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The Greatest Story Ever Told!

The Numerical Tarot is useful for things other than tarot. Because it is based on fundamental abstract patterns in nature, it is very useful for describing the patterns of human behavior that we all exhibit in our daily life (see All of Human Behavior elsewhere on this site). And, because it spans such a full and complete range of human experience, I've often thought it would be a useful tool for writers of fiction, to brainstorm ideas about how characters in their stories might behave. In imagining such a thing, I imagine some might focus intensely on expressing every possible variation for a single number. While others might choose to combine the essence of various numbers, either as a string of ideas that lead a central character through a journey or odyssey, or as randomly disjointed ideas arranged out of sequence from that of the number line itself. Hmmm, what if I wanted to write a story, using the numerical essence of each tarot card, as described by the keywords posted on this site? What might that look like...?

Let's develop this idea a bit. Oh, but wait, I am not really a writer (like that anyway), so I will not attempt to write anything creative here. All I'm thinking about here is how the numberline of numerology being presented on this site (and in the book All Things Are Numbers) might be used as a template for a story. What kind of story might develop? I think that because of the balanced ameliorate vs. deteriorate or positive vs. negative form of the All Things Are Numbers approach, it would have to be a story about the rise and fall of a central character. But what happens along the way? Let's see...

NOTE: If you think that the story outline that follows looks anything like a story you've heard before, I would not be surprised. Frankly, I believe that the patterns of nature used to define the structure of The Numerical Tarot are so universal, that it does not surprise me at all when I see the same patters appearing elsewhere, like in the underlying structure of fictional stories. But if you think that the story outline that follows was created by looking at any existing story, you would be wrong! The story outline that follows is based solely and completely on the essence of each number along a numberline of numerology as describe by common sense logic and plainly observable patterns in nature, and nothing more. In fact, I urgently encourage you to compare key words used in this outline with every other language model offered on this site... like these for example - Adjectives, Nouns and Verbs. I think you will see that I'm not just making things up as I go along, in order to make this resemble one popular story or another. You will see that each description is indeed isomorphic to every other model seen on this site. Consistency = Credibility!

Warning!: If you are they type who preferes to mitigate the negativity of tarot cards, you might want to pass on reading this. The fact that it deals with the rise and fall of a central character, means there will be a lot of unmitigated negativity on the downside. Because my approach to tarot is balanced, I make no attempt to diminish that negativity... it is there for a reason, so, it will not be spun into anything "good" !

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OK, let's start with the rise of our central character...

1: A positive 1 is about beginnings, potential, conception and the spark and light of existence. A 1 is also about smallness, because it represents an infinitesimally small point - a geometric concept without dimension. So, what say we start our story off with a small, but bright, point of light appearing in the sky... marking the beginning of something really important. A birth perhaps... beneath a bright point of light. An auspicious birth. A birth with universal potential, born from the very potential of an all powerful Godforce. Years later, the child born beneath this important light will become that brilliant light (like the Magician of a tarot deck, or The Jinni and The Genius of The Numerical Tarot).

2: A positive 2 is about immediate and direct action and motion... and clear lines of sight - i.e. navigation... and the inspiration and attraction from what is seen ahead as it is revealed. So it would be appropriate if someone in our story used the bright light in the sky as some kind of navigational device. They see it. They know it's important. They are attracted to it. They are captivated by it. It impels them. It motivates them. It inspires them. They make a beeline for it. And it reveals something important to them. Later, the child they are lead to will reveal to them the way (like the Priestess of a tarot deck, or The Muse and The Visionary of The Numerical Tarot).

3: A positive 3 is about creation... perfect, beautiful, and divine creation. The people who navigate their way to the light find a perfect, beautiful, and divine baby. Born from the womb of a perfect, beautiful, divine and unsullied woman (like the Empress of a tarot deck, or The Beauty and The Stylist of The Numerical Tarot). And surrounded by animals and nature - God's other creations. The exquisite delicacy of the baby's gentle form inspires happiness and joy. God's love is evident. Later, in his adult years, his message will be love. Hey I know, let's accentuate the importance of the number 3 further by having the number of people who followed the light to this baby be three in number.

4: A positive 4 is about strength, courage, fortitude, organization, industry, construction or building. The people who have found the perfect, beautiful and divine creation beneath the bright light recognize that they have found a very important person. So they don it a King! A person who will one day lead them. But as it is still just a baby, its interim title is that of Son... of a God... or Godforce. Later, in his adult years, we see this baby living the life of a carpenter - a person who builds things. Eventually he does become the leader he was destined to be (like the Emperor of a tarot deck, or The Hero and The Valiant of The Numerical Tarot). Hey I know, let's accentuate the importance of the number 4 futher by having the three people who followed the light to this baby be Kings themselves!

5: A positive 5 is about control, the management or administration of that control and the discipline and obedience of those being administered. One of the most important expressions of control that any human can exhibit is the mastery of language. Thus, as a leader who was born from a God or Godforce, this person becomes a mouthpiece for the voice of that God. He gives speeches. He suggests rules for living that all good people who want to follow in his footsteps should obey. He becomes a minister... or administrator... a central, pivotal figure around which people gather in great numbers. He has much control (like the Hierophant of a tarot deck, or The Wizard and The Medium of The Numerical Tarot).

6: A positive 6 is about augmentation, benefit, reward, prosperity, popularity and trust. It is the number of things gathering together en mass, to give substance to existence. So as our hero becomes more and more popular, the mass of people around him grows bigger and bigger. Like all entities it starts to define who he is. His influence spreads over the land, far and wide. Everyone wants to know him. Everyone wants to be his friend and companion (like the Lovers of a tarot deck, or The Angel and The Royal of The Numerical Tarot). He surrounds himself with a core of people he can trust. Eventually, his influence becomes so popular that he decides to enlist those trusted few with the task of spreading his message even further.

7: A positive 7 is about sublime and numinous spirituality, connecting to the unity of the universe and consecration of the soul. That's perfect, because our central character is already being seen as the Son of a God, and the Mouthpiece of a God. So now people will begin to see him as a Conduit to a God. A direct link of holy oneness to the Godforce that gave him, and all of us, life. So, at this point, God and our hero are united as one. Spiritual transport is his offering (like the Chariot of a tarot deck, or The Saint and The Spiritualist of The Numerical Tarot). To demonstrate this connection, miracles are performed that foster appropriate levels of reverence. A kind of religion begins to form around our hero. He is idolized.

8: A positive 8 is about energy, exhilaration, excitement, liberation, jubilation, health, healing and hope. The miracles performed also produce appropriate amounts of amazement and excitement. Our hero is a sensation! The realization of the presence of a divine being, gives hope to the oppressed few he leads and stirs excitement among those yet to know him. There is much jubilation. He radiates an aura. His very touch heals the sick! He is energy incarnate (like the Strength card of a tarot deck, or The Lumina and The Enthusiast of The Numerical Tarot). Floating, or a feeling of floating, is another quality associated with this number. So why don't we accentuate that idea by having one of the many miraculous things our hero does be... walking on water!

9: A positive 9 is about the culmination of everything, totality, completion, the majesty of all encompassing influence and power at a zenith. So... not just the offspring of a God, not just the Son of a God, not just the Mouthpiece of a God, not just a Conduit to a God... in the eyes of his followers, our hero IS a God! Omniscient and omnipotent. All powerful. All good. He is the light of everythingness... ordered and sane. Our little point has become an all encompassing sphere, a sphere of light (like the Hermit of a tarot deck, or The God and The Sage of The Numerical Tarot)!

That was the rise. Now... the fall.

1: A negative 1 is also about a birth... the birth of something bad, the beginning of the end, a bad turn of fate, an ominous presage, and the oblivion, isolation, and loneliness that threaten to follow in the nebulous future. There is a force working against our hero - and I don't mean entropy. Someone within our hero's trusted core has already taken action to ensure the demise of his greatness. Our hero knows this, and is feeling forlorn. He has lost his sense of purpose and his will to live. He has seen that his future is a destiny of doom.... and does not question it, but adopts a fatalistic approach (like the Wheel card of a tarot deck, or The Jinx and The Idiot of The Numerical Tarot).

2: A negative 2 is about stagnation, loss of direction, obfuscation, loss of vision, stress, tension and discord. Knowing that a horrible end is his destiny, our hero becomes unmotivated and depressed. Friction occurs between him and those who still support him. There is conflict about the direction he should take. He is ambivalent and ambiguous. He has lost his direction. He is apprehensive. He has become detached and divorced from his flock. He hides in vein from those who want to bring about his fall. He tries to see, but can't. He is lost (like the mystical High Priestess of a tarot deck, or The Haunt and The Waif of The Numerical Tarot).

3: A negative 3 is about pain, suffering, sadness, sorrow, affliction and trauma... and the hatred, brutality and barbarity that inflicts it. Because of his fatalistic approach, and resulting stagnation, he has generated hostility among his followers. They begin to hate him, because he will not hate who they hate. Even people who once loved him begin to hate him. He begins to hate all that's happened to him, because his message of love has been turned into a message of hate. He goes to a garden to surround himself with God's nature once again, but only feels sorrow over the trauma to his spirit. He is sad and suffering (like the Hanged Man of a tarot deck, or The Beast and The Slob of The Numerical Tarot).

4: A negative 4 is about weakness, impotence, apathy, lethargy, collapse, destruction and change for the worst. Those who would bring about hour hero's fall condemn him. They want to destroy him (like the Death card of a tarot deck). He does not fight back. He has no fight in him. He who would lead has now admitted to having no Kingly status at all. He passively and tacitly approves of their destruction of him. He has become an ineffectual leader. He has made himself vulnerable. His life is in jeopardy. His followers are afraid (like the supplicants in the Death card of a tarot deck, or The Villain and The Victim of The Numerical Tarot).

5: A negative 5 is about trouble, turmoil, loss of control, failure and malfeasance. Once again our hero is at the center of the picture, only this time the core of faithful is damaged. He cannot control things any more. He does not want to control things any more. He informs his disciples of the fateful path he is on and how powerless they are to control any of it themselves. There is no one to blame, and there is everyone to blame. Everyone had a hand in it. Now no one has a hand in it. Everyone is upset. There are arguments. Everything is ruined (like The Witch and The Misfit of The Numerical Tarot).

6: A negative 6 is about degradation and the deterioration of the mass that gives existence is substance, and the alienation and animosity that follows as things are torn asunder and perverted. Having given up all fight, and all control, animosity builds as popularity diminishes. The mass of followers that once gave our hero's existence substance is now turning against him as his enemy. Even some of his closest allies have betrayed him, or denied even knowing him, for fear of being hated with him. Everyone else thinks he is a criminal and a liar who has decieved them. He is evil (like the Devil in a tarot deck, or The Devil and The Reject of The Numerical Tarot)). They don't want him any more. They want to be rid of him.

7: A negative 7 is about disaster, tragedy, desecration of the spirit, and the horror, mental anguish and psychological torture that goes with it. Those who would bring about our hero's fall now have him where they want him. Everyone hates him. Everyone has abandoned him. He suffers alone. He is tortured. He is whipped, scarred and bloodied. Then... he is crucified. There is much violence, as his holy fom is desecrated (like the Tower of a tarot deck, or The Sadist and The Sinner of The Numerical Tarot). His connection to the Godforce that gave him life is broken. The conduit is closed. What a tragedy. He is lanquishing.

8: A negative 8 is about suffocation, desperation, depression and the panic of a despondent person who is about to die. The torture of crucifixion is confining, constricting... and it's exhausting the life force from our hero. He can't breath. He is thirsty. Darkness is encroaching. With one last gasp of energy, he addresses those who witness his end. Then, his last ounce of energy is purged from his body (like the water being poured out in the Star card of a tarot deck, or The Wraith and The Sickling of The Numerical Tarot). Everyone is depressed.

9: A negative 9 is about emptiness, damnation, doom, mortality, termination, mourning the dead and the insanity and chaos of darkness. For the few who remained faithful, there is much to mourn. For those who would bring about this fall, there is a corpse to be disposed of. A grave. A tomb. A dark ending. There is much confusion, as everyone tries to understand the why and wherefore of it all. It's a dark day for humanity, no matter which side you are on. Night falls (like the Moon card of a tarot deck, or The Ghoul and The Corpse of The Numerical Tarot).

But wait, the next day... his tomb is empty! What happened?

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The four left over...

4/6: Did he leave behind believers (like the Fool of a tarot deck) or doubters?

3/7: Did he leave behind love (like the Sun card of a tarot deck) or hate?

2/8: Did he rise... up to heaven (like the Judgement card of a tarot deck), or sink... down to hell?

1/9: Did he become a bright light of universal knowledge (like the World card of a tarot deck) or a dark abyss of amorphous confusion?

God only knows.

The End.

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Do you think that you could write an interesting story, with an outlline like this?