A Number is Just a Number… Or is it?

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120 – July/Aug, 2016

 

Our lives are surrounded by numbers—gas prices, cell phone numbers, entry fees, the number of likes on a Facebook photo, and horse show back numbers. We all have our favorite go-to numbers. Some choose numbers that reference a birthday or anniversary; a lucky number or combination of even or odd numbers; or a number pairing that has special significance or meaning.

Have you ever wondered about the stories behind the meaning these numbers hold?

The Meaning of Numbers

How much weight do you put in a number? Some people put quite a bit. Numerology is the study of individual numbers and their perceived literal or symbolic meaning.

One interesting study gave a meaning to each number, 1 through 12:

1 – Number of the Leader
2 – Number of Partnership
3 – Number of Good Fortune
4 – Number of Stability
5 – Number of Marriage
6 – Number of Beauty
7 – Number of Perfection
8 – Number of Abundance
9 – Number of Wisdom
10 – Number of Completion
11 – Number of Spiritual Messenger
12 – Number of Cosmic Order

Certain religions and even mythology place special emphasis on certain numbers.

3 – A major tenant of Christianity is the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). Also, Jesus rose on the third day. Greek mythology has the three rulers (Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon).

4 – Buddhism has the four sights and four noble truths.

7 – Judaism sees the number seven show up for both happy and sad occasions.

10 – The Ten Commandments, the Ten Avatas of Vishnu

12 – The twelve apostles, Twelve Imams

Significant Numbers Full of Memories

Some of the most common numbers have to do with a birth date or anniversary, as these are easy to remember.

“My favorite back number is 424, my horse’s birthday,” says Sharon Ohler, a select amateur from Versailles, KY. “God gave me an amazing gift when I tugged him into the world by the forelegs.”

Click here to read the complete article
120 – July/Aug, 2016