When you practice witchcraft, you attempt to influence the flows of energy in the universe. Numbers are an enhancer with which you can strengthen and clarify your willpower, which is the bow that shoots the arrow of your spell.

First, let me explain why your spells depend upon enhancers such as herbs or phases of the moon. Energy flows everywhere like water. It splits into countless currents that sweep us along and toss us into various situations. What sets the energy flows into motion? Almost everything from a tiny individual casting spells to a huge event such as karmic debt being repaid to a population through a mass disaster. As an individual, your small intent can be overwhelmed by stronger influences working at cross-purposes to your spell – however unaware they may be of you. To “boost the signal” on your spell to drown out conflicting influences, you may need an enhancer such as numbers.

Numbers have powerful symbolism throughout most world cultures. Numerology is a form of divination that uses this symbolism. In numerology, numbers assigned to letters of the alphabet are plugged into simple equations that reduce one’s full name and birthdate to a value between 1 and 9 with a metaphysical meaning. Here are the symbolic meanings of numbers in numerology:

Number 1 – Independence, leadership. My interpretation: Use this number for spells involving leaving home, leaving a friendship or relationship, learning to stand on your own, becoming more assertive, and strengthening your willpower to reject a bad habit or learn a good habit.

Number 2 – Balance, partnership. My interpretation: Use this number to attract love and friendship into your life and to reduce friction between yourself and another. Use this number to enhance any mutually beneficial collaboration between you and someone else for business, school, or creative endeavors.

Number 3 – Creativity, communication. My interpretation: Use this number to attract inspiration into your life and to enhance your creative, artistic, and communication skills.

Number 4 – Stability, building, health. My interpretation: Use this number for protection spells, spells to improve your health, spells to bring stability to your life, and spells to help you transform your inspiration from potential into finished product.

Number 5 – Change, fluidity, risk-taking. My interpretation: Use this number in spells of destruction (for example, ridding yourself of bad influences or negative emotions such as anger and hatred), and to invite positive change into your life (for example, opening up through dreams of divination to new opportunities.

Number 6 – Family, community. My interpretation: Use this number in spells promoting harmony and goodwill between groups or groups and the individual.

Number 7 – Spirituality, introspection. My interpretation: Use this number in spells that involve seeking spiritual knowledge, such as connecting with your patron god and goddess.

Number 8 – Power, wealth. My interpretation: Use this number in spells for prosperity and to help you strengthen your skills, whether metaphysical or mundane.

Number 9 – Transformation and completion. My interpretation: In numerology, the number 9 refers to evolution from one spiritual plane to the next, which may not apply to situations outside of divination. When using the number 9 as an enhancer to your spell, think of it as a multiple of the number 3. Number 9 magnifies your energy work with spells that involve creativity, art, inspiration, and communication.

So what do you do with all of this? How do you implement numeric symbolism into your spells? There are many ways to enhance a spell or ritual with numeric symbolism. It may take some trial and error on your part to find what feels right to you. From the list that follows, you can choose only those suggestions that appeal to you, or you can use as many as possible simultaneously for maximum effect. For the purposes of example, assume that we are working with the number 5.

Suggestions:

Candles – Light five candles on your altar.

Chanting – Chant your spell five times.

Essential oils – Use five drops (or a multiple of five such as ten) for anointing, burning, or potions.

Incense – Light five sticks of incense on your altar. Burn incense made of five different herbs.

Motion – Circle your altar five times. Your spell determines whether you go clockwise or counterclockwise.

Objects – Place five objects on your altar that represent destruction or change.

Repetition – Cast your spell every day for five consecutive days.

Time / Day – Cast your spell on the fifth day of the week (Thursday) on the fifth day of the month at 5:00.

Writing – Create a spell that has five verses.

This is only a short list, intended to stimulate your own imagination. Only you can say if an enhancer such as numbers will connect with you and your personal style of spellwork. If you hated math in school or you find numbers to be energetically inert, no worries. You can always work with a different type of enhancer such as herbs, colors, and phases of the moon. The more enhancers with which you are familiar, the more options you have when it comes to witchcraft.

See also my article What Are Wiccan Correspondences? and the CORRESPONDENCES subsection on the Wicca site.

At Amazon.com, you can find a great guide on numerology: The Complete Idiot's Guide Numerology Workbook.

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