Stranger Every Day

It All Adds Up

An integral part of any numerological analysis is looking at the distribution of the various energies in the full name. That is, how strong or weak is the 1 energy, the 2 energy, etc. For the USA, the distribution goes like this, showing how many of each numerical energy is present, from 1 to 9:

5 3 2 2 4 2 0 0 3

With five "1's" in its name, the USA has a strong tendency to be independent (duh!), but it also can show as stubbornness and a proclivity to go its own way in things. (Believe me, I know. I have six, count 'em, six, 1's in my name - not that anyone would call this Taurus stubborn . . .) The 2 energy is also a bit strong (the average number of 2's in a name is one). This is good, however, for relationships, and will temper the 1 energy. The other numbers are pretty average in their representation. Even having no 7 energy in a name is not unusual (the average is zero). However, the 8 energy is also lacking, and indicates a karmic lesson around materialism. The idea here is that the USA needs to come to terms with the proper use of money and material satisfaction. It seems to me that this is a lesson that we have yet to learn. Rampant consumerism and a lust for easy cash may well be a cause for a major setback in this country. Until we can get this under control, it will continue to hurt the USA's chance of becoming its best self.

To summarize, the USA is a country with a strong sense of freedom and independence in its energies. This must be tempered by its humanitarian soul. Learning limits is crucial for the long-term survival of the country. Balancing this with its innate desire to expand, innovate, and change rapidly is the main challenge.

An analysis like this gives very useful information to a person or other entity. It helps to answer questions like: Why am I here? What are my challenges? What are my talents?

What I have tried to do in this series is to give just a thumbnail sketch of a numerological analysis. I hope it has given you a taste of what numerology can do.

A Responsible Birthday

We come today to the fourth main number in the numerology pantheon, the Birthday. This is the least complicated number of the four, since its name is just what it is. The USA has a birthday of 4 (Everybody sing along (from "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy"): Born on the Fourth of July . . .). This is the purest expression of the 4 energy, as it doesn't need to be reduced from another number. The birthday energy is a sub-energy of the Life Path, which is based on the full birth date.

[See my previous three posts for explanations of the other main numbers.]

The energy of 4 is that of Limitation, Order, and Service. This energy introduces restriction into the constellation, and it's a good thing, too, given our 14/5 Life Path. Something has to rein in the exuberance and impulsivity inherent in that Life Path. The 4 is also supportive of the higher manifestations of the 9 Soul Urge, though its fixity can conflict with the givingness of a 9.

This all sounds pretty good, but before you get too excited, the Birthday accounts for only about 10% of the total energy of the personality.

So, what about the 4 Birthday? This energy gives an orderly approach; someone who works long and hard. Those with a 4 birthday are patient and persevering, though they can be rigid and critical. At their worst, they can be unemotional and withholding to the point of cruelty.

Putting this into perspective with the rest of the numbers we've talked about so far, we've seen how it is at odds, but can help modulate, the 14/5 Life Path and support the 9 Soul Urge. It can also be useful with the 3 Expression, since it may help us hold our tongues when appropriate, though it has the potential for inhibiting the natural creativity of the 3. Bottom line: Looked at one way, the 4 energy is a bit of sand in the gears of the other energies; on the other hand, it is the polishing grit that takes some of the rashness out of the other numbers.

Next up, the general energy distributions present in USA's name. To skip that would not be responsible of me.

Our Soul Just Loves People

Today, I want to talk about the next important numerology number for the USA, the Soul Urge. The Soul Urge is the motivation and emotion that drives the talents given by the Expression (See "We Can Talk a Good Game . . ." post). This number is figured from the vowels of the entity's name. For the USA, the result is a 9, the energy of Selflessness and Humanitarianism.

Those with this Soul Urge are driven to give to others, usually friendship, affection, and love; but sometimes knowledge or experience. Sharing is a crucial motivation. On the positive side, this energy is sympathetic, sensitive, and kind. There is often a deep inspiration born of high ideals. However, there is a negative expression of this energy. It manifests as too strong an expression of emotion, resentment over giving so much of the time, easy disappointment in others, an ambition/ideals conflict, and moodiness.

It seems to me that this number does indeed resonate with the soul of the idea of America. Land of opportunity, willing to lend a helping hand, a place of inspiration. Yeah, we've shown the negative side of the 9 as well. Jingoism to the point of forcing our views on others (after all, it's for their own good and we know what's best for everybody, don't we?); the "Why do they hate us?" phenomenon when we're just trying to help, for gosh sakes; a smug superiority that is none too complimentary.

The pitfall of the 9 energy is its tendency to be hurt when its overtures aren't accepted with open arms. There can also be a Pollyanna feel to the energy in failing to see beneath the surface of situations and assuming things are much less complicated than they are. There's that tendency again -- superficiality. It seems to haunt us at so many levels. When I pull things together, a few posts from now, maybe I can make sense of it.

America. You gotta love us. After all, we love you. Can'tcha tell?

We Can Talk a Good Game -- We Got a 3!

Continuing my series on the numerology of the USA, the next number is the Expression. In numerological terms, the Expression embodies the talents that the entity has at its disposal. This number comes from the entirely of the entity's name: United States of America.

[A technical aside: Usually the full name of an entity is used, unless the name contains more than four words. In this case, "The" has been omitted.]

Reducing each word to its essence, United is a 1; States is a 3; Of is a 3; and America is a 5. Adding these together gives a 12, which, in numerology math, reduces to a 3.

The energy of 3 is that of a Joy of Living and Expression. Those with this energy are good with words, can sell items and ideas, are artistic, and quite creative. On the positive side, they are often welcoming and affectionate, charming, and inspirational. Negatively, they can scatter their energies, be superficial, or overly moody and critical.

Let's look at how that works with our country. It would be difficult to argue against the USA as a creative place. We have been innovators and trendsetters since our birth as a nation. We've sold the idea of freedom (our Life Path) across the world, though sometimes over-zealously. Our welcoming attitude (Give me your tired, your poor . . .) has made us the melting pot of the world. Unfortunately, the negative side of the 3 energy isn't a good match with the Karmic Debt of our 14/5 Life Path. (see "We're #1 . . ." post). Both of these talk of superficiality and a scattering of energy.

Yet, when seen in the best light, the USA is the shining example for humankind. It's quite a lot to live up to, so maybe we can be forgiven for falling down a bit at times.

And, hey, with that 3 energy, we're pretty darn likeable.

We're #1 . . . um, make that 14/5!

Let me explain . . .

The 14/5 refers to the numerological Life Path of our country. I talked about the Life Path in a previous post. Briefly, the Life Path is based on the birthday of the person (or other entity, such as a country). The USA was born on July 4, 1776 (I'll let the grumblings from the "No, it was actually July 2nd" crowd die down), since that's when the Declaration of Independence was formally adopted.

[A technical aside: It's like deciding to start a business, naming it, and then sending the articles of incorporation off to the State. The business's official birthday, if you will, is the date the articles are officially filed, not when you come up with the name. Personally, I think Ben, Jamie, and Tom - see picture - understood that.]

Anyway, the Life Path number for the birthday of the USA reduces to a 5 [July is a 7, the fourth is a 4, and 1776 is a 3, reduced from 21) -- the total therefore is 7+4+3=14, which reduces to 5; don't worry about the math, it's done numerology style], but, as you can see, before it hit that magic single digit, it was a 14. This is an important piece of information. This makes it a Karmic Debt in the numerology world.

A Karmic Debt indicates that the entity in question has some heavy garbage to work through. The number 5 itself indicates that the lesson to be worked on is Freedom and its proper use. That's a great number for a country like ours to have. However, the Debt says that there is a tendency to be somewhat erratic, jumping about like an ill-tempered adolescent, falling victim to over-indulgence and a craving for the new.

Now, when I was a consultant for the Department of Human Services in Iowa, I would do the numbers of the kids that were being referred for services. It was amazing how many of the kids with Attention Deficit Disorder or Oppositional-Defiant Disorder had a 14/5 Life Path.

How might this 14/5 show up in a country's personality? Take a look at how the USA has spent its time. There has been plenty of jumping about, impulsive behavior, and rapid boredom. While the inquisitiveness associated with a well functioning 5 is certainly there, assisting America in becoming the foremost nation in the world, we also have our share of not wishing to experience the natural comings and goings of existence. That is, our culture tends to dwell more on the superficial, always chasing after the next shiny thing. Other energies can help modify this pesky tendency, and we'll talk about those in the following posts.

What is all comes down to is that I'm starting a short series here. My next few posts will concentrate on the numerological energies of our country, the gifts and challenges inherent in those numbers, and what course of action will assist us in becoming the fullest manifestation of that constellation of energies.