V

Numbers In Space

The Numerical Tarot Deck is a manifest entity. Like all manifest entities, it has its place in space... three dimensional space. The Numerical Tarot is used to illustrate the stages of a number line, which is used to label the parts of a theoretical model of existence. Below is a diagram to illustrate how a simple number line can be seen as a three dimensional entity in space.

Use this diagram with The Amazing Name Numerology Calculator and the Personality Questionnaire, to locate your personality type within the Minor Suits of The Numerical Tarot Deck. There are only 5 basic personality types, but when subdivided by the Minor Suits, you get a whole lot more!

In three dimensional space, different directions of orientation suggest different forms of human perception and expression:

Some people are verbal. Some people are visual.
Some people are active. Some people are passive.
Some people are physical. Some people are emotional.
Some people are gregarious. Some people are detached.

If we think of a tarot deck as an entity in space, then the same can be said for every card in The Numerical Tarot Deck. The chart below shows how a deck of tarot cards - or anything else for that matter - can be subdivided into successive binary opposites, to reveal a cumulative effect upon the character of each card - or anything else for that matter. Up/Down, Left/Right, Front/Back, In/Out... abstract concepts with no cultural bias, and yet, they speak volumes!

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Undulations and Alternations

Everything vibrates. Physicists are currently speculating that the basic building block of everything is vibrating strings. The model of existence being put forth on this site is no different - it too vibrates. In more than one place we have mentioned how the infinite inbetween state of the number 5 - positioned at the middle of the number line as a representation of the center of a three dimensional model - fluctuates between the two sides of the number line. This fluctuation is endless, for the life of an entity. Fluctuations are how we measure time and detect motion. Time can be broken down into any number of increments - an epoch, an era, a season, or a moment. Motion can be fast or slow.

If we look down the middle column of the Numbers in Space chart, we will notice several descriptive words to help in understanding the basic essence of each stage. Some of those words are about the vibrating nature of existence, some are about the alternating nature of manifest things being influenced by the vibrating cycles of nature. For example, the cycle of seasons takes a year to complete... but the duration of a single event in someone's life might only take a fraction of that time... while the individual steps taken during that single event, will take even less time. As an event in time, the number line is equipped to address all types of cycles, events and steps... or phases of development. Cycles come in waves. Each undulation of a wave confirms the binary, dualistic nature of our existence. The Numbers in Space chart, and the Grammatical Terms that help define it, are designed to describe these binary, dualistic undulations of life. For more on how the number line can describe moments in time, read the essay A Significant Signature of Nature elsewhere on this site.

Everything vibrates. Physicists are currently speculating that the basic building block of everything is vibrating strings. The model of existence being put forth on this site is no different - it too vibrates. The cycle of seasons takes a year to complete. The duration of a single event in someone's life might only take a fraction of that time. The individual steps taken during that single event, will take even less. As an event in time, the number line is equipped to address all types of cycles, events, phases and steps.

If we look down the center of the Numbers in Space chart again, we will also see words that should be familiar to any student of journalism: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. These are basic parameters of context that anyone writing content for others to understand should know and use. For a journalist, it is not always possible to answer all of these questions for any given report. But in those instances where all these questions are answered, context is well established, and content is more likely to be understood, relevant to the established context. Also useful for establishing context are the words Mood, Measure, Mode, Method, Manner and Means. Elsewhere on this site there are a couple of fun little gadgets that reduce this enormous Numbers in Space Chart to a much more simple set of ideas that anyone can use to calculate the binary influence of these undulations and alternations of nature upon a human (see The Dream Analysis Calculator elsewhere on this site). One gadget is meant to be folded several times to zero in on one particular Quintagram. The other gadget just presents the five categories as choices to make in determining the binary influence of any subject. In that gadget, the increase or decrease of cycles is used to define Measure of Inclination toward the light or dark of a situation. The idea of different Modes of thought is used to describe the Left-Brained vs. Right-Brained dominant modes of thinking about a subject. Method of Presentation describes how an event in time occurs - its cause vs. effect, or affect. Manner of Orientation describes another type of thinking by separating introspective, vs. extrospective. And Means of Exection describes the active vs. passive ways with which to approach anything, and the ways in which things happen or don't happen.

Content + Context = Meaning. In some cases though, we will find people who don't want to define context or content to others around them, because they want the meaning of things to remain amorphous, ambiguous and multivalent. To some, defining anything in any way at all, only leads to psychic impoverishment, as the definition of things only serves to destroy that person's ability to see everything in life as personal expressions of the self meant only for the self. This is of course a choice that people make based on personal preferences. In point of fact, nothing is really destroyed by definition, only changed, altered or viewed in a different - but still viable - way. To say that something is destroyed by definition is to make a personal preference known with extreme prejudice - an extreme prejudice that ultimately reveals a lopsided approach to thinking. In fact, neither approach is any better than the other, each is a tool for doing a particular job. We should not vilify one in expressing our personal preference for the other.

For a journalist, it is not always possible to answer all of these questions for any given report, but in those instances where all these questions are answered, context is well established, and content is more likely to be understood, relevant to that context.

The diagram above shows how the undulations and alternations of a number line define context... that is... for those who want to define context... so that the content they present to others has a knowable meaning outside of their own brain. Up and Down, Left and Right, Front and Back, In and Out are now translated into Circle and Square to differentiate between the cyclic undulations and binary alternations that ultimately answer the questions of Who, What, Where, When, Why and How... or Mood, Measure, Mode, Method, Manner and Means. These parameters of context are then simplified even further by describing them with a simple line that is either solid or open - similar to the I Ching... except, producing a Quintagram, instead of a Hexagram.

Here is another way of looking at the idea of multiple divisions at various resolutions of wave frequency.

In this system, a Quintagram points to a universal, archetypal context! Whether or not something is defined as fitting that context is determined by the subjective perceptions of individuals answering the journalistic questions of Who, What, Where, When, Why and How... or Mood, Measure, Mode, Method, Manner and Means. If we do not want meaning to be understood by anyone but our self, do not answer these questions of context. If we do want meaning to be understood, by someone other than our self, then please do answer these questions of context. For more on the importance of context, consult the essay Content + Context = Meaning elsewhere on this site.

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The Situation At This Time

Each card in the Numerical Tarot deck has a character that is determined - in part - by the cumulative influence of multiple binary undulations and alternations that make up the cycles of life. Terms of context are one way of describing these various levels of vibration. If we look down the center of the Numbers In Space chart one more time, we will notice that we also have a listing of grammatical terms. These are grammatical terms that were invented specifically for The Numerical Tarot, and the All Things Are Numbers approach to semantics (see Why Use Words elsewhere on this site). In conjuction with Up and Down, Left and Right, Front and Back, In and Out, On and Off... and Who, What, Where, When, Why and How... or Mood, Measure, Mode, Method, Manner and Means, the terms Antonym, Coronym, Transonym, Invonym, Proxonym and Varonym help define the relationship of the words we use when attempting to communicate our private, personal meaning to others around us with the use of context.

For a complete explanation of each grammatical term, and why it was necessary to invent them, consult the essay Why Use Words. When you do, you will understand the importance of each term. You will also understand the OPTIONAL line of a Quintagram a bit better. The OPTIONAL line offers abstract notions and metaphors to further clarify the intent of the grammatical term Varonym. A Varonym is where we subjectively decide and determine the relative value of things, as they pertain to a particular person. Thus, upon successful definition of the other five lines of a Quintagram, we are left to optionally determine the subjective Good or Bad of it all. This is of course a personal judgement call. If we prefer to not make such a call, and prefer to see everything in life as a neutral life lesson with no Good or Bad bias, we can ignore the OPTIONAL line. Without the OPTIONAL line, a Quintagram merely points to a universal context, with no good or bad bias associated to it.

So... after we have consulted the Numbers In Space chart, and determined the Investive/Divestive or Quantitative/Qualitative or Effective/Affective bias of a particular number in space, we can optionally make a subjective determination as to how Extreme or Moderate that number might be in the expression of its abstract numerical essence. Again, this is a completely subjective, relative determination - hence the term Varonym, meaning that the intensity can vary with each subjective analysis. Variations on a theme means we are on a spectrum of possibilities. For a deeper understanding of how The Numerical Tarot covers extremes and inbetween with a spectrum of possibilities, consult the essay A Spectrum of Possibilities.

After we determine the Up/Down, Left/Right, Front/Back, In/Out and finally On/Off bias of a particular number, the results of those combined influences are summed up with the simplified Quintagram. Yes, a Quintagram looks very similar to a Hexagram from The I_Ching, but obviously it is not the same. The similarity to the I_Ching is only in its use of a simple line that is either solid or open, to indicate the influence of the various binary possibilities suggested within the Numbers In Space chart, in a most abstract way. A Quintagram is read from left to right. The outer box, whether intact or broken on one or both sides, tells you at a glance, the basic orientation within the Deck Matrix.

The condition of the outer box of a Quintagram tells at a glance where in our grid matrix organization of cards it resides. For more on the creation of a grid matrix of organization consult the essay Evolution of a Deck Design: The Matrix elsewhere on this site.

A solid box = 1, 2, 3, or 4 of either Coins or Staves. A box broken on both sides = 6, 7, 8 or 9 or either Cups or Swords etc.. A number from the first half of Coins or Staves, is usually going to be more physical. A number from the last half of Cups or Swords is usually going to be more emotional. We have to look at the five lines within the box to determine the specifics of each number.

For Example: A number with a broken box on both sides (like the example above) might be more emotional, but if line 5 is solid, we might be able to determine the emotion to be more Dynamic than Pacific. A Dynamic or Active emotion might be one that is felt stronger than a Pacific or Passive emotion. A Dynamic emotion might be more inclined toward eventual action. A Pacific emotion might just be a felt emotion that is not expressed. A Dynamic emotion might be one that can be verbalized when felt. Whereas a Pacific emotion might be more elusive and harder to describe. If line 1 is also solid (as in the example above), the emotional state might be more Investive than Divestive. An Investive emotion is an emotion that tends toward the cultivation of more - something to hold on to. A Divestive emotion is an emotion that tends toward capitulation - letting go.

If you haven't done so already, click on the Quintagram above to see what card it reveals - the 6 of Multiplication or Hearts or Cups. The title of the 6 of X is The Familiar Environment. Keywords on the card include Passion and Prosperity, Nurturing and Nourishing. The verse talks about the benefits of friends. Now look at the illustration Pamela Colman Smith drew on her 6 of Cups. Are those children friends or family? Is that house their home, where they flourish like the flowers in hand? This card is expressing an emotion. It is not a Passive emotion that is hard to describe, it is an Active emotion at the surface. It is not an emotion of capitulation, it is an emotion to hold on to, like our memories of childhood. In the Quintagram for this card, line 2 is broken, making this an intangible emotion prone to implicit rather than explicit expression, meaning more visual than verbal. Line 3 is also broken, meaning that this is an emotion of reaction rather than action, more evocative than provocative. This is the card of the emotional reaction we get when someone is being a friend, or when someone invites us into their family.

Once we've determined that the number is about the emotional reaction of friendship, use varonyms to describe the degree of the emotion. Notice on the 6 of X, from The Numerical Tarot, that the reverse keywords are Addiction and Indulging. When the emotional attachment of friendship or kinship or desire for something that pretends to be a friend becomes too strong, passion turns to addiction, nourishment becomes indulgence. We are always on a spectrum of possibilities, don't ever forget that! Everything is relative, while maintaining the core essential meaning of each number.

For more examples of this process, see the essay Shake the Trees! elsewhere on this site. For a fun little device that can be used to proceed through the Number in Space chart, without having to write down solid and open lines, try the Binary Influence Calculator! For the "Universal Context" or archtypal influence of dreams, try using the Dream Analysis Calculator!

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Hexagrams!

For those who really like the idea of generating Hexagrams rather than Quintagrams, this system can actually accommodate that need. However... it should be noted that the meanings for the Hexagrams that result from this system will not necessarily correlate with the Hexagrams of the more popular system knows as I_Ching. There may be some coincidences where ideas from this system and the I_Ching line up, when a Quintagram uses its optional line to generate a Hexagram. But it should be kept in mind that the Hexagrams generated from this system are not intended to match up with the Hexagrams of I_Ching at all.

When using the optional line, we are expressing our willingness to view things in variable degrees of extreme or moderate, with an implication that most (but not all) instances of extremes are usually considered "bad" by those who accept the idea that anything in life could ever be viewed as good or bad. For those who don't like the ideas of "good" or "bad" the ideas of "moderate" and "extreme" can still be applied as expressions of degree without ever interpreting them in good or bad ways.

When applying the optional "Moderate or Extreme" line to a Quintagram, it can be added to the beginning or the end of the five designated lines of the Quintagram. It can be determined by coin tosses, or... by the upright or reversed orientation of a card in a reading, or... just assessed by the user after seeing what Quintagram has appeared while using the Dream Analysis Calculator. No matter what way it is being determined, it can be made to be the first or last line. In this way, we make it virtually impossible for any of the resulting Hexagrams to be definitively attached to any of the Hexagrams of I_Ching, which is good.

For those who are not adverse to the idea of viewing life's experiences as extreme or moderate in good or bad ways, an optional line can be added to a Quintagram to make it into a Hexagram. However... it should be noted that the resulting Hexagram is not intended to correlate to the Hexagrams of I_Ching at all. In fact... having the option of adding a line to the beginning or the end, and... not knowing whether to rotate the horizontally oriented Quintagram clockwise or counter-clockwise makes any correlation to the Hexagrams of I_Ching a questionable practice... which is good... because it shouldn't be done. But... when a Hexagram is made - by putting the optional line at the beginning, the resulting Hexagram can then be divided into two Trigrams, which then correlate well with the folding down of the Sane or Crazy Quilts seen elsewhere on this site... which are actually expanded copies of The Binary Influence Calculator also seen elsewhere on this site. See another version of this table below.

The optional line can be applied first or last, because it is not numbered, it is optional. Like the zeroes of a number line, this optional line is outside the main body of the Quintagram in question. So it can come first or last, when added. But... if it is placed to the left of the Quintagram in question, where it will then be viewed as "first" in a Hexagraphic sequence of lines, it will correlate well with a couple of things. First... by adding the optional line to the beginning, the resulting Hexagram can be split evenly into two Trigrams, just like a Hexagram of I_Ching. Without the optional line, a Quintagram can still be divided in two, but... the resulting split would be between a Bigram and a Trigram and not Trigram and Trigram. In either case though, as Bigram and Trigram or Trigram and Trigram, the split between sides shows us how the resulting series of binary calculations direct us to two different places. The first Trigram, or Bigram, determines the suit of tarot we are in, while the second Trigram tells us which number along that suit we have found.

As we metaphorically associate the suits to the four seasons of an Earth cycle, and each number of a number line to the four elements of an Earth-like entity, these two Trigrams automatically generate a metaphorical title for each Hex, or Quint -agram. When combined with the outer box that tells us at a glance what our matrix orientation is, we generate a three part title for each Hex, or Quint -agram. In the example given above, the resulting title is: Fire of Summer as Emotion, confirming the positive passions and emotions of friendship just covered in the analysis above. Key words, like Qualitative, Expressive and Inclusive, taken from the Numbers In Space Chart, also help us to rationalize the placement of the concept of friendship with the 6 of Cups. While the two locations of "Fire" and "Summer" are subsequently viewed in a crossing, Warp and Woof way, to reveal the whole grid of possibilities as a giant Quilt of ideas! - the fabric or fiber of our being.

Finally... the other reason for placing the optional line at the beginning of a Hexagraphic sequence of lines is how the resulting binary choice that is being expressed by that additional line fits so well with the layout of the Crazy and/or Sane Quilts presented elsewhere on this site, where all possible upright and reversed instances of all Cards/Quintagrams in this system are displayed on a single grid. The Sane and/or Crazy Quilts are a convenient summary of everything this systems offers, and... like another important device for calculating binary influence - the Binary Influence Calculator seen elsewhere on this site - the Sane and/or Crazy Quilts can also be folded down. Thus... by placing the optional line first, when folding down the Sane and/or Crazy Quilts as a Binary Influence Calculator, we are made to execute three horizontal folds to determine the suit... and three vertical folds to determine the number of that suit, thus recreating the idea of two Trigrams being combined as one to reveal a location within a matrix that represents a Universe of ideas that are ultimately based upon a theoretical model of existence that is meant to reveal a transcendentally archetypal armature of Divine influence upon mortals. Pretty cool.

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The Undulation and Alternation Mandala

Here is a mandala you can use to meditate on this idea of varying frequencies of undulation that reveal the binary rhythms that govern our existence in our universe.

Binary undulations repeat at cosmic speeds. When alternation becomes so fast that sides fuse together as one, unity is achieved at the center. When undulations become so slow that they flatline, unity is achieved at the periphery. The binary universe divides a split unity. A split unity creates the undulations of a binary universe.

There are six main rings. Three rings show wave undulations. Three rings show binary alternation. These rings correspond to the six stages of the Numbers in Space chart above. The outer ring undulates slower than the inner one. A cycle is slower than an event, which is slower than individual steps. Binary undulations repeat at cosmic speeds. When alternation becomes so fast that sides fuse together as one, unity is achieved at the center. When undulations become so slow that they flatline, unity is achieved at the periphery. The binary universe divides a split unity. A split unity creates the undulations of a binary universe.

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Cycles of a Line Mandala

Here is another mandala you can use to meditate on this idea of cycles repeating at various levels of intensity. A number line runs through the middle. The five is infinitesimally absent, leaving eight undulations containing two undulations within - eight numbers, each with a moderate and extreme. Each undulation creates half of a Yin and Yang pair. A cycle of two, becomes four, becomes eight, becomes sixteen. The number line is fractal! The number line as a whole is an entity... and each part of an entity is an entity. All entities, and all parts of all entities are governed by the forces of the model being put forth on this site.

A cycle of two, becomes four, becomes eight, becomes sixteen. The number line is fractal! The number line as a whole is an entity... and each part of an entity is an entity. All entities, and all parts of all entities are governed by the forces of the model being put forth on this site.

The model on this site is designed to describe existence on ALL levels - very large, very small and everything inbetween. Extract a part from the whole, it becomes its own whole, and can be described with the same fundamental, elemental, primordial, transcendental, archetypal patterns being offered elsewhere on this site.

The waves in this mandala are rotated 90 degrees from that of the same waves seen and described above in this essay. Rotate them back the other way if you prefer. Flip the mandala, so that the waves undulate the other way if you prefer. When you get things oriented the way you like, examine the tiny Yin Yang symbols that run around the outer circle. As your eye passes over them, they rotate around and around!

The intertwining of the two outer circles represents the intimate relationship of opposites, as they describe the duality of unity (see Fun with Fibonacci elsewhere on this site).

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The Quintagram/Hexagram Mandala

Here is a square mandala that you can use to figure out which Quintagram is which. It's based on the Sane and/or Crazy Quilt idea of displaying all the possible upright and reversed meanings of every card in the Minor Suits as a single grid of Warp and Woof between seasons and elements.