divinely empty
The representation of zero as a blank space, symbolizing emptiness, emerged in India in the fourth century BC. The Egyptians also used a similar interval to represent the concept of zero. Although usually associated with nothing, zero is capable of increasing any number by ten times, of course, if placed on the right side. This same ambiguity of mathematics accompanies zero in symbology: in Buddhism and Taoism, zero represents the void before creation; in Islam, he is the essence of divinity. The symbology is so complex that it led the ancient Greek philosophers to question: should nothing be considered something? How can nothing exist in something?
– ()
Individuality masculine
In some religions, the number 1 can also reveal the divine, a unique God. But this symbol of individuality is also considered the representation of man himself, for the human being standing upright is the image of number. It is also the effigy of the myth of the first man, Adam. This idea of being unique is linked to the role of the leader and, consequently, to the power, strength and ambition. Because it is the first, and gives rise to other numbers, 1 is also related to objectivity and achievement.
– ()
ambiguous feminine
Day and night, light and dark, positive and negative, life and death, male and female. These are some of the endless symbologies that the number 2 carries in its lines. In the Christian religious tradition, it represents Eve, the first woman (and the second human being). For Pythagorean scholars, she is a opposition tag: if for them the 1 represents the heavens, the 2 refers to the depths of the sea. In this sense, the number 2 is also linked to the reflection concept, that continues until today: if you mirror the number 2, it will have the shape of a heart, the symbol of two people in love…
– ()
essence of things
Just as man (1) and woman (2) have the potential to create a third person, the number 3 represents the fruiting. No wonder religions are based on the trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Christian), Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (Hindu), Osiris, Horus and Isis (Egyptian) and even Guaraci, Rudá and Jaci (Tupi-Guarani). The same principle governs the Law of Three, a doctrine that determines that, in order to exist, all things need three forces: active, passive and neutralizing. This third force, fruit of the other two, is the creator. For example: the future is the fruit of the past and living in the present
– ()
the perfect number
In Pythagorean philosophy, 4 symbolizes a new perspective after the initial three numbers, as enables shapes like the square and the cross. Therefore, it is an important number for some religions. There are, for example, four evangelist apostles (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). In Sufism (mystical current of Islam), there are four doors through which man must pass on the path to enlightenment (Sharia, Tariqa, Marifa and Haqqiqa). And if in nature there are four elements (earth, fire, water and air) the same number is essential in alchemy to manufacture the Philosopher’s Stone, which would have sulphur, mercury, salt and Azoth (a mystical element).
– ()
mysterious essence
For some doctrines, there are five (not four) fundamental elements of nature. Like Aristotle, alchemists believed that along with earth, fire, water and air, there was ether, a mysterious element present in the cosmos. For esotericists, this quintessence it is the fundamental element of spirits. In numerology, the number 5 is also associated with the human being. Our body can be understood in five parts (arms, legs and head), which form a pentagram. This is represented in Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, an image still today loaded with a lot of symbolism.
– ()
balance and sin
As it can be divided into two equal parts (3 and 3), the number 6 can be understood as the representation of balance. For this reason, some cultures see it both as a a symbol of what is good and what is bad. The number 6 is also found on the Star of David, with two overlapping triangles that symbolize the link between heaven and earth. By the way, in the religious field, the number is also mentioned in the six days of Creation. sexual connotations also permeate the 6: number of the union of opposites, it is symbolized in Egyptian hieroglyphs with the male and female genitalia. In the past, early Christians came to consider 6 as the number of sin because of its association with carnal love.
– ()
Eternal life
If God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, as Christians believe, for the ancient Egyptians, 7 represented eternal life. The Pythagoreans classified him worthy of being venerated, as this number would be linked to the concept of perfection: there are seven days of the week, seven colors of the rainbow, seven deadly sins, seven musical notes… This is the expression of the Law of Seven, present in several traditions, which says that everything is manifested in a seven-step process, or phases. And “everything” is everything: objects, facts, beings, periods, phenomena… The Law of Seven understands that the Universe consists of forces that influence each other and that, therefore, nothing stays the same: it either evolves or degenerates.
– ()
cosmic harmony
Known since antiquity, the stroke of the number 8 can be seen in Celtic drawings from around 2000 BC Symbol of cosmic harmony, its forms appear in Greek mythology, in the caduceus (scepter) of Hermes: two intertwined serpents symbolizing the eternal cosmic movement and the relationship between gods and humans. Speaking of eternal, if placed horizontally, the number 8 becomes the lemniscate, the sign of infinity. In this sense, the 8 gives the idea of a cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. Seen from day to day, it is the very image of Monday, because after six days of work and one of rest, the process is renewed on the eighth day.
– ()
Renovation
Last number with just one digit, 9 brings a sense of fullness. Many beliefs give it a special meaning, associating it with the end of one cycle and beginning of another. In the Bible, for example, God recommences a covenant with mankind after the flood, in Genesis 9:9. God also established a covenant with Abraham, then 99 years old, promising a numerous offspring. To remember: human gestation lasts nine months and, in Hinduism, 9 is the number of Brahma, the creator god. It is also considered a sacred number in the Bahá’í Faith, a monotheistic religion that has a nine-pointed star as one of its symbols.
– ()
the completeness
First number formed by more than one digit, 10 can be considered the foundation of the digital age, since binary coding (which uses 1 and 0) is the standard in computing and other electronic systems. It is also the father of the decimal system. Therefore, the 10 brings the feeling of completeness: a decade, note 10, the 10 Commandments… But he is also somewhat ambiguous. Kabbalists believe that God created the world with ten divine attributes: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, kindness, severity, harmony, perseverance, splendor, attachment, and kingship. The Mayans, however, considered 10 a cursed number, since it belonged to the god of death in that civilization.
– ()
beyond the norms
The fact that it is “one more” than 10 reflects part of the symbolism that the number 11 carries. If 10 brings the feeling of something finished, 11 symbolizes the beyond, the transgression. Saint Augustine, the father of Christian theology, considered the number as the “coat of arms of sin” and a symbol of human excesses, of transgression of the divine order (which would have 10 Commandments). The 11 also characterizes situations and mysterious moments of mankind, and which are often related to the occult, such as the 11 remaining disciples of Christ, the end of the 1st World War, at 11 am, on November 11th, the September 11th attack… The twin towers themselves had the shape of the “ 11”.
– ()
cycle idea
The number 12 is often used as a basis for chronological measurements. Since the Babylonians, the main temporal system is based on a year of 12 months, and a day of 12 hours of daytime and 12 hours of night. It is a number that gives closure dimension of one cycle and beginning of another. Also for this reason, there are 12 Zodiac signs. There are also biblical examples of the use of the number 12, such as the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 precious stones on the breastplate of the high priest and the 12 apostles of Jesus.
– ()
the taboo number
13 is a number that traditionally arouses fear. Related to bad luck, it is known in some cultures as the “devil’s dozen”, to the point that some buildings, for example, “skip” the 13th floor, numbering it as 14th. In Christian culture, this has an explanation: Jesus Christ would be the 13th at the table with his disciples at the last supper, and ended up dying (traditionally, on a Friday). In the tarot, 13 is the number of the Arcanum Death. Kabbalah also highlights in its teachings that there are 13 evil spirits. But, despite the negative ideas surrounding it, 13 can also be considered auspicious. After all, in Greek mythology, Zeus sits with the other 12 deities of Olympus, just as King Arthur and the 12 knights of the round table did. And Apollo 13, which despite all the problems during its mission, returned to Earth without any crew casualties.
– ()
the chaos of death
The period between waxing and waning moon or between full and new moon is 14 days. It’s also a number related to death, since it refers to Osiris, the Egyptian god of death (in mythology, he was cut into 14 pieces by his brother Seth, the god of chaos). The number 14 is also used a lot by groups of racial extremists. Often tattooed or embroidered, it refers to a 14-word phrase by one of the masters of neo-Nazism, the American David Lane: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children” (“We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children”). people and the future of white children”).
– ()
The ambivalent big five
15 is the result of multiplying two sacred numbers, 3 x 5. Therefore, it is considered in some cultures as the product of relationship between the divine (3) and the human (5). Because 15 is also the sum of the first five numbers (1+2+3+4+5), it is called a “big five”, assuming part of his ambivalence. In the tarot, for example, 15 is the devil’s number; the highlight of Pesach, the Jewish celebration of Easter, is a family feast that represents the story of the Exodus and reproduces 15 steps to enlightenment.
– ()
powerful number
As the square of the number 4, 16 embodies all its strength and represents the power of physics, of material things. In numerology, the 16…