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The Symbolism of the Number 6 in Pythagorean Philosophy and Culture
A survey of the Pythagorean school: the claim that number underlies reality, the tetractys, and how later writers reshaped the legacy of Pythagoras.
Number Symbolism
What numbers meant, and why people saw patterns.
A cultural and historical guide to number symbolism: what Pythagorean, Chinese, biblical, Norse, Greek and other traditions believed about numbers.
154 in-depth guides
18 topics
Oct 2026 latest guide
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The Enigmatic Number 1 and Its Presence in Folklore and Mythology
A history of ideas about one as the origin, the single god and the first principle, from creation myths and early philosophy to monotheism, as belief.
The Cultural Impact of the Number 8 in Chinese and Feng Shui Culture
An overview of Chinese number symbolism: how sound-alike words, yin-yang ideas and Feng Shui shaped the lucky eight and unlucky four, framed as cultural belief.
The Significance of the Number 7 in Ancient Cultures
A survey of sevenfold groupings in the ancient world: the seven planets, the seven-day week, the Seven Sages and Hebrew Bible patterns, and where they came from.
The Symbolism of the Number 0 in Eastern and Western Cultures
How Sanskrit shunya and Buddhist emptiness differ from the long Western unease with the void, and why zero's symbolism is cultural and philosophical.
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Philosophy, Form and Folklore
Ideas about number in geometry, philosophy and folk belief.
Traditions Around the World
How specific cultures and religions treated numbers.
Chinese Lucky Numbers Homophones, Feng Shui and auspicious numbers in Chinese culture and business. 7 guides Ancient Near East and Mediterranean Numbers in Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Norse sources. 9 guides Dharmic Thought, Duality and Zero Hindu, Buddhist and dualist ideas about numbers, and the story of zero. 8 guides Numbers in Indigenous and Regional Traditions Number ideas of the Americas, West Africa, Persia and Japan. 9 guides
Numerology and Astrology
The history and claims of modern number belief systems.
Numerology Core Digits What numerology claims about the digits one to four, and where those claims came from. 9 guides Spiritual Numbers: Five, Seven, Zero How five, seven and zero are described in spiritual and numerological writing. 8 guides Astrology and Master Numbers Twelve, ten, zero and master numbers in astrology and modern numerology. 4 guides
Counting, Numerals and Mathematics
How numbers were written, spoken, counted and studied across history.
Numeral Systems Through History How Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Babylonians and Indian scholars wrote numbers. 9 guides Counting Systems and Bases Tally marks, knotted cords, abaci and the different bases people counted in. 9 guides Number Words and Language Where number names come from and how languages shape counting. 10 guides Mathematical Curiosities in History Famous sequences, ratios and puzzles that gave numbers a reputation. 10 guides
Scripture, Letters and Calendars
Numbers in sacred texts, alphabets used as numerals, and calendars of the world.
Numbers in Jewish and Biblical Texts Counted periods, letter values and numerical motifs in Hebrew scripture and its commentary. 10 guides Numbers in Christian and Islamic Tradition Numerical doctrine, devotion and allegory in Christian and Islamic writing. 10 guides Calendars and Cycles of Time How weeks, months and long cycles gave particular numbers a place in culture. 10 guides
Customs, Luck and Everyday Belief
Lucky and unlucky numbers, rituals and ordinary customs built around counting.