Unlucky or not, there’s one thing you can count on: numbers hold powerful cultural symbolism.

I’d like to thank those of you who stopped by the Happiness U booth at the Food & New Products Show this past weekend at Neal Blaisdell Center. You shared with me your questions and what you would like me to write about, and I promise to answer them, starting today!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: I want to know more about numbers. Is having the number 4 in my address really considered “bad”? How do I find out the numerology of my home and what it means?

Numerology plays a part in feng shui, and I get asked most about the number 4, which many have heard is “unlucky,” because it sounds like “death” when said in Cantonese. This belief is based on cultural superstition and outdated thinking that serves no one. Some of you may not know that I am half Chinese and grew up in Taiwan. So, in addition to speaking Japanese, I also speak Chinese and have experienced the cultural aspect of numerology.

My viewpoint on the number four

It is understandable why 4 is considered inauspicious in traditional Chinese feng shui, but that belief is based in superstition, just as our aversion to the number 13 is. All sorts of theories exist for why 13 is considered bad luck, but all are anchored in superstition.

Like any other number, 4 is neither intrinsically good nor bad. Each number holds a different meaning, vibration and essence. The number 4, like most numbers, has different meanings depending on the culture. In western numerology, 4 reflects strength and stability. In ancient numerology, it represents thought and the four-body system (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies).

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Those facts alone suggest that it has only the meaning and power you give it. We are in charge of the energy we create in our lives, and only through the meaning you give it can a number have any control over your life.

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Home or business addresses

The majority of us have no choice as to the number affiliated with our home, business or apartment. Because every number has its own beauty and essence, no matter what the number of your home, I believe it is perfect for you and your family.

Find your home’s number

If you live in an apartment, or have a business in a building, your building may have a different number from your suite or apartment. Yet, when you add them to determine the numerology, you will find a certain synchronicity. Use their meaning to find a correlation to your life experience and to enhance what you already know about your life or about what you would like to achieve. It’s easy to figure out the numerological value of your home, business or apartment. Your goal is to reduce the numbers of the street or apartment down to a single digit.

For example, if your home number is 1426 Happy Valley Way, you add 1 + 4 + 2 + 6 = 13 = 1 + 3 = 4. If you lived at 24-881 Smiling Drive, you would calculate it as follows: 2 + 4 + 8 + 8 + 1 = 23 = 2 + 3 = 5.

After you reduce the numbers to their numerological value, read the corresponding basic descriptions that follow and use them to enhance the energy of your space:

One. Resonating with independence and individuality, the “1” energy represents new beginnings, self-development, creativity and progress, and is associated with an unobstructed flow of creation and being “at one” with life.

Two. Symbolizing balance, choice, cooperation, and the yin and the yang (complementary opposites), the “2” energy, is cozy, private and intimate, and considered ideal for developing relationships with others.

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Three. Expressing creativity, family and self-expression, the “3” energy is associated with the body, mind and soul, and enhances optimism, perfect for those who like to entertain.

Four. Emphasizing stability, grounding and security, and resonating with work and service, the “4” energy is foundational and associated with discipline, productivity and organization, a great energy for balancing one’s life.

Five. Resonating with curiosity and fun, the “5” energy promotes excitement and being impulsive, representing freedom, change, resourcefulness and adventure. Like the fingers on your hand, it connotes a handful and demonstrates the fullness that life has to offer.

Six. Symbolizing home, love and beauty, in feng shui, the “6” energy represents service to family, the environment, animals and the community, and supports generosity, nurturing and caring.

Seven: Emphasizing contemplation, self-evaluation, solitude and spirituality, the “7” energy is associated with spirituality, contemplation and meditation, an excellent energy for further educational pursuits. A “7” home is one that supports rest and quietude.

Eight: Related to physical power, material prosperity and leadership, “8” energy expresses infinite possibilities, abundance and success, drawing opportunities toward you.

Nine. Symbolizing wisdom and achievement, and representing accomplishment, attainment, completion and community service, “9,” the highest number in numerology, brings the energy of the “highest” possibility to those in the home.

In closing

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Use the power of numerology as a guide to maximize the energy of your home, and, in the future, if you hear something about a number that sounds “scary,” before jumping to the conclusion that it is “bad,” ask yourself if it is true for you. Remember, you create your experience. Don”t let a superstition or hearsay dictate the direction of your life.

Alice Inoue is the founder and Chief Happiness Officer at Happiness U, an educational establishment at the Gentry Pacific Center on Nimitz Highway. Learn things about life that were never taught in school about how to be happy. Happiness U offers classes such as Feng Shui 101, Clutter Clearing Plan 101, Positive Mindset 101, Happiness 101 and more. Visit www.YourHappinessU.com for more information.