Numbers you may see elsewhere
Phillips, this site's main source, does not use Karmic Debt or Challenge numbers. Other popular books do, so you may meet them on other sites. Here is what they are, how they are worked out, and what their author says. They are kept apart from your main reading on purpose.
Check your date
Karmic Debt: 13, 14, 16, and 19
What it is. In some books, if a 13, 14, 16, or 19 shows up on the way to your Life Path or Birthday number, it is called a Karmic Debt. It is written with the final number after it: 13/4, 14/5, 16/7, or 19/1. Goodwin also looks for it in name numbers; this page checks only the Life Path and Birthday number.
The idea behind it. Matthew Oliver Goodwin, whose book is the main source for these numbers, explains a Karmic Debt as a difficulty carried over from a past life. That rests on a belief in reincarnation. It is not something the numbers themselves can show.
Why the answer can differ between sites. There are two common ways to add up a Life Path. This site adds every digit of your birth date at once. Goodwin reduces the month, day, and year first, then adds them. The two can pass through different numbers on the way, so one may show a 16 and the other not. We check both and say which one found it.
13/4 work
Goodwin describes a 13/4 as feeling boxed in and stuck in one way of doing things.
He says it eases through steady, patient work and keeping both the details and the big picture in view.
14/5 freedom
Goodwin describes a 14/5 as restless, jumping between things, and prone to overdoing pleasures.
He says it eases by learning from experience instead of repeating mistakes, and using freedom with a sense of proportion.
16/7 pride and closeness
Goodwin describes a 16/7 as feeling different and hard to reach, with close partnerships taking extra work.
He says it eases through humility, care for others, and keeping faith in yourself when things go wrong.
19/1 independence
Goodwin describes a 19/1 as going to one of two extremes: so focused on your own needs that you miss others’, or finding it hard to act on your own.
He says it eases by learning to see your needs and other people’s needs side by side.
Why we keep it out of your main reading: a name that says you owe something can weigh more than it should, and Phillips, whose system the rest of the site follows, does not use it.
The Challenge number
What it is. Goodwin's Challenge describes a difficulty that tends to show up early in life and can turn into a strength later. It is the one number in Goodwin's book worked out by subtracting.
How it is worked out. Example: April 16, 1958.
- Reduce each part to one digit, master numbers included. Month 4, day 1 + 6 = 7, year 1 + 9 + 5 + 8 = 23, then 5.
- Month and day: 7 − 4 = 3.
- Day and year: 7 − 5 = 2.
- The Challenge is the gap between those two: 3 − 2 = 1.
Always take the smaller number from the larger. Goodwin says this is the only place in numerology a 0 appears. A 9 is not possible.
0 Challenge
Goodwin describes a 0 Challenge as seeing your choices clearly but finding it hard to act on them.
He says it eases with practice, as choosing and then acting gets easier and usually works out.
1 Challenge
Goodwin describes a 1 Challenge as feeling held back by stronger people early on, and trying to please everyone.
He says it eases by weighing everyone’s needs, including your own, and then moving forward with your own choice.
2 Challenge
Goodwin describes a 2 Challenge as strong sensitivity early on: shyness, fear of being hurt, and worry about what others think.
He says the same sensitivity can become a real strength, noticing things others miss.
3 Challenge
Goodwin describes a 3 Challenge as hiding your creativity and social side early on, out of shyness or fear of criticism.
He says it eases as you let yourself speak, write, or create in front of others.
4 Challenge
Goodwin describes a 4 Challenge as trouble with work early on: either avoiding it or doing it rigidly.
He says it eases into the ability to work well and patiently, with attention to detail.
5 Challenge
Goodwin describes a 5 Challenge as restlessness early on, moving on from things quickly.
He says it eases by choosing among opportunities and seeing the good ones through.
6 Challenge
Goodwin describes a 6 Challenge as very high standards early on, which can come across as rigid.
He says it eases into a real skill for bringing people together, once others feel heard.
7 Challenge
Goodwin describes a 7 Challenge as feeling stuck and keeping feelings to yourself early on, which can turn into criticism.
He says it eases through study, trusting your own judgment, and sharing what you know openly.
8 Challenge
Goodwin describes an 8 Challenge as an early belief that only money and status bring security.
He says it eases into handling money and success with a sense of proportion.
Pinnacles
Pinnacles are four numbers for four stretches of adult life. Phillips has a similar set, added up the same way, which he calls Pyramids, or peak years. He reads them as single peak years, and his ages can differ by a year or more. Because they are part of his system, they have their own page. See your Pinnacles as a timeline → See Phillips's peak years →
Source
Matthew Oliver Goodwin, Numerology: The Complete Guide, Volume 1, Newcastle Publishing, 1981. Chapter 11 and Chart 7 (the Karmic Debt), Chapter 14 and Chart 9 (the Challenge). Goodwin writes these in strong, negative terms; here each is retold as what he describes and what he says it can become.