Birthday Numerology: The Power of 64

Today is my 64th birthday. This has opened my eyes to many things. I've come to the realization that 64 is a special number. A number great and powerful, like the Wizard of Oz. 

If you divide 64 in half, the result is 32. If you continue the process as far as possible, the result is always a whole even number until you reach the number 1, as shown below: 

• 64/2 = 32
• 32/2 = 16
• 16/2 = 8
• 8/2 = 4
• 4/2 = 2
• 2/2 = 1. 

The fact that you can extend the sequence shown above all the way back to the number 1 is impressive, at least to this blogger. To the ancient Greeks, the number 1 symbolized the first thing that came into existence when the universe was created. Ancient numerologists believed the number 1 represented the origin of all things. All numbers can be produced by adding 1, and only 1, to itself. For example, 3  = 1+1+1. For certain monotheistic religions, 1 represents God.

The divided-by-two sequence works because 64 is a doubly even (or evenly even) number, which means it is divisible more than once by 2.  A doubly even number is even and its quotient when divided by 2 is also even.

Viewed from another angle, 64 can be expressed as: 

• 8 to the second power = 64. Therefore, 64 is a square number (8 x 8).  A matrix with 8 rows and 8 columns contains 64 squares. That is the number of squares comprising a chess or checker board. 
• 4 to the third power = 64. Therefore, 64 is also a perfect cube (4 x 4 x 4). 
• 2 to the fifth power = 64. I am still groping for the meaning of that one.  

These ideas are not original. The Pythagoreans believed that we live in a world of numbers, i.e. that all things are made up of numbers and "are ruled by mathematical constancies and regularities," as Will Durant said (see Further Reading below).  All odd numbers were believed to be masculine, and even numbers feminine. The number 5 symbolized marriage because it is the sum of the first odd number and the first even number (2 + 3 = 5).

"The so-called Pythagoreans, who were the first to take up mathematics, not only advanced this subject, but saturated with it, they fancied that the principles of mathematics were the principles of all things." Aristotle, Metaphysics 

"The most important and first study is of numbers themselves: not of those which are corporeal, but of the whole origin of the odd and even and the greatness of their influence on the nature of reality." Plato, Epinomis

"The best-known instance of numerology is the “number of the beast,” 666, from the biblical Revelation to John (13:18). Curiously, Revelation is the 66th book in the Bible, and the number of the beast occurs in verse 18, which is 6 + 6 + 6. " Encyclopedia Britannica, Number Symbolism

My brain is whirling, on fire with numbers. So many numbers. The year ahead is going to be a great one, driven by the power of 64, because today is my 64th birthday.  But wait - the year ahead is actually my 65th year of life. Last year was my 64th year of life.  Perhaps last year was my special year and I didn't even notice it. Patterns and mysteries can be found wherever you seek them, if you just search hard enough. Whether those patterns mean anything, I cannot say.

Further Reading

Durant, Will (1953). The Story of Philosophy. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Hall, Manly P. (2003). The Secret Teachings of All Ages. New York: Penguin Group.

Michel, John (1971). The Dimensions of Paradise: Sacred Geometry, Ancient Science, and the Heavenly Order on Earth. United Kingdom: Garnstone Press

Stewart, Ian. Number Symbolism. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/number-symbolism#ref849704 January 17, 2018.

Wikipedia. The Number 64. Retrieved from  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64_(number) January 2, 2018.