Expression Number and Soul Number: A Step-by-Step Method

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Three Numbers Drawn From a Name

The life path is calculated from the date of birth; the numbers that follow are calculated from the letters of your name. Numerological tradition keeps three:

• the expression number (or “number of accomplishment”): all the letters of the first and last names, to speak of the way one expresses one’s talents;
• the soul number (or “number of the soul”, “heart’s desire”): the vowels only, to speak of deep aspirations;
• the realisation number (or “personality number”: the vocabulary varies): the consonants only, to speak of the image one projects.

These labels change from one book to another. Remember the mechanics, which are the same everywhere: convert each letter into a digit, add up, reduce. The idea of giving numbers to letters is ancient: the Greeks (isopsephy) and the Hebrews (gematria) wrote numbers with the letters of their alphabet. The modern table we use here, however, dates from Western numerology of the early twentieth century, and nothing suggests it goes back to Pythagoras.

The Pythagorean Table

The table matches the letters of the Latin alphabet with the digits 1 to 9, following alphabetical order and starting again at 1 after 9:

Value	Letters
1	A, J, S
2	B, K, T
3	C, L, U
4	D, M, V
5	E, N, W
6	F, O, X
7	G, P, Y
8	H, Q, Z
9	I, R

The vowels are A, E, I, O, U. The Y is the ambiguous case: in French, many authors count it as a vowel (as in “Yves” or “Mylène”), others as a consonant, others according to how it is pronounced. Choose one rule, keep it, and above all keep the same rule for all your calculations. The so-called Chaldean system, rarer, uses a different table (from 1 to 8 only) and therefore gives different results: the two must not be mixed.

Which Name to Use and How to Write It

The most common rule is to take the full name as it appears on the birth certificate: all the given names, then the family name. A few practical conventions:

• accents, diaeresis and cedillas are ignored (É becomes E, Ç becomes C);
• hyphens, apostrophes and spaces are ignored;
• “Œ” is written OE, “Æ” is written AE;
• a name in everyday use (married name, pen name) can give a second calculation, which some authors call the “active” number: it then describes the role one plays rather than the person.

Step-by-Step Example: Camille Martin

Let us take a fictitious name, Camille Martin. We write the value of each letter:

First name	C	A	M	I	L	L	E	Total
Camille	3	1	4	9	3	3	5	28

Surname	M	A	R	T	I	N	Total
Martin	4	1	9	2	9	5	30

The total of the two words is 28 + 30 = 58. We reduce: 5 + 8 = 13, then 1 + 3 = 4. The expression number of “Camille Martin” is therefore 4. Some authors write “13/4” to keep track of the intermediate step, since 13 is one of the four “karmic numbers” of the tradition (see karmic number 13), a contested notion.

One can also reduce word by word: 28 gives 2 + 8 = 10, then 1; 30 gives 3; and 1 + 3 = 4. Same result.

The soul number: we keep only the vowels of Camille (A = 1, I = 9, E = 5) and of Martin (A = 1, I = 9). Total: 1 + 9 + 5 + 1 + 9 = 25, then 2 + 5 = 7. The realisation number: the consonants total 58 − 25 = 33. Some schools keep 33 as a master number, others reduce it to 6.

Master Numbers: A Second Example

With Marie Moreau, we find 4 + 1 + 9 + 9 + 5 = 28 for “Marie” and 4 + 6 + 9 + 5 + 1 + 3 = 28 for “Moreau”. The total is 56, and 5 + 6 = 11: this is a master number, which is not reduced, written 11/2.

But if you reduce each word separately before adding (28 gives 1, 28 gives 1), you get 1 + 1 = 2, without 11. Both methods always lead to the same base digit (here 2): what the method changes is the possible appearance of a master number. It is the same question as for the life path, discussed on our page on the calculation of the life path. Our rule of thumb: choose a method, apply it, and note the base digit alongside the master number.

Reading the Result With Caution

Here are the keywords that tradition attaches to the nine digits, with the pages that detail each expression number and each soul number:

Number	Traditional keyword	Expression page	Soul page
1	Initiative, self-reliance	expression 1	soul 1
2	Cooperation, listening	expression 2	soul 2
3	Expression, creativity	expression 3	soul 3
4	Structure, constancy	expression 4	soul 4
5	Change, freedom	expression 5	soul 5
6	Responsibility, caring for others	expression 6	soul 6
7	Search, inner life	expression 7	soul 7
8	Ambition, management	expression 8	soul 8
9	Generosity, closing cycles	expression 9	soul 9

These portraits are deliberately broad. Psychology speaks of the Barnum effect (or Forer effect): we find fairly general descriptions strikingly accurate when we are told they were written for us. The method says nothing about your health, your future, or your choices.

Limits of the Method

Three weaknesses deserve to be known. First, spelling: a first name written “Sophie” or “Sofie” gives different numbers, although it is the same person. Second, language: names transcribed from another alphabet (Russian, Arabic, Chinese) give results that depend on the transcription chosen. Finally, a change of name (marriage, adoption) would mean speaking of several numerological “yous”.

Try it for fun, with someone close to you, and compare your results with a laugh. No number is a substitute for proper advice on health, money or relationships.

To Go Further

Continue with the guide to numerology, the page on the life path and, for calculating a period, the personal year. The day of birth gives another reading, based on the day of the month alone.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to numerology and numbers.