The Number of the Life Path
The Date of Birth versus the Name
All numerological parameters are based either on the person’s date of birth or on his or her name, and there are a few that take into consideration both the name and the date of birth. From the numerology point of view, what is the principal difference between a person’s name and his or her date of birth, how do you think?
The date of birth is fixed, unchangeable. Once you were born on a specific date, that combination of numbers is forever with you.
There are, of course, rare cases when a person was born on one day but the birth was officially registered as if it took place on another day. In my experience, it is the real birth date that is most important in such cases. There are even cases when the real date of birth isn't known at all. These very rare cases require a special consideration, so we won't deal with them right now.
Once again, the date of birth is, as a general rule, fixed and unchangeable. It doesn't depend on anyone's preferences. If the process of birth goes naturally, nobody can guarantee that the child will be born on this or that date. There is an impression that the date of birth as if assigned to the child, in some way.
With a person’s name, however, the situation is quite different. As soon as we've mention this word, "name", the question arises: which name? First name? Last name? Full name? Is it Steven Paul Jobs, or Steve Jobs, or maybe just Steve? Which version of the name is more important?
Different names can have different time scopes, and different contexts. The official name given at birth, and recorded in one's birth certificate, is constant and permanent. However, this may be not exactly the name a person associates him- or herself with. Some people change their official name quite significantly. Many of us have several different names: one used by our closest friends and family, another used by colleagues, yet another used by the boss.
We can have different names in different countries. For example, my full first name is Alexander, but in the English-speaking world most people prefer to use short names, so they call me Alex. Interestingly, nobody ever called me Alex until I moved to the UK. In Russia, the short version of the name Alexander would be Sasha, and this is what my Russian friends used to call me. In the UK, however, the name Sasha has some very specific connotations; someone told me that it would be typical for a little girl. So I'm Alex here, all right.
In other words, a person's name is a much more multi-faceted and changeable entity than the date of birth. The name is given by people, while the date of birth is given... by someone else.
The Date of Birth and Reincarnation
The idea of reincarnation is an inseparable part of several different cultures. Do you believe in reincarnation? I do. It makes a lot of sense to me. And, by the way, Pythagoras believed reincarnation to be an undisputed fact. Historical recordings of his life state that not only did he remember his previous incarnations, but he was also able to remind other people who they were in their previous lives.
So from the point of view of reincarnation, a person's date of birth is the initial moment of his or her current life, a moment which was selected by the person's soul. Probably at some point the soul decides which task it is going to take on in the coming life. It might select something easy if it isn't very strong or if it is tired from its previous adventures. On the other hand, it might select something really difficult if it yearns to experience more and make its Divine Sparkle shine brighter.
The date of birth is a combination of vibrations that accompany the beginning of life and that define the task of the current incarnation. When you are traveling, the initial point of the route has a significant influence on the whole journey. This is why it is believed in numerology that date of birth defines the person's Life Path, the major task for which the soul of the person has descended into this incarnation.
In this lesson, we are going to cover the most important numerological parameter calculated from the date of birth, the Life Path Number.
The Role of the Life Path Number in a Numerological Interpretation
If, from the multitude of possible numerological characteristics, I had to point out the one that is most important, I would certainly choose the Life Path Number. This number defines the main task that the person has to deal with in his or her current incarnation. Everything else is more or less subordinate to this major task.
The Life Path Number is like a compass. If you lost your way in the forest, it would be sufficient for you to have a general direction that would get you out of the forest, such as "go South", and that's it. So it is with the Life Path Number: if you are lost in your life, and don't know what to do, just forget about the smaller details and do what your Life Path Number says.
Calculating the Life Path Number
The calculation of this very important Number is quite simple: find the numerological sum of the date of birth. However, there are two different points of view on how the summation should be performed.
From the mainstream Western numerology point of view, whenever we are summing up something that consists of several parts (like the date of birth consists of the day, the month and the year, or the full name consists of the first name, the middle name and the last name), we should sum up the parts first and only then add together the resulting sums to get the final result. Here is an example:
The date of birth of Steve Jobs is February 24, 1955, or in numeric form 2/24/1955 (US date format).
The sum of the month is easy, it's just 2.
The sum of the day is 2 + 4 = 6.
The sum of the year is 1 + 9 + 5 + 5 = 20 -> 2 + 0 = 2.
The final result is 2 + 6 + 2 = 10 -> 1 + 0 = 1.
The other approach (which can be found, for example, in 'Numerology Based on Vedic Tradition' by Vinod Verma) is very simple, just keep summing up all the numbers until you get to a single digit:
2 + 2 + 4 + 1 + 9 + 5 + 5 = 28 -> 2 + 8 = 10 -> 1 + 0 = 1
Right now, when we are dealing with only nine basic numbers, both approaches will give exactly same result.
However, later we will discuss Master Numbers and Karmic Numbers, and you will see then that the approach you use to calculate the Life Path Number can make a real difference, for some dates. Since the first approach is very popular in the West, and since the second approach is simpler, I would recommend you to practice the first approach for now, in order to get used to it.
Homework assignment: calculate the Life Path Number for as many people as you can, but don’t stop there. Try calculating the Life Path Number for any important date in history or in your life, and occasionally you might have an interesting insight.
If you want an illustrated step-by-step example of how your own Life Path Number is calculated, you can order your free Numerology Mini-Reading (this is an independent third-party service). I've ordered mine, and although the interpretation of my Life Path Number differs slightly from what I offer below, I feel it was really good and insightful.
The Life Path Number Interpretation
Please understand that the interpretations I offer here are far from being exhaustive and, and certainly vey aren't the only ones possible. Rather this is more like a discussion to introduce the concept of Life Path Numbers, and to show one of the ways in which they can be interpreted.
Please only use these interpretations as something to start with. With time and experience, you should create your own set of interpretations, reflecting your own view of numerology.
Life Path 1
Being the first is the destiny of those whose Life Path Number is 1. These people were born to be leaders and pioneers.
Number One people find it difficult to follow someone else. They are instead compelled to rush ahead and pass them by, or to take over a situation so that they might lead it. While they might find this nearly impossible when they are young, a time when people generally lack in experience and must heed authority, Number Ones will nevertheless try to do everything in their own way, which can lead to conflicts. Alternatively, they might find a path of their own, familiar to nobody and similar to nothing. For a Number One, it is easier to be a loner than it is to be in a subservient position.
If you know or are a Number One, you may be looking for an outlet for that unsatisfied urge for leadership. Competitive sports, where Number Ones can compete for first place, is always a good example. But ideally, those whose Life Path is One achieve the best performance and are at their happiest when they can truly be Number One — their own boss, totally responsible for every decision they make.
The strongest characteristics of Number Ones are inventiveness, originality, and the ability to take risks and find new ways of doing things. However, there can also be a tendency to continuously "reinvent the wheel", insisting on creating new approaches even though the old ones are good enough.
Some examples of people who have the Life Path of One include Napoleon Bonaparte (August 15, 1769), James Cook (October 27, 1728), Jacques Cousteau (June 11, 1910), Christian Dior (January 21, 1905), Mikhail Gorbachev (March 2, 1931), Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955), Karl Marx (May 5, 1818), Alfred Nobel (October 21, 1833), Isaac Newton (January 4, 1643), Niccolo Paganini (October 27, 1782), Blaise Pascal (June 19, 1623), and Ernest Rutherford (August 30, 1871).
Life Path 2
Life Path Two is the path of a diplomat, a politician, a person who knows how to establish relationships and keep balance.
Like a pharmacy scale with its tiny weights to create equilibrium between the two sides, Number Twos are able to discern the smallest details and nuances of a situation and know how to use them to achieve a perfect balance.
Number Twos know very well that partnerships are a matter of give-and-take, and cannot last with only one person getting what they need. These types of people do not strive to get ahead. They are quite comfortable being in a group of people and frequently add into the collective activity some tiny detail that will make a lot of difference to the overall outcome.
Another strong characteristic of Number Twos is the ability to see the other side of things, to notice imperfections and weaknesses that, if ignored, could cause significant problems in the future. People with this Life Path are usually quite good in the role of testers, critics, or those who evaluate new products.
Number Two people can be indispensable in the role of "number two", i.e., someone who stands next to a "number one". They prefer not to rush forward but to cover their partner’s backs, take care of supplies, and protect and support their leader. Number Twos enjoy Number Ones’ achievements as if they had accomplished them as well, and when it comes to financial reward, it is typically Number Twos who benefit more.
The worst scenario for a Number Two would be to find themselves exposed and vulnerable, to have to make their own decision on something, or to choose a direction. They will annoy everyone, including themselves, with endless hesitation and lack of decisiveness, and in the end, they may end up making a choice on the basis of some minute detail that doesn’t really even matter in the larger scheme of things. There is nothing wrong with this; Number Twos simply aren't leaders.
Sometimes Number Two people pay attention to those surrounding them and forget about themselves. It is important for Number Twos to keep in mind that while modesty is good, in excess, it can disrupt balance and undermine harmony.
There are not many famous representatives of the Number Two Life Path, simply because these types of people prefer to work behind-the-scenes, staying in the shadows. If they do become famous, it may be due to other numerological parameters, or perhaps they appear in the limelight thanks to their Number One partners. One well-known representative of this Life Path, however, is Jean-Paul Belmondo (April 9, 1933).
Life Path 3
Life Path Three is the path of creativity. Quite often, this creativity is related to working with words, so the path of Number Three is often followed by writers, poets, and lecturers. (But keep in mind that creativity is not limited to those with Life Path Three.) Those on the Life Path Three are like children: they tend to play with whatever looks interesting, they enjoy their lives, and like to have fun together with other people.
Just as one cannot always rely on kids to be very responsible or pay close attention to details, the same can be true about Number Three people. They are free, creative souls, and if you don't like what they've created, it's your problem.
In order to properly develop their potential, a person following Life Path Three should find an appropriate career, one that will not have strict rules, severe discipline, precise requirements or anything along those lines. By trying to fit into a strictly controlled environment, Number Threes will be wasting a lot of time and energy, while their main talents remain hidden.
Typically, Number Threes don’t enjoy leading managerial positions unless the company is very informal and creative. On the other hand, they will flourish in an environment where something new and unusual is created, where fresh approaches are being sought for or invented. The pure joy of Number Threes fills people's lives with sense and interest.
Some well-known representatives of the Number Three Life Path include Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (August 28, 1749), Charles Dickens (February 7, 1812), Franz Kafka (July 3, 1883), and Sviatoslav Richter (March 20, 1915).
Life Path 4
Life Path Four isn't easy. This is the path of responsibility, organization, and hard work. Other qualities that are necessary to succeed on the Life Path of Number Four include tenacity, the ability to concentrate for a prolonged length of time, self-reliance, and a knack for creating order out of chaos.
People who follow this Life Path are typically neither fast nor flexible. Even if a problem can be solved in a much simpler way, Number Fours will manage to choose the most laborious and tedious approach. Get-rich-quick schemes are definitely not for them! Number Fours give the impression that they enjoy additional work, even when they have to redo the same thing again and again.
Number Four people can be successful both as employers and employees, but only where there is real, hard work to be done. In an environment where purposeful activity is only imitated, as can frequently happen in bureaucratic organizations, Number Fours will annoy everyone with misplaced calls for responsibility and efficiency.
The best activities where people of the Life Path Four can showcase their talents are those where something practical is being done, something that requires prolonged effort and great attention to detail. Programming, building or gardening are all good examples of tasks Number Fours can excel at.
It is not often that hard work makes a person famous, but there are a few Number Four celebrities to mention: Immanuel Kant (April 22, 1724), Marie Curie (November 7, 1867), Michael Faraday (September 22, 1791), Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856), and Mstislav Rostropovich (March 27, 1927).
Life Path 5
The Life Path of Five can be imagined as multiple trails going off in different directions. Being exactly in the middle of the row of nine numbers, Five tends to reflect and combine the qualities of all the other numbers and therefore gives those who follow the Life Path of Five versatility, flexibility, changeability and universality.
Life Path Five people do well in quickly changing circumstances, easily adapting to an unfamiliar environment. They are often called "Jacks-of-all-trades" as they can manage pretty much every task, although they might be not very efficient in those jobs that require prolonged concentration and tenacity. Fives can be very successful as mediators making contacts with many different people, or as managers coordinating the efforts of multiple subordinates.
Number Fives are typically easy-going, with a desire to try everything there is in life. They make friends easily and might prefer a lifestyle full of movement, traveling and adventures.
Thanks to their universality, Fives often find themselves in the very middle of events acting as a sort of axis for a group of their friends, understanding everyone's needs and finding a common language with everyone.
Some of the famous representatives of Life Path Five include Simon Bolivar (July 24, 1783), Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (August 27, 1770), Charles Darwin (February 12, 1809), Arthur Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859), Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809), Marlene Dietrich (December 27, 1901), Theodore Roosevelt (October 27, 1858), Franklin D. Roosevelt (January 30, 1882), and Friedrich Engels (November 28, 1820).
Life Path 6
Number Six can be often seen in the symbolism of different esoteric traditions (the Star of David is a well-known example), as well as in the numerological code of people who play an important role in human culture. This isn't surprising, because the main talent of Number Six is the ability to bring people together, and create something whole from a large number of separate parts.
Those who follow the Life Path of Six play the role of a magnet or glue that keeps people together, whether it be a family, a company of friends, a team, or a whole country. Number Six people define the rules of conduct, the ways of interaction between people, and they are the first to notice if the harmony of relationships gets disturbed.
When everything goes as planned and there are no problems to deal with, Life Path Six people might go unnoticed. However, in times of crisis, such people become indispensable, as others expect them to handle the situation and find a solution.
Number Six is important in professions that require the ability to see the overall picture and create something whole from the scattered parts, such as architects, designers or even lawyers. The desire for harmony and creativity often attracts those on Life Path Six towards art of one kind or another.
Examples of well-known Number Sixes include Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (May 19, 1881), Honoré de Balzac (May 20, 1799), Giuseppe Verdi (October 10, 1813), and John Lennon (October 9, 1940).
Life Path 7
We encounter Number Seven in every area of human culture, from the seven colors of the rainbow to "The Magnificent Seven" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", and so on. Seven is easily the most popular of all the numbers, but at the same time it is the most mysterious and magical.
Frequently, people whose Life Path Number is Seven are in some way associated with a mystery: they are either trying to find out something hidden or they have an especially enigmatic personality. In terms of occupation, these people do well as scientists, detectives, spies, psychologists or psychiatrists, monks, etc. They all have certain features in common: they are dealing with something hidden from other people and they have a somewhat secluded lifestyle.
Very often, Number Seven people are unwilling to deal with the business side of life. They are so preoccupied with what is hidden inside that the external hustle and bustle that keeps most other people busy seems too superficial and uninteresting to them.
Typical Sevens are intensely interested in something intangible, while not paying proper attention to the usual everyday things. They might look like they are "not from this world" and either neglect fashion altogether, or they demonstrate some strange fashion of their own. They may have a reputation of being a weirdo, but these people always know and understand something which is simply inaccessible to others.
Examples of people who followed Life Path Number Seven include George Gershwin (September 26, 1898), Paul Gauguin (June 7, 1848), Christian Doppler (November 29, 1803), Pierre Curie (May 15, 1859), Joseph Louis Lagrange (January 25, 1736) and Allan Pinkerton (August 25, 1819).
Life Path 8
Typical Number Eight people are very interested in what's going on in the surrounding world and want to exercise their power to influence people and events. The Life Path of Number Eight gives people large-scale, long-term goals, and they are expected to be able to organize a significant number of other people and lead them towards the achievement of those goals.
Those on the Life Path of Eight know which strings they can pull to make other people do what they want, or at least they are able to shift equilibrium in their favor, no matter how complex the project seems to be. Their achievements can often be expressed in terms of money, and Number Eight people usually have a talent of handling and attracting money. However, what's most important for them is not the money itself, but the feeling that the world yields to their will.
A profession like businessman or banker resonates well with Number Eight, but those who follow this path can achieve success in just about anything if there is an opportunity to do something important, tangible and large-scale. On the other hand, some Number Eights wind up as actors (actresses) or psychologists because, thanks to their great personal power, they have a significant influence on other people.
In science, the Life Path of Eight often leads to research into large scale complex systems of knowledge, and if Number Eights find themselves in the world of art, their style might be viewed as somewhat complex. A couple of celebrities that belong to this path are Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571) and Pablo Picasso (October 25, 1881).
Life Path 9
It is probably a part of human nature that we mostly prefer to take, not to give, and this is why the Life Path of Nine can be difficult. Those who have this path are destined to be the benefactors of humanity, to give what they have to others and, ideally, not to expect anything in return. What is interesting, is that if Life Path Nine people can truly manage to expect nothing in return, they will always have enough, both for themselves and extra to spare for others.
However, we are all human, and even Number Nines cannot always avoid regrets, disappointments or attacks of unreasonable parsimony. To Number Nines, others can seem ungrateful and it feels as if good luck has turned away from them. And yet, sooner or later the traits of Number Nine prevail in their souls, and they open the gates and say, “Take everything you want, I won't regret anything!”. Then, as if by magic, beneficial opportunities begin to emerge for them and life again becomes pleasant and interesting.
Typical characteristics of Life Path Nine people include idealism, tolerance, global interests, and often a flair for some utopic ideas. Number Nines do well in occupations where they can deal with large numbers of people without worrying too much about their own interests. They might play an important role in society’s cultural or political life.
Since Nine is Three squared, this number often gives people creative abilities, especially when it comes to expressing their thoughts with words.
Some of the well-known people who followed the Life Path of Nine are George Frideric Handel (February 23, 1685), William Herschel (November 15, 1738), Carlos Castaneda (December 25, 1925), and Nicolaus Copernicus (February 19, 1473).
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These were some brief suggestions on how to interpret the Life Path Number for the nine basic Numbers. Gradually, I will add more interpretations for special cases, like Master Numbers or Karmic Numbers.
Remember that the Numbers can have many meanings features, and each numerologist has a somewhat different idea on how to interpret one or another number in a specific context. I do recommend that you familiarize yourself with as many different descriptions as possible. One way to do this is to read Numerology books, and we have a page with book reviews to assist you in your choice.
Another way is to have different reports created for you. Those reports available on the Internet are typically written by Hans Decoz, although they might be presented under various other names. I do recommend you to order a free mini-reading from Numerologist.com as they have all the information presented in quite a nice way.
As for the paid records developed by Hans Decoz, you can order them, for a small fee, directly from us by visiting the Numerology Reports page.