Numerology is based on the ancient idea that each of us is a spiritual being, or a soul, who incarnates on the earth many times in order to further evolve toward higher states of awareness.

During our long evolutionary path of many incarnations, we have accumulated a wealth of wisdom, and have made many good choices that benefit us in future lifetimes. We have also made mistakes, and have sometimes abused the gifts we have been given. To rectify such errors, we may take on an additional burden in order to learn a particular lesson that we failed to learn in previous lifetimes. In numerology, this burden is called a Karmic Debt.

The numbers that indicate a Karmic Debt are 13, 14, 16, and 19. These double-digit numbers take on great significance when they are found in the core numbers (the most important numbers including the Life Path, Expression, Heart’s Desire (or Soul Urge), Personality, and Birth Day), and in the various cycles during the course of your lifetime. Each has its own unique characteristics, and its own particular difficulties.

When you are calculating your chart – especially you core numbers and different cycles – you may encounter the numbers 1, 4, 5,  or 7. These single-digit numbers can be arrived at by adding a variety of two-digit numbers. The number 1 can be arrived at, for example, by combining the double-digit numbers of 10 (1 + 0 = 1), 19, 28, 37, 46 – all of which total to 10, and then to 1. However, only in the case of 19 is a Karmic Debt indicated. Karmic Debts are also associated with the numbers 4, 5, and 7. These numbers can be preceded by an array of two-digit numbers, but when the 4 is preceded by a 13; or when the 5 is preceded by a 14; or the 7 by a 16; a Karmic Debt is also read as part of the single-digit interpretation.

A Karmic Debt can be found in different places in the chart. As a result of totals based on your date of birth, for instance, or calculations based on the letters of your name. This means that two people with a 16 Karmic Debt that is located in different places in the chart, express it very differently. Thus, all I can do is lay out the general characteristics of the Karmic Debt, and some broad guidelines for dealing with it.

What follows is a description of the four Karmic Debt numbers 13, 14, 16, and 19.

13

Those with the 13 Karmic Debt will work very hard to accomplish any task. Obstacles stand in their way, and must be overcome time and again. One may often feel burdened and frustrated by the seeming futility of one’s efforts there may be a desire to surrender to the difficulties and simply give up on the goal, believing it was impossible to attain in the first place. Some with the 13 Karmic Debt fall to laziness and negativity. But efforts are not futile, and success is well within reach. One simply must work hard, and persevere in order to reach the goal. Many highly successful people in all walks of life, including business, art, and athletics, have a 13 Karmic Debt.

The key to succeeding wit the 13 is focus. Very often, people with the 13 Karmic Debt do not concentrate or direct their energies in one specific direction, or on a single task, but scatter their energies over many projects and jobs, none of which amount to very much. A temptation wit the 13 is to take shortcuts for quick success. Too often, that easy success doesn’t come, causing regret and the desire to give up. The result is a poor self-image, and the belief that one is incapable of amounting to very much.

In order to focus, you must maintain order in your life. Order is essential to success. You must maintain a schedule, keep appointments, and follow through. Keep your environment neat and under control, and never procrastinate. If you sustain a steady and consistent effort, you will realize much reward.

14

The 14 Karmic Debt arises from previous lifetimes during which human freedom has been abused. Those with a 14 Karmic Debt are forced to adapt to ever-changing circumstances and unexpected occurrences. There is an acute danger of falling victim to abuse of drugs, alcohol, and overindulgence in sensual pleasures, such as food and sex. You must put the reins on yourself. Modesty in all affairs is crucial to overcoming this Karmic Debt.

Also important is the need to maintain order in life, and to establish one’s own emotional stability. you must also be willing to adapt to the unexpected occurrences of life, all the while maintaining your focus on your goals and dreams. Flexibility and adaptability are at the very core of this struggle.
Orderliness in one’s immediate environment is crucial to maintaining clarity and focus. Mental and emotional stability must be attained in order to avoid being thrown about by the changing fortunes in the external environment.

But the key to the 14 Karmic Debt is commitment. Life will resemble a roller coaster ride, but it will always travel in the right direction if one’s heart is set on what is true and good. Set yourself a high goal, maintain order wherever possible in your life, avoid excessive sensory indulgence, and maintain faith. Above all, do not give up on your dreams and goals.
Those with the 14 Karmic Debt will experience life to the fullest, and as long as they maintain a high dream, they will achieve success and great spiritual development.

16

The 16 Karmic Debt – wherever it shows up on the chart – means destruction of the old and birth of the new. The 16 is about the fall of the ego, and all that it has built for itself. It is a watershed, a cleansing. All that has been constructed, and all that serves to separate the person from the source of life is destroyed. Through the 16, reunion with the great spirit is accomplished.
This can be a painful process, because it usually comes after much ego inflation. This results in a struggle between the ego and the divine will. Life presents challenges to your grand plans, which can be resented and struggled against. It is a lost battle, and you will likely feel humbled in the face of the collapse that follows. This humility is the key to later success, however, because you will learn to follow the intimations of a higher reality. In the destruction of the old, a spiritual rebirth takes place with an entirely new awareness. This rebirth affects every area of your life. It is a life much the better for the fall.

Those with the 16 Karmic Debt must be careful of egotism. Very often, those with the 16 use their highly intuitive and refined intellect to look down upon others, and view the rest of the world as inferior. This causes acute alienation and loneliness. In addition, it invites retribution, for the egotist is humbled more harshly than any other.
When the 16 is in one of the core numbers, this process of destruction and rebirth is a continual cycle that actually serves to bring you into higher consciousness and closer union with the source of life.

The 16 Karmic Debt can be a path of progress and great spiritual growth if it is looked at properly. One develops great faith by placing one’s life in the hands of God. Through such faith, gratitude and peace are firmly established.

19

The person with the 19 Karmic Debt will learn independence and the proper use of power. You will be forced to stand up for yourself, and often be left to stand alone. Difficulties will be faced and overcome through personal struggle.

One of the central lessons for people with the 19 Karmic Debt is that you stubbornly resist help. Much of your independence is self-imposed; you simply don’t want to listen to others, or to accept the help or advice of others.
The 19 Karmic Debt can become a self imposed prison if you do not open up to the reality of interdependence, and the mutual need for love.

The most important lesson for the 19 Karmic Debt is: While you seek to stand on your own feet, you are still a human being, deeply connected with others and in need of the support, assistance, and human understanding that all people need. Those with the 19 Karmic Debt will learn the hard way that “no man is an island,” and that we are, indeed, “all bits of the main!”