Numerology

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellness Encyclopedia

Numerology is a belief in the mystical significance of numbers and their influence on human life and events. It is often associated with the paranormal, alongside astrology and similar divinatory arts.

History[edit | edit source]

The term 'numerology' was not recorded in English before c.1907, but the practice has ancient roots. The ancient Greeks, like Pythagoras, considered numbers to have a spiritual and divine significance. The ancient Chinese, Japanese, and Egyptians also had numerological systems.

Modern numerology[edit | edit source]

Modern numerology often contains aspects of a variety of ancient cultures and teachers, including the Babylonians, Pythagoras and his followers (Greece, 6th century B.C.), astrological philosophy from Hellenistic Alexandria, early Christian mysticism, the occultism of the Kabbalah and the Indian Vedas, among others.

Methods[edit | edit source]

Numerology has various methods of interpretation. These include the Pythagorean system, the Chaldean system, and the Kabbalah system. Each system assigns a numerical value to the alphabet, but the systems differ in which letter gets assigned to which number.

Criticism[edit | edit source]

Numerology has been criticized for lacking a basis in scientific fact. It is often classified as a pseudoscience. Critics argue that numerology's use of statistics and arbitrary assignment of importance to numbers is misleading.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]


External links[edit | edit source]

Numerology Resources
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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD