THE NUMBER SEVEN HAS appeared many times in this book already. We’ve discussed the seven main colors of the aura, the seven main chakras, and the seven rays. It would seem that this number is important and significant.
Seven has been considered a sacred and mystical number since well before recorded history. According to the Bible, the creation of the world took seven days. The ancient Babylonians and Egyptians gazed in awe at the seven sacred planets they could see in the sky. The ancient Egyptians also venerated seven Wise Ones. These were seven hawks who flew upwards from the eye of Ra, and looked after knowledge and learning.1
The word seven is derived from the Greek word sebo, which means “to venerate.” The Hebrew word shaba, “to swear,” comes from the same root as the number seven and can be interpreted as “to come under the influence of seven things.”2 This shows that the number seven was considered so powerful that oaths were made using it. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the Arabs made their oaths over seven stones that had been smeared with blood.3 Another example of this can be found in the first book of the Bible when Abraham and Abimelech met at Beersheba to swear an oath. “And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves” (Genesis 21:28).
In the second century BCE, the Greek poet Antipater of Sidon listed the Seven Wonders of the World: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It’s highly likely that he chose seven wonders, rather than six, or eight, or twelve, because of the symbolic qualities of the number seven.
There were also Seven Wise Men of Greece. These were seven sages who lived between 620 and 550 BCE. They were Bias, Chilon, Cleobulus, Periander, Pittacus, Solon, and Thales. However, even when Plato created this list, there was much disagreement about who should be included. Yet again it seems that seven were chosen because of the symbolism of the number.
Seven in Christianity
The number seven appears frequently in the Bible. There were the seven days of Creation. “An on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:2–3). God told Cain that if anyone killed him, “vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold” (Genesis 4:15). Pharaoh dreamed about seven plentiful years followed by seven years of famine in Genesis 41.
Seven played an important role in the fall of the walls of Jericho. God said to Joshua: “Seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat” (Joshua 6:4–5).
The first deacons of the early Christian church were “seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom” (Acts 6:3).
Jesus turned seven loaves of bread and a few small fish into a feast that fed four thousand people. The meat that was left over filled seven baskets (Matthew 15:34–38).
When Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive his brother seven times, “Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22).
There are also several references to seven in the Book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible. These include the seven churches of Asia (1:11), seven golden candlesticks (1:12), seven stars (1:16), seven lamps of fire (4:5), seven Spirits of God (4:5), seven seals (5:1), a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes (5:6), seven angels with seven trumpets (8:2), seven thunders (10:3), a red dragon with seven heads and seven crowns (12:3), seven plagues (15:6), seven golden vials (15:7), and seven kings (17:10). There are also seven petitions in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13).
Christian interest in the number seven explains the seven joys of the Virgin Mary, the seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary, the seven spiritual works of mercy, and the seven words from the cross.4 The seven deadly sins—lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride—were also part of the teachings of the early Church. Pope Gregory is one of many teachers who used this list of sins to help people lead godly lives.
The number seven appears in early Christian literature, too. A fifth-century legend called The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus was extremely popular during the Middle Ages, as it affirmed the Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead. In this story, seven Christian soldiers were sealed inside a cave during the persecution of Christians in the time of Emperor Decius (about 250 CE). The soldiers fell into a miraculous sleep that lasted more than 150 years. When the cave was opened during the reign of Theodosius II (408–450 CE), the soldiers woke up. After explaining to the emperor the Christian interpretation of their experience, they died. The emperor was impressed and pardoned all the bishops who had been persecuted for believing in the Resurrection.
In medieval times there were also Seven Champions of Christendom. These were the national saints of seven countries: St. George (England), St. Andrew (Scotland), St. Patrick (Ireland), St. David (Wales), St. Denys (France), St. James, the son of Zebedee (Spain), and St. Anthony of Padua (Italy).
The Most Famous History of the Seven Champions of Christendom by Richard Johnson (1598) was one of the most popular books of its time. It contained heavily embellished stories of the lives and achievements of the seven saints. The number seven features frequently in the book, too. St. George was imprisoned for seven years, and St. Denys lived inside a hart for seven years. St. James was dumb for seven years. St. Anthony was freed of his enchantment when the seven lamps were dowsed using water from an enchanted fountain. St. Andrew rescued six women who had spent seven years as white swans, and St. David slept for seven years in an enchanted garden.
Seven in Islam
The Kabah is a square-shaped building in the center of the great mosque in Mecca. During the Hajj, an annual pilgrimage to Mecca that all devout Muslims intend to make at least once in their lifetime, pilgrims walk around the Kabah seven times in a counterclockwise direction.
In addition to this, pilgrims walk between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah seven times. This is to commemorate Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, who ran between these two hills looking for water to help save the life of her son. Fortunately, an angel arrived, and a well appeared where the angel touched the ground. The water it produced saved both mother and child.
Pilgrims also visit Mina, which is just outside Mecca. Here they throw seven pebbles at each of the three walls that represent the Devil.
In Islam there are seven skies, seven seas, and seven layers of the earth. There are also seven heavens. They are:
1. Pure silver. This is the home of Adam and Eve.
2. Pure gold. John the Baptist and Jesus are here.
3. Pearl. Joseph lives here. Azrael, the Islamic angel of death, also lives here.
4. White gold. Enoch, who became Metatron, the king of angels in Christian belief, is called Idris in Islam. He rules the fourth heaven. The Islamic Angel of Tears lives here, too.
5. Silver. Aaron, the brother of Moses, rules the fifth heaven. The Islamic Avenging Angel lives here, too.
6. Ruby and garnet. This heaven is ruled by Moses. The Guardian Angel of Heaven and Earth lives here. This angel is composed of both snow and fire.
7. Divine light. The seventh heaven is ruled by Abraham. Every inhabitant of this heaven has 70,000 heads. Each head has 70,000 faces, each face has 70,000 mouths, each mouth 70,000 tongues, and each tongue can speak 70,000 languages, all of which continually chant the praises of Allah.
There are seven levels of hell and seven doors leading to hell.
There are seven major sins in Islam. These come from a hadith, or report, from the Prophet Muhammad. They are polytheism (worship of many gods), witchcraft, killing a soul that Allah has forbidden to be killed, riba (usury), unlawfully taking the money of an orphan, running away from the field of battle, and slandering chaste, innocent women.
Seven in the Bahá’í Faith
Bahá’u’lláh (1817–1892), the founder of the Bahá’í religion, wrote a book called The Seven Valleys, which describes the seven mystical stages a follower must go through to find God. The seven valleys are:
1. The Valley of Search
2. The Valley of Love
3. The Valley of Knowledge
4. The Valley of Unity
5. The Valley of Contentment
6. The Valley of Wonderment
7. The Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness
Seven in Judaism
The Sepher Yetzirah, also known as the Book of Creation or the Book of Formation, is the oldest book of Jewish esotericism. It was probably written between 200 and 500 CE, although Jewish tradition says it was written by Abraham. This book confirms the Jewish belief that seven is an extremely powerful number: “God has loved and blessed the number seven more than anything beneath heaven.”5 The Sepher Yetzirah says that God created the seven days of the week, the seven orifices of perception, seven heavens, and seven planets.6
The Hebrew word for luck is gad. This is equal to the number seven in gematria, a form of numerology in which letters have numerical values. Interestingly, mazel, the other Hebrew word for luck, equals 77. 7
Seven appears in Jewish weddings, too, since there are seven wedding blessings and seven circuits of the groom. There are also seven days of festive meals after the wedding. When someone dies, there are seven days of mourning.
The menorah is the most ancient symbol of Judaism, as God revealed it to Moses. It is a seven-stemmed candleholder, and its shape represents the burning bush (Exodus 3:2–4).
The Talmud contains the Seven Laws of Noah, also known as the Noachide Laws, which are intended for all humankind. According to Jewish belief, any non-Jew who follows these laws will be considered a Righteous Gentile and be guaranteed a place in the world to come. These laws are:
1. Thou shalt not commit idolatry.
2. Thou shalt not blaspheme God’s name.
3. Thou shalt not commit bloodshed.
4. Thou shalt not steal.
5. Thou shalt not commit incest or adultery.
6. Thou shalt establish courts of justice.
7. Thou shalt not eat the flesh cut from a living animal.
Seven in Hinduism
In the Hindu tradition, the world mountain has seven faces, and the sun has seven rays. The seventh ray symbolizes the power of God. Surya, the sun god, rides a chariot pulled by seven horses, each symbolizing a color, an energy, and a day of the week.
In Hinduism there are seven truths, which include living peacefully, freedom of thought, respect for nature, respect for all animals, becoming one with Brahman, and the belief that our good and bad actions will ultimately affect us.
There are seven vows or promises in a Hindu wedding. There are also seven holy cities, seven sacred places, seven sacred rivers, and seven famous battlefields.
There are fourteen worlds, or planes of existence. The Earth is the lowest of the seven higher worlds, and beneath it are seven lower worlds (underworlds or hells). When someone dies, the god of death measures the person’s good and bad deeds and determines which heaven or hell the soul should go to. The god of death also determines how long the soul has to remain there before being reborn.
The seven higher worlds relate to the chakras and the seven layers of the aura.
Earth is the eighth world and is inhabited by living human beings. It relates to Muladhara (root chakra).
Bhuvarloka, the middle world of air, is the ninth world. It is inhabited by celestial beings. It relates to Svadisthana (sacral chakra).
Suvah, or heavenly world of the sky, is the tenth world. It is inhabited by devas (gods). It relates to Manipura (solar plexus chakra).
Maharloka, or world of radiant beings, is the eleventh world. It relates to Anahatha (heart chakra).
Janaloka, or world of deities, is the twelfth world. It relates to Visshudha (throat chakra).
Tapoloka, or world of pure souls, is the thirteenth world. It relates to Ajna (brow chakra).
Satyaloka, or world of truth, is the fourteenth world. It relates to Sahasrara (crown chakra).
The seven lower worlds (hells) are Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Mahatala, Tatatala, Rasatala, and Patala.
Seven in Buddhism
According to legend, Buddha took seven steps when he was born. In 477 BCE, when Buddha felt that his Nirvana was close, he went to the town of Kusinara and stood on a stone facing south. His feet left an impression on the stone. Copies of his footprints can be found in temples throughout India, China, and Japan. Seven auspicious signs were observed in his footprints, and these are called the Seven Appearances. They are the conch shell, the crown of Brahma, the diamond mace, a fish, a flower vase, a swastika, and the Wheel of the Law.
Seven in Japanese Lore
The Japanese have Seven Gods of Good Luck who bring happiness as well as good fortune. Six of the gods are men, and Benten, the goddess of music, is a woman. They are often depicted traveling on a treasure ship known as Takarabune. The Seven Gods of Good Luck give gifts to honest, worthy people every New Year.
Seven in China
The seventh month of the lunar year is known as the Ghost Month. At this time of year, the ghosts of the dead are able to return and mingle with the living. During this month, people burn paper offerings to the dead. These can depict anything; examples include paper money, paper houses, paper cars, or paper television sets. On the fifteenth day of the month, huge food festivals are held to please and placate the hungry ghosts. Any concerts held at this time contain empty seats for the ghosts to sit in. Any music played at this time is loud, as ghosts appreciate this. By the end of the month, it is hoped that all the ghosts will have returned to the underworld.
In China, young women look forward to the Feast of the Double Seventh, which occurs each year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. An ancient tradition says that magpies gather to form a bridge across the Milky Way, so the Weaving Maiden can visit her lover, the Cowherd. The Weaving Maiden is the patroness of unmarried women, and on this day young girls bring her various gifts and have their fortunes told, hoping that this will be the last time they have to do it. The Weaving Maiden and the Cowherd are popular subjects for Chinese artists.
There are many versions of the story of the Weaving Maiden and the Cowherd. One tells of how a young cowherd came across seven girls bathing in a pool. He took the clothing of one of the girls and hid where he could watch them. When the girls finished their swim, they clothed themselves in feathers and flew up into the sky. The one girl without clothes remained behind, and Niulang, the cowherd, discovered she was Zhinu, the seventh daughter of the Goddess of Heaven. The seven sisters had come down to earth in search of fun, as life in heaven was rather boring. Niulang and Zhinu fell in love, married, and had a son.
When the Goddess of Heaven discovered that her seventh daughter had married a mere mortal, she was furious and ordered her to return to heaven. The cowherd was devastated, until one of his cows told him to kill her and use the cow’s hide to fly after her. The cowherd did this, and he and his son were reunited with Zhinu in the sky. They were so happy together that Zhinu completely forgot to carry out her daily task of weaving beautiful clouds. The Goddess of Heaven angrily scratched a line through the heavens to separate Niulang and Zhinu. This created the Milky Way. The Goddess decided they should see each other only once a month. She asked a magpie to deliver this message. Unfortunately, the magpie forgot it was once a month and told them they could meet only once a year.
Ever since then, the lovers have met on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar. Magpies gather to create a bridge across the Milky Way. In China, this has become the annual feast day of young girls, one of the biggest events in the Chinese year.
In China, the number seven also plays an important role after someone dies. It takes up to 7 x 7 days for the person’s soul to finally leave the body, as it needs to break its connection with the world and the person’s family before it can move on. Every seventh day, up to and including the forty-ninth day, sacrifices and rituals are held to ensure that the soul leaves the body and makes its way into the next world.
Seven in Folklore
The Irish hero Cúchulainn had seven fingers on each hand, seven toes on each foot, and seven pupils in each eye. He was seven years old when he was given his first weapons, and his son, Connla, was seven years old when his father killed him.
According to British folklore, the Queen of the Fairies pays a tithe to Hell every seven years. Thomas the Rhymer lived in the world of the faeries for seven years.
The seventh son of a seventh son is traditionally believed to possess special powers. In Ireland, he had the gift of healing. In the United Kingdom, he possessed magical powers and a gift for divination. In Central America, it was believed he would become a werewolf.
Children’s fairy tales often use the number seven as well. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “The Seven Ravens,” and “Seven at One Blow” are good examples.
The Seven Wise Masters is a collection of Oriental stories dating from the tenth century. In this book, Prince Lucien returns home after receiving instruction in the seven liberal arts by seven wise masters. His astrological forecast told him that he could die if he spoke in the next seven days. One of the women of the court tried to seduce him, but was turned down. She lied to the king about this, and the prince was condemned to death. The wise masters managed to have the sentence suspended by one day. However, the spurned woman further embroidered her story, and the one-day suspension was disallowed. The wise masters appealed again and again until the seventh day, and Prince Lucien was able to tell the true story of the attempted seduction. The prince was acquitted, and the woman who had attempted to seduce him was condemned to death instead.
One of the most famous examples of the number seven in folklore appears in this traditional children’s nursery rhyme:
As I was going to St. Ives
I met a man with seven wives.
Each wife had seven sacks,
Each sack had seven cats,
Each cat had seven kits:
Kits, cats, sacks, wives—
How many were going to St. Ives?
Seven as Superstition
Many craps players refuse to say the word seven while gambling, as they believe it will bring them bad luck. Instead of saying “seven,” they refer to it as “the Devil” or “it.”
A common superstition says that breaking a mirror will bring seven years of bad luck. This superstition dates back to Roman times. They believed that the mirror reflected the person’s soul. If the mirror broke, the person’s soul would be trapped inside the remains of the mirror.
The Seven Senses
“It is enough to fright you out of your seven senses.”
—François Rabelais
“You frighten me out of my seven senses.”
—Jonathan Swift
“Huzzaed out of my seven senses.”
—Joseph Addison
“I am almost frightened out of my seven senses.”
—Miguel Cervantes
The concept of seven senses dates back to the Stoics’ philosophy of the soul. The Stoic school of philosophy was established in Athens in 308 BCE. The Stoics believed the soul comprised seven parts, which were housed in different parts of the body. Both Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE–c. 50 CE), the Jewish theologian and philosopher, and Claudius Galen (c. 130–c. 201 CE), the Greek physician, referred to the seven parts of the soul.8
An ancient tradition says that the soul, or the “inward holy body,” comprises seven properties, which are directed and influenced by the seven visible planets.9 The properties are:
1. Fire. This animates (body movement, sense of balance).
2. Earth. This provides feeling.
3. Water. This provides speech.
4. Air. This provides taste.
5. Mist. This provides vision.
6. Flowers. These provide hearing.
7. South Wind. This provides the sense of smell.
Consequently, the seven senses are animation, feeling, speech, taste, vision, hearing, and smell. These are described in the Apocrypha as: “They received the use of the five operations of the Lord [sight, hearing, taste, smell, and feeling], and in the sixth place he imparted them understanding, and in the seventh speech, an interpreter of the cogitations thereof” (Ecclesiasticus 17:5).10
Seven in Numerology
Pythagoras is generally considered to be the father of numerology. He considered seven to be “the vehicle of life,” as it consists of a triangle (three) and a square (four). Three and four are also considered auspicious numbers in numerology, and symbolize body and soul, spirit and matter.11 Seven is also indivisible, which means it’s not directly related to any other number between one and ten.
Over time, seven came to symbolize perfection, completeness, and spirituality. It is also the number of introspection, insight, analysis, understanding, and wisdom. In numerology, every number possesses both positive and negative qualities. The negative side of the number seven is aloofness, a critical approach, inability to express one’s feelings, lack of trust, uneasiness in social situations, and a strong desire to work on one’s own, with little or no input from others.
In the next chapter, we’ll combine everything we’ve learned so far, and start working with the soul.