Arithmancy assigns numbers to letters in a name or word, which are then added together to create a single-digit number used for divination. Different methods exist, and different numbers can be derived for personality, inner qualities, and external characteristics. Critics argue that names are arbitrary, but practitioners claim that children choose their own names or that interpretation compensates for this. Arithmancy is believed to reveal truths about the future and the world.
Arithmancy is the art of divining with numbers. In this numerological tradition, each Latin letter of a person’s name or other salient element is assigned a number, to which numerous processes are then applied. From the resulting one-digit number, one can make a prediction about the person’s future. This number can also be used to gauge the personal tendencies of people bearing that name.
The exact interpretation of these numbers is usually at the discretion of the numerologist, but there are some tendencies that are often formalized in arithmantic charts. The entire practice is based on the assertion that numbers, names, and how they relate to the living world are all meaningful and intentional, and can speak to both the present and future tenses.
There are two common ways of assigning numbers to the Latin alphabet for the purpose of arithmancy. The first is the Aggripan method where letters are given the numbers one through nine. They are assigned in order, so that the letter “A” gets one, the letter “I” gets a nine, and the letter “J” gets one again, and this continues until there are no more letters. The Chaldean method assigns only the numbers one to eight, and the digit associated with each letter was determined by comparing the Latin letters to their Hebrew counterparts.
Once the letters to be used have been assigned to the numbers, those numbers are usually added together. If the sum is a two-digit number, each of these digits is added. The process is repeated until the sum is a single digit number. It is this single digit that is analyzed. There are often variations on this basic strategy, but the essential process usually employs addition only.
Not all letters in a person’s name are always used for divination, and there are at least three kinds of numbers that can be derived from a person’s name. The character number uses all the letters in a person’s name and provides an overall personality type. A person’s heart number is calculated from all the vowels in his name and shows inner qualities. On the contrary, the social number is calculated from all the consonants of a person’s name and reveals the externally displayed characteristics. Other number selection systems are possible, particularly when ancient or historical traditions are used for interpretation.
People who practice arithmancy are often faced with the criticism that naming is a seemingly arbitrary act and that words have no intrinsic connection to the things they represent. For example, a tree is no less a tree when called arbre, which would have a different arithmantic number from the word tree. A person may be more influenced by her name than by a tree, but the ability of not only a name, but also spelling, to determine a great deal about a person sounds illogical to many.
Practitioners of arithmancy often address this criticism by claiming that children choose their own names and psychically communicate them to their parents. Others place more faith in the flexibility of interpretation to compensate for the arbitrary nature of the names. Even so, these are not usually sources of much concern to those who enjoy this practice. People who believe in arithmancy tend to believe that the future and the true nature of things want to be revealed to human listeners, and that this is only one way to reveal those truths.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
