It happens all the time. You're at home, or at the store, and you suddenly realize you've been seeing the same number everywhere.
It's on the price tags on items. It's the TV channel you're watching. It's the time. Maybe it's even in your phone number or address. And now that you're thinking about it, you seem to see it even more!
Well, some people would say that there's a deeper significance to this; that seeing a certain number is one of the many amazing ways the universe can communicate with you.
Just like the signs of the zodiac, some people believe that numbers hold special meanings and characteristics, and they symbolize things to come.
The process, known as numerology, takes many forms. Some take the dates of your birth and determine your personal number — somewhat like a horoscope — while others seek to determine meaning from numbers in everyday life.
Numerology has ancient roots and can be found all over the world. Some of the earliest practices started with Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras, known for his contributions to modern mathematics.
Pythagoras and his followers also loved numbers and considered them to be spiritual in nature and a universal, divine language. Seeing a certain number, then, had a specific meaning. Just like today, some were considered unlucky, and others lucky.
Check out what symbolism might be hiding behind the numbers in your life, and see what the universe has in store for you!
You probably already know that the number 1 is, well, number 1. It’s thought of as the best, and coming before all the other numbers.
It’s associated with leadership and confidence, but also with being solitary. Mystics across the centuries, including the Pythagoreans, have considered it associated with a divine creator.
If you're seeing a lot of the number 1, it might mean that you have the inner strength to lead and inspire, but it might also mean that a challenge is coming that will test your confidence and leadership skills.
2 is associated with partnership and balance, but can also symbolize opposites and conflict.
2 is a reminder of both the positive and negative sides of everything, and that both sides must exist in order for there to be balance.
Pythagoreans thought 2 was unlucky — but ironically, there were 2 schools of Pythagoras!
Seeing 2's everywhere could be a reminder to consider both sides of things, or that you're in need to balancing out some aspect of your life.
It could also symbolize the need to work together with someone, and to value a partner, a friend, or a colleague.
3 is a magic number! It shows up in fairy tales and legends all over the world as a symbolic number of fortune and magic.
It’s associated with the passage of time, with the changing of luck, and with magic rites.
In geometry, it’s also the first number to form a shape, the triangle, which made the Pythagoreans really, really happy. They loved the number 3!
If you're seeing a lot of 3, it means something magical is in the works — but that it might take a while to come to fruition. After all, it always takes three times to get anything done in a fairy tale, right?
Pay attention to the 3's in your life, as they may symbolize the "magic" steps you need to get to the next chapter.
4 is thought to be a grounded, stable number associated with the Earth and strength.
There are four elements and four directions, and it also figured heavily into the Pythagoreans’ philosophies. They associated it with the divine and considered it the “perfect” number, and believed the human soul had four parts.
But in East Asia, watch out! 4 is extremely unlucky, because it’s pronounced the same as the word for death: shi. People avoid the number 4 as much as possible.
If things are coming in fours, it can symbolize a need for grounding and gathering your inner strength.
It can also be a reminder to pay attention to the real, tangible things here on Earth with you, and not to get too carried away by your own thoughts.
5 is the number of health, love, and marriage, both between people and, according to the Pythagoreans, the marriage of the Earth with the heavens — the four earthly elements combined with the single spirit element.
It’s also associated with the human body, having four limbs and a head, and the five senses.
If you're seeing 5 a lot, phew! You've either just completed or are about to complete a cycle, and everything is falling into place, physically and emotionally.
Stable, symmetrical, and diplomatic, 5's bring about harmony and peace.
6 is literally perfect. That’s the mathematical term: it’s when all the numbers' divisors, not including the number itself, add up to equal the number. So 1 + 2 + 3 = 6. The perfect number!
As such, it symbolizes pretty lofty ideas, and is a number of completeness, beauty, and high ideals.
Seeing a lot of the number 6 means you'll be inspired to think a lot about some pretty complex, philosophical, and amazing topics!
It might mean that you'll be in a position to share your knowledge, or that you're about to learn quite a bit — or maybe a bit of both! But either way, the world's about to get a lot more interesting.
7 is a mystical number, and is associated with security, perfection, and rest, and has been also considered both lucky and unlucky depending on whom you ask!
It also forms the basis for the structure of the week, and features prominently in the Bible. 7 has a lot of ambiguity and magic!
Seeing 7 might be a little spooky, but sometimes getting spooked is necessary for expanding your worldview.
This mystical number is often linked to the spirit world, and so seeing it means you should pay attention to your intuition and the things you can't see. You may be on the verge of discovering something hidden!
8 is a number of balance, decision, and power, as well as abundance and plenty.
In China, the word for 8 is a homonym for the word for “prosperity,” and so considered very lucky. 88? Even better.
If you see the number 8 a lot, consider yourself lucky! This number means a lot of good things are coming your way, and that you're going to be relieved of stress pretty soon, thanks to its associations with plenty and prosperity.
It might not mean money, but it signals fulfillment and satisfaction.
9 is associated with magic and wisdom, as well as completion and leadership. The Pythagoreans were suspicious of it, though, as it was one less than their most perfect number, 10.
Seeing 9s a lot might mean something a bit uneasy, but there's a lot of unconventional wisdom coming your way.
It might not seem like it at first, but something is coming up that will teach you a lot in a totally nontraditional and unexpected way.
10 is considered to be the most complete of all the numbers. We use a base-10 counting system, probably because we have 10 fingers!
The Pythagoreans considered it sacred, the completion of a cycle and the tetraktys, or a triangle, was used as a sacred symbol.
The triangle represented the shape of 1 + 2 + 3 + 4, equaling 10. Think of how bowling pins are set up — it’s the same thing!
The number 10 is a number of completion and of being finished. Seeing it means you've passed — or you're about to — and you've done better than you might think you did!
But it also means that while one chapter is done, another is about to open up.
But it doesn’t stop at 10! 11 is considered a Master Number in numerology, and is also considered a number of conflict, rebellion, and chaos, as it upsets the balance of the perfection of 10.
It’s considered to be a “spiritual messenger” and is associated with the spiritual world and the supernatural.
If 10 is completeness, then 11 means you're about to start on a new journey. It's probably not going to be easy, but you're actually more capable than you think.
11 is designed to shake things up (including you), and while it might seem like you're getting thrown for a loop, this is actually the challenge you need right now to grow.
Finally, 12 is considered to be the number of cosmic order and the universe.
The 12 months and 12 signs of the zodiac come to mind, and 12 is considered to be orderly and divine, and the way of measuring time and space.
Things get lofty when you see a lot of 12. You might feel like you're in a bit over your head, but you've actually got the tools to understand what's happening and transcend it.
It's also a reminder that deep and philosophical ideas aren't out of your reach, but are actually all around you in the real world!
So what numbers do you keep seeing over and over?
Now that you know the meaning behind it, see if those numbers line up with what's happening in your life, or if they're trying to tell you something!
And SHARE this new way of looking at the world with everyone you know!
