Numerology is the study of the vibrations or frequencies that numbers emit. There are many more in-depth resources available on the subject if you’re interested (see resources below).
This article is simply a brief overview of the positive and negative aspects of each of the numbers.
The traditional Pythagorean system recognizes the numbers 1 through 9 and two Master numbers, 11 and 22 and this is what we’ll cover here.
Number One (fire)
Life Path #1
Individualization, creativity and confidence
“Individuals working 1 as their life path purpose are here to bring positive creative energy into the world.” Dan Millman (see resources below)
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Beginnings, creation, originality, independence, courage, progress, ambition, positivity, activity, force
Negative Aspects
Laziness, imitation, dependence, selfishness, instability, egotism, weakness, fear, bragging, contrariness, stagnation, stubbornness, tyranny, monomania, bullying
Number Two (water)
Life Path #2
Association, cooperation and balance
“Individuals working 2 as their life path purpose are here to clarify the limits of their responsibility and learn to work with others in a spirit of harmony, balance, and mutual support.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Love, service, gentleness, harmony, adaptability, charm, diplomacy, friendliness, rhythm, music, receptivity, cooperation, consideration for others
Negative Aspects
Vacillation, apathy, indifference, shyness, self-effacement, over sensitivity, spinelessness, boot-licking, sulkiness, discontent, slackness, carelessness, deception, mischief-making, sullenness, cruelty, cowardice, bad temper, slyness, lying, pessimism
Number Three (fire)
Life Path #3
Self expression and sensitivity
“Individuals working 3 as their life path purpose are here to utilize their emotional sensitivity to bring positive, heartfelt self-expression into the world.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Artistic expression, joy, freedom from worry, optimism, inspiration, talent, imagination, good taste, sociability, friendliness, kindness
Negative Aspects
Worry, whining, criticism, gossip, extravagance, vanity, triviality, superficiality, exaggeration, silly pride, jealousy, hypocrisy, wastefulness, intolerance
Number Four (earth)
Life Path #4
Organization, stability and process
“Individuals working 4 as their life path purpose are here to achieve stability and security by patiently following a gradual process toward selected goals.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Practicality, service, patience, exactitude, organization, application, devotion, patriotism, conservatism, pragmatism, dignity, economy, trust, worthiness, endurance, loyalty
Negative Aspects
Plodding, narrowness, exaction, repression, minuteness, penuriousness, clumsiness, dogmatism, crudeness, brusqueness, restriction, rigidity, sternness, dullness, vulgarity, hatred, violence, jealousy, resistance, destruction, cruelty
Number Five (air)
Life Path #5
Freedom and discipline
“Individuals working 5 as their life path purpose are here to find inner freedom through discipline, focus, and depth of experience.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Freedom, progress, versatility, understanding, variety, adaptability, mental curiosity, life experience, cleverness, unattachment, sociability, change, discard, travel, adventure, companionability
Negative Aspects
Irresponsibility, procrastination, carelessness, self-indulgence, thoughtlessness, inconsistency, sensationalism, bad taste, perversion, abuse of freedom, indulgence
Number Six (earth & air)
Life Path #6
Adjustment, vision and acceptance
“Individuals working 6 as their life path purpose are here to reconcile their high ideals with practical reality and to accept themselves, their world, and the present moment through an expanded vision of life’s inherent perfection.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Love, harmony, home, responsibility, adjustment, musical talent, sympathy, understanding, domesticity, guardianship, stability, poise, protection, healing, firmness, balance, idealism, conscientiousness, justice, burden-bearing, service to humankind
Negative Aspects
Anxiety, worry, meddlesomeness, busyness, misplace sympathy, mistaken ideals, interference, conventionality, pride, smugness, unwilling service, drudgery, despondency, cynicism, egotism, suspicion, jealousy, slavery, domestic tyranny
Number Seven (water)
Life Path #7
Wisdom, aloneness, trust and openness
“Individuals working 7 as their life path purpose are here to trust the light or spirit within them, in others, and in the process of their lives so that they feel safe enough to open up and share their inner beauty with the world.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Mental analysis, technicality, introspection, peace, poise, scientific research, spirituality, faith, trust, stoicism, refinement, wisdom, silence, theories and fundamentals
Negative Aspects
Melancholy, fault-finding, sarcasm, coldness, aloofness, skepticism, confusion, humiliation, nervousness, erraticism, faithlessness, turbulence, malice, suppression, deceitfulness, theft, cheating, craftiness
Number Eight (earth)
Life Path #8
Power, abundance and material freedom
“Individuals working 8 as their life path purpose are here to work with abundance, power and recognition, and to apply their success in the service of the common good.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Power, authority, success, material freedom, judgement, discrimination, executive ability, organization, leadership, management, practicality, thoroughness, dependability, self-reliance, control
Negative Aspects
Strain, hardness, materiality, ambition for self and money, demand for recognition, intolerance, worry, scheming, love of power, carelessness, impatience, poor judgement, misspent energy, bullying, abuse, revenge, oppressiveness, injustice, cruelty, unscrupulousness
Number Nine (fire)
Life Path #9
Universality, humanhood, integrity and wisdom
“Individuals working 9 as their life path purpose are here to live in accord with their highest integrity, to align their life with their heart’s intuitive wisdom, and to inspire others by their example.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Completion, universal love, brotherhood, charity, compassion, Higher Law, artistic genius, selfless service, philanthropy, humanitarianism, magnetism, sympathy, understanding, romance, generosity, breadth of viewpoint
Negative Aspects
Emotionalism, egocentricity, sentimentality, dissipation of forces, indiscretion, impracticality, fickleness, aimless dreaming, immorality, vulgarity, bitterness, moroseness
Master Number Eleven (air)
Life Path #11
Revelation, double creativity and confidence
“…when a double 1 (11) appears to the right of the slash mark, as in birth numbers 29/11, 38/11, and 47/11, this signifies precisely the same energies and qualities outlined in [Part Two on 1, p. 31], but all of the qualities, talents, and potential hurdles represented by 1 are present in double strength.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Intuition, revelation, invention, poetry, art, spirituality, fire, zeal, idealism, priestliness, evangelism, martyrdom, exhortation, immateriality
Negative Aspects
Aimlessness, penuriousness, shiftlessness, lack of understanding, fanaticism, self-superiority, imposition of personal will/standards, miserliness, debauchery, degradation, dishonesty
Master Number Twenty-Two (water)
Life Path #22
Material master, double cooperation and balance, stability and process
“Individuals working 22/4 as their life path purpose are here to work through issues of cooperation, responsibility, and process to establish a stable and secure foundation, achieving their goals through a patient process involving mutually supportive teamwork.” Dan Millman
Personality Traits
Positive Aspects
Power (on all planes), practical idealism, direction (international), uplift (universal), the Material Master
Negative Aspects
Promotion (get rich quick schemes), “big talk,” inferiority complex, grudging service, indifference, viciousness, crime, “black magic”
Resources
Although there are various good books on Numerology, these are two of my favourites. Follow the links to purchase them, or find them at your public library.
* The Life You Were Born to Live: A Guide to Finding Your Life Purpose by Dan Millman
* Your Days are Numbered by Florence Campbell.