This section of our guide will teach you how to calculate the Life Path. In numerology, the Life Path number shows us the natural talents and abilities that we were born with and what we have the innate ability to achieve – often without training. This number is the most important number in your numerology chart. It indicates what you are now or were born with, while your destiny number indicates what you must strive to become.
You will find as you delve deeper into Numerology that different numerologists may use different names to refer to the same calculation. For instance, your life path may also be refered to as birth path or birth force. Regardless of the name used for this number, the way it applies to your life remains the same.
The Life Path is calculated by adding the month, day and year of your birth.
We would caculate his life path as follows:
8 + 1 + 2 +1+ 9 = 6 + 8 = 35
again, because we can’t have a double digit number, we reduce the sum of these numbers by adding the two numbers in 35, which gives us:
3 + 5 = 8
This means that John’s life path number is an 8.
Life Path 1
People with a Life Path of 1 are natural born leaders. If you are a Life Path 1, you can be extremely determined and self motivated and won’t let anything stand in your way of accomplishing a goal. Your drive allows you to overcome any obstacle or challenge you may encounter, and you have the desire to accomplish great things with your life. You are very independent and feel the need to make up your own mind about things and follow your own personal convictions. All this drive and determination means that you can easily become irritated when things don’t go your way. Because of these qualities you are well suited to self employment and can be happiest being your own boss. A Life Path of 1 also means that you may posess the qualities to be a political or military leader.
Innovation and creativity also are characteristics associated with a Life Path of 1. You are very good at starting new projects, and often take a unique or inventive approach to solving problems.
On the negative side, if you are a Life path 1 you can have a tendency to be self centered, egotistical and demanding. Because you feel a strong desire to be number one and to appear successful, you can easily become arrogant or boastful. Though you excel as a leader, you may have a difficult time being a follower, which can cause you to be quite unhappy if you are in a situation where you are not in charge. While you are great at starting projects, you quickly tire of detailed tasks.
Life Path 2
People with a Life Path 2 are natural peacemakers. If you have a Life Path of 2, you are extremely sensitive to others and have the ability to truly listen. You are sincere, honest and open and see the best in people. Because of your sensitivity, gentleness and loving spirit, you make an excellent friend or lover.
Because you see all viewpoints in any situation, people may often look to you to be a mediator in any argument. You handle difficult situations with grace and tend to be persuasive rather than forceful when trying to get your point across.
Your sensitivity can also in some ways be your downfall. Many people with a Life Path of 2 are oversensitive, shy, and afraid to speak their minds. Because you are afraid of being hurt you may avoid confrontation and hold back your opinions. This can cause you to have trouble contributing to a group, and may make you feel resentful because you are witholding your ideas and contributions. You compassion and caring for other people also may cause you to deny your own needs in favor of the needs of others, which can also lead to feelings of resentment or anger.
Good career choices for a Life Path 2 would be counseling, teaching, mediating, customers relations or administration.
Life Path 3
People with a Life Path 3 are creative, optimistic souls. If your Life Path is a 3 you have a very high level of creativity and self expression. This abundance of creative energy could lead you to become a poet, actor, writer, artist or musician. You are extremely optimistic and find the positive in everything around you….sometimes even to the point of being overly optimistic. You tend to live life for today and not worry about tomorrow, partly because you have a hard time taking your responsibilities seriously and partly because your feel so positive about life you figure everything will work itself out fine.
People like to be around you not only because you have a charismatic personality, but also because you are a great listener and are very conscious of other people’s feelings and emotions. You can easily put the people around you at ease and make them feel comfortable. You are extremely generous and giving.
Because you enjoy living life to the fullest, sometimes you may tend to live superficially or have a lack of direction in your life. You also often procrastinate. Financially, you probably aren’t good with money – partly because you are disorganized and partly because you don’t take responsibility too seriously. When you are hurt emotionally you tend to withdraw and become moody, and can sometimes make biting comments to lash out at people around you.
Life Path 4
People with a Life Path 4 are the worker bees of society. If your Life Path is a 4 you are determined, practical and hard working. Down-to-earth is a term that is probably often used to describe you. You find hard work rewarding and don’t look for the easy way to the top or to finding success. Not only do you work hard yourself, but you expect the same from those around you.
Organization is one of your strong points, and you feel better able to tackle challenges if you have a solid plan in place beforehand. You tend to be set in your ways and are drawn to leading an orderly life ie. “a place for everything and everything in its place.”
You have a strong sense of right and wrong, are very honest, and value honesty in others. Your dreams are based in reality and you never question that you will have to work hard to make them come true. Loyal and very dependable, you make an excellent friend or partner, though you may have just a small circle of friends.
On the negative side, you can be so set in your ways that you can often come across as stubborn, rigid or too serious. You also have a tendancy to overlook tact and let your true feelings be known to all those around you, which can sometimes turn other people away from you. You are extremely cautious and don’t deviate much from your master plan, and because of this sometimes may miss opportunities that arise because you don’t act on them quickly enough.
Life Path 5
People with a Life Path 5 value freedom above all else. If your Life Path is a 5 you are a curious adventurer constantly seeking change and variety in life. You love meeting new people, trying new things, living life for today. Your curiousity leads you to constantly try to find the answers to life’s questions. Conservative is a word that is probably never used to describe you as you love taking risks and hate routine or repetition.
5′s are very persuasive and excel at motivating people which makes them ideal candidates to become salesmen. Any career requiring travel is also an great fit for you if you are a Life Path 5 since it keep you away from the routine of many other jobs. You are also very versatile, which makes many other career choices suitable for you.
Your love of freedom extends beyond concern only for your own freedom, and you have a genuine concern for the freedom and welfare of others. You are extremely compassionate.
Because you are always seeking the next adventure, your life can lack direction. You may feel a sense of restlessness if you are stuck in a mundane or repetitive way of life. This can cause you to be discontent and impatient unless you are constantly on the go. Your focus on adventure and your curiousity can also distract you and keep your from being aware of the feelings of those around you.
Life Path 6
People with a Life Path 6 are incredible nurturers. If you Life Path is a 6 you are an excellent caretaker and provider. You life revolves around home and family, and your parenting instincts are very strong. You enjoy being of service to others, and this is especially true with your family and friends. The word domestic most likely describes you well.
You are very understanding, compassionate, responsible and reliable. Your tendency is to be a humanitarian and you feel a genuine devotion to the welfare of your fellow human beings. You are community oriented and willing to give of your time and talents to promote the greater good.
Your compassion and understanding make you a great candidate for a career in teaching or caregiving, and you are (or could be) an excellent parent.
As a 6 you should keep an eye on yourself as you may become self-righteous and critical of others. Because you are so giving you might have a tendancy become a slave to others and neglect your own needs in the process. Because you thrive on supporting others you may sometimes find it difficult to find a balance between helping and meddling. You may also become an enabler for someone who needs taking care of in a relationship (or with a child) and not allow them to experience life or learn its lessons.
Life Path 7
A person who is a Life Path 7 is a thinker. If your Life Path is a 7 you are wise and studious. You seek truth and wisdom in all that you do, and search for the underlying answers in everything. Your tendency is to be a perfectionist, and you expect the same from those around you. Others may see you as eccentric.
You are most comfortable by yourself – a loner or introvert. You happily give up the stress and turmoil of a busy life in favor of a quiet, peaceful life of solitude. 7 is a spiritual number, and most 7′s are drawn to spiritual pursuits. Once you have committed to a certain spirituality you devote yourself to it completely.
Your love of solitude can make it difficult for you to form close relationships. While you value your independence you may often feel lonely or isolated because you lack closeness with others. Because you spend so much time alone, you may lose your consideration for others and become inflexible. One of the challenges for you is to find a balance between maintaining your solitude while not becoming completely isolated.
Because of your intelligence and wisdom, you have the potential to do great things with your life if you stay focused. Good career choice for a 7 would be to become a scientist, researcher or inventor.
Life Path 8
People with a Life Path 8 are born with natural leadership skills. If your Life Path is an 8 you are very ambitious and goal oriented. You have strong organizational skills and broad vision which make you successful in business.
You thrive on hard work, and more than any other Life Path number are prone to becoming a workaholic. You are very good with money and your work ethic makes it possible for you to aquire wealth. This pursuit of materialistic gains can hold some pitfalls for you including a tendency to become unscrupulous in your efforts to make money, or to neglect your family and loved ones while working to earn money.
You are a good judge of character and attract the right kinds of people to work with you toward your vision. This makes you a natural executive, and excellent in the business or political arena. You have a need for success, and a strong desire to be recognized for your achievements. Good career choices for an 8 are politics, business, real estate or finance.
Because you consider status very important you may be tempted to live above your means. You should also pay special attention to telling and showing your loved ones that you care – being a good provider isn’t the only way of doing this.
Life Path 9
People with a Life Path 9 are humanitarians. If your Life Path is a 9 you have an extremely strong sense of compassion and generosity. You are selfless and helping others is very important to you. You not only want to help others, but you feel very deeply for those less fortunate than yourself.
You are friendly and people like you. Your generosity knows no bounds, and you give freely of your money, time and energy. Your ultimate goal is working toward a better world.
Artistic flair is something most 9′s possess, and you may be well suited for a career in the arts. You are multi-talented, so other good career choices would include becoming a healer, teacher or minister.
Because you are so giving you may find that your finances are not in the greatest shape. You may also have a tendancy to be scattered – your talents lie in so many different directions that you may find it difficult to focus on just one. If you are not following your Life Path and are instead pursuing materialistic gains, you could fee a deep level of dissatisfaction with yourself.