The number seven has many symbolic meanings in numerology, spirituality, mythology, psychology, and astrology. There are seven colors of the rainbow, seven chakras, seven days of the week, seven continents, and seven wonders of the world. The number seven is featured extensively in Christianity and other religions, along with the number seven forms the basis of Western musical scales. In Roman numerals, vii is the number 7, and the Roman numeral system is comprised of seven letters.
What Does the Number 7 Mean Spiritually?
The number seven has numerous meanings in Judaism and Christianity and is noted frequently in the Bible. Seven is also an important number of spiritual significance in Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In the Old Testament, God had created the world in six days while resting on the seventh day. There are seven deadly sins in the Bible, seven layers of purgatory, and seven sacraments in the Catholic church. The Book of Revelations speaks of seven stars, seven trumpets, seven seals, seven angels, seven churches, and seven plagues. Philosopher and patron Saint Thomas Aquinas revealed seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord. The following Biblical verses are quoted from the New International Version:
- ''Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.'' Genesis 2:3
- ''During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.'' Genesis 41:47
- ''For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord.'' Exodus 13:6
- ''The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.'' Revelations 1:20
The sacred geometric symbol known as ''The Seed of Life'' consists of seven circles of the same size (often framed by a large surrounding circle). Sacred Geometry is a school of thought that derives mathematical meaning and relationships from geometrical objects in nature. The six outer circles of "The Seed of Life" reference the six days of creation from the Book of Genesis, while the center circle represents the seventh day as the day of rest.
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The Hindu Vedas are ancient texts composed of hymns and philosophical teachings between 1500-500 B.C.E. The number seven also holds special significance. In the Rigveda, the earliest book of the Vedas, there are seven heavenly fortresses, seven rays of the sun, seven seasons, seven Adityas (benevolent gods), seven races of men, and seven parts of the world. Surya, the Hindu sun god, rode a golden chariot across the sky led by seven horses. Hinduism also discusses the fourteen realms of existence, seven upper worlds or heavens (Vyahrtis), and seven underworlds of hell (Patalas). During a Hindu wedding ceremony, the groom and bride walk around a sacred fire seven times and then walk seven steps together.
In Buddhism, Maya, the mother of the original Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, died seven days after he was born, and the newborn Buddha was said to take seven steps upon his birth. Buddhism also teaches the seven factors of Enlightenment: mindfulness, keen investigation of dhamma (teachings), energy, happiness, calmness, concentration, and tranquility. The Qur'an begins with seven verses in the first chapter. Islam teaches about the Seven Heavens and Seven Gates of Hell, and devout Muslims on the Hajj (holy pilgrimage) walk seven times around the Kaaba in Mecca, the holiest and most sacred site in Islam.
What Does the Number 7 Signify in Mythology?
The number 7 has great significance in mythology and folklore. Ancient Greece famously has seven sages known as the Seven Wise Men of antiquity. Ancient Greeks also told the story of the ''The Pleiads,'' who were the seven daughters of Titan Atlas and Oceanid Pleione. The Pleiads is also the name of a star cluster constellation known as The Seven Sisters. The Greek God Apollo, affiliated with the Oracle of Delphi, was born on the seventh day of the seventh month. Odysseus, the Greek hero from Homer's Odyssey, was kept hostage on the island of Ogygia for seven years. In Ancient Rome, there were seven liberal arts grouped into categories of three and four. The ''trivium'' consisted of grammar, rhetoric, and logic, while the ''quadrivium'' included geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music. The Roman numeral seven (vii) is comprised of 5+1+1.
There are 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, which consist of the most remarkable structures created in ancient civilization. The list was compiled from a document called On The Seven Wonders, written by Philo of Byzantium in 225 B.C.E. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are:
- Egyptian Pyramid at Giza (the only structure still standing)
- Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- Colossus of Rhodes
- Statue of Zeus at Olympia
- Lighthouse at Alexandria
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In 2007, a contest was held to determine the ''New 7 Wonders of the World'' based on masterpieces that exist in the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites. The New 7 Wonders of the World are:
- The Great Wall of China
- The Taj Mahal, India
- Petra, Jordan
- The Colosseum in Rome, Italy
- Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Chichen Itza, Mexico
- Machu Picchu, Peru
In folklore, one gets seven years of bad luck for breaking a mirror. In Persian mythology, a cat has seven lives (compared to nine in the West), and children worldwide know the timeless folktale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
What Does the Number 7 Mean in Numerology?
In the metaphysical philosophy of numerology, the number 7 signifies the Greek deity Athena and the Roman deity Minerva, both goddesses of war and the city protectress. People affiliated with the number seven are believed to be insightful, intuitive, truthful, introspective, intellectual, and wise.
The Pythagoreans (followers of Pythagoras) believed the number seven, which they called ''the Septad,'' to be particularly lucky. The Western musical diatonic scale, devised as a system of pitch relationships between notes, is comprised of seven notes based on the intervallic relationships envisioned by Pythagoras. The diatonic scale, also called a heptatonic scale, is based on five whole-tone intervals and two half-step intervals. Examples of diatonic scales in Western music are the major scale and the harmonic/melodic/natural minor scales. There are also seven musical modes in Western music: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. Each mode consists of seven pitches and can be played using all white keys on the piano:
- Ionian - C (major scale)
- Dorian - D
- Phrygian - E
- Lydian - F
- Mixolydian - G
- Aeolian - A (natural minor)
- Locrian - B
What Does the Number 7 Stand for in Psychology?
Psychologists believe that the human brain's short-term working memory can retain seven items. In the U.S., phone numbers are seven digits long (minus the area code). Numerous self-help books have been written using this hypothesis, such as the world-renowned book by Steven Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Meditation guru Deepak Chopra wrote The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, while author Gerry Spence published Seven Steps to Personal Freedom. In popular and historical literature, Nathaniel Hawthorne published The House of the Seven Gables, Bram Stoker (of Dracula fame) wrote The Jewel of Seven Stars, Heinrich Harrer authored Seven Years in Tibet, and famed children's author Maurice Sendak wrote Seven Little Monsters.
What Does the Number 7 Stand for in Astrology?
In astronomy, the cycles of the moon last for 28 days. A new moon to a half moon evolves over a period of seven days, and a new moon to a full moon occurs in 14 days. Many ancient cultures recognized seven planets: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. In the Tarot, the Chariot is the seventh card, and the number seven is affiliated with the planet Neptune. In astrology, Libra is the seventh Zodiac sign.
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