SYMBOLIC MEANING OF THE NUMBERS

This is a very interesting, debatable and endlessly long topic. To get a complete picture of it, we need to look at all the numbers and how they are perceived as "cultural facts" in all cultures and religions around the world, as well as in more primitive, non-written cultures. This is possible in practice, but it would be a great topic for a particular book, for example. Our lessons are short and they only seek to raise questions, recall and awaken curiosity. Bearing this in mind, in our short lesson, we will look at some popular facts, mostly for numbers 1-10, mostly in European countries and some others.

In some cultures and religions around the world, some numbers are considered "special". Other numbers are believed to represent divine relationships and phenomena. However, not all numbers have this "divine fortune" because in many cultures around the world people are afraid of certain numbers and even consider them fatal ones that bring bad luck and misery. What kind of horrible thing the poor numbers must have done to make such a curse? Unfortunately, in many cases, it will never be understood is this is a bad fate or just a coincidence of bad historical and cultural circumstances that have over the centuries carried the bad glory of the particular case that has stuck to the number. That how the number goes with its unfairly attached bad glory. But how much does that have to do with maths? Or are the numbers in these cases only a symbolic language that represents the situation purely quantitatively? The truth is somewhere in the middle - between the science of mathematics and the mysticism of life itself.
One thing is certain, however - that we each have our favorite numbers. This may be the date of our birth or the date of any other important event in our lives, numbers that we consider “lucky", which bring us luck. Quite intuitively, we always choose these numbers first. They can even relate to the number of specific objects, processes, distances or events. This is different for everybody but we always feel these numbers as important and lucky for us. The question goes back to whether these numbers really have this magical power to be lucky, or it is a matter of a pure coincidence. Does God move them, or the blind chance? In general, however, our beliefs and prejudices about some numbers have their roots in the society we live in. For example, the number "four" is neutral in European countries, while in some Asian countries it is considered a miserable number, such countries are China, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

In Europe, America and some other parts of the world, it is believed that the number "13" brings misery and bad luck. Some people are so afraid of this number that even in the elevators of some hotels there is no thirteenth floor in order not to panic  people when the elevator, for example, stops on the 13th floor that something bad and terrible will happen to them. There is even a separate word to indicate the fear and phobia of avoiding the number 13 and the word is "Triskaidekaphobia. In several cultures there are explanations of this fear. The biblical explanation is that during the Last Supper, Judas was thirteenth in a row on the table, and he was the one that betrayed Jesus. From this unfortunate event comes the unpleasant expectation that something bad will happen. Vikings and in ancient Egypt people had similar superstitions for the number 13. Long lists of unfortunate events occurring on the 13th of a month or at 13 o'clock can be found.

Another “fatal” number is 666. The fear of the number 666 is also very common. There is a special word for this phobia as well - Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. In the Bible, the number 666 is known as the number of the devil.

 There is also a separate science of numbers called "numerology". Numerology - originates from the Greek philosopher Pythagoras. It examines the correspondences between the numbers and the principles upon which the world is built, the laws that drive it and the projection of the numbers in people's lives. By analyzing the numbers from the date of birth for example, could be obtained an important information about the character, destiny, good and bad times in our lives. However, this is a subjective science, as astrology, for example, which uses the force of the number 12 to separate the zodiacal cycle of 12 zodiacal signs. How much Maths is there in this? In a sense, there is some mathematics - in the way the numbers are perceived and the relationships between them.

So, symbols of what are the numbers from one to ten for example?

The number 1 - Symbolizes the beginning, the creation. Sometimes it is also accepted as a symbol of God. It is often used in the phrase "to be number one", which means to be the best.

Number 2 - Pythagoras believed that the number two means diversity. According to Pythagoras, this is the first real number because it means more than one. "Two" is a double number, ambiguous, it may be a symbol of chaos, disorder, separation, conflict. However, it can mean exactly the opposite - order, harmony, balance. „Yin and Yang“- two opposing but complementary forces, which move the whole cosmos. In China, the "two" is perceived as a happy number.

Number 3 - is perceived as a sacred number in many religions around the world. In ancient Egypt, there was a triple deity, just like in Greece and Rome. Christians also believe in the Holy Trinity. They see the Christian God as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Islam, the "three" symbolizes the human soul. According to Pythagoras, the number three symbolizes perfect harmony because it is a combination of "one", which is a symbol of "unity" and the number "2", which is a symbol of "diversity." In the fairy tales "three" is usually associated with satisfaction and completion: three are the tasks or tests that the hero has to solve in order to receive the prize or get out of a messy situation.

Number 4 - its meaning is usually seen as a combination of a square and a cross. The square symbolizes stability. "Four" is the number of the main directions of the world, the annual seasons, the four stages of human life - childhood, youth, maturity, old age. According to Pythagoras, this is the number of perfection, because it is the first number that represents another number (2) squared. In some Asian countries "four" is a taboo because it sounds like the word "death." For the American Indians, the number "four" symbolizes the organization, structure, number that divides and arranges the space, and in this sense is a symbol of Earth.

 

Number 5 - According to Pythagoras, this is the number that symbolizes marriage because it is a union of two and three. For the Chinese it symbolizes the middle point. For the Islam it relates to the number of hours to pray.

Number 6 - In China, for example, this number is associated with Heaven. For Christians, six have an ambivalent meaning. It can mean completion because God created the world for six days. "Six" is also a symbol of luck, because it is the largest figure on the dice. However, it can also symbolize evil, the devil, appearing in the 666 combination.

Number 7 - In many cultures it means integrity and completeness because it unifies the divine sky with the "number three" and the Earth with the "number four". In ancient Egypt this was the number that symbolized the eternal, divine life. There is a positive and a negative meaning in the Bible.

Number 8 - For many cultures and religions, this number symbolizes happiness. For Christians it symbolizes the resurrection.

Number 9 - It is not perceived with only one meaning in different cultures. For example, China is a lucky number, because it sounds like the word "long-lasting". In Japan, it is just the opposite because it sounds like the word "pain". Christianity mentions a choir of nine heavenly angels.

Number 10 – It is perceived as a whole, completed number. According to Pythagoras, this is the symbol of cosmic creation. People have ten finger in their hands, which is used as a counting tool as well.

The number 12 has a great glory because it connects the number of months of the year, the number of zodiac signs, and the twelve apostles in Christianity.

There are many other "special" numbers. Numbers that in different cultures are considered to have special force, charm and magic. Numbers, which when meeting them, you may have good or bad luck. All this good or bad fame of certain numbers is historically always associated with a particular event. This event may have been something that actually happened, but it may also be something unreal, which is a part of myths and legends or religious beliefs. From this particular real or fictional fact they go through the years, and sometimes over the centuries stories about the numbers that are lucky or unhappy. Is is up to us to choose to believe this or to doubt. However, a single number, which is simply a symbol, by itself do not have such magical power as to be able to make us happy or unhappy. Even all the numbers put together do not have that power.

And while this is clear to most of us, we all for one or another inexplicable reason are sometimes alert to some numbers. Subconsciously we leave the unexplainable superstitions to rule our lives. It so so hard to get rid of superstitions. One thing is for sure - for our good or bad our imagination is bigger than the reality we live in.

(Elena S. Lyubenova)