Number Mysticism

Dividing the circle by 6 results in the aspects of sextiles and trines

Number mysticism is one of the most important symbolic aspects of astrology and at the same time some of the roots of number mysticism are to be found in celestial observation. Number symbolism holds the view that numbers have not only a quantitative-numerical value where one number follows the next, but also possess an inherent quality independent of their numerical value. This quality enables us to comprehend cosmic cycles and laws and to transfer and relate them to life on Earth. Some esoteric schools (like the Kabbalah) associate letters of the alphabet with certain numbers and so come to a completely different understanding of texts such as the Bible.

Western number mysticism can largely be traced back to the ideas of the Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras. According to him, number is the archetype of all things. Among German astrologers Thomas Ring in particular has studied number mysticism.

The basic astrological numbers are three and four. Three is considered to be a divine number. It resolves the polarity represented by the number two. Four is considered to be a material number and the square with its four corners is thought to be the archetypal symbol of the mundane sphere. When three and four are added the result is seven, the number of classical planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn). Four times seven is 28, the number of days the Moon takes to orbit the Earth once, and roughly the number of years that Saturn takes to orbit the Sun. It takes Uranus seven years to pass through one sign of the zodiac and twelve times seven (84) years to pass through all the signs. Three times four is twelve, the number of signs of the zodiac and the total number of houses in a horoscope, but also the number of years Jupiter takes to make one orbit of the sun.

See also

• Analogy
• Harmony of Spheres
• Microcosm/Macrocosm
• Spiritual Astrology
• Symbolism
• Tarot

Venus Pentagram

Weblinks

• Wikipedia: Numerology
• Wikipedia: Saturn's hexagon
• Signature of the Celestial Spheres (Hartmut Warm)
• Pythagoras: The Father of Numbers (Jackie Slevin, 2009; Skyscript)
• Numerology Meanings (thedreamtime.com)
• The Pentagram of Venus (Greg Egan/ Azimuth Project)
• You By Your Numbers: Free Numerology Report (cafeastrology.com)

The astronomical Saturn

Bibliography

• Schimmel, Annemarie (1993) The Mystery of Numbers. New York, USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-87-516422-6

A scholarly compendium of the connotations and associations of numbers in historical cultures