© Hans Decoz. 2000.
Updated January 2022. All rights reserved.
Your Life Path begins the moment the curtain opens on your life and sets you on the road you will travel. If ever there was a moment of total transformation, it was the moment of your birth. In that instant you stepped through a door in time into a new reality - the reality of human life.
You took your first step on your Life Path as you entered the physical realm, untouched by this world, not yet influenced, not yet inhibited, free of concepts, expectations, and self-consciousness.
But, even at the moment of your birth, you were a person with your own unique character, as unique as your DNA. Everything that is you existed in potential, much like a play that is about to begin.
In this play, you have the freedom to live your life as you like – to fulfill its potential completely, or to make some smaller version of yourself. You make the decisions that affect the potential that exists within you through your commitment and effort.
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The Life Path number is the most important number in your chart, because - as the name implies - it sets the direction of your life. However, the effect of this number is not always well-understood.
Most numerology enthusiasts, even professional numerologists, consider the Life Path number meaning to be unchanging, like a zodiac sign, but that is not the case. As with all numbers derived from your date of birth, it has to do with the momentum of your life; it lays out your personal evolutionary path.
Your Life Path is dynamic; its influence on you changes as you change because of your life experiences.
Your Life Path is the most important and longest numerology cycle, as it begins the day you step into this world and lasts until you leave.
You are not placed on your Life Path without the talents and tools you need to realize your potential; it gives you a broad outline of the opportunities, challenges, and lessons you will encounter in this lifetime.
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We will show the correct method first. Examples of incorrect (but unfortunately commonly used) methods are shown further below. (You can also use our Numerology Chart Calculator to get a complete list of all your numbers.)
Follow these steps to calculate your Life Path (no worries, it's exceedingly simple).
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Example: August 12, 1990:
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Another example: November 22, 1983
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The double-digit numbers behind the Life Path number are important, because they reveal whether you have a Master Number, or a Karmic Debt number associated with your Life Path number.
They also give more insight into the meaning of your Life Path. For example, a 7 based on 16 is somewhat different from a 7 based on 25, or a 7 based on 34. Therefore, the calculation method must be done correctly.
For example, calculating October 15, 1998, by simply adding 1+0+1+5+1+9+9+8=34=7, would result in a 7 based on 34, which is incorrect.
Similarly, adding the units of the date of birth and then reducing the total is also incorrect. In our example of October 15, 1998, that would be 10+15+1998=2023=7. Again, although the final single digit is correct, the double-digit numbers associated with it are wrong.
The correct method for October 15, 1998: October reduces to 1, the day 15 reduces to 6, and the year 1998 reduces to 27, which in turn reduces to 9. The Life Path is therefore 1 + 6 + 9 = 16, which reduces to 7. Notice that only this method revealed the presence of a 16 Karmic Debt number.
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Food for thought:
This age-old numerology method is based on the concept that your Life Path is essentially the sum of your three Period Cycles and is influenced by the properties and traits of those Cycles.
Your three Period Cycles are based on your month, day, and year of birth, and represent the early, middle, and later part of your life respectively. They are the stepping stones of your personal growth and the foundation of your Life Path number.
Therefore, in order to calculate your Life Path number, you actually calculate your Period Cycles first.
You can learn more about Period Cycles here...
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