House Numerology

Numbers are their own thing. They speak to us from another realm. They are within each of us like our soul is within us and yet we sometimes don’t understand them. Like we sometimes don’t understand our own spiritual being.

“The fact that such objective and enduring knowledge exists (and moreover, no one tries to own it) is nothing short of a miracle.”

– Mathametician, Edward Frenkel In his book, Love and Math

It is no surprise to me that numbers are a language that is frequently misunderstood. A language that has so much more to communicate than mere quantity. Numbers also communicate a quality.

In the Waldorf school where my children attended they were taught numbers and math by first learning the quality of the numbers. This is a less abstract introduction and a way for the young child to come into relationship with numbers so that they love math.

I however, did not have a Waldorf Education.  I had a tenuous relationship with math in my school years. It wasn’t until my early 20s when I was working as an underwriter for a large insurance company that I really came into relationship with numbers and math. Now I love math – it’s how I calculate everything and how I make decisions.

More recently I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for numbers in the form of Numerology. I was first introduced to numerology through calculating life path numbers for myself and family. I’m a life path six and the rest of my family is a nine. Learning to understand that influence has been life shifting and wonderful for me. It has given me a deeper understanding of of the energetic influences and lessons we are each working on. Sometimes when I find myself at a crossroads in my life – I go back and re-read my 6 life path objectives to see if a new direction is aligned with my life path.

Today though I want to write about the numerology of house numbers. As I’ve moved several times in the past 5 years and find myself at yet another crossroads about which property to purchase – the house number has become a big consideration.

I grew up in a two house. My house number was 911 (yes it was). My mom still lives in that house and the digits when added together equal two. TWO is a number that feels like home. As it turns out it feels like home for everyone – not just me. I guess I was lucky to grow up in a house with the vibration of “home.” It always felt secure and comfortable. It was far from luxurious but it had a big back yard and just enough room for eating and sleeping. My dad added a cozy fireplace when I was young – it was home. The home we are in now is a two and the first home my husband purchased that we jived in together was also a two. All the same vibe, not fancy, meets our needs – huge back yards and feels homey. The huge back yards part might be a coincidence – but I don’t believe in coincidences.

Two comes after one. ONE has the quality of individuality. In the Unitarian Universalist tradition I teach the kids in my Sunday School class to remember the first principle – that each person is important – by tying the number one, it’s quality of individuality and the first color of the rainbow (red) together.  I use an image of a person holding a red heart. I remind them that just as we each have one heart – we each are important. 1= individual. And so it turns out that when people live in a one house, they develop individuality. They can come into their own, not codependent. It’s a good number for roommates and children coming of age. Maybe not so much for couples or groups who need to collaborate and work together cooperatively.

THREE is a number that evolves from two in a way. Its iconic in most fairy tales, once upon a time there were three…(fill in the blank, e.g. bears, swans, kings, etc.). It’s what manifests from the duality of the two. It’s creative. A three house is full of adventure, ambition. I find it can also be a party house. We have a friend who hosts an open invitation pool party every Sunday from Spring until Fall. His house is a three house.

A four house – this was my last house. I did not enjoy this house. In a FOUR house it’s all about the foundation. Think four cornerstones. It can be very grounding both energetically and physically. Energetic grounding can be good but, being physical grounded (like punishment) – not so much. We literally always had a house project that we needed to stay home to do. We were actually grounded. Cracks in foundations, settling of the land under the house can cause walkway and driveway cracks. You always have to be weary of the foundation in a four house. We sold that house and it was so much work just to prep it for sale. Come to think of it – getting it ready to move in when we bought it was a chore too. Nothing but work, that house.

Before we sold it we attempted to shift the four energy. We found out that the house had a different address 70 years earlier. They had changed the street name and realigned the numbering in the 1950’s. To honor the home we purchased a plaque with the current street name and number which we placed on the front of the house and another one with the original street name and number which we placed on the inside of the porch. Together the two addresses added to a 6. When we sold it – we priced it at a number that added to 8 (abundance) and we did very well, 10 offers over asking in the first two weeks with a final sale that was $87k over our list price with all contingencies waived.

I’ve never lived in a five house. FIVE has the quality of free will. I use an image of a raised hand (with five fingers) in a voting posture or a five pointed star from the American flag to teach my Sunday School kids the fifth Unitarian Universalist principle.  It’s that everyone should have a say in the things that affect them. I remind them of our democratic process and freedom to vote. So how does the five, free will vibration affect a house? I’ve read many numerologist who say a five is not ideal for a home. They say that people who live in a five house don’t stay long. Or that there are many visitors to a five house. It feels transient. I think I get this from the quality of 5. Freedom to choose. Those in the five vibe are frequently choosing a new direction – not staying put but moving on or forward.

Now we arrive at the six house. This is my favorite house. Our most loved home was a six home. Numerologist say a six home is a home you feel lucky to live in. One where you never want to leave. A happy sanctuary. SIX has the quality of nature. Think of snowflakes and honeycombs with their 6 pointed and sided shapes. Our beloved six home had a great indoor/outdoor feel about it. The living space seemed to extend into the outside yard space seamlessly. We had a rope swing in the front tree and loved to work in the garden together as a family. Gatherings at that home felt effortless and beautiful. Everyone stayed late when we invited them over. We have longed to be back in a six home and feel very fortunate to be purchasing our next homes on Maui and in Los Angeles simultaneously – both homes are sixes. When we move between both retreats they will have the same vibe. The homes are also eerily similar, both farmhouses. Both begging for a rope swing. Both on plenty of land to enjoy the outdoor spaces and fruit trees. I have no doubt we will feel a certain peace return to our family when we settle into these two homes.

We have never lived in a seven house but we own a rental property that is a seven. SEVEN is the number in spiritual circles that has the quality of heavenly perfection. It’s a spiritual number. It is said by numerologists that a seven house can be lonely, like monks sitting in silent meditation for long periods of time. This house can also have the downside of attracting unwanted spiritual energies although a little palo santo essential oil or sage will clear that right up. This house does well with a meditation room or water feature.

The EIGHT house is a house for entrepreneurs and people who work from home. The number eight when turned sideways is recognized as the infinite symbol. It has the quality of renewal and abundance. I’ve never lived in an eight house but I believe one day I will attract that energy into my life and an eight house will call to me.

Nine has called to me. There was a time when every house I considered leasing added up to a nine. Never having leased before – I thought maybe there are more nine houses for lease than other numbers but it turns out that is not the case. I was just attracting nine into my life at that time. It turns out a NINE house radiates compassion and love. It is a house that is ideal for those in service to others. The time when I kept attracting nine houses was the same period of time when I received the love and compassion realization through meditation. I was immersed in this work and so it makes sense to me. Nine is considered magical in pagan circles and it’s ruled by Mars. Although, I never ended up in a nine house – I have no doubt that the magic of love and compassion would change the lives of anyone received into a nine vibe house. I wonder if Pema Chodron lives in a nine house?  She is famous for her work with Tonglen meditation which works with love and compassion for healing self and others.

Some say that how the house adds up to a single digit has some significance, like if it’s an 11 then a 2. Or a 13 then a 4. I’m not sure about this, but anything is possible. I’d love to hear from you if you have experience with a particular house number and if the quality or vibe described here resonates with you.