Chaldean Numerologist: Cheiro

September 24, 2024March 16, 2025 ~ Boštjan Lovrat ~ Leave a comment

William John Warner, better known as Cheiro (November 1, 1866 – October 8, 1936), was also referred to by nicknames such as Count Louis Hamon and others. However, he is primarily remembered as Cheiro. He was a British astrologer, numerologist, and palm reader.

His birth name contains numbers—13 and 15 (the sum of 96; 9+6=15). The base numbers 4 and 6 govern his numerological chart. This chart reveals a strong desire for recognition and performance (particularly highlighted by 96, with 24 in Life Path and 15 as the base number in his surname), along with a drive for success in business. Cheiro’s official name also reflected a robust longing for friendship and love, from which he drew significant spiritual strength. Additionally, he enjoyed fairly favorable influences of numbers on the chakras, which may have contributed to his reputation as a successful medium for a time.

The combination of numbers 13 and 15 sparked his interest in the occult (both 13 and 15), reforms, pioneering approaches (13), and even magic (15, 41). The number 41, in particular, fosters a fascination with numerology, which is further emphasized by his nickname “Cheiro” (Mercury and 23). Due to the numbers 13 and 15, an individuals may either become a victim of manipulation and circumstances or turn into a manipulator themselves… The overall numerological chart is complex and can bring strokes of fate that often arrive unexpectedly.

Cheiro was convicted and imprisoned in Paris around 1910 for business fraud, and it is said that this scandal closed doors among the English elite, prompting his move to the morally less stringent United States. An analysis of his works reveals a tendency for manipulation and misinformation—claiming, for instance, that he had been offering numerological guidance based on his system since the late 19th century, or that number 9 was so sacred it couldn’t correspond to any letter. Moreover, he downplayed the contributions of his European sources, like Isidore Kozminsky and Sepharial, while asserting he learned Chaldean numerology from an Indian brahmin.

**Cheiro.** Source: Wikimedia Commons, File:Cheiroy.jpg .

It’s essential to recognize that relationships between 15 and 4, or between 15 and 8, should not be judged too harshly. Not everyone with such combinations inherently becomes a manipulator, criminal, or prisoner. An individual’s morals and self-awareness dictate whether they use their strengths for good or ill, and when, if ever, they will yield to temptation. Furthermore, numerological charts can point to which areas of life help to balance the individual. For Cheiro, these areas primarily involved seeking courage, forming a connection with God, and nurturing love and kindness.

Even in his nicknames—like “Count Louis Hamon” and “Count Leigh de Hamong“—the theme of number 13 is prominently featured. It seems Cheiro intentionally emphasized this number, perhaps because it brings uniqueness and combines with the interchangeable number 1 to form a whole.

His nickname “Cheiro” underscores intellectual depth, as it contains the numbers for Mercury and the Sun. The number 23 derived from the nickname is considered auspicious.

In 1926, Cheiro published a book titled Cheiro’s Book of Numbers. In it, he defined the meanings of numbers in Chaldean tarot from 1 to 52, based on older sources. He also defined the rules of matching and mismatching between numbers. For each of the numbers 4 and 8, he differentiated between karmically strong and weak numbers, determining various numbers that align with them. He described favorable and less favorable months, recommended specific herbs and foods, indicated favorable colors and gemstones, and identified ailments commonly associated with particular numbers.

It’s very likely that Cheiro drew the foundational idea of alpha-numeric coding from Isidore Kozminsky, who assigned the letter H a value of either 5 or 8, and the letter X a value of 5. Based on his research, Cheiro developed an alpha-numeric coding scheme in which letters H and X always hold a value of 5. He also altered the value of the letter C, assigning it a value of 3 instead of 2.

For Cheiro, the key to analysis lies in the birth date, or Birth Number. He believed that the Total Name Number (TNN) should align with the Birth Number; otherwise, an individual might encounter challenges throughout life. He further explored the numerological influences of each day of the year based on the specific day of the month. Around 1936, he published another book titled You and Your Star, in which he detailed favorable numbers for every day.

Cheiro’s ideas of such favorable numbers influenced numerologists like Gerun Moore and Lloyd Strayhorn, who developed their own systems based on these concepts.

In Cheiro’s Book of Numbers, he established special guidelines to identify the most important two-digit number in a numerological chart. This number frequently corresponds to TNN, but sometimes the most significant number is derived from adding the birth date and TNN together (Birth Number + TNN). Cheiro did not assign a name to this number, but I personally refer to it as the Goal Number (which differs from Goal Numbers in Pythagorean numerology). Anmarie Uber called it the “Hidden Number,” while some perceive it as an indicator of career success.

Cheiro’s book, Cheiro’s Book of Numbers, does not provide reliable techniques for predicting the future. It also contains inaccuracies, such as the assertion that the Chaldeans were unaware of letters with a value of 9. Nonetheless, despite not being a comprehensive manual, this work played a pivotal role in the evolution of numerology. In many ways, Cheiro is considered the father of modern Chaldean numerology.

Chaldean Numerologist: Lloyd Strayhorn

September 21, 2024October 8, 2024 ~ Boštjan Lovrat ~ Leave a comment

Lloyd Strayhorn is an American numerologist and astrologer known for his numerology book Numbers and You: A Numerology Guide for Everyday Living. The first editions of this book were published around 1980. In it, he primarily advocates Chaldean numerology (based on Cheiro method), although he also uses it alongside Pythagorean numerology. So, a part of the book is also dedicated to the latter system. Lloyd Strayhorn has been present in the American public for over 40 years and has influenced many Chaldean numerologists.

*Lloyd Strayhorn uses alpha-numeric encoding as advocated by Cheiro*

In the mentioned book, he identified which numbers govern certain sports, musical instruments, and gifts based on Chaldean calculations of individual words. This approach was likely adopted from some Pythagorean numerologists and, in my opinion, is largely misguided. It overlooks the universal vibration of a sport, instrument, or gift.

More interesting are his studies on the connection of numbers with specific zodiac signs and numbers, compatibility between partners’ numbers, the relationship between numbers and sexuality, the dynamics between parents and children, the connection between numbers and childbirth, and similar topics. In this book, Strayhorn also mentions a special Rosicrucian approach to life cycles, where the year is divided into 7 periods of 52 days each. Interestingly, in this book, he does not address compound numbers.

He also attempts to establish the principle of a personal week. He supports the Pythagorean approach to universal and personal years, months, and days. I won’t say that this approach has no influence, but my research on days, months, and years has led me to the conclusion that this Pythagorean method yields, at best, very weak results.

His descriptions of relationships between numbers slightly differ from those of Cheiro. Like Gerun Moore, he created his own table of lucky numbers for each day of the year (while Gerun Moore speaks of key numbers). In his book Lloyd’s Numbers and You Relationship Guide: A Cosmic Way To Better Understanding, in the chapter on relationships (Chapter Two), he slightly diverges from the usual approach in Chaldean numerology. In some cases, I use similar approaches myself, but some solutions leave me surprised and skeptical.

Unfortunately, I don’t have data on his birth date, but we can look at his numerological chart based on his name and surname. In my calculation of vowels and consonants, you may also notice from other examples that I treat the letter Y as a consonant. Personally, I believe that treating this letter in this way yields the best results in analysis.

We particularly notice a multitude of numbers that add up to base numbers 3, 6, and 9. This is a triad of powerful numbers that often bring material success or an interest in business, the ability to manifest, or spiritual interest. The placement of numbers 24 and 15 (78; 7+8=15) is such that it brings a sense of communication, public presence, and performance. Lloyd Strayhorn has written several books and also appears in the media. The occult search is brought about by the numbers 7, 78, 30, 39, 11 and 22, and probably also by the heavenly 7 in the vowels.

Although much depends on his birth numbers, a significant feature of his name and surname numerological chart is that the energies can work in a positive or negative direction, depending on what Lloyd Strayhorn chooses. Recommendations for him include: no manipulation (78), balanced help to others, tithing, and praying to God. In this way, numbers like 93 (and 12; 9+3=12) and 15 are balanced. The name Lloyd Strayhorn can bring certain complications, unfortunate circumstances, or an undesired sacrifice in life. However, it can also lead to a higher purpose, good deeds, and inner fulfillment.

Chaldean Numerologists: On Modern Classics

September 14, 2024September 26, 2024 ~ Boštjan Lovrat ~ Leave a comment

Every student of Chaldean numerology should be familiar with key modern Chaldean numerologists such as Sepharial, Isidore Kozminsky, Cheiro, Pandit Sethuraman, Richard Cavendish, Gerun Moore, Lloyd Strayhorn, and Linda Goodman. All of these numerologists were also astrologers.

Sepharial (Walter Gorn Old) played a crucial role in transitioning from the older Chaldean school of “Kabbalistic astrologers” to modern numerology. He also introduced classical descriptions of numbers from Kabbalistic astrology, where the highest number described in this approach is 71. He later wrote a very popular book, “Kabala of Numbers” (1911).

In his development, he initially used an external method of alphanumeric coding of the Latin alphabet (C = 2, H = 8, X = 6). Later, he tested several different alphanumeric approaches but ultimately decided on phonetic numerology.

Isidore Kozminsky, like Sepharial, experimented with various methods of alphanumeric coding. At the latest, in an updated edition of “Numbers: Their Meaning and Magic” in 1911, he was the first modern numerologist to predict that we should, in some cases, treat the letter H as 5. He also assigned the number 5 to the letter X. Like Sepharial, he described all the numbers he believed to have a “distinct potency of its own.” All other numbers he reduced to a number with such potency. His approach of dealing with name numbers is now considered outdated.

Cheiro (William John Warner) is regarded as the father of modern Chaldean numerology. He wrote several books covering numerology, with the most famous being “Cheiro’s Book of Numbers” (1926), where he advocated for the value of 3 for the letter C, 5 for the letter H, and 5 for the letter X.

He emphasized the importance of the Birth number (the day of the month one is born) and its connection to the Name number (that is, Total Name Number, aka TNN). He was one of the first to focus on the compatibility of numbers. He adopted Sepharial’s number descriptions, sometimes expanding them, so they corresponded to some very old descriptions. However, he described numbers only up to 52. He also wrote a book called “You and Your Star”, where he described the most suitable numbers for each day of the year based on astrological techniques.

Pandit Sethuraman, in his book “Science of Fortune” (1954), adopted Cheiro’s alphanumeric coding but summed the unreduced numbers of the first and last names. He also deviated from Cheiro’s views on number compatibility. Sethuraman expanded Cheiro’s descriptions based on his own insights and described numbers up to 108. Unlike Cheiro, he considered numbers 39 and 48 to be unfavorable.

Richard Cavendish, in his 1967 book “The Black Arts” (which has quite an inappropriate book title, especially in connection to astrology and numerology), introduced the classical internal method of alphanumeric coding (with C = 3, H = 8, X = 6), although he seems to have arrived at this through his own research. He emphasizes the importance of considering the numbers of vowels and consonants, a concept long neglected in Chaldean numerology.

Gerun Moore wrote a book in 1973 titled “Number Will Tell”. He adopted Cheiro’s alphanumeric coding system but made several changes and additions to the descriptions of numbers and the rules of compatibility. Notably, he described numbers 39 and 48 as the unlucky number 12.

He also rejected Cheiro’s model of favorable numbers for each day of the year. Instead, he created his own system, where each day of the year is generally assigned two suitable numbers (though in some cases, only one number is given). He labeled these numbers as “keys.” According to him, name numbers matching a person’s key numbers bring luck and harmony.

Lloyd Strayhorn wrote his book “Numbers and You: A Numerology Guide for Everyday Living” no later than 1980. He adopted Cheiro’s alphanumeric coding system. Although he prefers Chaldean numerology, he also considers Pythagorean numerology. Based on his research, Strayhorn introduced his own system of number compatibility, which differs somewhat from Cheiro’s model.

He also rejected Cheiro’s model of favorable numbers for each day of the year, offering instead his own astrological model with lucky numbers. He later published “Lloyd’s Numbers and You Relationship Guide: A Cosmic Blueprint to Happiness & Joy”, in which he distances himself significantly from older Chaldean approaches.

Linda Goodman published a book “Linda Goodman’s Star Signs” in 1987, which also introduces Chaldean numerology. She adopted Cheiro’s alphanumeric coding system and significantly enhanced the descriptions of numbers. However, her method of determining the TNN deviates from those of her predecessors.

Linda Goodman concludes the list of modern classics in Chaldean numerology. I believe that this list provides an appropriate foundation for studying contemporary Chaldean numerology.

There are also a few Chaldean numerologists who have uncritically incorporated Pythagorean methods of interpreting numbers and relationships. While some ideas from the Pythagorean system can be adopted, not all Pythagorean techniques are suitable for Chaldean numerology.