Planets and Numbers: Correspondences in Cheiro's System and Vedic Numerology

Key takeaways

• There isn't one table linking numbers and planets, but several.

• The most cited in the West comes from Cheiro (early 20th century). Vedic numerology uses another, which replaces Uranus and Neptune with the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu.

• These tables are symbolic conventions. Their variety is itself revealing.

Side-by-Side Table

• Number · Cheiro (Western) · Vedic numerology · Shared theme

• 1 · Sun · Sun (Surya) · Identity, will

• 2 · Moon · Moon (Chandra) · Sensitivity, receptiveness

• 3 · Jupiter · Jupiter (Guru) · Expansion, knowledge

• 4 · Uranus · Rahu (North Node) · Disruption, ambition, the unexpected

• 5 · Mercury · Mercury (Budha) · Exchange, intelligence

• 6 · Venus · Venus (Shukra) · Love, harmony

• 7 · Neptune · Ketu (South Node) · Inwardness, detachment

• 8 · Saturn · Saturn (Shani) · Structure, trials, time

• 9 · Mars · Mars (Mangal) · Energy, courage

The two systems agree on seven numbers out of nine. They differ on 4 and 7.

The Uranus and Neptune Problem

Uranus was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel, Neptune in 1846 (from Urbain Le Verrier's calculations, observed by Johann Galle). No ancient tradition could therefore have linked them to a number.

Their presence in Cheiro's system shows this table is a modern construction, even when presented as heir to an ancient Chaldean tradition. Vedic numerology fills the two slots with Rahu and Ketu, the lunar nodes: the two points where the Moon's apparent path crosses the Sun's, and where eclipses happen. They aren't celestial bodies but mathematical points that Indian astrology treats as "shadow planets."

What These Correspondences Are Worth

They rest on symbolic analogies, often coherent ones: the Sun, the central body, for the 1 of identity; Saturn, the slow planet linked to time, for the 8 of structure. But:

• they aren't universal: two major systems disagree on two numbers out of nine;

• they don't cover master numbers (11, 22, 33), for which no planet is agreed on;

• they have no astronomical basis: nothing physically links a planet to a digit.

How to Use Them

In our articles, we cite Cheiro's correspondence as a lead for interpretation, always noting it's a convention. If your life path is 4 or 7, it can be interesting to read both: Uranus or Rahu for 4, Neptune or Ketu for 7. They shed light on different sides of the same number.

Frequently asked questions