PS/SS:CH1:NUMBERS AND NUMEROLOGY

There are lots of numbers in the Harry Potter septology (even the choice of writing a septology is significant), and most, if not all of them have some symbolic meaning. There are some good websites out there for researching Numerology, as well as other pagan and Christian "symbolic numbers". One site I use (but not the only one) is http://www.astrology-numerology.com/numerology.html. In these posts I will list every mention of a number I can find, even if it proves to be meaningless!

Personally, I think Numerology (and everything else spiritual) is basically bollocks, but hey, that's just my humble opinion. ;) However, in the Potterverse Numerology, or Arithmancy, is quite real and important, so we must explore this territory!

PS/SS, Chapter One covers some of the events that happened on November 1st, 1981.

October 31, 1981 (implied) -- It's Halloween, for one thing. Voldemort killed Harry's parents that night and tried to kill Harry as well. Was anyone else there with Voldemort, we don't know yet, but it's possible.

November 1, 1981 -- the day Hagrid picks Harry up from the rubble (of the house where the Potters were hiding) and brings him to the Dursleys. There is much celebration in the wizarding world, yet there is also mourning for the loss of Lily and James Potter. We don't know what happened to Harry between Voldemort's attempt to kill him and Hagrid's arrival. Besides the fact that Hagrid ran into Sirius and borrowed his motorcycle, we don't know what else happened before, while, or after Hagrid was at the house/ruins in Godric's Hollow. Any ideas on this are welcome, but I will talk about other characters and their possible roles later (P.P., S.S., C.F., etc.)

1981, the year itself -- This happens to be a Personal Year 3 for Harry, or at least it's supposed to be. We know he was born July 31st, 1980. July = 7, 31 gets reduced to 4, and 1981 -> 19 -> 10 -> 1. 7 + 4 + 1 = 12 -> 3. Personal Year 3 is supposed to be for "Social expansion & creative successes" (according to http://www.astrology-numerology.com/num-personalyear.html#3). The detailed explanation that follows on that site makes no sense for Harry, though, since he's about to be socially and creatively squashed by the Dursleys. Also, his finances are supposed to be in ruin (or poor), according to Personal Year 3, but we later learn that his parents had opened an account with Gringott's in his name, so he actually came into money that year, even though he was unable to touch it (he's just a baby).... It's like Voldemort, by acting on the partial prophecy, turned Harry's personal year on it's head, causing the exact opposites to happen.

Vernon's 9th floor office -- 9 is a very important number, mathematically, which seems to explain why it's also believed to be a particulary strong number spiritually. Here I'll give the briefest summary I can manage without going into it's mathematical properties, but I might actually dedicate a post to the number 9. 9 is neat - there's just so much you can do with it. :) Cultures differ on their views of the number 9. The Chinese think it's lucky. It sounds like the chinese word for "longlasting" and they associate it with the Chinese dragon, which is, unlike the general Western concept of dragons, a very good sign indeed. However, the Japanese word for nine sounds like their word for "pain". To the Buddists, 9 is important to rituals because their word nine, gao, also means "to develop or progress". The Mayan concept of the Underworld has nine levels, the ninth, called Metnal, consisting of eternal suffering, cold, and darkness. Celtic myth tells of 9 hazel trees that drop their nuts into the Well of Wisdom. People who drink the water or eat the salmon from the waters that flow through it are blessed with wisdom and inspiration. Hebrews consider nine to be a symbol of immutable truth. In numerology, "9['s] Positive Traits: Heartily friendly and congenial, a hail-fellow, humanitarian instincts, a giving nature, selflessness, obligations, creative expression, readily influenced to do good works, artistic and writing talents. 9['s] Negative Traits: Self-adulation, scattered interests, possessiveness, moodiness, careless with finances, wanting peer attention." (http://www.astrology-numerology.com/num-keywords.html). The number 9 could be important for us scientifically, too. Fluorine has the atomic number 9. I'll talk more about fluorine in my "9" post, however I do wish to mention that fluorine was used to help molten metals flow better. Latin fluere means " to flow". So, what am I getting at with all these different bits of info? Well, I think Vernon's personality has steered him away from all the positive aspects of the number 9. He's moody and wants peer attention. He doesn't seem to grasp the difference between basic knowledge and wisdom, he avoids inspiration and creativity because it takes imagination, and he denies the truth (can't come to terms with the wizarding world or anything else outside of his comprehension). Though he can't tell, he's at a dead end, a spritual hell on earth. It's like Metnal, and if you make an anagram, you could say it's "mental". take Metnal again, but remove one letter and you have "metal". As I mentioned in a previous post, Vernon works at the drill plant, Grunnings. There is a lot of alchemical arrested devolopment to Vernon's personality, and therefore to his life, if that makes any sense. I mean he won't progress or improve (spiritually) in life because he refuses to change.

Vernon yelled at five people that day -- 5 is another important number, not just to math but also to Pagan and Judeo-Christian faiths. 5 just might deserve it's own post, too.... According to http://www.astrology-numerology.com/num-keywords.html again, "5['s] Positive Traits: Expansiveness, new and visionary ideas, quick thinking, versatile and ever-changing, action oriented, curious and exploring, promoting, resourceful in using freedom constructively. 5['s] Negative Traits: Restless, discontent, edgy temperament and speech, dissatisfaction, too many hasty decisions, impatience, lacking in application." Vernon actually fights against all of 5's positive traits!

Half past 8, so Vernon's shift probably starts at 9AM -- pretty typical for a desk job...routine, "normal". It just happens to be another 9.

Vernon's day ends at 5PM -- once again, very Dursley-ish. Working 9-5. Boring, dull, ho-hum...and it's another 5.... In his case, 9's and 5's represent what he could be if he accepted the reality of the Potterverse. He has no clue what a rut he's stuck in....

Dumbledore's arrival at 12 midnight -- We're going to see so many 12s in this series. 12 is particulary important to Pagan and Judeo-Christian beliefs, just like 5. I predict a later post about the number 12.... Specifically about Dumbledore's travel, 12 might be magically important, especially midnight, since it's the start of a new day and might represent a doorway into another realm.

Dumbledore's nose apparently broken at least twice -- not sure if the number matters here, but I'm listing just to be thorough. Sounds like Dumbledore's been in some fisticuffs, Muggle-style, or perhaps he's been the victim of a couple too many Rumpovultus hexes.... Er, okay, so I made that one up, but it sounds good to me for a spell "to break the face".... ;) Maybe it's just genetics?

Put-Outer used 12 times -- There's that 12 again.

Dumbledore claims to have passed a dozen parties along the way -- Besides the obvious 12 again, how exactly does one "pass" parties while apparating? Did he stop at any of these celebrations? Where else did he go that day?

There's been little to celebrate for 11 years -- but here, on the 12th year...something to celebrate! Apparently that's how long Voldemort's initial reign of terror lasted - 12 years.

12 hands on the "watch" -- uh-hmm.... What do these 12 hands represent? People? Places? Something else? What's with all those little planets, too? Is the watch a way of telling time, finding people, or divination?

A single (1) flick of the Put-Outer returns the light to the street lamps -- this is probably meaningless, except to show that one doesn't have to return lights to the lamps individually.