The One and the Many: Fun with Math!

Numerology may teach things about numbers that your math teacher never did, but it’s actually from basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) that we begin to learn something of the intriguing nature of numbers and what they reveal about reality. Here is a quick glimpse into the world of number gymnastics through the 1 and the 9—get out your calculator and play along, then see what else you can discover!

1: The One

The interaction of the number 1 with itself and with all other numbers demonstrates unity and wholeness, the “oneness” that connects all life.

The 1 is self-contained, creating itself whether multiplied or divided. It can grow no larger or smaller, as it already is—and always will be—everything!

The 1 is the source, the basic element from which all other numbers are created, carrying us from one to the next. Each new number is built on the unity of the previous one.

Anything multiplied or divided by 1 remains the same. The 1, reflecting its wholeness and completeness, is contained in all other numbers, and it does not alter nor reduce them.

Nine 1s multiplied by nine 1s gives us a fascinating result: an ascending/descending run through all of the single integers. The 1 is truly the singular source of everything else! Here we also begin to see the close relationship between the 1 and the 9.

9: The Many

The 9, the culmination of the single digit numbers, reflects back the wholeness of the 1, clueing us in to the cyclical nature of numbers. Any number, no matter how large, can be summed down to a single digit from 1–9, and so it seems that all of creation is contained within these numbers. The 9 completes the circle, bringing us back to the beginning.

All multiples of 9 ultimately equal 9—the 9 is perfectly complete in itself. The multiples also create a pattern of ascending and descending runs through all the integers, showing the 9’s intimate connection to all the other numbers.

Any single digit divided by 9 results in a repeating decimal of itself. Like the 1, the 9 does not alter the true nature of the number. Instead, it seems to introduce infinity…

Throughout human history, students of numbers have investigated patterns such as these for clues into the nature of reality. Numbers teach of unity, cycles, and interconnection, hinting at the order behind creation.

What patterns do you see?