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The first numbers were mnemonic symbols used to record trade transactions (The Story of Writing). We
count in decimals, but how many digits do we actually need? The super-computers
that control our space program just use the numerals 0 and 1 (off and on). Some
Australian Aboriginal tribes only bother with words for one, two and many. According
to numerology, digits are more than a mere tool for calculation: they are the
product of sign and sound, and have esoteric significance.
0 was invented by
Babylonian priests in the Middle East around 500BC. The mathematician Fibonacci
brought it to Europe around 1200AD, along with the rest of the Arabic numerals.*
Zero is implicit in multiple dichotomies: absence and presence; dark and light;
yin and yang. The circle is a symbol of eternal perfection, but zero has not
always been seen as beneficient. For many people it carried connotations of
dark magic: transcribing ‘nought’ was potentially an act of annihilation.
1 is a symbol of
unity and wholeness, linked with God in the monotheistic religions.
2 is a symbol of
division, the conflict which characterizes worldly existence. It represents
duality and hence potentially complementarity. In stories, twins or brothers
represent different aspects of the same character. In China, the number 2 is
considered lucky. At New Year, bright-coloured oranges are given in pairs.
3 is the number
of divine order. It combines the numerals of 1 (divinity) with 2 (humanity). Three
represents the trinity of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld. Time itself is
divided into the past, present and future. The Hindu triumvirate of Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva embody creation, preservation and destruction. For the Greeks
and Celts, the Triple Goddess manifests as the figures of Maiden, Mother and
Matriarch (Crone). Most human societies have a tripartite division
(warrior-lords, priest-scholars and producers). Three is an auspicious number: third
time lucky, as the storytellers remind us.
4 represents the
cardinal directions, or points of the compass. The number 4 therefore
represents the world and earthly existence. In Western tradition there are four
winds, four seasons and four elements. Jung regarded quaternity as ‘the
archetypal basis of the human psyche’. Four is especially significant in Native
American myth and symbolism.
5 is the central
point of the four directions. It is the sum of the first even and odd numbers,
symbolizing the unity of male plus female, and the median of the first nine
digits. For Muslims, there are five hours of prayer and five ritual elements of
the hajj
(pilgrimage). The pentagram is a symbol of esoteric knowledge, as shown in
the cross-section of Eve’s apple.
6 points
characterize the star formed by a pair of inverted triangles. In Hindi
tradition this represents the lingam penetrating the yoni, or the union of
masculine and feminine. In the West it became the Seal of Solomon (Star
of David), reflecting the human combination of flesh and spirit. Six embodies the balance of good and evil in manifest
creation.
7 is the sacred
union of four and three: it is the number of wholeness and perfection. There
are seven days of the week; seven planets; seven branches on the shamanic tree.
Our lives go in seven-year cycles, and there are seven ages of man.
8 is the number
of cosmic balance. On its side, it becomes the mathematical symbol for
infinity.
9 is thrice
three, a sacred ritual number in many traditions. Greek Demeter wandered the
earth for nine days searching for Persephone. Norse Odin hung on the World Tree
for nine days in search of wisdom. There were nine steps leading up to the
Chinese Imperial Throne. According to Dante, there are nine celestial spheres
and correspondingly nine circles of hell. Inverted and subverted, a triple nine
becomes ‘the number of the devil’.
12
is the product of three and four: it links the worlds of gods, men and spirits.
These are often shown conjoined by the World Tree, with Heaven in the branches
and the Underworld amongst the roots. The number twelve is significant in many
traditions. There are twelve seats on Mount Olympus; Jesus has twelve
disciples; there are twelve signs of the zodiac, and twelve months in the solar
calendar year.**
Numerology
perceives meaning in quantitative symbols. Plato considered it the basis of
cosmic and inward harmony; Pythagoras viewed it as fundamental to understanding
cosmic rhythms. The Chinese saw it as the key to harmonizing their Empire with
the Laws of Heaven. Nowadays we see digits as having pragmatic rather than
predictive powers. But if you don’t believe in the magic of numbers, just consider
the miraculous properties of pi....
* Zero
isn’t needed for simple record-keeping systems: the Romans had a symbol for
‘10’, a separate symbol for ‘100’ (10x10), another for ‘1000’ (10x100) and so
on. But zero is a useful if you have a positional system of counting. Take a
number like 1001: you need to indicate that there is nothing in the tens and hundreds
columns. A simple dash is easily confused, especially with a double gap.
Originally, ‘0’ was merely a placeholder, a token to fill an empty space. It
began to be seen as a number in India during C5AD. Nothing (the state of
emptiness) is something, a profound philosophical concept: zero is the average
of +1 and -1: and bingo, the science of mathematics is born.
