Are You A Life Path 9? Here's What That Means, According To Numerologists

Whether you've mapped your astrological birth chart or dipped into human design, you've probably heard a bit about numerology. In this ancient system, numbers and letters hold energetic vibrations—and those vibrations are thought to influence our direction in life.

First things first: It's super simple to calculate your life path number. All you have to do is add up the numbers in your birthday. (Make sure you write out your full birth year.)

Keep adding any double-digit numbers together until you get a single-digit life path number between 1 and 9.

For example, if your birthday was March 29, 1969, it would look like:

3+2+9+1+9+6+9 = 39

3+9 = 12

1+2 = 3

Life path 9's are literally known as "the humanitarians" in numerology, being both creative and extremely concerned with serving others.

Being so humanitarian-minded, life path 9's have a seemingly bottomless well of servitude and compassion, constantly giving of themselves to help others. This can be considered a strength or a weakness, depending on how well they can find balance.

One of the biggest challenges life path 9's will face is the dilemma of moving on and letting go. This can lead them through multiple portals of transformation throughout the course of their lives, which isn't always easy.

As numerologist Michelle Buchanan previously explained to mindbodygreen, the number 9 itself is associated with endings in numerology, so this life path's biggest lesson is learning to accept, let go, and move on from any misfortune of the past.

Creativity is another key trait for life path 9's—after all, you've gotta get creative if you're trying to change the world.

As you might imagine, when it comes to their careers and professional lives, life path 9's are attracted to humanitarian roles where they can make the world a better place in one way or another.

"These people thrive when working creatively for their community—they make great teachers, philanthropists, activists, and artists," Kaehart explains, adding they approach everything (from romance to their jobs) from a very heart-centered place. "With these people it's really, really important that they're able to give of themselves, and that they are experiencing compassion and empathy in their interactions. They're most driven and motivated by the desire to give and to contribute something to large groups of people."

Life path 9's handle their relationships just like everything else in their life: with a humanitarian approach. That being said, this is someone who wants to be in a partnership that can make waves in the world for the better.

As Kaehart explains, "Their romantic relationships have a bigger purpose—these are couples who want to join the Peace Corps together, or things like that. They're involved in philanthropic ventures and nonprofit work."

And just as their selflessness to the world can lead to burnout, so can selflessness in relationships, so it's important for life path 9's to remember not to abandon their own needs in order to keep their partner happy.

Striking the balance between giving selflessly and remembering your own needs is essential for life path 9's. "That's kind of the shadow of the 9— they can just give and give and give until there's nothing left—and then they're left feeling empty and confused," Kaerhart explains.