In numerology, practitioners use subtraction to find three individual numbers that represent life challenges. The interpretations of these numbers represent the obstacles, hurdles and difficulties that one is most likely to face during certain phases of life.

The first number that is calculated is your Early Challenge number. This represents difficulties that you will face during the first 28 years of your life.

The second number that is calculated is the Middle Challenge number. This represents difficulties that you are likely to face during the second 28 years of life.

The third number is the Main Challenge number. This number not only emphasizes the difficulties that you will face during the latter part of your life but it also represents the chronic obstacles that you will face during your entire life.

The Main challenge number is considered to be the most dominant of all the challenge numbers. The main challenge number takes precedence over the other two because it represents obstacles that may come from within. It is the devil (the issue) that you often find yourself wrestling with
your entire life. It is the question that burns inside you that you have always hoped would somehow be answered before you die.

The Early Challenge number are less influential which may represent more episodic or situational problems. Early challenge numbers can indicate problems due to circumstances or parents. It can also represent internal. These problems of course can disappear as the child matures and enters the middle years of the life cycle.

The Middle Challenge number is also situational and usually the result of hardship or complications brought on by other individuals in your life. The number can also represent
behavioral problems as well as interference from natural forces that are beyond your control.

Your first step to calculating any of the challenge numbers is to reduce your day, month and birthday down into a single digit. For example, my birthday June 7, 1960 reduces down to:

Month 6

Day 7

Year 7 (1+ 9 + 6 + 0 = 16 = 1+6 = 7)

Remember to reduce all numbers including master numbers down to a single digit in order to perform this calculation properly.

Calculating life challenge numbers is slightly different than other numerology calculation because the sums that comprise the Month, Day and Year of birth are not added together. Instead they are treated as individual sums that can be subtracted from each other.

To calculate your Early Life Challenge number subtract the difference between the MONTH and the DAY of your birth. In my case it would be 7-6 = 1. My early life challenge number is 1.

The second calculation is for the Middle Life Challenge. This means finding the difference between the DAY of birth and the Year of Birth. I chose my birthday because it leads to a unique calculation. 7-7 = 0. In this particular numerology reading there is an interpretation for the number 0.

To find your Main Life Challenge number find the difference between the first your Early Life Challenge Number and your Middle Life Challenge Number. Subtract the lower number from
the higher number. In my example the resulting equation is 1 (Middle Life Number ) - 0 (Early Life Number) =1. My main challenge number is one.

If you get the same number twice or even three times it means that challenge may be doubly emphasized in your life.

For example if your Early Life Challenge number is the same as your Middle Life Challenge Number then problems from your childhood may dominate all of your years. It can also mean
that many of the obstacles that you have had to face were not of your own making.

If your Main Challenge Number is the same as your Middle Life Number then many of the problems you encounter could be caused by the decisions you are making as an adult. Reading
the interpretation of that number could give you clues as to how you often manage to be your own worst enemy.

If all three of your numbers are the same then it is safe to assume that the cosmos is trying to make you learn a life lesson by manifesting unpleasant situations wherever you go!

In next week's newsletter I will provide you with the interpretations for all eight of the Challenge numbers. The reason there are only eight interpretations is because no difference results to more of than the sum of eight when performing Life Challenge Number calculations.


Interpreting Life Challenge Numbers

In the previous newsletter I explained how to calculate your life challenge numbers. Just in case you have forgotten how to do this here are the formulas again.

First reduce your day, month and birthday separately down single digits. To calculate your Early Life Challenge number find the difference between the Month and Day of your birth by subtracting the lower number for the higher. To find your Middle Life Challenge find the difference the YEAR and the DAY of birth. To find your Main Life Number find the difference between the Early Life Challenge and the Middle Life number by subtracting the lower figure from the higher one.

Once you have found the three numbers you can read about the challenges that they indicate for that particular life period. Remember that the Early Life Challenge number equates to your first 28 years and the Middle Life Challenge number equates to your second 28 years on earth. The Main Challenge number describes your final phase of life as well as influences the course of your entire life as a primary difficulty or challenge that you will always have to face.


Life Challenge Number 0

People with a challenge Number 0 may feel in general like they are being confronted with difficulties that seem to be relentless and coming from all directions. Usually people who are zeros are very sophisticated spiritually and thought to possess the abilities of all the other numbers. However they have problem making definitive decisions and sticking with them. In early life this can manifest as a difficult or abusive childhood. In adult life you may overcome great obstacles to succeed.

Life Challenge Number 1

People with a life challenge Number 1 may feel as if every dream and ambition that they have is being thwarted by unfair circumstances. Bitterness, defensiveness and blaming others may be a chronic problem.

Usually this is due to being too pushy or aggressive. Even if you are not unreliable or unpredictable, others may perceive you as so. A gentler touch plus a well focused, methodical plan can help you achieve your aims. You self-sabotage by plunging ahead blindly.

Life Number Challenge Number 2

The challenges presented for a number two are oversensitivity and a tendency towards self-centeredness. It may be difficult for you to realize that you are not the center of the universe. In your early years your lack of ambition, status consciousness and need for approval from others may cause you to have a poor self image. In adult life twos are very prone to codependency, addiction and troubled relationships if they cannot learn to let go of their resentments and blame.

Life Challenge Number 3

This represents a period in your life when you might find it hard to focus either because of emotional or psychological disturbances or because of boredom. Your attentions may be scattered and you might also suffer from shyness. You may have a great imagination or talent but have difficulty expressing it. In childhood this can result in frustration and introversion. In your adult years you may come off as too arrogant or eccentric to be taken seriously by anyone.

Life Challenge Number 4

This number often suggests a difficulty with finding employment or a gratifying the career. You just may not feel like working or suffer from a disorder or disability that prevents you from working. In your early years your opportunities to learn may have been truncated by physical or financial circumstances. In adulthood you may become an irresponsible or impractical individual who can't be trusted.

Life Challenge Number 5

This number usually defines a character that is unreasonable, indecisive and easily irritated. You have an impulsive nature and often run into trouble because you are unable to see the consequences of your actions beforehand. In your early years this may result in an incomplete education or a number of false starts in career. As adult your challenges manifest as an inability to make decisions are acting in an overly emotional as opposed to logical way.

Life Challenge Number 6

You may be a perfectionist and set standards for yourself and others that are impossible to meet. You may come off as very arrogant, controlling and demanding to others. As a child you may have seriously butted horns with several authority figures. As an adult you may have many unsettling relationships because of your refusal to recognize that others are entitle to their point of view. Your rigidity could lead to a disorder such as obsessive compulsiveness.

Life Challenge Number 7

This number has a great deal of trouble dealing with emotions. During this time in your life you may feel as if you have to repress your feelings in order to survive. As a child this can lead to introversion, obsessiveness and a complete retreat from reality. As an adult you may suffer
from chronically negative thoughts and express them through constant complaining or criticism of others. Many sevens are hypochondriacs or manifest disease as a result of suppressed anger or grief.

Life Challenge Number 8

A number 8 challenge indicates a kind of shallowness and greed. You might define yourself and others by appearance, possessions and by the amount of money that they have. As a child you may have been clever, manipulative and insistent on having your own way. As an adult you might value the pursuit of money, power and status to the exclusion of all other things. This can cost you dearly in terms of relationships, family and friends.

Please note that there are only eight interpretations because no difference results to more of than the sum of eight when performing Life Challenge Number calculations.

In the next installment of these newsletters I am going to teach you how to find out your strong and weak personality traits by looking at the predominance of certain letters in your name.