Numerology: our method, rule by rule, and what other schools do
Numerologists do not all work the same way. Here is each of Lunarie’s choices, what others do, and what difference it makes, with computed figures.
| Point | What Lunarie does | What other schools do |
|---|---|---|
| Letter values | Pythagorean table: A, J, S = 1 ... I, R = 9. | Chaldean numerology has its own table; some count K = 11 and V = 22. |
| Accents and ligatures | Removed: É = E, Ç = C, Œ = OE. | One published table gives accented letters their own value. |
| The letter Y | Always a vowel. | Vowel or consonant depending on how it sounds (Decoz). |
| Which name | Every first name on the birth certificate and the birth surname. | The everyday first name alone, or the married name. |
| Name numbers | Each word reduced, then the words added and the total reduced. | All the letters added in one go. |
| Life path | Every digit of the date added; the other result is shown when it differs. | Day, month and year reduced separately (Decoz, numerology.com); or day + month + year written out and added. |
| Master numbers | 11, 22 and 33, kept for core numbers and pinnacles, never for challenges. | 11 and 22 only; or flagged then reduced. |
| Karmic debts | 13, 14, 16 or 19 as the last total of a core number. | At any step; or “debt” for a digit missing from the name. |
| Personal year | Calendar year, from 1 January; the other school is shown when it differs. | From birthday to birthday. |
| Pinnacles | The first ends at 36 minus the life path reduced to one digit, then two nine-year periods. | The sources consulted agree. |
| Life cycles | The first ends at the first personal year 1 that begins after the 27th birthday (Decoz), the second lasts 27 years. | The first ends around 36 minus the life path. |
| Planes of expression | Not computed: we found no published, checkable table. | Letters split into physical, mental, emotional and intuitive (Decoz). |
Life path: 22 or 4? 11 or 2?
Three methods are in use. The first adds every digit of the date. The second reduces the day, month and year first, then adds them. The third writes out day + month + year and adds. They often agree, but not always, and it is almost always a master number that appears on one side and vanishes on the other.
Over the 38,717 dates from 1920 to 2025, adding every digit and reducing by part give a different life path for 5,139 dates (13.27%). Counting the written-out sum too, at least two methods disagree for 8,283 dates (21.39%).
| Date | Every digit (Lunarie) | By part | Written-out sum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 January 1990 | 22 | 4 | 22 |
| 28 April 1968 | 38 → 11 | 11 | 2 |
| 21 October 1980 | 22 | 13 → 4 (debt 13) | 4 |
| Life path | Every digit (Lunarie) | By part | Written-out sum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11.12% | 11.12% | 11.12% |
| 2 | 2.68% | 4.71% | 6.58% |
| 3 | 11.11% | 11.11% | 11.11% |
| 4 | 7.90% | 7.98% | 5.39% |
| 5 | 11.11% | 11.11% | 11.11% |
| 6 | 6.54% | 10.35% | 11.11% |
| 7 | 11.11% | 11.11% | 11.11% |
| 8 | 11.11% | 11.11% | 11.11% |
| 9 | 11.11% | 11.11% | 11.11% |
| 11 | 8.44% | 6.41% | 4.54% |
| 22 | 3.21% | 3.13% | 5.72% |
| 33 | 4.57% | 0.75% | never |
Lunarie keeps the sum of every digit and shows you the other result when it differs. We never pick whichever method gives the most flattering number.
Karmic debts: how many dates
A karmic debt shows up on the life path for 8.01% of dates with Lunarie’s method, 24.90% by part, 12.58% with the written-out sum. The “almost half of all charts” you read elsewhere includes name numbers and cannot be checked from dates alone.
Glossary
| Français | English |
|---|---|
| Chemin de vie | Life path |
| Nombre d’expression | Expression number (destiny number) |
| Nombre intime | Soul urge number (heart’s desire) |
| Nombre de personnalité, ou de réalisation | Personality number |
| Jour de naissance | Birthday number |
| Année, mois et jour personnels | Personal year, month and day |
| Année universelle | Universal year |
| Sommets, ou réalisations | Pinnacles |
| Défis | Challenges |
| Cycles de vie | Life cycles, periods |
| Dette karmique | Karmic debt |
| Leçon karmique | Karmic lesson |
| Grille d’inclusion | Inclusion chart |
| Nombre de maturité | Maturity number |
| Nombre d’équilibre | Balance number |
| Nombre actif, nombre héréditaire | No common English name: first name, surname |
What numerology cannot do
It predicts no event and says nothing about your health, your money or the future of a relationship. It is not a recognised science but a symbolic tradition: the numbers give you words to think about yourself, nothing more.