Enclosed herein is a comprehensive lesson plan for the Hogwarts elective, Arithmancy. This elective is considered by the Hogwarts student body to be the most difficult of the options, but is by far the most rewarding. In the same way that learning Latin will assist your spell casting, learning Arithmancy will improve both your practical and theoretical knowledge in near every subject of magical education. This document is intended to provide a basic understanding of Arithmantic concepts. It in no way represents a suitable replacement for enrolling in the Hogwarts Arithmancy course. Professor Vector has submitted her notes from previous years' teaching as a simple review for those who need to brush up on their Sympatheticals, Sequences, or Strings. However, we begin, as is best, at the beginning.
Lesson One:
Arithmancy is the magic of numbers. As muggles will tell you, numbers can explain everything around us. The same can be said of Arithmancy. All branches of magic find their roots in Arithmancy, and Arithmancy is a required NEWT for application to the Department of Mysteries. Spell creation in particular is a practice that requires an Outstanding to pursue. The first lesson that Hogwarts third years are taught is the primary symbolism of the natural numbers.
One
Purity; Birth; Honesty; Light; Rejuvenation; Happiness
Two
Plantlife; Strength; Endurance; Time; Choice; Love
Three
Fungi; Knowledge; Earth; Family; Death; Luck
Four
Animals; Symmetry; Water; Peace; Royalty; Stability
Five
Humanity; Patterns; Ownership; Asymmetry; Air; Wealth
Six
Evil; Temperature; Intent; Poison; Memory; Camaraderie
Seven
Magic; Connection; Aether; Mystery; Fate; Arrogance
Eight
Right; Conception; Astronomy; Childhood; Expression; Faith
Nine
Left; Fire; Ultimatums; Reflection; Confusion; Penance
One important observation is that each natural number has six common aspects. This is not because of any magical limitation, so much as a human limitation. Six is the number of Intent and Memory. In this way, it is also the number of limitation. Humans have trouble thinking in more than six dimensions. Muggles themselves are usually confined to four. The question that is always asked after this lesson is "What about Zero?" The answer is not so easy. Zero is not a magical number. Zero is the number of nullification. It is the number of anti-magic, and the number of muggles. Some may consider this inequality, looking down on out non-magical counterparts. That is not the truth. Certainly, this Arithmantic theorem has been cited in Pureblood agenda, but it is in no way proof of any superiority. Zero is a hugely important number. In fact, any number multiplied by zero becomes zero. To divide by zero is to create an unsolvable problem. Muggles in this way could in fact be seen as far more powerful than wizards. I leave you today, class, with this list of the natural symbolism to ponder. Your homework is to look for these aspects in your daily life and think about ways they could influence magic as a whole.