What Even Is Numerology? And Why Is Everyone Talking About It?

This was not the first time I’d met with some form of spiritual healer. The last time I went to see one was in the summer of 2015. I walked into her house in the London suburb of Bromley and drank some cool water before lying in a quiet room with lots of floral cushions, underneath some hanging crystals. Her house was impeccably clean, she talked a lot about healing energy, her garden was manicured and I suddenly felt very cold before crying a lot. I left her house feeling weird but, overall, a lot lighter.

The experience was what I can only describe as bizarre because, quite honestly, no words could possibly accurately describe what I felt in that room. As a hardwired cynic and sceptic I’m still inclined to believe the entire experience was purely placebo but, the truth is, I couldn’t possibly tell you what went on that day.

Recently I’ve been hearing lots of my fellow middle class, quasi-spiritual millennial mates talking about numerology. Everyone who’s anyone, it seemed, had been to see a numerologist recently. But what is numerology? Is it fact or fiction? Mystical or numerical? How does numerology work? Is it some kind of Harry Potter lesson? I decided to see one myself and find out.

So, What Is Numerology?

I meet with my numerologist in a café. Her name is Romy Karpes, I have to keep stopping myself from saying ‘and Michelle’.

Not knowing how numerology works I had asked her over email, prior to meeting, whether she wanted to meet somewhere quiet. ‘No, I don’t need silence to work’, she replied. Hustle and bustle would be fine.

We have a coffee and talk for over two hours. Romy is one of those people who radiates positivity in a way that would be annoying if being with them didn’t make you feel like you were being given a giant hug. ‘Sometimes, if I’m in traffic, and I’m running late or someone pulls out in front of me I just smile at them. I really believe in the power of positive thinking’, she tells me. I’m feeling a bit under the weather and somewhat frazzled when I meet her and these good vibes are completely catching.

Getting A Numerology Reading

Numerology, which is why I’m here after all, it turns out, is the belief in the divine, mystical relationship between a number and coinciding events. It is the study of the numerical value of words too, I discover. A numerologist places faith in numerical patterns and draws pseudo-scientific inferences from them.

Numerology has a long history, Romy tells me. It’s goes back to good old Pythagoras who believed that mathematical concepts could be used to analyse life, that everything around us has a numerical relationship.

Numerologists take this a bit further and believe that numbers can offer insights into your personality, goals, dreams and dramas. Essentially, Romy tells me, ‘numerology is a way of tapping into the universe, accessing information through formulae and interpreting that information in order to answer life’s questions.’

How did she get into Numerology? ‘I gravitated towards it. I realised that I could access information and see things differently to other people. I had to deconstruct my world view and way of thinking and this lead me to numerology…it’s something that you know innately but it’s about giving that a grounded foundation.’

What Is The Link Between Numerology And Astrology?

Romy says ‘the answer is not the same for different people, because with each number in the formula there’s a different aspect to that number. So, depending on you and which number you’re resonating with you’ll get a different answer. Because of this numerology creates endless possibilities.’

So what does a numerologist do? ‘It’s basically taking something invisible – like an energy, force or grid system…whatever it is and turning it into something that you can use practically’ my numerologist tells me. ‘It’s about accessing infinite possibilities and making them finite. Making a choice and using your free will to decide what you want to do with the information.’

She talks me through her mystical process. ‘This is where I come in’, she says, ‘I look at the person’s life: at the choices that they’re making and the results that they’re getting. Then I look at the possibilities and help people to unblock the blockages to where they want to go.’

What Are The Numerology Meanings Of Different Numbers?

If numerology is where the spiritual, the intangible meets mathematics how does it actually work? Romy tells me that all numbers have a ‘negative side and positive side and a person can choose to resonate on either side’. ‘That’s where a person’s free will comes in’ she tells me, ‘you can choose a potential that’s positive rather than negative and make changes which will impact on your life.’

Is There A Numerology Calculator?

Everyone's 'life path'number will be different. We start with my birthday which is 08.04.1988. Romy writes it out and draws a grid in her notebook based on my numbers, ‘I’ll show you with a calculator what I’ve just done.’ She adds my date of birth from left to right and then reduces it to a single digit which, she tells me, is my ‘life path number.’ My life path number is 2. This ‘reveals all the potential roads you can travel in your life, or all the potential lessons you can learn in your life’ Romy says. ‘But also what’s important is the day number which for you is the 8 – this is how you live your day to day life. So 2 is the macro and 8 is the micro of your life.’

Apparently, 8 is usually ‘quite dominant and intellectual’ the first part of which rings true because I am a classic Aries in that respect. I’m not so sure about the intellectual but I do like wearing black polonecks. This, however, she tells me is ‘balanced out by the 2 which is a very sensitive number, soft and tolerant.’

Romy maps my life out in 9 year cycles and uses my birthday to tell me about what may or may not happen in the future. We look back over previous cycles and talk about things I experienced during them – I can’t divulge too much detail here but it was all surprisingly accurate. 25, for instance, ‘was a year of endings for you. You may not have been conscious of it but you would have been forced to redefine your world view before going into a new energy cycle’, she tells me. I tell her that I felt pretty low this morning as I left the house and she looks at the date and does a similar interpretation.

For instance, we work out that most of the challenges I will experience between now and the age of 34 will be related to the number 4. My main challenge, she says, ‘will be bringing structure to things that are unstructured.’

I leave Romy feeling uplifted. Despite the fact that scepticism is my modus operandi her energy and passion stays with me for the rest of the day. As with reading your star sign, looking at your life through the lens of numerology is oddly addictive and inexplicably comforting. Since our meeting I’ve been reading my numbers regularly.

Spiritual But Not Religious

As a generation it does feel like we are, on the whole, what you might call spiritual but not religious. Religion on the whole has been declining in this country for some time – from the mid 1980s when around two-thirds of people saw themselves as belonging to a particular religion to 2011 when that fell to around 53%. As pollsters Ipsos Mori have found every generation holds a lower level of religious attachment to their elders.

Secular Spirituality – in the broadest sense – has been on the rise for some time however, anecdotally at least. Today we pick, choose and consume the elements of different belief systems whether that’s practising meditation, doing yoga or practising what is essentially prayer in the form of a mindful ‘positive thought shower’ every morning.

Whether or not you choose to believe in anything is up to you but in a world where life moves at such a fast pace and circumstances often feel like they are beyond our control perhaps it’s no surprise that practices like astrology or numerology have seen somewhat of a resurgence in popularity.

Romy tells me that this year is going to be a 'good year for me where things come together'. My number this year is a 3 and there is going to be success without struggle she says, 'there will be choices that are beyond your control...but you have to have faith. This will be a fast paced year and you've learned the lessons of tolerance because of your previous cycle in the 2 number. This is the year of good luck and good fortune.'

Is Our Answer To Tackling 2018 Numerology?

Perhaps it’s best not to rely on numbers or star signs to tell you what to do but, equally, when the shit hits the fan there’s no harm in looking to the quasi-mystical for a bit of distraction or, equally, blaming it on 'the universe'. There's also no harm in taking a step back, put your phone down and thinking about how you can positively shape your life, if numerology helps you do that then why the hell not?

The internet gives us the impression that everything is accounted for and can be explained, there's an odd comfort in remembering that this isn’t always the case.

Like this? You might also be interested in:

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**Follow Vicky on Twitter ****@Victoria_Spratt **@Victoria_Spratt

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.