Numerology & Birth Pairs – an Unexpected Duo
My first intro to metaphysics came decades ago via numerology. I quickly learned the value of knowing my numbers. But once I combined numerology with my Tarot Birth Pairs, it was the difference between ‘ah-ha’ and OMG!
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Since it would take a book to cover all of the numbers and how they can relate to Tarot, I can only give you an overview. But take what’s here, see how it relates to you, and let me know what you think.
How to Calculate Your Tarot Birth Pairs
If you’ve never heard of Birth Pairs – they are the two Tarot Major Arcana energies between which you live in this incarnation.
There are a couple of ways to calculate Birth Pairs, but the easiest is to add the numbers of your birthdate and reduce them to a number 21 or lower.
Janis Joplin was born on January 19, 1943
January = 1
19=1+9= 10
1943 = 1+9+4+3=17
Adding them all: 1+10+17=28=2+8=10 (Wheel of Fortune).
10 reduces to 1+0=1 (Magician)
Janis Joplin’s Birth Pairs are the Wheel of Fortune and the Magician.
Shortcut: If you don’t want to do the math, use the Tarot School’s Birth Card Calculator. It’s free.
Once you get your Birth Pairs, read on.
How to Calculate Your Top Three Numbers
Numerology’s top three numbers are
- Life Path (Opportunities and Challenges)
- Expression (Destiny)
- Heart’s Desire (Your true motivation)
****If you get stuck calculating your numbers or want me to double check, send an email to sageandshadow@gmail.com and I’ll run them for you. But be sure to send along the three pieces of info I need: Your full name at birth (the one on your birth certificate), the full name you use today, and your date of birth, written out, i.e. August 3, 1990.****
Life Path is calculated by adding the numbers in your birthdate and reducing them to a single number. Exceptions are 11 and 22, which remain as is.
Joplin’s birthdate of January 19, 1943 = 1+19+1943=1963. 1963=1+9+6+3=19. 19 reduced to a single digit 1+9=10=1. Janis Joplin’s Life Path is 1.
Expression (Destiny) is calculated by writing out your full birth name, including middle name if you have one. Next, write the numerical value of each letter using the chart, then add the numbers until you reach a single digit. Again, don’t reduce if the numbers are 11 or 22.
Janis Lyn Joplin’s Expression (Destiny) is a 9.
Heart’s Desire is calculated by adding the vowels in your full name at birth. Vowels are a, e, i, o, and u. The letter Y can sometimes be considered a vowel if it is the only vowel in a syllable. So in the name Nancy, the Y is considered a vowel.
Joplin’s Heart’s Desire is a 5 (Freedom).
Brief Meaning of Numbers in Numerology
- Pioneer – innovation
- Duality – partnership
- Joy – celebration
- Building – foundations
- Change – freedom
- Harmony – bridge
- Spirituality – seeker
- Power – responsibility
- Humanitarian – idealist
Master Numbers (11 and 22)
11 – Intuitive and connected to a higher source
22 – Master builder – dreams into reality
Merging Tarot Birth Pairs with Numerology
Understanding these two systems when merged is very much like reading a Tarot Line of 5 (or 6 if you’re a Sun-Wheel-Magician). So with Janis Joplin we have:
Wheel of Fortune – Magician – #1 (Magician) – #9 (Hermit) – #5 (Hierophant)
While the Hermit (9) and the Hierophant (5) may seem to be in conflict with the Wheel-Magician-#1, you need to think about the context of Joplin’s life.
Those with a Destiny of 9, are not only humanitarians, they are drawn to causes. Joplin came to fame during the Vietnam War, student protests, and Woodstock. She lived in an era rife with turbulence and political upheaval. She was an outlier to the ‘norm’, but drawn into a cause (change in America) fueled by her music. And can you see how the Hierophant fits here? First, 5’s crave/need/can’t exist without FREEDOM – the antithesis of the regimented Hierophant. She spent her life escaping the ‘norm’, following her heart’s desire.
Is this beginning to make sense to you?
One More Merge of Birth Pairs and Numerology
My own Tarot Birth Pairs are Temperance and Hierophant (14/5).
My Top Three Numbers are:
Life Path – 5
Expression – 9
Heart’s Desire 1
Reading Tarot’s Line of 5:
5 (14 reduced) – 5 (Hierophant) – #5 (Life Path) – #9 (Expression) – #1 (Heart’s Desire)
What does this tell you? For me, I’m learning that the pathway to my Destiny (Expression) of 9 (the person who wants the best for everyone) is through being a pioneer (1) and being free (three 5’s). I have never done well within a rigid system or within specific work hours. I have worked for myself for years and can’t even imagine going into a 9 to 5 office. But that’s ME – in other words, your Birth Cards and numbers will take you elsewhere. We all have our own path.
I know, that with three 5’s in a line of 5, freedom and adapting to frequent change is how I have to live my best life.
What’s Next?
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