area it enters, but it needs a grounding vocation and 
discipline to be effective. A balanced 11 is one of the most unique 
and impressive of all people. It is gifted with insight and 
illumination, which it can transmit to others. This makes you a 
natural teacher in whatever area you enter."

16 as a Karmic Debt number (Voldemort):
"The 16 Karmic Debt -- wherever it shows up on the chart -- means 
destruction of the old and birth of the new. The 16 is about the 
fall of the ego, and all that it has built for itself. It is a 
watershed, a cleansing. All that has been constructed, and all that 
serves to separate the person from the source of life is destroyed. 
Through the 16, reunion with the great spirit is accomplished.
This can be a painful process, because it usually comes after much 
ego inflation. This results in a struggle between the ego and the 
divine will. Life presents challenges to your grand plans, which can 
be resented and struggled against. It is a lost battle, and you will 
likely feel humbled in the face of the collapse that follows. This 
humility is the key to later success, however, because you will 
learn to follow the intimations of a higher reality. In the 
destruction of the old, a spiritual rebirth takes place with an 
entirely new awareness. This rebirth affects every area of your 
life. It is a life much the better for the fall.
Those with the 16 Karmic Debt must be careful of egotism. Very 
often, those with the 16 use their highly intuitive and refined 
intellect to look down upon others, and view the rest of the world 
as inferior. This causes acute alienation and loneliness. In 
addition, it invites retribution, for the egotist is humbled more 
harshly than any other.
When the 16 is in one of the core numbers, this process of 
destruction and rebirth is a continual cycle that actually serves to 
bring you into higher consciousness and closer union with the source 
of life.
The 16 Karmic Debt can be a path of progress and great spiritual 
growth if it is looked at properly. One develops great faith by 
placing one's life in the hands of God. Through such faith, 
gratitude and peace are firmly established."

Spooky, ain't it? Somehow I don't think Voldemort is going to follow 
his advice . . . ;-)

Cindy