Lucky Number 7

Courtney Poda    

Why is six afraid of seven? Because seven “eight” nine! The lucky number seven appears in our lives as early as childhood. The lucky number could also reappear later on in life in activities such as gambling. There are countless reasons why a number could be “lucky.” The number reoccurs throughout many different religions and cultures. Ranging from Greek mythology and Native American ways of life to Christian beliefs, the magic number keeps popping up. There are worldwide known items that are grouped in sevens. For example, the seven seas, seven continents, seven colors in the rainbow, SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD , seven days in the week, etc. Everyone knows about all of these groups. Each of these is significant because they impact how we go about everyday life. For one reason or another, collectively as people, the number seven is well liked. In one article I found on the number on Psychology Today the author gives seven reasons why people like the number. Among those reasons are: seven is lucky, it’s a good playoff number, meaning that is five is too little but nine is too much, seven is a good medium, it’s magical, occurs throughout nature, etc. Also, seven has a more appealing sound compared to the other numbers. The example used in the Psychology Today article was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” It rolls off the tongue much easier than a one syllable number. Different cultures, including some Native American tribes such as the Cherokees, acknowledge seven as an important number as well. For example, seven is a reoccurring theme in different myths and stories that are passed down. It also symbolizes the embodiment of being sacred and pure. Seven is very much associated with religion as well. God created the universe in seven days, there are seven deadly sins, etc. The number seven represents absolute perfection. It is also a great number when it comes to marketing. Because the marketers know people like the number seven, companies and premieres are scheduled for the seventh of a given month to make the event sound more appealing. For many reasons, seven is thought of as a number representing luck and perfection. The magic number is versatile with what it can symbolize in many different areas of life. Whether it’s Christianity or Native American tribes or day to day life, lucky number seven is a big part of everyone’s life whether we consciously know it or not.

Works Cited
Folding Cards. 2013. Psychic Library. Web. 20 Oct 2015.

http://resolver.ebscohost.com/openurl?sid=EBSCO%3aaph&genre=article&issn=03624331&ISBN=&volume=156&issue=53993&date=20070702&spage=C6&pages=&title=New+York+Times&atitle=With+a+Big+Day+Ahead%2c+Marketers+Are+Turning+to+Numerology.&aulast=Elliott%2c+Stuart&id=DOI%3a&site=ftf-live

http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/7.html

http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/Culture/General/TheTraditionalBeliefSystem.aspx

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201109/7-reasons-we-7-reasons

Lucky Number 7

Author: Simone Jackson

The subject of seven has been said to be lucky over the years, it is often called “lucky number seven”. Most of the things in our world come in the number seven. For example the days of the week or the colors of the rainbow. When reading some of the articles on websites for example www.mysticalnumbers.com/number-7 gives says that the number seven forms the symbol called “the seed of life”. The seed of life represent the six days of creation with the center circle representing the day of rest. The number seven is also a lucky number for Pisces and Cancer horoscopes. The number seven can be referred to in some cultures for example the Hindu culture. At wedding the bride and groom are to walk around a fire seven times taking seven steps and they are to say a vow at every seven steps. In the Chinese culture they believe in seven gods. They believe that the seven gods arrive on a ship called “the treasure ship” every New Years to give gifts to all the worthy people. However though the number seven may be lucky with some cultures in the American culture saying the number seven in a game of craps is believed to be unlucky. Players I the game of craps refer to the number seven as “it” or “the devil”.  As well as breaking a mirror is believed to bring you seven years of bad luck. There are seven cosmic principles: The Principle of Correspondence, The Principle of Law and Order, The Principle of Vibration, The Principle of Rhythm,  The Principle of Cycles,  The Principle of Polarity, and The Principle of Sex . A geological perspective for the number seven would be that there are seven seas: The South Ocean, North Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, Artic Ocean, Southern ocean and The Indian Ocean. In the Christianity the number seven is famous for the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are believed to be the downfall of men. The seven deadly sins include: Pride, Sloth, Greed, Lust, Envy, Anger, and Anger.   Another interesting fact about number seven would be that there are seven ancient wonders in the world.  The seven ancient wonders of the world include: The Pyramids of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Statue of Zeus, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, and The lighthouse of Alexandria. 

 

Image from DC Basketcases

Lucky Number Seven

Author: Michael Currens

The number seven is considered lucky and magical.  What history of the number gives it such controversial terms? It mostly started with religion. According to Dahloan Hembree, author of the article Lucky Seven? History of the Superstitions of the Number Seven,

The ancient Greeks considered the number seven to be lucky. They believed it to be the perfect number. The Arabs carried on this belief and built seven holy temples.  The Goths made sure they worshiped the seven deities.  The Japanese also had seven gods. Even the Scottish Masons made sure the number seven had relevance in their rites, and their aprons were made with seven tassels on them. (Dahloan)

The Bible also has numerous times when the number seven is mentioned.  Some people consider the number seven the luckiest and most powerful number in the Bible. (Astle)  In the Bible the world was created in seven days and in the battle of Jericho, the Israelite army was told to march around the city seven times.

Lucky seven also comes up when gambling or playing card games.  For example a 5+2 roll or a 4+3 is considered lucky.  It is also one of the most played numbers in a dice game.  

Many other facts and happenings contribute to the number seven being revered as lucky.  For instance there are the Seven Seas, The Seven Sisters, The Seven Ancient Planets, Seventh Inning Stretch, The Seven virtues, The Seven Deadly Sins, and The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. (Seven)  All have the number seven and all have it for a purpose.  It goes back to the culture and religious teachings of the time.  Everyone believed in the extraordinary and seven was considered to be holy, lucky, and magical.  For if something had seven associated with it, it was bound to be a good sign.  Seven has been considered unique and lucky since B.C. times.  The strangest part is that most of the ancient ideas and facts about the number seven still hold to be true today.  To the Greeks there were only seven planets.  This reinforced their thinking that somehow seven was special.  In modern times we have seven days in a week.  The U.S. declared its independence from Britain on the seventh month.  The Constitution itself has seven articles, planned or not, no one knows.  These are all examples of the number seven considered being lucky.  If good things happen when the number seven is involved wouldn’t you believe it too? 

Generally speaking seven has always been a lucky number for people.  It has also had very negative effects on people.  It all depends on your perspective and how you wish to view the number seven.  There are many other lucky numbers, such as 3 and 4, which make up the number seven.  Is it coincidence or not?  I don’t necessarily believe in “luck” or “magical” numbers however it’s usually more fun to go along with the superstitions.  You never know, it could be your lucky day. 

Works cited:

Astle, Cynthia. “The Number 7 in the Bible Is a Source of Good Luck.” Glossary Defines Spiritual Meaning of Numbers in the Bible Dennis, Rabbi Geoffrey W., The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism  Minnesota, Llewllyn Publications, 2007. Web. October 14 2012. 

Hembree, Dahloan. “Lucky Seven? History of the Superstitions of the Number Seven.” Yahoo 2007. Web. 15 October 2012.

“LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN.” Lucky Mojo Curio Co. Yronwode 1995. Web. 14 October 2012. 

"Seven." Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 14 October 2012.

"Seven." Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. London: Chambers Harrap, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 15 October 2012. 

Links for further research:

Lucky Numbers

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/LuckyNumber.html

Information on lucky numbers with a list of references.

Facts about the Number Seven

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-the-number-seven.html

This site gives more facts concerning the number seven in math and religion.

The Biblical meaning of the Number Seven

http://www.biblewheel.com/topics/seven_meaning.asp

A very in depth article explain the number seven in the Bible.