Lucky Numbers: Seven, Three and Four

The number seven is significant and to many people and in many folklores seven it is considered a lucky number. Whether you believe this, or not, is up to you but it is a common belief in many parts of the world.

This does not just apply to folklore and legend though, because many world religions give special significance to this number. This is especially important in what are called the religions of Semitic origin, which includes Judaism, Christianity and Islam. They all count days in sevens as in seven days in a week.  Perhaps that is why the number seven is considered lucky.

In Christianity we hear about the seven deadly sins which were first listed by Pope Gregory I more than fourteen hundred years ago. They are: pride, covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, anger and sloth.  Pope Gregory also made a list of the seven virtues: faith, hope, charity, justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude.

The significance of the lucky number seven appears to go back to pre-Christian times when it was considered sacred, mystical, or a lucky number. During the sixth century BC, the followers of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras believed that three and four made a lucky number and that if they were added together they became a much more powerful lucky number and that triangles and squares with their three and four side became powerful when added together. This symbol of a square with a triangle in it is seen in many cultures across the world.

The ancient Arabians had seven holy temples and the Goths had seven gods, as did the Romans. In Masonic symbolism the number seven arises a lot and even the Bible speaks of the seven churches of Asia:  ‘He had in His right hand seven stars’.

So the number seven has been a significant, mystical and propitious number for thousands of years.  Do I select this lucky number when I enter the lottery draw?  The answer is ‘no,’ because I have never found that the number seven is any more of a lucky number than any other.  The other numbers I select are not successful either, so I would conclude that there are no lucky numbers and that it is just a matter of it ‘being your turn’.

How do you choose a lucky number? Or do you just do it randomly?