Numerology 101

In my time running this blog, I haven’t seen a single post about numerology, maybe just because nobody knows it, or maybe because witches have a pathological fear of math. Either way, it’s a shame! The basics of numerology are painfully easy to grasp, and I would mark it down as one of the easiest divinitory systems I’ve tried to date. So let’s hit the basics!

We’ll jump right into it.

The Math

Actually, we need to work out the numbers we’re using first. While a person’s birthday is already very handily in a numeric form for you, their name is written up in pesky letters. But every letter has a corresponding numerological number, and by noting the number for each letter in a name, you’re able to calculate what you need.

Here’s a chart of the numbers, nice and easy and not necessary to memorize at all.

The numerological ‘alphabet’ if you will, only goes from the numbers 1-9. The letter ‘A’ marks 1, then J does again, then S. The more you work with numbers, the more you’ll come to just know what letters are associated with what, but even if you don’t, this chart is easy to replicate and even easier to find online.

The next part comes in writing out the numbers for a person’s name. You’ll want to keep this organized rather than messy, as you’ll be using different parts of the numbers to calculate different things. I like to write out the names, then write the numbers for all the vowels above the name, then all the numbers for the consonants below the name. When you’ve done so, it should look something like this:

Some things to note:

Y is treated as a vowel when there are no other vowels in a syllable (Ex: Lynn, Carolyn)

W is treated as a vowel when preceded by a vowel and when it produces a single sound (Ex: Bradshaw, Matthew)

The birthday, again, is already in numeric format, so now all of your numbers just need to be added properly. Which brings us back to the scary part.

The Actual Math

Really, it’s nothing more than basic sums. If you can add, you can figure out your numbers. Hell, if you can’t add, you can have a calculator figure it out for you.

It is a little more involved than adding all the numbers you’ve so dutifully marked down and calling it a day, but let’s work through it first.

First, add all the numbers from the vowel section together. Then, add all the numbers from the consonant section together. If we go off the name I provided above, it should look something like this:

Congrats, the hardest bit of math is over!

“But Shay,” you say. “You said the numerological alphabet only consists of the numbers 1-9!”

And so I did. But I also said only the worst of the math was over. Next, we need to break down the numbers we got until they fall into that range. What you do for this is you take each numeral in the number and you add them together.

Let’s break it down. Looking at the vowel section, we’ve been left with the number 22. To get the numerological number, you take each numeral and add them together - here, that looks like 2 + 2 and leaves us with the number 4, perfectly within our range.

Our consonant number at the moment is 54, or 5 + 4, which adds up to 9. Again, in range. Should you get a number that’s still too big, keep breaking it down until it’s only one digit. For example, the number 98 becomes 17 (9 + 8), but then 17 becomes 8 (1 + 7) and is now within the acceptable range.

You’ve just calculated the Inner Dreams number and the Soul Urge number. And by adding those two together (and reducing as necessary) you will have the Destiny Path number. In this case, it’s 4 (The Soul Urge and Inner Dreams numbers 9 and 4 add up to 13, and 13 as 1 + 3 equals 4).

That’s three numbers down, one to go.

We’ve largely neglected the Life Path number, but all it really requires is the reduction method we just covered.

Take my birthday. April 27th, 1993, or in number terms, 04/27/1993. All you have to do is add all these numbers together, then once they’re nice and neat in one giant number, you simplify it as you learned. 04 + 27 + 1993 = 2024, which gives us a number to reduce. Even though it’s more than two digits, you handle it the same way. 2 + 0 + 2 + 4 adds up to 8, making a quick work of the reduction and giving us our Life Path number.

For you visual learners out there, it looks something like this:

Breaking it Down

So now, we have all four of our numbers! And with minimal tears shed. For the sake of having everything in one place, all of my numbers put together look something like this:

A number showing up more than once implies a strength of presence in that number - two or three times indicates that the traits associated with that number are strong, as do numbers that ‘resonate’, such as how 4 fits evenly into 8 or 3 fits evenly into 9. If there are too many repetitions of a number, expect to see more and more of the negative associations of those traits brought to light. Keep your eye out for these, as they will amplify one another.

Okay, but what does it all mean?

The Divination

There are four major numbers you go for when putting someone’s numbers together. The Life Path number, the Destiny Path number, the Soul Urge number, and the Inner Dreams number.

Life Path:

The life path number is the sum of the numbers in one’s birthday (date, month, and year). It relates to the path in life one will take and the traits one has at birth.

Destiny Path:

The destiny path number is the sum of all letters in one’s full name. It relates to the tasks one was meant to achieve in their lifetime.

Soul Urge:

The soul urge number is the sum of all vowels in a person’s name. It represents a person’s inner cravings, their likes and dislikes, and what they value most.

Inner Dreams:

The inner dreams number is the sum of all consonants in a person’s name. It represents secret dreams, inner desires, and fantasies.

And lastly, the meaning of the numbers themselves. This post is already long enough to the point where I’m not going to write up a paragraph about each and every number (they are all available and more if you look them up online), but I’ll give you a run-down for each.

Positive Traits: Initiator, pioneering spirit, inventive ideas, strong leadership skills, independent Negative Traits: Overly assertive, aggressive, domineering, impulsive, egotistic, boastful

Positive Traits: Cooperative, adaptable, considerate of others, sensitive, diplomatic, modest Negative Traits: Shy, timid, fearful, drowns in the details, easily depressed

Positive Traits:

Self-expressive, inspired, happy, fun-loving, keen imagination

Negative Traits:

Scattered energies, self-centeredness, unfinished projects, lack of direction

Positive Traits: Strong sense of order, highly practical, steady growth, fine management skills Negative Traits: Lack of imagination, stubborn, fixed opinions, argumentative, slow to act

Positive Traits: Expansiveness, new visionary ideas, quick thinking, versatile, resourceful Negative Traits: Restless, discontent, edgy temperament, dissatisfaction, overhasty, impatient

Positive Traits: Responsible, artistic, nurturing, community-oriented, balanced, sympathetic Negative Traits: Self-righteous, obstinate, stubborn, meddlesome, egotistical, dominating

Positive Traits: Methodical, analytical, intelligent, scientific, studious, solitary, perfectionist Negative Traits: Hidden motives, suspicious, overly reserved, isolated, inflexible

Positive Traits: Good leader, strong sense of direction, sound judgement, decisive, commanding Negative Traits: Overly ambitious, oppressive, impatient, stressed, materialistic

Positive Traits: Hearty friendliness, humanitarian instincts, giving, selfless, creative Negative Traits: Self-adulation, scattered interests, possessiveness, moodiness, carelessness

So there you have it! Put the numbers you calculated to their associated meanings and work it out in your head, just like with tarot or other divinatory practices.

Just a few parting comments before I end this post.

In Summation

This is the setup for a slightly above basic numerological reading. The most basic that I ever use involves taking just the Life Path and Destiny path numbers. To take an even more complex spread, you could break down the person’s full name by each individual name, analyzing the vowels, consonants, and overall number for the first, middle, and last name individually, so that you can study what builds a person up into their full name and their path numbers. This gets very extensive very fast, and even with just the four above, you may end up doing three numbers per name plus the Life Path number. For your standard 3-name schema, this would involve ten numbers. Still manageable, but quite a lot.

On the topic of nicknames: generally, the rule in numerology is that you should use the name a person has held the longest. For example, Shay isn’t my birth name, but I’ve been called Shay for just over half of my lifetime. This is a good guideline, but please consider it only as a guideline. If someone has a name they do not wish to be called, respect them, and analyze the name they give you instead. An interesting thing to do - if the subject is comfortable - is to compare the birth name with the chosen name numerologically, and they can comment on advances that you have made through your life.

This is all I can think of at the moment! Go forth and numerolocize!

Lastly, I put together a blank template so you can practice on your own :D

Types of Divination Masterpost

Abacomancy: by dust or sand

Acultomancy: by needles

Aeromancy: by atmospheric conditions

Agalmatomancy: by statues

Aichmomancy: by sharp objects

Alectormancy: by rooster sacrifice

Aleuromancy: by flour

Alomancy: by salt

Alphitomancy: by barley

Alveromancy: by sound

Ambulomancy: by walking

Anemoscopy: by wind

Anthomancy: by flowers

Anthracomancy: by burning coals

Anthropomancy: by human sacrifice

Anthroposcopy: by physical appearance

Apantomancy: by chance encounters with animals

Arachomancy: by spiders

Archnomancy: by sacred relics

Ariolation: by altars

Arithmancy: by assigning numerical value to a word or phrase

Armomancy: by one’s own shoulders

Aruspicina: by studying entrails

Aspidomancy: by sitting in a drawn circle

Astrapomancy: by lightning

Astrology: by celestial bodies

Auramancy: by auras

Axiomancy: bu axes

Batraquomancy: by frogs

Belomancy: by arrows

Beltonism: by water current

Botanomancy: by burning sage or figs

Brontomancy: by thunder

Bumpology: by bumps on the skin

Canomancy: by dogs

Capnomancy: by smoke

Carromancy: by melting wax

Cephaleonomancy: by boiling a donkey’s head

Ceraunoscopy: by thunder and lightning

Ceromancy: by dripping wax in water

Chalcomancy: by striking gongs

Chaomancy: by aerial visions

Chartomancy: by things on paper

- Cartomancy: by cards

- Taromancy: by tarot

- Bibliomancy: by the Bible

- Stichomancy: by books

- Aleuromancy: by fortune cookies

- Stoicheomancy: by the Iliad and the Odyssey

Choriomancy: by pig bladders

Chresmomancy: by the ravings of lunatics

Clamancy: by cries heard in crowds or at night

Cledonism: by chance events or overheard words

Cleidomancy: by keys

Cleromancy: by casting

- Astragalomancy: by dice

- Domino Divination: by dominos

- Favomancy: by beans

- Runecasting: by runes

Cometomancy: by comet tails

Colormancy: by colors

Conchomancy: by shells

Cottabomancy: by wine in a brass bowl

Cromnyomancy: by onion sprouts

Cryptomancy: by omens

Cryomancy: by ice

Cyathomancy: by cups

Cycolicomancy: by swirling water in a cup

Cyclomancy: by wheels

Dactyliomancy: by finger rings

Dactylomancy: by finger movements

Daphnomancy: by burning laurel wreaths

Demonomancy: by demons

Dendromancy: by trees

Dictiomancy: by randomly opening a dictionary

Dowsing: by diving rod

Dracomancy: by dragons

Dririmancy: by dripping blood

Drimimancy: by body fluids

Electromancy: by electricity

Eleomancy: by oil

Entomomancy: by insects

Eromancy: by water vessels exposed to air

Extispicy: by the remains of sacrificed animals

Fructomancy: by fruits

Gastromancy: by guttural sounds

Geomancy: by earth

Geloscopy: by laughter

Gematria: by the Hebrew alphabet

Genethlialogy: by birth date

Graphology: by studying handwriting

Gyromancy: by dizziness

Hagiomancy: by saints

Hematomancy: by blood

Hepatoscopy: by liver

Hydratomancy: by rainwater

Hyomancy: by wild hogs

Hypnomancy: by sleep

Ichthyomancy: by footprints

Idolomancy: by idols

Iridology: by eye colors

Knissomancy: by incense

Labiomancy: by lips

Lampadomancy: by flame

Letnomancy: by secrets

Lithomancy: by gems or stones

Logarithmancy: by logarithms

Lychnomancy: by candles

Macharomancy: by swords or knives

Macromancy: by large objects

Maculomancy: by spots on the skin

Margaritomancy: by bouncing pearls

Mathemancy: by mathematics

Mazomancy: by breast feeding

Megapolisomancy: by large cities

Metagnomy: by magic

Meteormancy: by meteors

Metoposcopy: by forehead lines

Micromancy: by small objects

Molybdomancy: by molten metals

Moromancy: by foolishness

Necromancy: by speaking to the dead

Necyomancy: by summoning damned souls

Nephomancy: by clouds

Notarikon: by initials

Numerology: by numbers

Numismatomancy: by coins

Oculomancy: by eyes

Odontomancy: by teeth

Oenomancy: by wine

Ololygmancy: by the howling of dogs

Omphalomancy: by navels

Oneiromancy: by dreams

Onomancy: by letters in a name

Onychomancy: by fingernails or toenails

Oomancy: by eggs

Oromancy: by mountains

Oryctomancy: by minerals

Osteomancy: by bones

Ouija: by Ouija boards

Pallomancy: by pendulums

Palmistry: by the palms of hands

Papyromancy: by folding paper

Pegomancy: by fountains

Pessomancy: by pebbles

Phobomancy: by feelings of fear

Photomancy: by fields of light

Phrenology: by the configuration of one’s brain

Phyllomancy: by leaves

- Sycomancy: by fig leaves

- Tasseography: by tea leaves

Phyllorhodomancy: by rose petals

Physiognomy: by faces

Phytognomy: by the appearance of plants

Pneumancy: by blowing

Poe Divination: by throwing stones on the floor

Portenta: by natural phenomena

Pseudomancy: by false means

Ptarmoscopy: by sneezes

Pyromancy: by fire

Retromancy: by looking over one’s shoulder

Rhabdomancy: by rods or sticks

Rhapsodomancy: by poetry

Roadomancy: by constellations

Scarpomancy: by old shoes

Scatomancy: by excrement

Sciomancy: by shadows or spirits

Scrying: by gazing

- Crystal gazing: by reflective objects

- Gastromancy: by crystal ball

- Hydromancy: by water

- Catroptromancy: by mirrors

Selenomancy: by the moon

Shufflemancy: by electronic playlist

Sideromancy: by burning straw with an iron

Skatharomancy: by beetle tracks

Solaromancy: by the sun

Somatomancy: by the human form

- Cephalomancy: by skulls

- Podomancy: by the sole’s of one’s feet

- Rumpology: by buttocks

Spasmatomancy: by convulsions

Spodomancy: by soot

- Libanomancy: by incense ash

- Tephramancy: by tree bark ash

Stareomancy: by the four elements

Stercomancy: by seeds in bird excrement

Stolisomancy: by fashion

Styramancy: by patterns in chewing gum

Symbolomancy: by things found on the road

Technomancy: by technology

Theriomancy: by animal behaviors

Thumomancy: by one’s own soul

Topomancy: by geography or geological formations

Transataomancy: by things accidentally seen of heard

Trochomancy: by wheel ruts

Turifumy: by shapes in smoke

Tyromancy: by cheese

Umbilicomancy: by umbilical cords

Umbromancy: by shade

Uranomancy: by the sky

Uromancy: by urine

Urticariaomancy: by itches

Videomancy: by films

Xenomancy: by strangers

Xylomancy: by the shape or texture of wood

Zygomancy: by weights

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badkittos-spellandfolklore

4 years ago

WTF is... Death Posture anyway?

Before we get into it, I have a little disclaimer:

Warning: Do not attempt this technique if you have serious physical or mental health problems. I take no responsibility for any damage this practice causes you. You have been warned.

So what the fuck is death posture anyway? You’ll hear lots of chaote’s throw the term around without much explanation. Simply put, it is a kind of alternate form of meditation. Of course, it is a little more complicated than that. Austin Osman Spare, the creator of death posture, defines it in the following way in his book “The Book of Pleasure”:

“Lying on your back lazily, the body expressing the condition of yawning, suspiring while conceiving by smiling, that is the idea of the posture. Forgetting time with those things which were essential-reflecting their meaninglessness, the moment is beyond time and its virtue has happened. Standing on tip-toe, with the arms rigid, bound behind by the hands, clasped and straining the utmost, the neck stretched- breathing deeply and spasmodically, till giddy and sensation comes in gusts, gives exhaustion and capacity for the former. Gazing at your reflection till it is blurred and you know not the gazer, close your eyes (this usually happens involuntarily) and visualize. The light (always an X in curious evolutions) that is seen should be held on to, never letting go, till the effort is forgotten, this gives a feeling of immensity (which sees a small form ), whose limit you cannot reach. This should be practised before experiencing the foregoing. The emotion that is felt is the knowledge which tells you why.”

So that’s all well and good, but lets put it into some more modern terms. This is the way that I do death posture. Keep in mind, this is just the way I do it, and there is not an “absolutely correct” way to do something in chaos magick. This is just the way it works for me. Feel free to change any of it to suit your personal needs.

1. Find a place where you won’t be interrupted for a while, preferably a nice, quiet dark room.

2. With your back to a wall, close your eyes (closing your eyes is not always necessary, depending on your goal) and stand on your toes. Lock your arms behind your back with your hands interlocked together. Arch your back and extend your neck as far as you can. 3. Your breathing will become/should become more labored and faster, bordering on hyperventilating. You’ll also start to feel tingly and exhausted. It will feel intense, so be prepared. 4. You will begin to feel incredibly uncomfortable, start hyperventilating, and your vision (if you keep your eyes open) will begin to blur, but stay locked in this pose for as long as it is possible.

5. Right before you collapse from the strain, you will enter a kind of altered mental state. At this point, you may feel like your floating, or like your muscles are on fire. While in this state, it will be possible to do certain acts of visualization. This is also when sigils can be charged, or an affirmation can be said. 6. Collapse to the floor and relax. Hopefully, you didn’t blackout, but it is possible. You will probably feel fairly strange but this is normal. Do whatever banishing ritual you feel necessary (I usually go with a laughter banishing, but it doesn’t really matter as long as it works for you) and then get up slowly so you don’t accidentally fall over and crack your head open.

So why the hell would you want to do this? It sounds pretty awful.

Well, yeah. It kind of is awful. That’s the point. I initially said that death posture was a kind of meditation, which is true in a sense. Claudio Naranjo once said:

“The word ‘meditation’ has been used to designate a variety of practices that differ enough from one another so that we may find trouble in defining what meditation is.“

Death posture exemplifies this, as it is meditation, just not in the sense of what we typically imagine meditation being. Like any form of meditation, the primary goal is to attain a state of gnosis (something I will cover more in depth in a later WTF is article), but in attaining this gnostic state, you then use it for a work, whether a sigil, spell, or whatever.

But wait, how do I use a mental state for spellcraft/sigil craft?

You’ll hear me often say this, echoing a bit from bluefluke‘s Psychonaut field manual, but visualization, visualization, visualization. You’ll need to hold the image of what your are trying to accomplish in your mind’s eye when the gnostic state is entered (and preferably for the entire duration of the instance of death posture.) I’ll cover different visualization techniques in a later article.

Thanks to enochtopus for suggesting I talk about this. I think I’ll do sigil magick next, then move on to gnosis and visualization.

天津甕星

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badkittos-spellandfolklore

4 years ago

Make Do and Mend: Darning

OMG DIAGONAL!!!

To keep it S–T–R–E–T–C–H–Y–!

Why hasn’t anyone told me this?

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badkittos-spellandfolklore

4 years ago

586K notes View Post

badkittos-spellandfolklore

4 years ago

Methods for Spells

TO BIND- wrap in black thread, drip wax over, or seal in a jar and hide it in the dark.

TO BANISH- burn an effect to ash and sweep off the back door step, cast it out a window, or bury in the ground and spit on it

TO ENCOURAGE- plant it by the front door/steps, bury by a window, or place it on a windowsill

TO HIDE- place in a jar painted black, cover with cloth and bury, or wrap with a ribbon

TO CLEANSE- bury it in a bowl of salt, burn herbs and pass through the smoke, or lay it in a moonwater bath

TO GLAMOUR- leave under the full moon, hold its reflection over a mirror with herbs, or

TO WISH- place before a candle and blow it out, drown a coin in water, or let seeds blow into the wind

TO COMMUNICATE- (with a spirit or deity) - anoint a candle, leave out offerings, or open the front doors and windows

TO WARD- leave part of the spell in four corners, draw lines around the protected area, or plant an object of projection in the north, east, south, and west edges

TO CURSE- spit on it, drag your nails down it, or stick sharp things in it

TO DISCOURAGE - plant or bury by the back door, or burn to ash

TO JINX- say it three times out loud, or say a word the same time as someone else

TO MANIPULATE - use wax, use poppets, or tie several strings to pieces of an effect

TO BENEFIT - light a candle, charge a crystal, or create a talisman

46K notes View Post

badkittos-spellandfolklore

4 years ago