NumbersBoth words have the full word total of 130, the same as Fundamentals.
The active physical force expressed through the intellect has qualities of
the 40:
Reading. Thinker. Library. Politics. Calculations. Math-
ematics. Listeners.
The closed-in, four-sided square suggests limitations:
Surround. Envelope.
The extremely negative 40 can be very dangerous. It lacks a sense of
humor, takes everything too seriously, and can become violent:
Demolish. Terror. Violence.\ 13 //
The 13 is not as unlucky as most people believe. It is the self (1) using
its creative talents (3) to put ideas into form (4).
The 13 gained a reputation for being unlucky from the fact that Jesus
and his disciples numbered 13, and one of his disciples betrayed him.
Another reason for fear of the 13 was the fact that witches were be-
lieved to have met in groups of 13 to receive orders from their master
(Why Do Some Shoes Squeak?, 396). “Friday the 13th” became an ill
omen because in old England the hangman was paid 13 pence for each
hanging, and that always took place on Friday.
The negative side of 13 comes into evidence mainly through careless-
ness. The 13 must achieve balance between the creative and the material
side. This is because the corresponding letter, M, is in the middle of the
English alphabet (13th), and it has both feet firmly on the ground, main-
taining balance between the spiritual forces at its right and the material
forces at its left, as though it were on a balance board.
In the entire alphabet M is the only letter pronounced with the mouth
closed. It corresponds with the 13th Tarot card, DEATH—a picture of a
skeleton riding on a horse and carrying a flag with an image of the five-
petaled rose that represents the life force. Its meaning is not really to die,
but to change. This may be because the original pagan year consisted of
13 months. It is the aspect of the old dropping away so that the new can
come forth.
As the birth date or name number, 13 says, “Here is someone who is
courageous and willing to lead the way.” Esoterically it represents the
death of a man as a mortal and his rebirth as a disciple who reaches for
the higher consciousness.