Kabbalistic vs Western numerology is one of the questions Shira Hilel hears most often. The Western method was built for the Latin alphabet and reads your name in Latin letters. Shira works with a different method, Kabbalistic numerology, which reads the name in Hebrew letters and draws on gematria. In this article you will see exactly where the two methods meet and where they part ways.
What is the Western method?
The Western method is the numerology that most English-language books and websites teach. It was built for the Latin alphabet, and much of the numerology taught in Israel is a direct translation of it from English.
Principles of the Western method
Every number is a single digit
Like all numerology, the Western method is based on the single numbers from 1 to 9, each with its own personality, energy and meaning.
Master numbers
In the Western method too, just as in the Kabbalistic method, 11, 22 and 33 are master numbers: numbers with heightened power and a special mission. Read more about master number 11, master number 22 and master number 33.
The link between letters and numbers
In the Western method, each letter of the Latin alphabet is linked to one of the numbers from 1 to 9, so every name has its own numerological number.
Your numbers in the Kabbalistic method are found by Shira's calculator in 30 seconds at the numerology calculator, as a free peek. The full calculation method, step by step, Shira teaches in her course, Bereshit HaMispharim (The Genesis of Numbers).
The Destiny number in the Western method
The Destiny number (Life path) comes from your date of birth, exactly as in Kabbalistic numerology, where you add all the digits of the date of birth and keep 11, 22 and 33. It is the central number that reveals your purpose and your traits. The full rule, with an example, is in how to calculate your life path number.
Want the exact number? The calculator at hilel.link works it out for you in seconds, with no tables and no manual work.
The name number: here is the difference
The most significant difference between the Western method and Hebrew Kabbalistic numerology is in the name number.
In the Western method
The name is written in Latin letters, and the numerological number is derived from them.
In Kabbalistic numerology
The name is written in Hebrew. Each letter gets a value from 1 to 9 according to the order of the Hebrew alphabet, and the name number is derived from that. Alongside it, the full gematria of the name is calculated too.
Note: the same name can give a different number in each method. That is not a contradiction, it is looking from different angles. Shira's calculator shows you both results. To go deeper into how names work, see name numerology.
The meaning of the numbers 1 to 9
In both methods every number has traits and a personality, and the basic meanings are very similar:
- 1, the one. The beginning, the source, leadership, unity.
- 2, the pair. Duality, opposites, partnership. The potential for conflict, but also for balance.
- 3, the trio. The first wholeness: beginning, middle and end. Creativity, expression, joy.
- 4, the four. Stability, the four winds, four seasons, four legs. Building, order, reliability.
- 5, the five. The human being, five fingers, five senses. Change, freedom, experience.
- 6, the six. Harmony and wholeness, the sum of the first three numbers (1+2+3). Love, responsibility, beauty.
- 7, the seven. A holy number, seven days, the seven strings of the lyre. Wisdom, spirituality, inquiry.
- 8, the eight. Infinity: an 8 on its side is the symbol of infinity. Power, abundance, cycles.
- 9, the nine. Completion, 3 squared. Compassion, endings, broad wisdom.
To see how each of these plays out as a Destiny number, read life path 1 through life path 9.
Kabbalistic vs Western numerology: the differences
Here is the comparison in brief, between the Western method and the Kabbalistic numerology Shira works with:
- The letters of the name: in the Western method the name is written in Latin letters, and each letter gets a value from 1 to 9. In Kabbalistic numerology the name is read in Hebrew, and each letter gets a value from 1 to 9 in the cycle of the Hebrew alphabet: Alef to Tet are 1 to 9, Yod is 1 again, and so on.
- Gematria: the Western method has no gematria. In the Kabbalistic method Shira also looks at the full value of the name, from 1 to 400, which connects it to Jewish tradition.
- The Destiny number: in both methods it comes from the date of birth. In Shira's method you add all the digits and keep 11, 22 and 33.
- The personal year: in many Western sources it changes on January 1. In Shira's Kabbalistic method it changes on your birthday, and it always comes out between 1 and 9.
- Additional layers: the Kabbalistic method includes a relationship block, a love magnet, an abundance block, an energetic code and a personal Psalm chapter based on your name and your mother's name. The Western method does not have them. All of these are explained in the soul map complete guide.
Advantages of the Western method
- International: works with any language written in Latin letters.
- Simple: values from 1 to 9 only, easy to remember.
- Widespread: most books and websites in the world use it.
Advantages of Kabbalistic numerology
- Deep: alongside the values from 1 to 9 there is full gematria, with values up to 400.
- Connected to tradition: thousands of years of Kabbalistic knowledge.
- Precise for Hebrew: if your name is in Hebrew, it is read the way your parents chose it.
- Additional layers: blocks, magnets and a Psalm chapter that do not exist in the Western method.
Shira's recommendation
If you speak Hebrew and your name is in Hebrew, go for Kabbalistic numerology. It reads the name in its own letters and is connected to the depth of the language. If you want to check your name in Latin letters as well, the Western method can be an interesting complement.
The roots of Kabbalistic numerology
The idea that every number has meaning is shared by both methods. In the Western method, the table of Latin letters and the master numbers were added only in modern times.
Kabbalistic numerology grows from a different place: from the Hebrew letters and from gematria, which has accompanied Jewish tradition for thousands of years. The Book of Formation (Sefer Yetzirah) describes the creation of the world through 22 letters and 10 sefirot, and from this comes the idea that a person's name carries power, frequency and direction. That is the heart of the method Shira works with.
Discover your numbers
At hilel.link you can calculate the Hebrew gematria and your Destiny number in Shira's Kabbalistic method, which draws on the depth of Hebrew gematria. Open the calculator for a free peek, or receive Shira's maps by email. For an in-depth professional reading, book a personal consultation. Just starting out? Read numerology for beginners.
*Shira Hilel, master of numerology, channeling and Psalms readings*